things to look for when buying your first E30

[Jellymonster]

Hello,

Ive been a member on here for a while but never posted!

Its a great forum Anyway, I was wondering if you could tell me what to look out for when you're purchasing an E30 325i... the tell tale signs that its about to give up?

Also, what would you say needs changing to give maximum life to the engine... i'm not mechanically minded but have read the timing belts being changed are worth doing immediately?

Ta

James

[boxclever1753]

hey james

it's all about rust, rust and more rust. the rest is easy to fix or replace. basic stuff though is change the cam belt, tensioner and water pump immediately and do a mini service.

but the best advice would be to befriend a zoner near you, take them with you to look at some cars and then reward them with snacks and beer!

HTH

rich.

[srmalek]

hi, things to look for an e30 325, make sure to look on the gearbox if is an autobox and no to switchable autobox where it can be a nightmare, with the age few eletrical problem can occur such as the power window, central locking, sun roof, engine wise and 30 is reliable machine, look out for rust as well, good luck hunting for the car

cheers

[Jellymonster]

thanks rich... thats grand. how much would it cost to change the cam belt, tensioner and water pump?

i'm looking at this 325i on the forum.

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=175267

any thoughts?

[pnd]

rust is expensive to fix but so are numerous mechanical faults. i would want to see a straight rot free car and lots of bills to show its been maintained or a record of whats been done if it has been home serviced. Make no mistake these are not cheap cars to keep right at this advanced age so if someones been skimping on maintenance big bills are usually round the corner.

[boxclever1753]

looks worth the cash to me.

cost of doing the cam belt and stuff is not dear, all in less than £200 at a local garage i think. been a few years since i last had an e30 so i could be wrong... but, lots of people on here reckon it is not a big job to do yourself - i just don't work on cars as i am the clumsiest bugger ever!

[daimlerman]

Bodywise,rust!

Corners of the scuttle panel,rear wheel arches(check behind the trim in the boot)cills and door shuts on tourings,front footwells(lift the carpet)base of the gogo pedal,bulkhead under the fusebox,rear panel close to the towing eye,battery box in boot,and battery tray under the bonnet.

Engine.
Cambelt must be changed at 30k miles or 3 years,no proof,change it.
Check for mayo under the oil filler cap,check cooling system expansion tank for oil.
Expect oil dribbles,they all do,obvious major leaks are a no-no.
Gearshift should be tight,not expensive to fix,but a good bargaining chip.
Driver's seat will show wear,but not foam,expensive to sort properly.

Parts availability is very,very good,some bits are expensive from BMW,but at least they are available,s/h availability is good via known zone traders.

[Jellymonster]

daimlerman, i've pm'd you

[djk]

Rust rust and more rust! Typically rear wheel arches inside and out, firewall/bulkhead, front of sills (the phantom 'jacking pads', square pieces welded on to the front of the sill/front wheel arch area). Proper jacking points can be crumbly too, as can scuttle panels, particularly on facelift (88 on) cars for some reason. Often there is rust around the rear towing eye on facelifts too, though this isn't exactly a critical area. If there is any rust on the roof, unless just a little stonechip, I'd walk away - on a sunroof car it will have rotted through from the inside and will not be pretty.

Engines do not like being overheated, if there is any 'mayo' under the oil filler cap then you can pretty much bank on a cracked head as head gaskets rarely go alone. Most M20 (six cylinder) engined cars will have the temp guage sitting rock steady between the 'quarter' and midway marks on the gauge when fully warm. Pay good attention to the coolant - strong, clean and to level is what you want. Wet carpets can mean a variety of problems, from rusty holes to blocked drains to leaking heaters (bad news). Old radiators are usually silted up, leaking or both, a recent replacement is always nice. A heavily leaking sump gasket is a mare to replace, but in my experience most cars have a small weep from them which is neither here nor there. Tapping from the top end is either worn injectors or tappets needing adjusting, neither a particularly big deal, but if it's really loud it could be something more sinister. All 325s have abs, which can be a pain and expensive to fix, so the light should come on with the ignition and go out when the engine is started. If it doesn't, it's an MoT fail. Timing belt must be replaced every 4 years or 40?k (I think, don't do that many miles myself), so recent evidence of a change is a boon, waterpump should be changed at the same time because if it goes it requires pretty much all the dismantling of a belt change to replace it. A lot of cars idle poorly, which probably won't be costly to fix, but can be very frustrating and time consuming to put right. Rare, but a 'ticking' exhaust manifold is a nightmare to replace. The transmission should be reasonably quiet, whining diffs are common, but they are by no means all like that. Properly maintained cars should feel relatively 'tight' on the road, a sloppy feeling car is a tired one.

