When is enough enough? Car going downhill

[80strash]

Hi all, newbie here!

Last year I bought a 86 325i convertible auto 120k. It had cosmetic problems- faded paint, roof crappy (it doesn't quite touch the frame of the windscreen and the tension has gone) It has torn seat bolster and a small bit of rust seems to be on one sill. It was exactly what I wanted aside from that. It had recent receipts and water pump/belt etc and 6 months MOT. I won a bidding war for it and was thrilled. Love the car.

Since it hit 30 last year, it's gone haywire and developed problems left right and centre. It's been one thing after another failing.

The main issue is it keeps cutting out. Starts. Dies. Starts. Dies. It's last drive was disastrous and ended with black smoke and spluttering and dying and me walking home.

Some of the work:
- new steering rack
- new air intake
- various rubber bits/bushes perishing
- new fuel injectors etc etc...
- brake pipes corroding

And then... during this then they rang me up to say they have found a crack in the head. I've found and bought a head myself, and now they've got to fix it. Garage have been good and not pressured me, but I feel like I'm going to have to bite the bullet.

I have paid already £900 to sort this car out, and I love this car so much, but I'm starting to feel quite down about it. Things just keep on breaking, and I haven't even started the cosmetics. I wasn't really naive about it, I expected it to cost, but this is a joke and I'm stuck in this vicious cycle. The car has also been standing all this time a lot between rounds of work and has barely been driven, which I think is making it worse.

And through out all this the car still looks like shit with its broken roof, manky bottletops, and dull paint. It's zinnoberrot so you can imagine how shit it looks faded.

Before anyone tells me to try and do the head myself, to be honest & To contextualise this, I am a woman in my 30s who in terms of mechanical skill, can do an oil change max, and stick a battery in and out! My passion for 80s cars outweighs my skill. I also don't know anyone who knows anything about cars. So I'm kinda on my own here! .

What's the experts take on this? Garage have been kind and said don't panic, it's not the end of the world, keep hold of the car it's worth a lot, lots is now newly fixed on it, you've got your daily, there's no rush to get it all fixed.

Is this the right advice? Should I soldier on now? What's the prognosis likely to be with the roof that won't bloody shut with the locks? Can it be easily fixed if the tension is knackered or is it new roof time?

Interested to hear your thoughts.

[Stefan on probation]

Its a labour of love old turds the redeeming feature is that prices are on the up at the moment.

Convertibles are known for dodgy roofs that haven't been looked after.

Post photos up of your car.

[Motorhole]

It's an old car and sounds like it has been neglected in the past. £900 is pretty small change to throw at an E30 to restore it to former glory so don't feel too beaten up about it! You are definitely not alone. If you love the car, make a list of jobs, prioritise them then save up and tackle them one by one. If you'd prefer something more hassle free then it may not be the car for you.

One thing worth noting though - Good examples of 6 cylinder E30 convertibles fetch strong money and they are only going to go up in value. So whilst throwing money at a car sucks and you're not likely to get back as much as you spend, it's better to do it to a car that's always going to be worth something than to a sad money pit. A lot of modern cars are never going to be worth anything in 5 or 6 years and some fairly regular jobs/failures can raise big bills.

[Sanchez]

Welcome to the zone.

What's your location?

Many helpful e30 owners around the country and someone may come round and help.

Love for a car is one thing but money is reality, if your on a budget it's more difficult.

[Bonymaenjack]

I feel your pain, I bought a 2 door last year for what I considered to be a fair price. within one month it caught fire so although I salvaged the car rather than having scrap it I decided to replace what I thought it needed (if my wife ever discovers what I've spent then it'll be 40 years marriage down the pan ) .I've considered many a time that it should have gone to the scrap but I've reached a point where I have to continue now otherwise I'll never get back the money I've spent .
The point is you spend what you can on what are essential items , the cosmetics are just that and can be dealt with as you go along .Take you time and shop around for parts ,sometimes it's more cost effective to buy new than 2nd hand dependant on what it is , new panels for example are cheaper to have painted than a second hand one which needs a lot of prep work . Good luck and chin up.

[Quaser]

You have found the right place at last!

