Newbie to forum and e30s. Cab advice wanted

[georgee]

Hello Ladies and Gents

First off I have to saw that some of the memberÔš's cars are drop dead gorgeous. I know they have been resprayed and waxed more than a Brazilian prossie but they look absolutely amazing. Kudos to you all...even to the guys that have the e36 m3 wheels or mirrors (opps that's not a good start

Anyway I seriously want to buy an e30 cab (specs I would like below)

I got the money but I have no knowledge of cars and I realise that I am getting into something that will require more attention that my usual "wait for a light to come on" level of maintenance

I will only be using the car during the summer (or those odd freakish days we sometimes get)

So not only will I be bugging you guys for buying advice, parts purchasing/fitting advice but also maintaince advice. I hope you guys will help. PLEEEEEASE. I have seen some of the crap on the road.

Now for my dream car (doubt I will buy a car that is exactly what I want)

325 sports cab (These cost quite a bit more than the 325 cabs donÔš't they? a 325 cab might be ok but I donÔš't know the difference any help?)
Diamond black
M-tech 2 full body kit
Black interior
Rear head rest
16" alpinas
A/C
Cruise control

Things I am undecided about:

Transmission
I hate auto (one day I will stop being a boy racer) but auto make sense in a car that is meant to be cruised around in. Place I have one hand free for getting in to mischief, Ladies you know the benefits of an auto ;)

Hoods
Power or manual. Power hoods are cooler but Ԛ£500 every summer is cool at all

Car (hmm not much then)
325 sport cab
325 cab

I am not quite sure of the difference I know the sort has sport suspension etc. I would rather get the sports but not if it is double the price

Well that's it as you can see from the list above I mostly care about the looks of the car. I donÔš't know anything about engines and mechanic so I this is probably where I will seek the most assistance. It has to run as good as it looks. I have been a BMW fan since I was 11/12 (32 now) so this motor will be the start of my collection. Hope to get an e46 m3 at the end of the year (well I said I was a boy racer)

so does anybody know where I can get a 325 sports cab from? and how much do they go far? (mint)

Thanks in advance for advice/answers

Oh p.s If you havenÔš't guessed I am a bit of a motor mouth.
p.s.s (I am bit of a brackets junkie))()()()()()

[mrLEE30]

welcome to the zone mate!!

mmm a cabby very nice would go for the sport if you can find one has some extras such as the mtech kit, limited slip diff, different shocks, a bit lower and some interior mods such as sport seats etc. best bet if you can find one is the later facelift models, i.e post 90/91 cabs they made em till 92/(to early93 but v rare) for the 325

but as you said if it about looks then a normal 325 cab is also a good buy if it is the right price, would steer clear of 320 cause the engine as standard is slow by comparison and uses the same amount of fuel.

Bootyman is selling a etreamly nice and heavily modified cab for around 4K look here

http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... ic&t=24720

as for geneal buying advice look at the sport buying guide posted in technical section as a sticky subject, that covers a lot of things you should know before buying any BMW E30

to your list of requirements... sports come with mtech kit
diamond black v nice colour (i have one!)
rear head rests easy to fit after you bought the car
AC nice option but you may struggle in uk
cruise control also not a normal option on uk cars
black leather interior was also fairly common
go for a manual hood IMO they take seconds to put up or down and nothing bar the fabric can really go wrong
mine auto, they are generally bullet proof if looked after but i do see some stories of them packing in around the 150k mark
manuals are really bullet proof and will reward you with a more sporty driving experience, but if yer after cruisin then auto all the way

so now get out and buy one, winter a good time to pick up bargins too in uk

mrlee

[sheldo]

hi m8 and welcome

Good motorsports are hard to find i know i looked for a while before i got mine. A good 325i cab can be very rewarding and you can always upgrade parts to suit your spec. I would suggest a manual hood as there is nothing to go wrong and this will not then turn into a cost issue. Things like the aircon are rare but can be fount (i have it) but to be honest if your only gona be a fine weather driver the hood will be down anyway. The crusie control is also a bit rare and is something that i would also like aswell. Can be fitted without to much cost i am told!

This dude JAMZ is selling one on the zone (not black, but a m/sport rep) looks nice condition and has fbmwsh.

http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... ic&t=24132

good hunting

[Gouki]

Do your usual checks ie electrics working, hoods are quite expensive to replace so make sure its in good nick, and from what i heard about eletric hoods I'd stick with a manual one, Auto is nice for cruising but I'd recommend the manual purely because the Cab is heavier so least u get a bit of response when you need to floor it, depends on driving style though. If you can find one with an M-Tech 2 kit then your laughing cos its all you really need and leathers a must just watch for torn seats etc. Other problems that they do get is ABS lights can come on, usually the sensor but make sure the brakes work properly! The engines are pretty reliable as I can vouch for it, I'm currently on 192,000 miles! And it still starts up first time even in these extreme cold weather conditions! I dont have A/C in mine but if you got the top down do you really need it? Bootyman is selling a nice blue one and is the Pimp Daddy of rides, cruise in style, check the link posted by Mr Lee.

[William]

hi mate, most things have been said but I'll add a few observations. First, the differences you see between a tin top standard 325 and sport are not the same as you see between a cab standard 325 and a Motorsport (kind of a conv. vertion of the sport).

With a tin top sport you get a close ratio g.box and LSD, a greater choice of colours, interiors etc. You DO NOT get a c.r. box in a Motorsport if you go for the manual which is very rare, and Im fairly sure you do not get an LSD as standard. You do get some nice leathers, bubble in grey/black and standard leather in Lotus White and Black. You also get the MTechII kit but they are so easy to fit I wouldnt let that be a decider.

Motorports only come in 4 colours, Macau Blue, Calyspo Red and Sterling Silver and Mauritius Blue so your black would be out of the question without a respray (stupid idea on a Motorsport due to their rarity/value).

As for price, you can get a very tidy motorsport replica (a standard cab with b.kit, leather, sport suspension, LSD, even bubble leather if you wanted it) for max 5k. Jit who may still have his cab in the Member E30's section was a perfect replica and went for near 6k I believe (correct me if Im wrong). For a Motorsport, to make it worthwhile you really need to spend at least 6k as there are some shabby ones out there that command a higher price than a good non-Motorsport due to rarity again. If you looked hard enough you could find a very tidy one for 7-8k.

Hope all this helps!

[stevetigger]

Hoods
Power or manual. Power hoods are cooler but Ԛ£500 every summer is cool at all

What do you mean by Ԛ£500 every summer?? I have a power hood and not once has it done any wrong!

[DaveD]

I have had mine fotr a year and have not real trouble apart from the elctric roof which was fixed (at a price) there are lots of threads on this the last only about a month ago.

there is a yahoo group just for cabs and try this one or a genral overvue
http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/e30.html

also have a look at bimmerdiy.com for lots of links

apart from the usual problems look out for fried back seat tops(where the sun has cooked the leather)

there are always some to look at on autotrader and look on the bmw car club classified site

All i can say is buy one ..you will love them

[georgee]

Thanks for the replies

well after a bit more research and your feedback I have a better idea of what to look for. I will post pics of it when I get (probably buy it of a well known zoner)

325 cab with replica kit looks like my best way forward

I did see jamz's cab and all I though was why wasn't in black(w/ leathers to match) I would have brought straight away.

I hope somebody will sell me a mint one before the summer I doubt I will be able to afford the money in 3-4 months time

well thanks again for the help and advice. Hope to speak to you guys more in the future.