HTH

[leeparkes]

Rust!

[beemerbird]

i'm looking at this 325i on the forum.

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=175267

any thoughts?

You'll have no problems replacing the worn seat in this for one thats a lot fresher. Plenty of this style in this pattern about.

[djk]

thanks rich... thats grand. how much would it cost to change the cam belt, tensioner and water pump?

i'm looking at this 325i on the forum.

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=175267

any thoughts?

Cheap at £1k, most 2-door 325s at that price are pretty ropey, and this one looks sound in the pics.

[Jellymonster]

Yeah, I thought it looked quite tidy for the money but i'm NO expert ha.

How much is tax per year on a 325?

[daimlerman]

daimlerman, i've pm'd you

Replied

Tax is £210,I think...

[Jellymonster]

daimlerman, i've pm'd you

Replied

Tax is £210,I think...

replied!

[djk]

Road tax is the same for everything built between 73 and 01 and over 1500cc iirc. And it's a bloody pisstake!

[maz1]

Biggest thing to look out for is RUST. Look everywhere, get the car up on a ramp, take the carpets out of the boot, check the scuttle,rear arches etc

[Jellymonster]

So rust is the main problem then. Apologies for asking what sounds like an obvious question, but what is a scuttle? Is it the section between the windscreen and the engine bay?

[ivqii]

That 325 you've got your eye on is a bargain if as described

Check on insurance though if you are under 23 or so

[Jellymonster]

Yeah, if as described. It sounds too good to be true.

I'm 27 with 5 years NCB so I hopefully shouldn't get stung on insurance. It'd be my second car to waft around in

Does anyone here use a classic car insurance company to insurance their E30?

[mrLEE30]

^^ yes

for me buying a second hand car is all about common sense but more about judgement of character. Insist you meet the buyer at his house as shown on the V5 doc early morning. then look more at the house then the car. nice clean house, tidy garage and garden = someone who looks after his stuff. scummy house with junk all over = lazy person who might not look after the car...note dont equate poor with lazy. If they live in an apartment then ask to use the bathroom and snoop around.

If the character of the seller seems good, then begin to look for rust around the rear lights, sunroof, scuttle panel, wheel arches etc. Insist before you visit the car is to be cold (hence why i say visit in the morning). check the engine is stone cold before it is started. have the seller start it and you watch the exhaust. smoke is warning sign. then drive the car look for temp guage sitting in the middle and NO stereo on listen for knocks and bumps - choose a bumpy road. after test drive leave it running for five mins and check the temp guage again - shoudl still be in middle half of the guage - i.e. in between the three white lines.

The rest is nuts and bolts or cosmetic.

[tunnyx]

jelly - i'd be happy to help you with a cambelt/water change etc - that way it only costs you the parts, about £60 all in would cover it, only about an hour away if you fancy popping over when you buy one (and you know you will!)

[scott180gtb]

RUST. This is just my two pence worth. I am now on my third shell due to the dreaded metal cancer. Don't buy with your heart. This has cost me quite a few quid. Most people decide before viewing a car that they are going to buy it. A lot of the rust on these can hide under the under seal. When your feeling the arches really squeeze the inner arch around the lip. Any crunchiness then walk away. Take a screwdriver and press on the inner arch at the front of the arch near the bottom (don't go too mad as sellers don't like people attacking there cars with screwdrivers.) Again any sounds like a crisp packer then walk. You can pull the rear quarters out if you remove the rear bench and have a good look at the inners from the inside out. Take someone with who will keep you level headed as well. Anybody who is selling what they claim to be rust free car should have no problem with you having a real good dig around.

[Jellymonster]

jelly - i'd be happy to help you with a cambelt/water change etc - that way it only costs you the parts, about £60 all in would cover it, only about an hour away if you fancy popping over when you buy one (and you know you will!)

pm'd