The items you have listed are common failures on all cars -

As has already been said, there are a few zoners who would be happy to help out, and may be cheaper then garages when it comes to repairing these cars.

Also, there are a few people who break these cars on here that can sort out parts at good prices.

Where abouts are you? BTW - I know plenty of men who cant do a oil change or replace a battery so don't worry about that!!

[Doobit]

Fortunately you've stumbled upon the right place. I think you've thrown down a gauntlet and the people on this forum won't let you or this car fail.

I have the same car and I had some of the same problems...12 months on, the family love it so much that even my 12 year old daughter helped change the fuel injectors last week....and I can assure you if it all worked perfectly from the start there'd be nothing to look forward to!

[80strash]

I feel your pain, I bought a 2 door last year for what I considered to be a fair price. within one month it caught fire so although I salvaged the car rather than having scrap it I decided to replace what I thought it needed (if my wife ever discovers what I've spent then it'll be 40 years marriage down the pan ) .I've considered many a time that it should have gone to the scrap but I've reached a point where I have to continue now otherwise I'll never get back the money I've spent .
The point is you spend what you can on what are essential items , the cosmetics are just that and can be dealt with as you go along .Take you time and shop around for parts ,sometimes it's more cost effective to buy new than 2nd hand dependant on what it is , new panels for example are cheaper to have painted than a second hand one which needs a lot of prep work . Good luck and chin up.

Hi, i love this response - it really made me laugh (sorry!) At least mine didn't set on fire right? Wow.. sorry to hear this, bet you were gutted. Yeah, i feel the same with this car, I'm going to have to continue now anyway, because it's still a broken car whatever.

[80strash]

I feel your pain, I bought a 2 door last year for what I considered to be a fair price. within one month it caught fire so although I salvaged the car rather than having scrap it I decided to replace what I thought it needed (if my wife ever discovers what I've spent then it'll be 40 years marriage down the pan ) .I've considered many a time that it should have gone to the scrap but I've reached a point where I have to continue now otherwise I'll never get back the money I've spent .
The point is you spend what you can on what are essential items , the cosmetics are just that and can be dealt with as you go along .Take you time and shop around for parts ,sometimes it's more cost effective to buy new than 2nd hand dependant on what it is , new panels for example are cheaper to have painted than a second hand one which needs a lot of prep work . Good luck and chin up.

Hi, i love this response - it really made me laugh (sorry!) At least mine didn't set on fire right? Wow.. sorry to hear this, bet you were gutted. Yeah, i feel the same with this car, I'm going to have to continue now anyway, because it's still a broken car whatever.

[80strash]

It's an old car and sounds like it has been neglected in the past. £900 is pretty small change to throw at an E30 to restore it to former glory so don't feel too beaten up about it! You are definitely not alone. If you love the car, make a list of jobs, prioritise them then save up and tackle them one by one. If you'd prefer something more hassle free then it may not be the car for you.

One thing worth noting though - Good examples of 6 cylinder E30 convertibles fetch strong money and they are only going to go up in value. So whilst throwing money at a car sucks and you're not likely to get back as much as you spend, it's better to do it to a car that's always going to be worth something than to a sad money pit. A lot of modern cars are never going to be worth anything in 5 or 6 years and some fairly regular jobs/failures can raise big bills.

Lasyt owner had it a LONG time, so i think what happened was it went full circle from old car to classic and it wasn't kept up with. I think it's hit 30 and crumbled. He had £1500 of recepts on it before I got it, so i thought ok things arent too bad.. ha.

I'm going to have to stick a second hand head in it now. Is there anything to look for with it? The ebay seller had a good history, so i thought sod it.

[80strash]

You have found the right place at last!

The items you have listed are common failures on all cars -

As has already been said, there are a few zoners who would be happy to help out, and may be cheaper then garages when it comes to repairing these cars.

Also, there are a few people who break these cars on here that can sort out parts at good prices.

Where abouts are you? BTW - I know plenty of men who cant do a oil change or replace a battery so don't worry about that!!

I'm East Mids. Ha, I'm pretty shit at both, I'm only just learning.

[80strash]

Fortunately you've stumbled upon the right place. I think you've thrown down a gauntlet and the people on this forum won't let you or this car fail.

