E30 325i Sport buying guide (Courtesy of Placey)

[HartgeH27]

some hard won advice for you to consider or ignore as you choose:

generally have a plan before you get there and stick to it.

before you set off ask the owner to ensure that the engine is cold and that the car has not been used for at least half a day. take with you some cloths, some overalls, a magnet, a trolley jack (if you have one), a torch and a metal bar, failing that a large screw driver. ensure you have at least an hours daylight left when you get there.

if you find any serious fault be prepared to walk away. there's enough of these about to be picky - so you may as well get the best one you can. any fault that you do find point out to the owner as you go along.

first up crouch at each corner of the car and check all edges for straightness - a poorly repaired crash will show if you look carefully. also check each panel for ripples and dents. next check each and every shut line - they should all be about 3mm and even along every length. any deviations and it's been accident repaired. now check every edge for paint lines showing careless re-painting in the past. check everywhere for rust for if you can see it from the outside there'll be a load more behind it when you or somebody you're paying starts cutting it away. the sport in particluar requires bodykit removal for a proper rust evaluation - if the owner is reluctant or unable to remove it for you ask yourself (and maybe him/her) why that is. also check the areas noted above especially the suspension towers in the boot and below the windscreen as these are both difficult areas to repair. apply the magnet (protected by the cloth) to any suspicious areas - it will stick to metal not filler. feel the paint. looked after paint will be totally smooth to the touch, anything too rough is neglected. every panel should be the same colour and shade - look carfully for different paints. open and shut the doors and bonnet and boot - they should work smoothly and there shouldn't be any movement in the hinges. a proper body inspection takes a good 20 minutes.

if you've not walked yet then jack the car up and crawl underneath. you're looking for rust again but also the inside of the tyres and general straightness of all mechanicals, there shouldn't be any ripples in any bit holding wheels on or any unsecured bits hanging down and flapping in the wind.

if it's solid underneath then re-pop the bonnet and look at the engine. it should be reasonably clean but don't expect miracles - there's not many that clean under there regularly. there shouldn't be loads of any fluid over anything though. check that the radiator contains water and no oil and that the dipstick and oil filler cap shows oil and no water. other fuilds should be at the correct level too. ask the owner when the coolant was last changed - m20 engines require this every 2 years without fail or they become porous. a puzzled look on the owner's face means they don't know their car too well.

now get in and start the car. this is tricky as when it fires you need to watch the oil light and the exhaust at the same time. the oil light must go out pretty near immediately. anything more than a second and there's oil pressure problems. the exhaust needs to not be blue or black or too plentiful. take you're metal bar and put one end against your ear and the other against all four corners of the engine in turn. you'll be amazed at how clearly you can hear what's going on. (beware of rotating bits and loose limbs/clothing) any ticks or thumps that sound wrong are wrong.

now's a good time to inspect the interior. the seats should be comfortable at least (if the owner hasn't sorted out a desparately uncomfortable drivers seat then have they looked after anything at all?) the seat and pedal wear should match the mileage. everything should work. ok maybe a couple of fripperies don't work but everything crucial should work. you'll be surprised at how much a replacement trim panel that's cracked will be. budget 150 for 1 worn out seat.

by this time the engine should have warmed up and not overheated. if this is so then take it for a 1/2 hour drive. the owner will probably insist on coming with you - that's fine but make sure that he shuts up and leaves the radio off coz you're listening to every noise it makes. drive it fast and slow and make sure it brakes in a straight line when no-one's behind you. make sure there's no strange noises when turning at full lock too.

when you get it back re-start it to ensure it starts from warm too. then check under the bonnet again to ensure no fluids have leaked out during your adventure.

pay particular attention to the tyres. 4 matching branded tyres in good nick with non-kerbed wheels tell as much of a story as 4 non-matching chinese jobs with either names you can't pronounce or can't read coz they've been rubbed off by constant kerbing. owners tell you a lot too. rough owners sell rough vehicles. a bloke that brags about 3rd gear wheelspins tharshes the pants off it. a woman may drive it gently but if she doesn't know where the bonnet release is she hasn't looked after it. look at the state of the house it's coming from, generally people look after everything or nothing. work in progress house is better than a neglected dump. my ideal car comes from a clued up middle-aged woman from a spotless house who's husband is a car fan and looks after it carefully. you'll be lucky to find this but they do exist.

if you're still interested coz it's straight, rust free and drives nicely then re-iterate the list of faults to the owner and have a good moan about how expensive spare parts and garage labour rates are then make a low but not insulting offer. if it's refused then walk away and wait 15 minutes before going back with an improved offer. make them sweat for a while and see how much you can get off.

finally only part with a deposit once satisfied that the owner of the car is who you're dealing with and the numbers stamped on the car match the log book you're being offered.

good luck. if it's local to me (hampshire) then i'm willing to come with you - 2 sets of eyes are better than 1 and i don't mind crawling about on my back inspecting cars (too much).

paul
_________________
it's red and shiny and i should see a doctor....

