need info on 325i coupes

[mrt]

hi all, im new to the site and no pretty much nothing about E30s so i need your help.

bmws had never interested me (im a rover man) untill i saw lee (iil325i) black mtec sport. since then ive thought about buying one and now ive got some spare cash to get one as a second car

basically i want a 325i coupe, manual, with m tech 2, leather and aircon. in black, grey or blue. now i know they some came with leather as lees had it and ive seen it in others. but what bout aircon? was this just an optional extra?

what are the weak points? obviously cars this old will have some rot but im a paintsprayer so thats no prob. what are engine and gearbox like? i bought my current car, Rover Coupe Turbo, without knowing all the comon faults. 3 gearboxes, 2 driveshafts and an alternator later and im starting to learn!! so id like to know what im getting myself into first before buying.

cheers

john

[mrt]

just found the spec list so now know that aircon and leather was optional.

[Templ8e30]

Hi John, welcome to the zone buddy

First off, the aircon was an option only. I have only seen 2 e30's with it and one of them didin't work

If you get one with the tech2 kit you'll want to check under the kit for rust.

The common rust spots are : rear wheelarches (inner and outer), jacking pads, front scuttle panel, rear lower panel (especially near the towing eye where the battery sits), sunroof.

The engines and gearboxes are very tough, especially if looked after and serviced regularly.

Listen out for diff whine, the bearings can wear out.

The M20 small six engine is naturally a little ticky.

It has been said that an M20 without an oil leak is an M20 without any oil in it, small oil leaks are common but obviously substantial leaks will need sorting out.

The cylinder heads can be prone to cracking, look out for mayonnaise in the expansion tank and oil filler cap and also for excessive white smoke (steam) from the exhaust.

All the electrics (sunroof/windows etc) should be working, the headlight washers are a crap design and may have seized up requiring a strip down and rebuild.

That's about all I can think of for now

Good luck with the car hunt,

Iain T

[oldroydsr4]

On e30 325's engines, gearboxes and diffs are pretty much bulletproof, however it is n't uncommon to see them for sale with blown head gaskets, so check for the mayo etc. Also temp gauge should never really go pass halfway.

Body work is the only weak spot with 15+ years of crap weather and salted roads. Check around rear arches, drain holes in the boot, lead running to battery(in boot), jacking points, scuttle panel and as your interested in tech 2 beware cos body kits can hide nightmares.

Not many cars will come with aircon, leather and tech 2, so i guess your looking at high spec sports, which aren't cheap. However you could find a tidy car with leather and fir the required parts at a later date.(tech 2 kits = Ԛ£400+, leather varys on condition and air con is pretty rare( I think))

[pnd]

Buy a good one that has had money spent on it a because they drive so much better and b cos you wont have to spend 000's(I am not exaggerating) sorting it. The right car is more important than air con etc good ones are rare without rejecting them out of hand because they dont have this or that spec which is often of questionable benefit anyway. These are drivers cars and how they drive is what matters.

[mrt]

cheers, ill be buying a standard coupe if poss and then take it off the road while i sort out any niggles nd give it a repaint at work. my rover has cost me way too much dosh to sell so ill just keep it untill the beemers done.

what is it like trying to get parts? a nightmare or not too bad

[billgatese30]

this place always has loads of parts, many of which are fairly priced and sold be decent people

ebay is handy for some of the odder stuff, orlittle niggly bits of trim etc

Euro car parts (ECP) and German Swedish and French (GSF) are both good cheap motor factors that can get most bits you'l need

failing that, the BMW main dealers can order just about anyhting and can be cheaper than alot of people expect, so just give them a ring to see how much something is before being ripped off on ebay, ou'd be suprised how many 30 quid buy it now items are only about half of that new from the main dealer

[mattG]

Hi mate and welcolm, good choice tech-2 , ive got an aircon kit as a project to fit to mine as they are quite rare to find a car that you want with aircon already, good luck on the hunt

[Rosc0PColtrane]

hello mate and welcome!!

Search for a post buying a 325i sport, as the m-tech2 body kit featured on this car. It ahs everything to look for in buying one. Hope this helps, and good luck!!!

[Templ8e30]

if you do need to order bits from BMW it's best to go armed with part numbers check this site out www.realoem.com

Enter the last 7 didgits of the car's VIN number and it'll sort out the parts for your model.

Cheers,

Iain T

[Bob_S]

I completely agree buy a good car that drives and feels well and good.
make sure the arches are solid behind the boot carpets, scuttlepanel and battery trays. outer arches and under the kits tend to like the good old cancer.

pnd is right, dont buy a car on spec because you can end up ploughing mega money into them. I foolishly bought a 318is because it was the right price and spec but engine needed tlc.. it's sweet now but wish I had waited a lil longer to find one. I've spent on mine now what I would of spent buying one with all the problems sorted

[mrt]

cheers for the advice, will start searching as soon as my coupe is up together. ive noticed alot of cars have done high miles eg 100k + at what mileage do they need major money spent on them? for rebuilds etc.....

[pnd]

All e30's need money spending by now if it hasn't been spent already as for miles some will do very high mileages without bottom end rebuilds. Trouble is other things get tired too by 200,000 and any e30 with this mileage(and age) should have had a great deal of work done on it and I would want proof of it before buying one. Just a point of note on mileages honest John from the telegraph says that a US spec 325i auto is the only car he has ever driven with a million miles on it.

[mrt]

whats the 0-60 and top speed for a standard 325i sport?

also how much difference do mods like air filter and full exhaust make power wise? what im saying is how tuneable are the engines?