Need advice on first e30

[Rpl1]

Hi going to buy my first e30 in the new year , was wanting to no if I could get a decent 325i se for£2000 don't mind if its a 4door , really could do with some advice . Thanks

[sunnyr83]

Have a look here

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... ing_an_E30

Take somebody who knows what to look for if your looking to spend 2k.

Good luck

[Rpl1]

Thanks for the reply , I had a look on the wiki page was a bit daunting' guess il have to find some one that knows what there looking at and take them with me,

[DanThe]

Wow, new member, new to owning E30's and not looking for coilovers in the first post

[Rpl1]

Haha I'm not going to lie I have no mechanical knowledge so il be asking plenty of those questions in the future

[daimlerman]

Haha I'm not going to lie I have no mechanical knowledge so il be asking plenty of those questions in the future

Is buying a 25 year old car really for you?

[Kos]

Oh the irony

[BATTS91]

Good to see were still getting new sensible members asking for decent advice ,
Best thing i can say is take someone who knows alot about old cars and rust ! ,

Whats your location ? There maybe someone near to assist in your venture

[FinalD]

Haha I'm not going to lie I have no mechanical knowledge so il be asking plenty of those questions in the future

Is buying a 25 year old car really for you?

Got to start somewhere, why not on a simplistic (relatively) BMW to be honest. The only down side to the E30 over things like the E36 is rust, but they too are now at an age where rust is taking them away.

[Rpl1]

I no it will be harder because I don't no how to do any of the work my self but I love these cars ,my dad used to have them when I was a kid and iv wanted one ever since, my girlfriend thinks I'm mad ! I'm in clacton on sea essex

[Grrrmachine]

These days you will either need a decent socket and spanner set or a thick wallet to keep these cars on the road. After 25 years every car has rust lurking somewhere, and all sorts of little components like rubber bushings, steering joints and bearings are approaching (or long past) their usable life.

The good part is that an E30 is a joy to work on, and properly maintained they'll never let you down. But if you're clueless about mechanicals or allergic to oil, then you're in for a steep learning curve.

[aimlessrock]

your not mad at all mate, i purchased my first E30 many moons ago and have learned over the years. E30s are well built, logical and well serviced for spares.

However, you must take someone with you who knows what they are looking for, this is essential as you could end up buying a complete money pit.

As for your GF, you will find that most zoners partners think we are mad...mine certainly does!

happy hunting.

[FinalD]

These days you will either need a decent socket and spanner set or a thick wallet to keep these cars on the road.

I'm finding it requires both.

After 25 years every car has rust lurking somewhere, and all sorts of little components like rubber bushings, steering joints and bearings are approaching (or long past) their usable life.

Agreed. Loads of components will/should need refreshing but on the flip side, if you buy well you'll get a looked after one with them already sorted. I'd hope someone that doesn't know much mechanically would buy via here or similar, where there is a known history of the car and what has been replaced etc. allowing them to spend less in maintenance.

The good part is that an E30 is a joy to work on, and properly maintained they'll never let you down. But if you're clueless about mechanicals or allergic to oil, then you're in for a steep learning curve.

It's a joy until you round a nut/bolt due to excessively rusty components. But yeah, simple to work on really, but I've found this with most other BMWs too along with other RWD cars as well...proper engine layout and all that makes things easier.

[Rpl1]

No not allergic to oil hahah I would enjoy learning to do some of the work my self, plus saves money

[Funnybear]

I'm still on my first e30, a tech one cabbie.

First thing I learnt is to pretty much ignore anything cosmetic, as it is purely that, cosmetic. If your undercrackers ain't clean, you don't want to be pulling noone at the club anyway.

Rust is the killer, plus if your buying a 'cheaper' car then it's not had the work done to it that needs doing to it. It might look like the Dee's Bee's but it will only hurt more and more in the coming months to years.

Sometimes the tatty looking ones are the best in that they've had the money spent in the right places.

I'm in a position (shitty drive, crap mechanical experiance and a reasonably fluid bank account) that I can generally get someone else to do the heavy lifting for me, whilst I just chase rust around the panels and rattle can the really bad bit's whilst I save up for a respray.

I bought the car for for £1250 (with a new hood that just needed fitting) knowing full well it will cost me money to keep it on the road. But i rationalise it by thinking how much I would spend or would be 'encouraged' to get into debt with a brand spanking new car. Looking at it that way and over the period of time I want to own the car for, I could spend thousands and still be quids in.

They are old cars, they take money. Mechanics like them because they are 'relativly' easy to work on with well known issues that can be sorted easily. You'll like one because they are great to drive with good documentation on any aspect of the motor along with a knowledgable community. Thats almost just as much a selling point for me as the actual car itself.

