If you had $1000 to spend on mods...

[Digitalwave]

Maybe my point is there isn't much you can do [correctly] with $1,000.

[Dave]

AGREED... but i think i would get some h&R sports before used m3 springs...

I would agree that H&R or IEs would be better - just looking at the $$ limit this guy put on it.

[Dave]

Maybe my point is there isn't much you can do [correctly] with $1,000.

True.

[motorprestige]

shiiiit... i know i could do a whole lot with 1,000$... you just have to know exactly what you want/need and you need to know exact prices. Now if you could spend that 1,500 like you said... i would probably spring for at least a 15'' wheel if you have caps or 14'' weaves, i think a 14'' wheel is undersizing on an m20 e30. Yeah koseis are a good choice and all but i think i would have to go with some ronal ls 15x7 with some 225/50 or 225/55 azenis, OR toyo proxes 4 is also a good choice for a street tire with great handling charecteristics, they feel awesome in wet weather as well wich is strange but usefull seeing as we are coming into winter and it rains here in norcali. and digi please dont argue/criticize this because personally i think you have horrible taste in wheels, or e30's for that matter.

[Digitalwave]

and digi please dont argue/criticize this because personally i think you have horrible taste in wheels, or e30's for that matter.

You just told me in a PM that I have a nice E30?

[rwh11385]

shiiiit... i know i could do a whole lot with 1,000$... you just have to know exactly what you want/need and you need to know exact prices. Now if you could spend that 1,500 like you said... i would probably spring for at least a 15'' wheel if you have caps or 14'' weaves, i think a 14'' wheel is undersizing on an m20 e30. Yeah koseis are a good choice and all but i think i would have to go with some ronal ls 15x7 with some 225/50 or 225/55 azenis, OR toyo proxes 4 is also a good choice for a street tire with great handling charecteristics, they feel awesome in wet weather as well wich is strange but usefull seeing as we are coming into winter and it rains here in norcali. and digi please dont argue/criticize this because personally i think you have horrible taste in wheels, or e30's for that matter.

shut up. you are a moron

225/55 ??

BAN.

[Joey Link]

I'm sorry guys, I should've told you a bit about the car before I posted this. I also meant for everyone to base this on a clean, stock, well maintained "need-nothing" 325, which is pretty much what I'm getting. I find it hard to believe there isn't much you can do with $1k. How about a short shift kit and a chip? Wouldn't those add up to like $300? Sounds like that's gettin quite a bit bang for your buck. I'm not worried about the rims right now, they're good lookin bottlecaps with decent tread on the tires. I'm probably not going to play with the suspension until next summer, but I can start somewhere, can't I? I'll install new suspension before I get new rims and tires, most likely. Are springs and bilsteins better than coilovers and bilsteins? I notice nobody recommending the Ground Control coilovers. So do intake and exhaust not do much for these cars or what? I didn't think the M20 was that much of a turd.

[E30 Wagen]

forget performance mods

what about some 20" chrome wheels? Or especially if it has bottle caps, you could get those chromed. Maybe you could steal a set?

If you want a stereo, get some sony x-plode subwoofers (the red ones) And when you hook up the amp, make sure there are wires all over the trunk. And don't bother figuring out the best placement of the subs, just close your eyes and throw them in there. All that matters is if you play them loud enough. Then, steal a cd player. Don't worry about installing it correctly, if you jam it in the radio slot as hard as you can, it will stay. Again, make sure the wires hang out, especially in the area underneath the steering wheel. That way you won't get interference from all the other wires.

at least get a chrome license plate holder, muffler tip, and windshield washer sprayers. As for the BMW roundal, I would either get that chromed, or delete the blue and paint it to match the color of the car. Some great interior mods would be to paint the dashboard yellow and to then get some matching yellow seat covers, matching yellow steering wheel cover, matching yellow shiftknob, and matching yellow a/c vents. The NOS floor mats should be an obvious 'mod' (i would paint those yellow too). Another cool idea is to find an old fire extinguisher, paint it purple, put a NOS sticker on it, and tape it to the floor on the passenger side. Last but not least, get some window tint, but make sure it's the purple kind, and there are lots of air bubbles after you get done installin git. If you're into performance mods, you could tear all the carpet out to save some weight. It probably wouldn't match your color scheme anyway. Also, leather seats weigh a ton (especially the back ones), so you could take those out too if you wanted. But then, where would you have sex? Maybe you could keep them in the trunk just in case.