[Cyruz]

I'm in Dorset and could use your expertises when I find something worth checking out, either 325 (standard or sport). I'll drop you a PM sometime soon.

[Simon]

I'm in Dorset and could use your expertises when I find something worth checking out, either 325 (standard or sport). I'll drop you a PM sometime soon.

Hi mate, note that the above post was posted by a member by the name of placey, Iain hartgeh27 just posted the post on his behalf.

[Cyruz]

Ok will keep that in mind
It's not really worth bringing anyone with me because I'm on a Ԛ£400 budget for a cheapy drift car.. Never gonna find a good condition one for that price really but who knows

[stevetigger]

Dont really agree with this:

a trolley jack (if you have one),

What would you think if somebody turned up to look at your car with a trolley jack?? I would think........your taking the P*ss mate.
All my cars have been genuine and solid but still it would be a bit cheeky!

[E30Adam]

Dont really agree with this:

a trolley jack (if you have one),

What would you think if somebody turned up to look at your car with a trolley jack?? I would think........your taking the P*ss mate.
All my cars have been genuine and solid but still it would be a bit cheeky!

I wouldn't have a problem with it if I had nothing to hide. There are a few horrors lurking under many E30's and I think a trolley jack is a damn good idea. I would think it's cheeky if someone came and looked at a car of mine with a jack but if they want a sale then they have no choice but to let you look.

[eun]

hi

i think that this is very good indeed

that someone has taken their time to write an article
on a buying guide just to help others that are maybe
not so much in the know how...

pure zone quality

[Rich_325_sport]

All good tips but i'd add... afew "sport specific" ones?


-checking behind the trim panels on the sides of the boot for rust on the inner arch.

-carefully inspecting the plastic exterier door panels for any signs of rust they may be hiding.

-checking how the radiator looks, they don't last too well ime.

-checking it runs at a constant temp + not all run at the same constant temp!

-checking how all the parts of the Mtech 2 kit line up, it's a great looing kit, but it has lots of parts to be knocked. Which are expensive!

-Loads have been crashed, some repaired perfectly well, but check it drives very straight and without any vibration.

-check the scuttle area for signs of rust, under the corners of the front screen.

- check if it is actually a sport on the V5 - there are a lot of normal 325s in drag.

cheers

Rich

[Simon]

All good tips but i'd add... afew "sport specific" ones?


-checking behind the trim panels on the sides of the boot for rust on the inner arch.

-carefully inspecting the plastic exterier door panels for any signs of rust they may be hiding.

-checking how the radiator looks, they don't last too well ime.

-checking it runs at a constant temp + not all run at the same constant temp!

-checking how all the parts of the Mtech 2 kit line up, it's a great looing kit, but it has lots of parts to be knocked. Which are expensive!

-Loads have been crashed, some repaired perfectly well, but check it drives very straight and without any vibration.

-check the scuttle area for signs of rust, under the corners of the front screen.

- check if it is actually a sport on the V5 - there are a lot of normal 325s in drag.

cheers

Rich

Only 3 of them points are sport specific though.

[Rich_325_sport]

I won't bother next time.

[Simon]

I won't bother next time.

It's only a computer!

They are good points, but they apply to any 325i, not just a sport, apart from the points relating to the kits.

We don't want anyone reading this thinking 325i sports suffer problems with rads and rust, but a normal 325i doesn't, as they are the same car with a couple of added bits!

[Rich_325_sport]

I won't bother next time.

It's only a computer!

They are good points, but they apply to any 325i, not just a sport, apart from the points relating to the kits.

We don't want anyone reading this thinking 325i sports suffer problems with rads and rust, but a normal 325i doesn't, as they are the same car with a couple of added bits!

The others i have come up with may relate to "normal" E30s as well, they were only off the top of my head from my experience. The sport does have more rust traps than a normal 325 though, due to the kit, but, yes you are correct, the rads are no worse than any other M20 E30.

[Cotty]

One thing I found out while on the Zone is that mud flaps can be rust traps. So best to check them ie where they mount to the wheel arch

[swisstoni]

Don;t forget to check the oil cap for a mayonaise like residue. It could just be the head gasket, but a cracked head is also likely.

Thanks for the guide, saved me a fortune already. And I haven't even got an E30 yet.

Cheers

Jim

[SGP]

Try finding any used e30 with a dry boot!

[reggiegasket]

People selling cars can be human too; don't see why it's standard practice to treat people selling cars like criminals. Why not make a reasonable offer and avoid the pychological warfare?

[Turbo-Brown]

Have found on my few car buying excursions that asking what they'll take for it (ignoring the advertised price) and then working down from there seems to work.....although I guess I'll never know.

