New England... a grouping of states in the Northeast of the United States... Ivy League schools, home of the founding fathers of America, cobblestone streets, scenic coastal fishing communities... and snow. Snow... and more snow... and to combat that snow, the hearty folk residing in the Northeast resort to salt, and calcium chloride to keep the roads clean, so soccer mom's can sip their morning latte's while cruising down the highway without so much as a second thought to the prospect of ice or freezing rain beneath their tires.
If you've been around E30 M3's long enough, you know there was a time where a sub 100k mile M3 could be purchased for far less than the cost of the then "New" E36 M3. The E36 promised better performance, more HP (This is Amer'ca - HP rules all right?), and the sedate daily driving experience to be able to lug through stop and go traffic with torque. Torque - the siren song that drew a few E30 M3 owners into selling their car and "upgrading!"
So what's the point you're asking? Why the silly history lesson on localized weather and geography?? Why pour salt into the open wound that at one time you could buy a sub 100k mile E30 M3 for less than $15,000???? Well - when that was the case, the panache of the car had faded, and some owners resigned the cars to – 4 season cars. You West Coast residents won’t understand – but 4 seasons here in the Northeast means snow, and ice, and the aforementioned sand/salt/calcium chloride mix that given time, dampness, and heat, will turn a great car into a Bring a Trailer – Where They Rust candidate.
Enter the 1988 M3 shown below… the current owner having taken stewardship many years ago, perhaps after previous owners transgressions of winter driving had already taken place. We won't blame him, and will protect his anonymity! He enjoyed the car for years, using it summers and falls here in NH. The annual inspection time came around during mid-summer of 2014, and the car failed to pass due to “small hole in passenger footwell.” You see in NH, we don’t require drivers to wear seatbelts, we don’t have an income tax, and we don’t have a sales tax – but you better not have a hole through the steel to the interior cabin of your car!
The car arrived here for a basic inspection, and to see how bad this small hole could be. The owner hoped to have it repaired and be back on the road before the end of summer – Fall Foliage drives are great in the Northeast. So the general inspection (or was it dissection?) began.
The “small hole” after removing the passenger side rocker panel:
Time to dig deeper.
Time has proven, that when we find rust like the above, there is more, usually a good bit more… like an expedition in the desert to find Jimmy Hoffa – you just have to keep digging…
-Yes, that’s the foam of the interior carpet you see in the background-
-Below the fusebox
Time to pull the interior and see what maladies are hidden below the cardinal carpet…
While we’re in there, we should probably check the windshield frame, as there certainly is some bubbling around the passenger lower corner…
-Better pull the cowl off…
Is this what we call Scope, creep?
If you've been around E30 M3's long enough, you know there was a time where a sub 100k mile M3 could be purchased for far less than the cost of the then "New" E36 M3. The E36 promised better performance, more HP (This is Amer'ca - HP rules all right?), and the sedate daily driving experience to be able to lug through stop and go traffic with torque. Torque - the siren song that drew a few E30 M3 owners into selling their car and "upgrading!"
So what's the point you're asking? Why the silly history lesson on localized weather and geography?? Why pour salt into the open wound that at one time you could buy a sub 100k mile E30 M3 for less than $15,000???? Well - when that was the case, the panache of the car had faded, and some owners resigned the cars to – 4 season cars. You West Coast residents won’t understand – but 4 seasons here in the Northeast means snow, and ice, and the aforementioned sand/salt/calcium chloride mix that given time, dampness, and heat, will turn a great car into a Bring a Trailer – Where They Rust candidate.
Enter the 1988 M3 shown below… the current owner having taken stewardship many years ago, perhaps after previous owners transgressions of winter driving had already taken place. We won't blame him, and will protect his anonymity! He enjoyed the car for years, using it summers and falls here in NH. The annual inspection time came around during mid-summer of 2014, and the car failed to pass due to “small hole in passenger footwell.” You see in NH, we don’t require drivers to wear seatbelts, we don’t have an income tax, and we don’t have a sales tax – but you better not have a hole through the steel to the interior cabin of your car!
The car arrived here for a basic inspection, and to see how bad this small hole could be. The owner hoped to have it repaired and be back on the road before the end of summer – Fall Foliage drives are great in the Northeast. So the general inspection (or was it dissection?) began.
The “small hole” after removing the passenger side rocker panel:
Time to dig deeper.
Time has proven, that when we find rust like the above, there is more, usually a good bit more… like an expedition in the desert to find Jimmy Hoffa – you just have to keep digging…
-Yes, that’s the foam of the interior carpet you see in the background-
-Below the fusebox
Time to pull the interior and see what maladies are hidden below the cardinal carpet…
While we’re in there, we should probably check the windshield frame, as there certainly is some bubbling around the passenger lower corner…
-Better pull the cowl off…
Is this what we call Scope, creep?
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