Even if you get one that needs a little work, suck it up and enjoy it for what it is. Your doing your bit for the enviroment by recycling older cars, and your worried about the cost of fuel, you'd have to do 18000 miles a year in your big, torque 2.5 to match the current diesel euro-box difference in price between petrol and diesel atm. (Driving style dependant . . . hehe)

Go for it mate. Even if you get a dog, you'll learn what to look for next time.

[G-Bear]

£2000 should get you a decent 325i so long as your not after a sport, you could get an adequately specked up SE for that price even.

Only problem is finding one that is worthy of that price. Rot is you biggest culprit and usually the most costly to fix.

As already mentioned, anything made of rubber on a 20plus year old car will be due a renew. Plus various other parts, they do add up in price.

But if you want to buy a car that you want to work on and spend forever sorting out all the little niggles out, then an E30 is a charming car to do so with.

Keep an eye on the for sale section on here, the odd clean car does come up. There was a lovely unmolested Sterling Silver 325i Touring for sale on here in the summer in your price range.

But definitely if you can take someone along with you to look at any possible purchase, there's people on here that'll do it for beer money and a back rub.

There is so much information on this website and people with extensive knowledge on these cars that you'll get pulled out of any pickles.

Also have a look through this

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/index.php/Rust

[Rpl1]

Thanks for all your advice everyone , I just want one with as little rust as possible for my buget, is it true that I should buy on the condition of the body rather than the miles?

[Funnybear]

yup . . . . These are old cars, they have done miles. And low miles doesn't mean low rust.

Honestly it will be the rust that kills any deal. Look under the carpets, look at the rear archs, look at the cills, behind the rear bumper . . . . . Just cuz you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there. And you'll only find it when you come to do your own maintenance and you find a gaping hole where the wheel arch used to be.

[Rpl1]

That's helped a lot thanks , I would have been tempted by one that looks nice from the outside before , but now I've heard your advice I won't go on cosmetic things anymore, when I get all the money together i think il ask on here if someone could help me look .

[G-Bear]

Thanks for all your advice everyone , I just want one with as little rust as possible for my buget, is it true that I should buy on the condition of the body rather than the miles?

Milage doesn't have much to say over the condition of the bodywork.

A well maintained M20 (engine in a 325i) is good for over 200k plus miles. So look for service history and heaps of receipts. As far as I have read, the most unpredictable trait of an M20 is a cracked cylinder head and these can just go regardless.. With that there are plenty of affordable complete engines you can buy and pop in should anything go wrong mechanical wise..

[gnarkillius]

rust rust rust.

Look up everything you can find about the areas where rust eats these cars.

Almost all the cars will have starship like mileage, unless you are lucky or spending more than 2k.

Remember the rust.

Look for one that has been maintained, with a nice long list of jobs done in the last few years.

Expect to have some work done while owning it, its unlikely you will get trouble free motoring for much more than a year on a 25 year old car, unless paying a lot of money for a 'restored' example.

and look for rust.

(Im driving a 318is at the moment, and had a horror with a broken ignition, then I got that fixed and the heater started splurging water into the pasenger footwell the day after I got it fixed....and I STILL adore the thing)

This sort of thing is likely to happen, so just be ready for it.

THey go rusty too, so watch out for that.

[retroboyo]

There is no better way to learn about cars than by buying an E30

[BATTS91]

I no it will be harder because I don't no how to do any of the work my self but I love these cars ,my dad used to have them when I was a kid and iv wanted one ever since, my girlfriend thinks I'm mad ! I'm in clacton on sea essex

Im in clacton , im not a wise as the old folk here but can still tell a lemon , and know my way around one if help needs be .
You've also got BBB (Big Bavarian Beauties) near ipswich , e30 guys break em up fix em sell ect ect .

[Rpl1]

Cheers mate yeah I've heard of bbb, there was a red 4 door for sale and they done the engine conversion on it, il be asking you for advice in the future then if that's ok

[polsta]

That's helped a lot thanks , I would have been tempted by one that looks nice from the outside before , but now I've heard your advice I won't go on cosmetic things anymore, when I get all the money together i think il ask on here if someone could help me look .

you want to go a little on cosmetic, just on the panels and paint,. dotn worry so muich about wheels and trimm etc that can all easily be replaced, but a respray will be a couple of grand you want to avoid that, looked at some myself that look good in pics but when your there next to it it needs a new paint job really

good luck, its a great feeling when youve found your 1st one and hand over the cash and your having that 1st e30 owning drive

[Rpl1]

Thanks for the advice, yeah I really don't want to be going down the road of getting one that needs a respray, I want to just do little bits to it as and when I have the cash,