Has anyone ever finished their car?

[e30topless]

that's the great thing about any E30, they are never finished !

there's always room for tinkering

[Falkster]

that's the great thing about any E30, they are never finished !

there's always room for tinkering

That's the whole point. Who sets the benchmark?
We all have an idea when we first get one and that was to own, insure and run one. Then we join a forum, people give us ideas, we meet other owners that know more and have better ideas. We do a bit more! Before long (or atleast I have) you have a massive list of jobs you want to get done plus an even bigger list you'd love to get done!!
If your car is finished then it's time to call it a day with e30s

[kieran325]

If your car is finished then it's time to call it a day with e30s

I agree.

[Morat]

As long as you drive it, there will be maintenance to do - even if it is only oil changes, plugs, filters. Oh and bushes, ARB links, wiper blades, air filter, top mounts, tyres, brake pads, disks unblocking the washer jets every few weeks, checking/fettling rust.
y'know, the everyday stuff

[Davies31]

that's the great thing about any E30, they are never finished !

there's always room for tinkering

That's the whole point. Who sets the benchmark?
We all have an idea when we first get one and that was to own, insure and run one. Then we join a forum, people give us ideas, we meet other owners that know more and have better ideas. We do a bit more! Before long (or atleast I have) you have a massive list of jobs you want to get done plus an even bigger list you'd love to get done!!
If your car is finished then it's time to call it a day with e30s

Exactly. There is no finish line. If there is then no matter how fast you drive toward it, it will always be disappearing over the horizon. And it is a very personal opinion type thing as well. For instance; to me this red M3 looks perfect and an obvious credit to it's owners commitment. But by his own admission it's not finished.

Back on the hamster wheel of ownership!

[alexdejonghe]

Given the 45,000 odd Zone-members restoring their E30's (to varying levels)....

will E30's live on and on and on forever then?

[Falkster]

If your car is finished then it's time to call it a day with e30s

I agree.

Jesus, you really are a mardy get. Most of the people on the forum would give their back teeth, front teeth and mums teeth for even you touring. Take a few of those uppers the doc gave you and jump back on the horse - rest of us will be jumping in front of your train tomorrow otherwise.

[kieran325]

Ha ha ^^^

I've lost all interest and I can't explain it

It's finished and I'm focusing on other things at the minute.

Oh and I'm off for a week so if you do fancy jumping in front of my train, can we do it the week after

[gooner1]

kieran, do you do any of the work needed/maintenance on your cars

[kieran325]

I do the general servicing if that counts.

The M3 goes to the garage for the sake of the service history.

I'm not going to be selling them but I fancy doing something else, I bowed out when I finished the highbacks a few months ago.

[kieran325]

Given the 45,000 odd Zone-members restoring their E30's (to varying levels)....

will E30's live on and on and on forever then?

45000 members resulted in only 200/250 actual genuine E30 owners on this forum.

[alexdejonghe]

Given the 45,000 odd Zone-members restoring their E30's (to varying levels)....

will E30's live on and on and on forever then?

45000 members resulted in only 200/250 actual genuine E30 owners on this forum.

Really? Do you mean that 44,750 members are either ex-E30 owners or canvassers?

Or do you feel that only 200/250 members can call themselves 'actual genuine' E30 enthusiasts?

[kieran325]

IIRC up to 250 fessed up, even if you add another 250 true members then it's still not mega numbers.

[gooner1]

I do the general servicing if that counts.

The M3 goes to the garage for the sake of the service history.

.

Can fully understand your reasoning with the M3 but, and this is only my opinion, to really appreciate these cars you have to get down and dirty personally with them. Even a fairly straight forward
thing, like a Timing belt change, gives you a feeling of great satisfaction when you first turn the key and everything goes as planned. You have a very good paying occupation and i don't begrudge you a single penny of it, however, when things come, relatively, easy, the gloss doesn't seem to last that long.
For me, and again this is only my opinion, there is far more to
my love affair with these old buses than just the driving experience. I have , literally, put bits of myself into my car, skin, flesh and copious amounts of blood and i wouldn't have it any other way.
Please don't take this the wrong way ,Kieran, it's not intended as a pop and i;m not saying you don't appreciate your very tasty collection as much as anyone else. I;ll stfu now as I don't feel i'm explaining myself very well.

[kieran325]

I understand Rob

I've had the sport for 17yrs, I grow out of it and I grow back into it - does that make sense??

[Blitz]

I have not even started.

[leeparkes]

Im close to finishing the guts of my E30, ie suspension running gear etc, then its getting the body up to scratch.But once thats done ill end up finding something else to do.

Problem is it feels like its turning into a garage queen and where's the fun in that. It will be back on the road next week after 6 months and i know i will be paranoid about other idiots on the road or where i park it etc...

My first E30 cost me £400 about 8 years ago, never spent a penny on it or really maintained it but in some way loved it more

[bss325i]

Unless you get it to that point and then never drive it again there will always be something to be fixed, cleaned, polished, refurbed, upgraded etc.....

Having said that there are some very complete cars on the Zone - DanThe's chromie, BSS325i and Kieran's Sports, BeardyMat's M3 for example

Interesting thread this, for various reasons....

As for my own car, i have certainly come along way with mine and have covered a lot of areas and its almost in a state where i'm finally feel its in a presentable state and in the look and spec i've wanted.

As others have said, it will never be finished and there is still a list of little jobs that need doing along with a few other morsels that need fitting.

One area i'm still undecided about is the engine. I have not touched it at all other than maintenance and detailing and have plenty of ideas of which route i would like to take with the M20 but as i've said before, i reluctant to pull apart a 62k engine in perfect condition. I'm just waiting for a reason to pull it apart but i dont think thats going to happen anytime soon with the care it receives.

Anyone who likes to tinker with cars will never finish and if your not the type who likes to get their hands dirty then maybe its time to spend your money on something else.

[m8782538]

Far from finished, the list of things to do keeps getting longer and longer and mine is mid way through a restoration (on a tight budget). Also now found i need a new Thermostat (£45 ish from GSF) possibly a new blue temp sensor, 2 new number plates (don't know how i forgot those), sunroof, probably some interal fixtures (knee cowling under the steering column is dropping) new glovebox (hard to get hold of, incl staps and fixings) and the list keeps growing, this stuff is ontop on what was already on the list.

[tonybtonyb]

Its only finished when you sell it

Now that could be true but I know once I have done everything what needs doing then more than likely somebody will want to buy it after all my hard work.