[sam325is]

also remove the boot seal and look on that lip as much as you can see around that area without taking loads of bits off. this lip often rusts out to the max!

[kevin316i]

With regard to the trolley jack, bring a piece of timber to cushion the underside of the car sill, Most trolley jacks have a small head and will damage the underside of a sill. Don't think the seller would be happy about this.

[MarkP]

Going to check out a sport soon, done a HPI check and its never been damaged.
How can I get proof of the mileage without a service book?
Because of the above I want to give the engine a good check, is there any way to check the engine is the original etc?

[sl8ter]

HartgeH27 cheers for that good info there

[BAUR335I]

How can I get proof of the mileage without a service book

When I was tracing mine I rang bmw sytner and they had no history for it,but they gave me a number for bmw europe (I think) and they gave me the dates for when it was serviced and by which dealer.Unfortunately one of the dealers would not give details of what work was carried out unless writen consent was provided by the registered owner at that time.This would also apply if I bought a duplicate book and tried to get it re-stamped.Not sure if all main dealers work off this policy.

[Heartagram]

Great guide

[Cully325]

Great guide. An informative read. Thanks

[bam2002]

I just typed this up for an American E30 site and figure that most of the data is usefull for any e30 owners, feel free to copy it to any FAQs you feel fit.
Note its in Miles and USD.

I have owned over a dozen e30s and still have a few around.
Also a few fellow BMW CCA members are looking for track cars and buying e30s. I have been asked for info on what to look for. Here is what I put together and Please let me know if I have anything incorrect.

The easiest way to check a E car Vs an I car is the Tach.. An E car has a redline at 4,500 adding at 5k. The I car is 6300 ending at 7k. Yes I know you can put a I cluster in a E car and it works fine So a 2nd way to check is look at the intake amafold. The E cars have a cold start fuel injector on the passenger side and the idle stabilizer next to it. The I cars don't have this injector and the idle stabilizer is on the drivers side.

Common problems.
Speedos break at 80 to120k. If its works DONT push the reset button when the car is moving. There are 3 companies making gear kits to fix this.

Inside door latches are plastic and break, these are pretty cheap at the dealer. But again the local U pull it always has a a car on the lot with them.

Trans linkage gets really sloppy. At 100k. Parts are cheap but not easily accessed. If you put a Short shifter kit in it will replace most of these parts. A Z 3 shifter is an improvement. It can be done by feel from under the car, but if you are doing a clutch it's a good time to replace these parts. Also order the gasket/seals and replace them if you have the trans out of the car.

Drive shaft center bearings go bad. You will get a vibration and thumping between the seats. Not to hard to fix, some cars need the exhaust removed and the heat shields. Do yourself a favor and replace the Guilbo ( the rubber donut at the front of the driveshaft) if you already have the driveshaft out to fix the bearing.

Clutch for cooling fan goes at 130- 150k. If the car starts running hot in traffic check this. You can jump the Red sensor on the radiator to turn on the electric fan. If this cools down the car I would say it could be the clutch. I have had to replace this on 90% of the e30s I have owned. Living in FL overheating is an issue, I have never purchased a new one. I go to the local U pull and grab one off a junked car, they are pretty interchangeable. I have used them off 5 series as well as 7 series.

Power steering racks leak, I know people that have pulled off the belt and driven the car for another 100k miles W/o power steering. You can get rebuilt racks, or many people use the Z3 rack since it has a quicker response.

The auto trans will start shifting hard at 120k miles and go out at 130 to 150K miles.

The manuals will loose 2nd gear at 250k miles. I find used manuals at the local u pull about every 3 months for under $50. I also have had the master clutch cylinder fail on every car at about 120k. At that point I replace the master and slave sylinder.

Rear axle cv covers. These split and if they are damaged and the car has over 150 K miles just send them out to be rebuilt or replace them. I use to be able to get remanufactured axles for about $100. But when I tried to find some in July of 07 there were none around, so I sent them out to be rebuilt.

Timing belts should be don't every 90k, yea you can run them up to 120k But if it breaks you will be replacing Valves, or the head.

Everything but the transmissions and steering racks are cheap to fix. Under $100 if you do it yourself And/Or use parts from the local junkyard.

I have friends that are autocrossing cars with 250K miles on the engines and being very competitive. These cars are in my opinion the BEST that BMW has built, I have seen cars with over 300k miles with original engines. So don't be afraid of a car with 100k or so.

I hope this helps..

Barry

[motorsport786]

nice one mate...

[dobbie82]

Good guide

As for the jacking up, if you are spending 4k on a 20yr old car, i would think you are nuts not to look underneath. I would bring a jack, and ask the owner to kindly jack it up for you.

If I was selling a £300 318i then i'd think you were taking the p!ss but I would let you jack it up regardless