Advice on getting car in UK

[schitz011]

Not really sure where to post this, but this seems like a reasonable thread to start.

I'm moving back to the UK next year and looking to get myself a Beemer when I'm there. I have an 89 320i at the moment and aside from one or two relatively minor issues I love it..

What I would like to know is, what would you say a reasonable price for an E30 325i would be, I see cars ranging from £700 to a few thousand, what would you expect to pay for a standard, well maintained 325i in good condition?

Also another thing that has me a bit confused are taxes and insurance. I am familiar with the MOT system, but how does the tax work? As far as isurance goes, I hear talk of tax bands etc, but cannot find any info on the net regarding this, if someone can point me in the right direction that would be great.

The last thing(!) I currently live in Johannesburg and rust is a mythical object up here as the air is so dry (I also owned a 1973 Spitfire which was totally rust free) What should I look out for rustwise on E30 beemers?

Any advice you can give about buying a 3 series in the UK would be most welcome.

Thanks for your help guys..

[dobbie82]

If I was buying a 325i with money no object I would buy a south african import sorry, but I would due to less rust and nice air-con!!

[320Touring]

As dobbie says, SA imports are a great buy over here! I'd just ship your 320i, better the devil you know and all that

PS i'll shift this thread to e30chat for ya

[orangecurry]

What I would like to know is, what would you say a reasonable price for an E30 325i would be, I see cars ranging from £700 to a few thousand, what would you expect to pay for a standard, well maintained 325i in good condition?

I think you've answered your own question - 700 to 2k depending on condition and mileage!

Also another thing that has me a bit confused are taxes and insurance. I am familiar with the MOT system, but how does the tax work? As far as isurance goes, I hear talk of tax bands etc, but cannot find any info on the net regarding this, if someone can point me in the right direction that would be great.

if you mean car road tax, this is the same for all cars manufactured pre 2001 or thereabouts... unless you have a 1.4 or less, but E30s aint - it's about 175 GBP per year at the moment. You give it to the Government who use it to maintain our excellent road network.... not.
Insurance works on 'how expensive is a car going to be to fix and to replace', so there are 20 insurance bands at the moment.. but insurance costs are really down to how old you are and how many years of no-claims you have (the so-called no-claims discount or NCD). If you can bring proof of this from SA, you'll probably get cheaper insurance

The last thing(!) I currently live in Johannesburg and rust is a mythical object up here as the air is so dry (I also owned a 1973 Spitfire which was totally rust free) What should I look out for rustwise on E30 beemers?

do a zone 'search' - there are lots of threads on the E30s favorite rust homes.

Good luck.

[E30BeemerLad]

www.dvla.gov.uk should give you the relevant info for taxing a car, currently it is about £180 for 12 months tax (Vehicle excise licence)

as for what to look for when buying, there is a guide to buying a sport on here, the same principles largely apply to any E30

But we're not allowed flame thrower kits over here

[schitz011]

cheers,

I hear what you are saying re the rust and devil you know, alas shipping costs are more than the car is worth

Also I'd like to upgrade to a 325i with some more features like elec windows etc.. (lol, my 320i doesn't have aircon, I'm a sucker for punishment who likes climbing into a car thats been sitting in full sun at 35C!)

Just as a rough estimate that spitfire I mentioned is also being shipped over to UK next year and they want R35000 to ship it! (roughly £3200)

[dobbie82]

Just as a rough estimate that spitfire I mentioned is also being shipped over to UK next year and they want R35000 to ship it! (roughly £3200)

Gutted! shame its a tad far to drive!!

[schitz011]

I'm sure Discovery would be interested in a show about an overland to london in a Spit!

@Orangecurry, thanks for clearing up the issue of Tax. Same goes down here, we pay far too many taxes and the roads are shocking!

Obviously having owned a e30 I'll be able to spot most common issues that I would have overlooked otherwise. Been toying with the idea of getting an e36 as my fiancee drives one, but in the end the e30 is just too bloody cool Also easier to park! hehe..

@E30BeemerLad, bugger, you mean I'll have to leave my bazooka in SA??? - Anti smash and grab tinting is now all the rage here...

[E30BeemerLad]

those shipping costs are shocking, it costs about £600 to ship a car to the UK all the way from Japan

[schitz011]

Alas, SA is well known in general for screwing the consumer..

My monthly phone bill (without ANY calls) with a 512k ADSL line with measly 3gig cap is *are you sitting down* £90ish!

[orangecurry]

do you know anyone in the UK who could get a quote for getting a car *FROM* SA, rather than the other way round?

e.g.... whenever we use the Channel Tunnel, we get a really cheap shopping special to get to France (and then we don't use the return 'cos it has to be used on the same day), stay over there as long as you like, then you ring the FRENCH number from France and book a single ticket to the UK, it is loads cheaper; how mad is that?

[Rosc0PColtrane]

Something not mentioned yet.. I was under theimpressions that UK cars have an extra layer of paint or some rust protective coating owing to our damp atmosphere increasing the rust rate. So import cars and apparantly old white cars beware!!

[dobbie82]

I though South African ones were Galvanised? (another urban legend?)

[Kos]

thats pretty expensive for shipping

to get a car to cyprus in a container by ship it only cost £500 gbp.

shop around with prices, if you can find a boat that takes a longer route the price will drop, then it will be worth you while to buy a nice exaple of a 325is in south africa and bring it over

you will get good money for that car here

[Kos]

buy this and bring it over !! its aboout £13,500
http://search.autotrader.co.za/www/cars ... 2183421195#

[320Touring]

that car is about 16k kos

[Kos]

that car is about 16k kos

i know !!!

its nice though, it could be a 325is "evo"

i've heard stories about these cars , 2.7 engine, M3 suspension

[320Touring]

still, £16k is evo2 e30 m3 money.....

[Kos]

still, £16k is evo2 e30 m3 money.....

if i found a 333i, then that would be worth it!!!

[Kos]

here we go, 325is evoII

changed hand for £12,000

the one in the add is about £13,500

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showth ... p?t=158717

[schitz011]

buy this and bring it over !! its aboout £13,500

Thats a pretty cool car, however it's from Durbs and cars from Durbs are full of salt and rust It's a coastal city if you didn't know...

However it looks good and there are a few of these around, but a lot are thrashed into the ground by boy racers (e30's are really popular on the Indian street racing circuit )

There are some bargains to be found, especially when you consider an 'average' new car over here will cost you upwards of R200k and apr is 12%...

Most 'normal' e30's fall between 20k and 50k... though you can pick up a 316 for under 15k