E30 325i Touring Sports Auto-What to look for?

[Gretchen]

Help!!?!! Have found an E30 325i Touring Sports Auto that I'm interested in purchasing, it's on an F plate. If I choose to inspect this vehicle is there anything anyone would advise me to look out for? Will take mechanic friend with me, though not an E30 expert!

You need to keep in mind that I'm a mother (with a need for speed, currently driving a 320ise) of three rapidly growing boys and an even more rapidly growing Labrador puppy!

Have insurance quote for £250 fully comp, so am def up for it.

Answers on a postcarr please...or in here'll do!

[MONSPORT42]

There's a 'sticky thread' guide to buying a Sport on the Forum which will give you a good idea of what to look for. The car you are considering cannot be a 'Sport' though as it's a touring - it probably just has the EH switchable 'sports' box as an option. Check that the autobox fluid is nice and pink and see through/clearish. If it's brown or muddy looking it's heading for trouble and an £800+ bill.
Hope that helps.

[Cotty]

Check the rear tailgate, its a common place that rust attacks.

What I did was just make sure everything works, try the windows, lights, sunfoof etc. Look at the spare wheel/tyre. Check the history, hopefully lots of it. Look at the MOT's to check the milage, all the usual things

[Gretchen]

"There's a 'sticky thread' guide to buying a Sport on the Forum"

A what, where?!?

[E30BeemerLad]

"There's a 'sticky thread' guide to buying a Sport on the Forum"

A what, where?!?

lol

click on this link, it will take you to the post about it

http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... ic&t=22543

main thing with these cars is rust, rust, rust.

[KDS]

Gretchen,

Like on any car, rust is your mortal enemy; anything else can be fixed or replaced. As has already been said, look for rust in the tailgate. Open the hatch and have a look along the seams for nastiness. Look around the license plate lights and along the horizontal trim at the bottom edge of the hatch window. You should also look in the spare tire well and inside both of the rear cubby compartments. You may want to inspect them from underneath the car--they get sprayed by the rear tires quite a bit.

Make sure the rear wiper works properly, too. It shouldn't do anything that strikes you as weird. When you're testing that, give it a spray too, to make sure the washer pump works. The hose that runs from the fluid reservoir runs through the left side hatch hinge and sometimes it gets kinked--filling your headliner with washer fluid!

Check that the cargo area roller blind is holding up, too. They aren't the best designed things and often the plastic mounts snap off, rendering it useless. A replacement blind ain't cheap.

Hope this helps!