Feeler: Sell as a driver or as a pile of Parts

[tk32]

Hi, been around a bit here and there this forum has been a great resource, though it is time to part with my e30.

Up for debate: finish the in-progress work noted below... will anyone buy it? OR do I just keep tearing it down (front subframe currently out due to steering rack work) and sell piece by piece. This is a well documented car (giant binder of receipts and service records since 1988) that has lived a well-rounded life, and with all the maintenance done will likely live on for another 100k mechanically as a rock solid and well set-up car. Has rust...

Thoughts from the audience please, maybe someone wants it (haaa) and I will promptly finish the work! Feeling a little unmotivated I guess. Also pretty much done with rust and road grime falling into my eyes, tetanus booster anyone?

214k mile '88iX coupe (09/87 build), alpineweiß, cardinal red leather, sport seats, m tech 1 wheel, the iS goods.

I have done a metric sh*tton of work to keep this thing operational over the years: off the top of my head:

- timing belt and thermostat, accessory belts, alternator at 195K
- new axle boots and grease all 4 corners
- rotors, calipers and pads all 4 corners
- stainless brake lines (including to rear sub)
- stainless clutch slave line, new clutch slave
- Koni yellow adjustable shocks/struts all 4
- shock top mounts all 4, IE rears, OEM iX fronts
- Front and Rear shock tower braces
- 'soft' poly rear subframe, trailing arms and diff bushings
- radio delete (no radio when purchased)
- VDO sourced volt, oil temp, and pressure gauge radio infill panel
- euro clock (12 button computer was non-op, comes with car)
- trunk sound deadening delete (to balance out the A/C delete, of course! ...)
- A/C delete (non-op when purchased, too heavy...)
- new driver side seat belt receiver
- PS reservoir to pump lines
- O2 sensor
- full driveline fluid replacement with AMSoil gear oil, ATF, redline MTL in trans
- etc. and other things all documented I am not recalling ...
- yearly rust mitigation
- AWD works (will complete jack test, of course)
- mudflaps (not OEM) because iX

work in progress:
- 17lb injectors
- Bosch plugs
- valve adjustment
- replace leaking steering rack with not leaking one
- front e36 m3 offset control arm bushings
- front outer control arm ball joints
- radiator
- coolant flush

car came to me with:
- full service records since new!
- ported/polished 885 head
- 1mm oversized valves
- schrick 272 cam
- turner ms chip
- custom header back exhaust (single pipe, 2 magna flow mufflers)
- H&R springs
- z3 shifter
- 15x8.5 wheels (yep) fatty summer tires
- iX basketweave (no center caps) snows
- engine rebuilt at +/- 130k
- on its second front diff

not-as-good-:
- Northeast car its whole life - rust never sleeps up here... the floor and frame rails solid
- been doing my part to keep the rest from spreading, the last owners have done the same
- fog lights toast from road rash, OEM blank plates installed, I had hella fogs wired into OEM wiring at one point
- driver seat bolster repaired, not bad... not great. can't see it when you are sitting in it!
- absolutely grimy underneath from 214k miles
- paint and panels are original (VIN stickers attached), shows 214k of use all around
- no ABS

spares:
- 3.91 front diff
- front axles
- control arm cores (inner ball joints still installed)
- front strut housings
- front drive shaft
- front fenders from a '91 iX, need paint and a little work
- garagistic DSSR and associated shift bushings
- steering rack in need of rebuild
- 525i long O2 sensor incase of spontainious IE long tube header, X pipe, twin exhaust build...
- stock chip
- some other stuff I am sure

Thoughts? Based on the build you are correct: this thing is 1/2 race car, 1/2 tank and that is exactly how it drives. (racing tank? )

[roguetoaster]

Keep it together, finish your work, clean it up and sell it on to someone in a rusty area so they won't complain about it being rusty quite as much.

[E30andy]

Very similar to my ix! This is the for sale thread that I bought it from in 2017:

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/for...-325ix-5-speed

Spent its life in the NE (I am in VT), and slowly rusting away. I undercoat each year to try to slow the spread, but it keeps on keepin on. My plan is to keep it going as long as it can be inspected, and then find another ix without rust, and use my current one as a parts donor for the "new" one, until it rusts away, rinse and repeat.

Where is your ix rusted? Pics of rust and interior would be helpful for any potential buyers. How much would you want for it as a driver?
You may want to consider the quick ratio steering rack thats now available for the ix since you have to replace your current rack.

[Kershaw]

Keep at it man! It only takes half a days (or maybe a day) worth of work to replace the steering rack.

[e30austin]

sounds like you know the car pretty well. i'd fix it at this point. best of luck to you - whatever decision you make.

[tk32]

Thanks crew, I will definitely get a full ad together with interior photos, rusty areas, etc. once the front subframe is back in. This car does deserve to drive another day, though at some point someone will have to tear it down for parts to help another iX live on -- maybe not me, maybe not today!

E30andy Similar to that ad a few years back thanks for the reference, slightly better paint. You want this one too?

...to be continued

[Kershaw]

I'm in a very similar boat with my rallycross ix. The chassis is just a rusty POS. Yes, I've patched it to hell and back (sometimes aesthetically poorly, but always structurally) but it's still crap. It'll either get sold as a pile of parts or I'll tear it down for spare parts. I haven't decided yet. But there's no doubt that the car is in a disposable state. I'll finish turbocharging it just to get my feet wet with all that for sure, but after that? Who knows? I sure don't.

[nando]

Sell it whole. There weren't a lot of these sold to begin with, and I think the 88 is probably the most desirable year of the ix. I bet far less than half are still on the road today, which only leaves maybe a few hundred for the '88. I've personally parted out one myself, which was the same build month as yours.

[E30andy]

Thanks crew, I will definitely get a full ad together with interior photos, rusty areas, etc. once the front subframe is back in. This car does deserve to drive another day, though at some point someone will have to tear it down for parts to help another iX live on -- maybe not me, maybe not today!

E30andy Similar to that ad a few years back thanks for the reference, slightly better paint. You want this one too?

...to be continued

Haha, I wish it was my current parts car! Lots of good parts but I dont need any more rust!

[zinger]

any interest in selling me a spare front left axle shaft?