E30 - Soon to be a rarity?

[Zerotonine]

I have been on here for quite some time, I have seen people patch their turds up for MOT, people fragging specimens, saw out the end of the E30 'chav' days when they moved on to the E36 and saw the rise of more and more people giving their E30s full on restorations/rebuilds.
However, with the rise of stancecocks and drifters, has the E30 dipped back into the cheap throwaway toy status, causing the death of many a E30, or is it still heading to the classic realm?

Discuss.

[verde]

Definately the amount of people breaking ( to look at ) nice E30s is pretty upsetting. I dont like the way americans want to stance and rat EVERYTHING. Theyl take a nice 325is and put steelies on it, stickerbomb the bonnet and remove all the springs, or throw a v8 in, remove all the interior and slide it into walls every weekend.

[ANDY325TOURING]

Who cares? cant change it......Find the one you want, do it the way you want it, and no one can take it away from you.....

[redcar]

I know it sounds really stupid, but the way I look at it is that it's a similar case of the good ones will survive.

The cheaper ones that aren't looked after slowly fester away, whilst the abused ones eventually get broken when people get tired of them and seek a new car to stance.

I think eventually there will just be a greater proprtion of minters out there.

[polsta]

Definately the amount of people breaking ( to look at ) nice E30s is pretty upsetting. I dont like the way americans want to stance and rat EVERYTHING. Theyl take a nice 325is and put steelies on it, stickerbomb the bonnet and remove all the springs, or throw a v8 in, remove all the interior and slide it into walls every weekend.

this !! the breaking that you see on here at times is very sad, yes along with the other reasons above you mention and drifters..will see the "nice" and restored e30s rise in value and be rare, the best will survive...but theres a shocking amount of breaking going on on here and will be regretted in the future

[magpie]

scrap should be fragged and weighed,there are plenty of solid ones out there if your looking for a good example and prepared to travel.

most people will buy owt if it's in a 30 mile radius.

[Rich320I]

does seem to be a large amount of nice e30's fragged for apprently small issues IMO,

but as to status as a classic car i think their definately heading that way if not already

[polsta]

no one can begrudge breaking of a damaged/really rotten car, but some get fragged for nothing it seems- well for the cash, or the posts of "i dont know if to buy a new indicator bulb for my e30 or break it" lol .

also its a shame that some of them are not offered for sale 1st before breaking, cars that are half decent someone on here could patch up and drive whilst doing a resto on another, or spend £300 on and have a car that easy last a few more years

[kangman]

e30s are not worth much and never really will be, unless its an iconic car like a M3 E30. these cars are like cortinas everyday family saloons which arent going to shoot upwards in price unless you have a proper minter that has done less then 70'000 miles with folders of history. BUT you can never predict the future 318is, 320is, sports and motorsports may sky rocket in price in the next 10years.
Ford sierra rs500s, escort mexico, rs1600i and s1 rs turbos are all on the rise. i love my old fords

[verde]

Theres one in the sale section i cant remember whos doing it no offence to you or bad judgement intended but...its got a blown head gasket.... you can buy a full gasket kit for 72 pounds. I couldnt break a whole car just because of that. Very sad to see indeed.

[verde]

e30s are not worth much and never really will be, unless its an iconic car like a M3 E30. these cars are like cortinas everyday family saloons which arent going to shoot upwards in price unless you have a proper minter that has done less then 70'000 miles with folders of history. BUT you can never predict the future 318is, 320is, sports and motorsports may sky rocket in price in the next 10years.
Ford sierra rs500s, escort mexico, rs1600i and s1 rs turbos are all on the rise. i love my old fords

When i was born mum and dad sold their mk2, it was rally spec with a race engine the university tuned up, think she sold it for 200 quid or something, totally regrets it as theyr worth like 7 grand now

[gman1]

does seem to be a large amount of nice e30's fragged for apprently small issues IMO,

but as to status as a classic car i think their definately heading that way if not already

I agree with you........
seems like alot of cars are being broken/scrapped/fragged!!!!!,just to make a few quid!!!!...that said,it is handy when we need spare parts for our cars!!

