About to buy my first IX, I think?

[jeenyus]

I love my IX. With snow tires its unstoppable in the snow.

[stonea]

Im getting a lot closer to pulling the trigger on a particular IX I have my eye on. But before I do, what would you guys say I need to be ready for in buying an e30 with about 240k miles? In other words, it would be really helpful to know what usually needs to be done/replaced at around this mileage?

I will say that I have been looking at a bunch of IX's lately and this is BY FAR the most well-maintained one I've seen, which gives me a little peace of mind. But figured I'd still seek some wisdom from you all anyway, it makes me nervous buying a car with that many miles to be honest.

Thats really a hard question, its going to depend a lot on the car and the PO. I would look into doing the timing belt, brakes, and vacuum hoses. Those are the first 3 things I did on my e30's.

[101]

At 240K miles, it really depends on the climate that the car has been operated in. If it has ever been in a salty area, go over it with a microscope and look for rust. IX's are horrible with rust because they are winter cars. Check frame rails, front jacking points, floors, rear jacking points, jack pocket and battery area in the trunk. The side skirts on an IX like to trap dirt and salt and rot the edges of the front fenders.

Othewise, at 240K, look into the rubber bits on the car. I'd suspect that the subframe bushings are ready for renewal if they are original. Fuel hoses, brake hoses, vacuum hoses, cooling hoses should also be checked over. Front and rear CV joint boots are also worthy of a look.

See if there are any maintenance records available. That will tell you a lot about the condition of the car you're considering. 240K on a well maintained E30 would not bother me at all. The timing belt would be the one item I would not ignore if there are no records available on it.

Properly maintained these cars can go nearly forever.

[nando]

yeah, at 240k, if it's been driven in an area that uses salt it will almost certainly be rusty. a totally rotted out ix would be a nightmare to own long term.

as far as your PM to me about the VC - do a youtube search on the "325ix jack test". You can basically jack up either the front or rear of the car (under the front subframe, or the rear diff) with a good floorjack on a smooth surface. Then you proceed to drive the car slowly, with a helper to watch. If the car moves without effort and the front/rear wheel speeds match, then the VC is working. If the wheels that are in the air spin and the car doesn't move (or it moves slowly) then the VC is shot or mostly shot.

I don't think there's necessarily a finite lifespan on a VC. the internals should last nearly forever, but if you overheat that seal the fluid leaks out and it doesn't work anymore. That's why towing an ix on two wheels is such a no-no. My ~250k mile VC probably would have lasted longer had I not tracked the car consistently.

[Kershaw]

It's not the mileage that's the concern, it's the rust.

My IX has 305k (maybe 405k!) miles. It's got some rust trouble areas. But I've seen 400k mile e30s that were almost rust free. Good shape is good shape, I wouldn't worry too much about the specific mileage.

[Jdub]

I really appreciate all the wisdom! Wish I didn't have to bug you guys with such noob questions. Since I am so ignorant regarding e30's (or the mechanical intricacies of cars in general) does anyone have any advice where I could find pretty much an "e30 for dummys" type deal.

Basically I just want to learn every little thing I can about them and how they work without having to slam the forums with rookie questions.

Thanks!

PS. The car I'm about to buy is a southern kept car, so thank god theres not a lick of rust anywhere!

[jeenyus]

The mileage is probably wrong anyway. Every e30 has broken odometer gears. Haha!

I would plan on replacing all hoses, gaskets, fluids, timing belt etc right off the get go. Maintaining the car is key I think. You keep up on that and there is no reason the car won't drive forever.

[stonea]

Buy an e30 bentley manual. It will show you how to basically rebuild the car. I'd also suggest reading some build threads. I've picked up a lot of useful tricks and tips by reading other peoples threads. You also pick up some inspiration along the way.

[Jdub]

Buy an e30 bentley manual. It will show you how to basically rebuild the car. I'd also suggest reading some build threads. I've picked up a lot of useful tricks and tips by reading other peoples threads. You also pick up some inspiration along the way.

Thanks! I've heard multiple times now that a bentley manual is pretty much all I'll need. Ironically I spent a couple hours just last night looking through some built threads and you're definitely right lol.

In regards to the bentley manual, because the IX is a little more unique than the others (at least from what I understand), am I going to need some additional manuals that are specific to IX's, or does the bentley manual cover all the different models completely?

[nando]

It doesn't cover the ix completely but it covers all of the common E30 repairs which still apply to the ix. Things like waterpump replacements and valve adjustments are no different..

[kslbo308]

The ix is unstoppable in the snow you will not regret it :-)

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

[ndfspd67]

I bought an IX as my first car and I did everything wrong, I left the timing belt and it broke, I didnt check the seals on the tranny and I lost that. I have learned alot about cars and about life. IX is a beast in the snow as the rest have mentioned, I did daily a vert through an intense vermont winter and it ate it up so RWD isnt so bad either. The IX dry or wet has a unique handling characteristic which is what gets those in the know addicted to them. Buy the IX you wont regret it... at least not forever lol

[AudioNToxication]

Mines been my daily driver for 8 years. its been great.