I have the same car and I had some of the same problems...12 months on, the family love it so much that even my 12 year old daughter helped change the fuel injectors last week....and I can assure you if it all worked perfectly from the start there'd be nothing to look forward to!

Haha! Thrown down a gauntlet? Slightly worrying that my situation with my car is described like that
It could be a lovely car. It's just.. Well, stuck waiting for a magic wand. I think these cars would convert anyone - people ask me about it all the time, asking to buy. I want to persevere with it.

[80strash]

Thanks all! it's made me feel better talking to other e30 owners! I think I've been getting swayed by the non-car lovers or the modern car lovers who sit there blank-faced or who go "You still paying all that money for that car? It keeps breaking down. What's the point?" I've got a daily driver maintained by my company, so it's not a matter of reliability, it's a matter of pride! I just get down about it because I thought I was gonna be driving it, not towing it.

[aimlessrock]

at 30 years old a full mechanical over haul is almost certainly on the cards. The parts you have listed as being replaced are largely wear and age related.

I purchased my cabby back in 2009 as a full resto needing considerable amounts of body and mechanical work- it was a coin flip to scrap it at one point. Like you i had little or no mechanical knowledge and still have no support.

I did lots of reading, asked lots of questions and eventually found the confidence to do most of the work myself.

I pulled the engine out and worked through it methodically in my own time, before that i even bought a spare scrap engine so i could be familiar with what i was doing etc.

Believe in yourself and start a thread - enough people will offer their advice.

[Cloggy Saint]

Just tackle the work slowly, starting with the important stuff and leaving the cosmetics until the car starts runs and stops as it should. I made the mistake of totting up all the receipts I've kept for my car ......... over 40 grand and that's not including any ebay stuff . To put it into perspective though I've had the car almost 18 years so that's just over 2 grand a year, not so eye-watering really. Point being the £1500 receipts you got with the car is absolutely nothing and you can keep spending until you're happy with it and by that stage the jobs you started with will need doing again, it's the joy of owning an older car.

[Doobit]

Just tackle the work slowly, starting with the important stuff and leaving the cosmetics until the car starts runs and stops as it should. I made the mistake of totting up all the receipts I've kept for my car ......... over 40 grand and that's not including any ebay stuff . To put it into perspective though I've had the car almost 18 years so that's just over 2 grand a year, not so eye-watering really. Point being the £1500 receipts you got with the car is absolutely nothing and you can keep spending until you're happy with it and by that stage the jobs you started with will need doing again, it's the joy of owning an older car.

40 grand!!! I can't begin to imagine what you can spend 40k on!

[aimlessrock]

Just tackle the work slowly, starting with the important stuff and leaving the cosmetics until the car starts runs and stops as it should. I made the mistake of totting up all the receipts I've kept for my car ......... over 40 grand and that's not including any ebay stuff . To put it into perspective though I've had the car almost 18 years so that's just over 2 grand a year, not so eye-watering really. Point being the £1500 receipts you got with the car is absolutely nothing and you can keep spending until you're happy with it and by that stage the jobs you started with will need doing again, it's the joy of owning an older car.

40 grand!!! I can't begin to imagine what you can spend 40k on!

over 18 years that's likely a lot less than running a modern car - without even factoring in depreciation.

Cloggy's E30 will only go one way price wise.

[Cloggy Saint]

Just tackle the work slowly, starting with the important stuff and leaving the cosmetics until the car starts runs and stops as it should. I made the mistake of totting up all the receipts I've kept for my car ......... over 40 grand and that's not including any ebay stuff . To put it into perspective though I've had the car almost 18 years so that's just over 2 grand a year, not so eye-watering really. Point being the £1500 receipts you got with the car is absolutely nothing and you can keep spending until you're happy with it and by that stage the jobs you started with will need doing again, it's the joy of owning an older car.

40 grand!!! I can't begin to imagine what you can spend 40k on!

Trust me, it's easy!

[Doobit]

I'm obviously not trying hard enough!

[80strash]

What's the thinking on the crack in the head? Again, I know they're prone to it, but on a scale of worry, should I?

[aimlessrock]

The head needs replacing if it's cracked. The replacement you have sourced- assume you have had it pressure tested?

