Newbie - short intro and hello

[ivangene]

hi all
new, been searching the for sale for a few weeks. Have yet to buy a car but very very close on an 84 E30 with about 120k miles - 5 speed, 2 door - long distance purchase (200 miles) plan to drive it home

I have a lot of forum time on Rennlist and Pelican Parts

This car will be for my son...a soon to be new driver - we are picking up a car a tad early so we can sort it out before he "needs" the car - he plans on hitting CCC's and Skills days at the track and has volunteered many times to shag cones and ride with the old man......

Once 18 y/o he plans on tracking the car ... after that, we'll see

the car will remain basically bone stock for several seasons so he learns to handle it before any mods are done - might remove a little weight or add some better seats is about it.

The terms and designation codes are all new to me - I speak Porsche fairly well. Most all work will be DIY, I am sure the forums will be our resource for info...they always served me well in the past.

From Seattle area - and I have driven a couple PRO3 cars on track - I guess you could say that sealed the deal for me - Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on perspective) we are getting a 318 over the 325 - the savings in insurance are negligible - its more a case of finding a really nice body for the right price as a baseline starting point (opinions welcome here) - I dont think a few horsepower are going to be what cause the car to be slow or fast - pretty sure my car gets faster and faster without any additional horsepower as a result of driver inputs

My name is Ed - my son is Ivan
NW PCA and BMW guys will recognize who this is

so thanks for the warm welcome in advance, and watch for the parts buying and wondering why I keep buying things that dont fit my car because "it was a great deal" :D

[roguetoaster]

Welcome, if you are getting an '84 318 it probably has the M10 engine which is not exactly a riot to drive as compared to 325 or 318 with an M42. Other disadvantages/advantages depending on perspective are the small case differential and the lack of rear sway bar.

Whichever way you do go I hope the car really grows on both of you, it's really a fun chassis with a lot of potential.

[ivangene]

Exactly the kind of data I need

Thanks
So addressing the m10...this is the 4 vs m42 which is a 6?
On an 84 no rear sway...can be added, or not worth the cost/effort

[IronFreak]

M10 is a 4 cylinder, the M42 is the newer 4 cylinder, m20b25 and m20b27 are the 6 cylinders.

[offsetmotorwerks]

One more thing to look out for, some early model 318s have drum brakes in the rear! The m10 is a solid motor that can handle some abuse, as mentioned above, not the most powerful motor ever made.

[ivangene]

Awe, so was disc rear offered later?

Again with the "retrofitting" is it something people do or is it just better to start with the right bits

Thanks for the inputs guys, I am thinking a little more money up front may turn out to save some frustration down the road

Still the car I have on the hook is pretty clean and I suppose worst cas, we sell it when we stumble onto a better car?
IDK, I get excited and that's when I get into trouble....the comments are helpful

[offsetmotorwerks]

Awe, so was disc rear offered later?

Again with the "retrofitting" is it something people do or is it just better to start with the right bits

Thanks for the inputs guys, I am thinking a little more money up front may turn out to save some frustration down the road

Still the car I have on the hook is pretty clean and I suppose worst cas, we sell it when we stumble onto a better car?
IDK, I get excited and that's when I get into trouble....the comments are helpful

Those were the only US spec cars with drum brakes. Early model 325i and on all have disc brakes. You can retrofit them by replacing the rear trailing arms. I can sometimes get a little carried away buying cars, but as i always learn.... it is best to wait for what is perfect.

It all depends on what you are looking for, what does "clean" mean to you? A clean chassis looks wise? A clean running motor? At this point, for what it might eventually be used for, this car might be a little more work than you are looking for!

[camip]

I'd hold out and wait for a 325. If I remember correctly the early 318 also has different sized front struts so upgrading suspension will be limited, without changing to a 325 strut. By then with upgrading to discs brakes you could have just boughten a 325. Search eastern Washington and Idaho some of the best deals are in rural areas.

[ivangene]

Feeling glad I asked....

Second guessing my current position with this seller. May opt out.

Thanks for the useful info and opinions

[ELVA164]

Really the biggest advantage of that chassis is the lightness, but that is due partly to what's been discussed and partly due to less reinforcement for the smaller engine. In other words, there really isn't much benefit but there are a lot of shortcomings. The M10 is a great motor in a 2002, but the E30 chassis is a bit too much for it to drag around.

[ivangene]

So as for long distance buying, some people's idea of mint....and others are well.....different

But I found this car

http://spokane.craigslist.org/cto/3777324302.html

Thoughts? Looks ok for a novice buyer, what do YOU see?

[ivangene]

Oh, I'm not suggesting that thing is mint......just average
But more interested in what people see that I may not

[Tom.]

never mind.

[ELVA164]

Not sure what the deal is with the black headlights. The car looks clean, at least from that distance. If the car has 163kmi that's pretty low, but it's likely the odometer is broken so you would want to check that if you took a test drive. No interior shots, my guess is the bolster at least on the driver's seat is garbage. It's nice that the car still has the front and rear spoilers and the side skirts; those can disappear/get damaged over time. The missing fog lights might be a bit hard to source as they're NLA, but not impossible. Overall I would say that's a pretty good deal, at least on the surface. It'll probably need shocks and struts, and you could look into springs for it at the same time. I went the Koni SA/M3 springs route with my car to lower it just a little and allow for adjustability.

If you go to look at it, check for rust, check the odometer, and generally make sure there isn't anything disconcerting about it in the engine/brakes/electrical areas.


Oh. Please get different wheels, too.

[ivangene]

So 17's open up lots of tire options but also add cost/tire....and weight?

Are 17's widely accepted as acceptable?
As of right now I still like the bottle caps, so what do I know ;)

It's red car has been for sale for a while, it's a 5 hr drive, each way,....big commitment

But I like the shiny look, I'm a sucker for shiny things