[yung-gun]

Who cares? cant change it......Find the one you want, do it the way you want it, and no one can take it away from you.....

+1

[polsta]

e30s are not worth much and never really will be, unless its an iconic car like a M3 E30. these cars are like cortinas everyday family saloons which arent going to shoot upwards in price unless you have a proper minter that has done less then 70'000 miles with folders of history. BUT you can never predict the future 318is, 320is, sports and motorsports may sky rocket in price in the next 10years.
Ford sierra rs500s, escort mexico, rs1600i and s1 rs turbos are all on the rise. i love my old fords

i love old fords

i own one myself, although could be parting company with it as its up for sale

have you seen the prices of some of the stuff, people say about e30 parts ...my mates just nut and bolt restored a 3 door cosworth, 550bhp monster he spent 8k on the engine,its being mot`d saturday 3 years in the making, its not an original 500, but has a 500 block, and various parts...the front splitter had some damage, a breaker has 3 of them stored away..my mate offered him £3000 for one, and he refused to sell it 3 fookin grand,says they are his retirement fund ! some of the prices hes paid for parts on the car are unreal, £400 for some mint door cards, and all sorts of crazy prices

[Grrrmachine]

there are plenty of solid ones out there if your looking for a good example and prepared to travel.

No there aren't.

Almost every car that comes up in the For Sale thread has a list of faults. Almost every "My New E30" thread has photos of the horrors that lurk beneath. The days of cheap solid shells are over.

[Zerotonine]

The problem also being that there are some genuinely nice ones for sale, but due to the economy/labour/coalition/David Cameron/benefit single mums no-one has the money to buy, and a half decent E30 will break for more than it's value complete. There have been a few examples in the classifieds I wish I could have given a home to, and they have either ended up as frag or have been sold for a pittance, and it is a shame really.

[verde]

there are plenty of solid ones out there if your looking for a good example and prepared to travel.

No there aren't.

Almost every car that comes up in the For Sale thread has a list of faults. Almost every "My New E30" thread has photos of the horrors that lurk beneath. The days of cheap solid shells are over.

Agreed. My car was a " minter " it only had 3 or 4 small rust issues...electrical faults...needed new brakes...trackings our of line...

People ask me " Is this a good e30 to buy " and i always reply theres no such thing as a good e30, no matter what model or how much you spend your gunna accidently lift a carpet, or notice somethings stopped working opening a whole can of worms

[yung-gun]

That applies to all cars tho lol

[cecotto479]

Theres one in the sale section i cant remember whos doing it no offence to you or bad judgement intended but...its got a blown head gasket.... you can buy a full gasket kit for 72 pounds. I couldnt break a whole car just because of that. Very sad to see indeed.

That, if it's an M20, could be the guts of £2000 to fix properly at a reasonably priced independent.

Not everybody has the time, space or skills to do a head rebuild properly at home in their garage.

[magpie]

there are solid ones out there,try upping your budget from £500 !

[Grrrmachine]

Theres one in the sale section i cant remember whos doing it no offence to you or bad judgement intended but...its got a blown head gasket.... you can buy a full gasket kit for 72 pounds. I couldnt break a whole car just because of that. Very sad to see indeed.

Head gasket is 72 quid. Then there's the head bolts, cam belt, tensioner, rocker cover gasket, oil and coolant. And that's presuming you don't have any issues taking off the exhaust manifold (which means broken studs), and that there's been no damage to the innards meaning new valves being lapped in, head skimmed and pressure tested, and since you've got the head off you might as well do the valve stem seals...

Considering what happened to your 2.5 engine, I'm surprised you'd think it was that simple.