Also instead of parking it on pavement, just leave it on the front lawn so it will rust to hell in a matter of weeks. If you play it right, your muffler will develope some rust holes which can make your exhaust louder. You're a total noob if don't know that means there is less backpressure, which, as we all know, signifies a substantial increase in horsepower (at least 20).

If you want to get serious about performance modding, go hunt for a car with some K&N stickers. Then steal his air filter in the middle of the night. Also, if you spraypaint your valve cover, it will cool down the engine bay so you won't be sucking in that aweful hot air. Then wrap you ignition wires in duct tape to help them conduct better. I hear a lot of people do that. After i get my paycheck, i'm going to go buy a role of duct tape and do that this weekend.

Oh, don't forget lighting upgrades!!!! Remember, you have to consider your safety at high speeds, and this requires good visibility at night (since the cops only come out during the day, you can only speed at night). Usually you want to find those bulbs that are blue. Don't ask me why, that's just the way it is, brotha.

Remember, modding your car increase the value of the car, so if you want to sell it, you could easily get about $5000. $4800 if want to keep the subs.

[Digitalwave]

I'm sorry guys, I should've told you a bit about the car before I posted this. I also meant for everyone to base this on a clean, stock, well maintained "need-nothing" 325, which is pretty much what I'm getting. I find it hard to believe there isn't much you can do with $1k. How about a short shift kit and a chip? Wouldn't those add up to like $300? Sounds like that's gettin quite a bit bang for your buck. I'm not worried about the rims right now, they're good lookin bottlecaps with decent tread on the tires. I'm probably not going to play with the suspension until next summer, but I can start somewhere, can't I? I'll install new suspension before I get new rims and tires, most likely. Are springs and bilsteins better than coilovers and bilsteins? I notice nobody recommending the Ground Control coilovers. So do intake and exhaust not do much for these cars or what? I didn't think the M20 was that much of a turd.

writer printer, nice post, but that must have taken you quite a while to type out :)

Buddies, to answer some of your question. There are actually a ton of small things to do for less than a grand, a short shifter and chip are included. But it's a lot better to get the big, high dollar mods out of the way while you have the money I think. It's really easy to spend a lot of money on small mods and nickle and dime your self till you are broke, and then realize none of the mods are really great or do much for the car.

Ground Control setups are about $1,300, its better or worse than lowering springs depending on your use of the car. Generally speaking, for street use, lowering springs are better because they are progressive and a lot less harsh. GC's are usually a lot stiffer, and they are linear and a lot less forgiving.

Exhausts and intakes are just for sound on our cars, theres really no gains to be had there. Chips are worth the money though.

[E30 Wagen]

okay, i'll be serious now

First, take some pictures for documentation purposes. Then, change the oil (just for kicks). Then, give it a thorough detail, inside and out. Then, take some more pictures for documentation purposes. Stare at the pictures, thinking to yourself, "Damn, that's a clean E30." Then, go for a slow drive to get it warmed up. Then, find some twisties, and cut her lose. If you lose control, and crash, then you should probably spend that money on any needed repairs. If you don't crash, then its up to you to decide you were satisfied with the handling and the engine power. I'm sure you will be. End of story.

Then get some new suspension.

[Joey Link]

Ahh I see where your head is now when recommending I get suspension out of the way. How much is a good semi-aggressive suspension setup that would be good on the street and tearing up the mountain roads?

[KenC]

A full GC coilover kit with Konis is going to be more than a grand. Get some Bilstein Sport Shocks and H&R Sport Springs.

[rwh11385]

Ahh I see where your head is now when recommending I get suspension out of the way. How much is a good semi-aggressive suspension setup that would be good on the street and tearing up the mountain roads?

H&R Sports are good for daily drivers and sport fun.

Charlie will hopefully be selling his sometime. His ought to get some Races.

[PeaveyBassist]

Used H&R Sport springs. Good daily driver springs IMO. The springs you can get probably havent been used that long, and springs last an awful long time. I got mine with about 20k on them for $150. New they are around $225 I believe. Shocks, only buy used if they are low mileage ones. The Bilstein Sports I got were used for about 10k when I got them. About what Heeter says about track schools, if you want to take the car to the track and want to drive in a more spirited manner on a daily basis, I recommend doing at least one track school with the money. If you arent interested in track schools ever, then spend the money on something else.

Will

[mspiegle]

I didn't notice if you mentioned the tranny in your car. If its an automatic, spend the $1K on converting to 5spd.