Personally whilst the engine is part stripped down I would be replacing the water pump and belt tensioner etc.

[HartgeH27]

Just tackle the work slowly, starting with the important stuff and leaving the cosmetics until the car starts runs and stops as it should. I made the mistake of totting up all the receipts I've kept for my car ......... over 40 grand and that's not including any ebay stuff . To put it into perspective though I've had the car almost 18 years so that's just over 2 grand a year, not so eye-watering really. Point being the £1500 receipts you got with the car is absolutely nothing and you can keep spending until you're happy with it and by that stage the jobs you started with will need doing again, it's the joy of owning an older car.

Brilliant reply, the joy of an E30 !

[Bonymaenjack]

I feel your pain, I bought a 2 door last year for what I considered to be a fair price. within one month it caught fire so although I salvaged the car rather than having scrap it I decided to replace what I thought it needed (if my wife ever discovers what I've spent then it'll be 40 years marriage down the pan ) .I've considered many a time that it should have gone to the scrap but I've reached a point where I have to continue now otherwise I'll never get back the money I've spent .
The point is you spend what you can on what are essential items , the cosmetics are just that and can be dealt with as you go along .Take you time and shop around for parts ,sometimes it's more cost effective to buy new than 2nd hand dependant on what it is , new panels for example are cheaper to have painted than a second hand one which needs a lot of prep work . Good luck and chin up.

Hi, i love this response - it really made me laugh (sorry!) At least mine didn't set on fire right? Wow.. sorry to hear this, bet you were gutted. Yeah, i feel the same with this car, I'm going to have to continue now anyway, because it's still a broken car whatever.

I'm so glad your amused

[M3KUK]

At least it's a Cabby and a 325i at that, so it's going up in value just sitting there.
I have a 325i Saloon and a 320i Cabby which I'm doing up, plenty of knowledge on here, helped me loads.

[80strash]

The head needs replacing if it's cracked. The replacement you have sourced- assume you have had it pressure tested?

Personally whilst the engine is part stripped down I would be replacing the water pump and belt tensioner etc.

I don't know anything about pressure testing, please tell me. The water pump was done last year, just before I bought it. It's listed in the receipts and another mechanic told me he saw it was new.

[80strash]

I feel your pain, I bought a 2 door last year for what I considered to be a fair price. within one month it caught fire so although I salvaged the car rather than having scrap it I decided to replace what I thought it needed (if my wife ever discovers what I've spent then it'll be 40 years marriage down the pan ) .I've considered many a time that it should have gone to the scrap but I've reached a point where I have to continue now otherwise I'll never get back the money I've spent .
The point is you spend what you can on what are essential items , the cosmetics are just that and can be dealt with as you go along .Take you time and shop around for parts ,sometimes it's more cost effective to buy new than 2nd hand dependant on what it is , new panels for example are cheaper to have painted than a second hand one which needs a lot of prep work . Good luck and chin up.

Hi, i love this response - it really made me laugh (sorry!) At least mine didn't set on fire right? Wow.. sorry to hear this, bet you were gutted. Yeah, i feel the same with this car, I'm going to have to continue now anyway, because it's still a broken car whatever.

I'm so glad your amused

I'm sorry! I feel your pain I really do- it only made me laugh because I was expecting the reply to be like "I bought a 2 door... and it was great for the money and brilliant now!"

[aimlessrock]

The head needs replacing if it's cracked. The replacement you have sourced- assume you have had it pressure tested?

Personally whilst the engine is part stripped down I would be replacing the water pump and belt tensioner etc.

I don't know anything about pressure testing, please tell me. The water pump was done last year, just before I bought it. It's listed in the receipts and another mechanic told me he saw it was new.

Before the replacement head that you have sourced is fitted you need to be sure its equally not cracked, the 885 head (for the 325i) does not suffer overheating well. The head needs to be taken to a machine/engine shop to be pressure tested. they can also check the valve seats. If the head is just a second hand one then it would be wise to have it skimmed as well. If this is brand new head then the above should not apply (i say should).

If the water pump has been replaced recently and assuming its a good quality on then this is a saving...does this receipt mention the timing belt and tensioner- why not detail exactly what has been done?