[BEERBOY123]

E30s are all between 20 and 30 years old, they are the last of the 'traditional' BMW designs, they are very nice looking in two door unmolested form, the designer (Claus Luthe) is no more, they have good competition credentials (M3 esp), they are RWD, they are well made, they were the 'must have' small exec car of the 80s, they sound good, they turn heads and strangers want to know about them/want to know how much you want for them, they are (dependent on model) all quite rapid - even now, they are German, they are iconic (in as much as they are the mkII Three Series), they are 'drivers' cars', they smell nice, they are made by a company with a long and generally good history, there are fewer and fewer left...

So yes, if you accept all of the above, they are classics, or certainly will be soon.

[redcar]

E30s are all between 20 and 30 years old, they are the last of the 'traditional' BMW designs, they are very nice looking in two door unmolested form, the designer (Claus Luthe) is no more, they have good competition credentials (M3 esp), they are RWD, they are well made, they were the 'must have' small exec car of the 80s, they sound good, they turn heads and strangers want to know about them/want to know how much you want for them, they are (dependent on model) all quite rapid - even now, they are German, they are iconic (in as much as they are the mkII Three Series), they are 'drivers' cars', they smell nice, they are made by a company with a long and generally good history, there are fewer and fewer left...

So yes, if you accept all of the above, they are classics, or certainly will be soon.

Pretty well concluded.

[BATTS91]

there are solid ones out there,try upping your budget from £500 !

Very true!

[suchy]

E30s are all between 20 and 30 years old, they are the last of the 'traditional' BMW designs, they are very nice looking in two door unmolested form, the designer (Claus Luthe) is no more, they have good competition credentials (M3 esp), they are RWD, they are well made, they were the 'must have' small exec car of the 80s, they sound good, they turn heads and strangers want to know about them/want to know how much you want for them, they are (dependent on model) all quite rapid - even now, they are German, they are iconic (in as much as they are the mkII Three Series), they are 'drivers' cars', they smell nice, they are made by a company with a long and generally good history, there are fewer and fewer left...

So yes, if you accept all of the above, they are classics, or certainly will be soon.

+2 fo'sho
Even Mk3 Escorts are worth something now and they weren't thought to be a future classic back then.
But I agree with the post earlier about them just passing from chav element into border-classic only to be dragged back down by penniless Scene tw*ts and DriftCocks

[G-Bear]

I don't blame anyone for fragging them, as they can make a pretty profit.. But it is a shame seeing so many get fragged...

[B7]

I ask;

would anyone come and give me 1300 quid for a 320i auto more door wearing comfort blue cloth with no MOT or Tax, a fucked drivers door and rusty rear arches.

NO!

So why would I want to sell it on for 350 quid when I can have 1300 quid in my bank balance and supply many others with parts to keep thiers on the road? Plus I've made your car rarer.

It's called basic business and recycling!

Like the M3 Evo convertible i'm currently breaking. Would anyone pay me £3k for a harlequin coloured rusty shitter with no MOT and has been standing for 2 years? Not unless they were insane.

People need to get real in this Gaff!

[Duke137]

I ask;

would anyone come and give me 1300 quid for a 320i auto more door wearing comfort blue cloth with no MOT or Tax, a ****** drivers door and rusty rear arches.

NO!

So why would I want to sell it on for 350 quid when I can have 1300 quid in my bank balance and supply many others with parts to keep thiers on the road? Plus I've made your car rarer.

It's called basic business and recycling!

Like the M3 Evo convertible i'm currently breaking. Would anyone pay me £3k for a harlequin coloured rusty shitter with no MOT and has been standing for 2 years? Not unless they were insane.

People need to get real in this Gaff!

That 320 broke well really at £1300

[B7]

I ask;

would anyone come and give me 1300 quid for a 320i auto more door wearing comfort blue cloth with no MOT or Tax, a ****** drivers door and rusty rear arches.

NO!

So why would I want to sell it on for 350 quid when I can have 1300 quid in my bank balance and supply many others with parts to keep thiers on the road? Plus I've made your car rarer.

It's called basic business and recycling!

Like the M3 Evo convertible i'm currently breaking. Would anyone pay me £3k for a harlequin coloured rusty shitter with no MOT and has been standing for 2 years? Not unless they were insane.

People need to get real in this Gaff!

That 320 broke well really at £1300

Theres fragging and fragging. What I am against is people playing at it. It like Hugh Fernly Wittingstalls view on eating meat. You do the animal in injustice if you don't eat every part.

In other words, it you are going to frag something, nut nd bolt the b4stard. Yes it broke well. Theres no point doing it unless it makes the dollar.

[Kedge]

I ask;

would anyone come and give me 1300 quid for a 320i auto more door wearing comfort blue cloth with no MOT or Tax, a ****** drivers door and rusty rear arches.

NO!

So why would I want to sell it on for 350 quid when I can have 1300 quid in my bank balance and supply many others with parts to keep thiers on the road? Plus I've made your car rarer.

It's called basic business and recycling!

Like the M3 Evo convertible i'm currently breaking. Would anyone pay me £3k for a harlequin coloured rusty shitter with no MOT and has been standing for 2 years? Not unless they were insane.

People need to get real in this Gaff!

^^^^THIS^^^^

For example my touring is coming up to the end of it's MOT, it will be going for a test but if it fails on anything that's going involves too much work or money it's getting fragged. It's a rusty shitter with lots of damaged trim and owes me nothing, am I going to waste my time trying to flog it for a few quid more than scrap value when i can strip it down for a hell of a lot more.............same goes for most E30s out there to be honest, most are worth more in bits than as a whole car. Especially in the current climate.

Plenty of E30s look fine on the surface but when you strip them back a little they are fooooked.

And yes, they are a long way from full classis status as there are still a hell of a lot out there on their deaths beds being dragged along by the drift/stancecocks. Just look at how many more posts there are on here these days about getting an E30 lowered by a million MM.

[verde]

Theres one in the sale section i cant remember whos doing it no offence to you or bad judgement intended but...its got a blown head gasket.... you can buy a full gasket kit for 72 pounds. I couldnt break a whole car just because of that. Very sad to see indeed.

Head gasket is 72 quid. Then there's the head bolts, cam belt, tensioner, rocker cover gasket, oil and coolant. And that's presuming you don't have any issues taking off the exhaust manifold (which means broken studs), and that there's been no damage to the innards meaning new valves being lapped in, head skimmed and pressure tested, and since you've got the head off you might as well do the valve stem seals...

Considering what happened to your 2.5 engine, I'm surprised you'd think it was that simple.

The 2.5 didnt have a dodgy gasket, it boiled the oil, blew a piston into atleast 15 pieces, shattered a plug and almost snapped a conrod.

[deep-dish-e30]

+1 @ B7

well said

[madmax1410]

well i consider them a classic in fact i consider most good 1980's cars classics! over here in ireland they are a lot rarer than the uk and thankfully our cars dont seem to rust as bad as ones from the uk!

over here in the 90's to early 2000's they were still common enough but neerly everyone was the same tech 2 kits and alpina reps they then just disapeared from the roads!

while there is a big fanbase over here they still can be bought for small money! but i have noticed the opel manta riseing in prices for even rough ones so there is hope yet!

[HartgeH27]

I know it sounds really stupid, but the way I look at it is that it's a similar case of the good ones will survive.

The cheaper ones that aren't looked after slowly fester away, whilst the abused ones eventually get broken when people get tired of them and seek a new car to stance.

I think eventually there will just be a greater proprtion of minters out there.

Unfortunately I remember this very thing happening with the 2002 back a good few years. I used to find many a 2 series in the scrappy but then they just dried up. This is what is happening to the E30s, the good ones will survive, the dogs will die and there wont be many to be found breaking. I give it another two or three years before it will be very hard to locate a breaker at the scrappies.

[Kedge]

I give it another two or three years before it will be very hard to locate a breaker at the scrappies.

It's been like that a good few years in these parts.