just looked at an IS.

[lucky7]

first off, i was driving home from camping yesterday, and i had to make an extra trip to drop somebody off. by chance, i spotted a black E30 on the side of the road. so i just went to look at it up close. looks damn clean for an '87 michigan car. so, an '87 325is. black, 5spd, etc. 133k on it. the interior isnt mint. not by a long shot, but i think i could clean it up nicely. front bumper looks like it tapped 1 to many parking blocks in its day, so i'd want to replace it. i didnt check to see if the fogs work, but i assume they do. i didnt take it for a spin, cause i was just really looking at it. afterall, im not in the market for a car. 2 things though. passenger window doesnt go down. no noise or anything. i didnt mess with it, but my money would be on the switch. 2nd thing, the tach wasnt working when i fired it up. he said it works sometimes, but i'd want it to work ofcourse.

anyhow, the guy said 2k or best. but he said he'd take 1700. told me his 2 sons both drove them because he thought they were safe for his kids. and he's liked them alot since. he was kind of excited that i knew a thing or 2 about it. haha. if i were to pick this thing up, i'd get rid of my 99 corolla and DD it. is this a terrible idea or what?? ive wanted another E30 since i smashed my 86 eta back in '00. if i were to pick it up, my plans would be to do shocks/struts, wheels/tires, bumper tuck and drive the shit out of it. i want a car i can auto-x. i'd do my S14, but its too much for me to handle being that ive never stepped foot on a track before, and it put down 453whp 2 weeks ago. too much car for me on the track.

any input?? im not much of a mechanic, but i can do suspension stuff and brakes. the guy seemed pretty legit. he even gave me the 'i just got off the phone with a guy that wanted to come and look at it'. i was like, 'oh sure....'. sure as shit, a guy rolled up when i was leaving and said, 'i called about the black BMW'. haha.

i guess im looking for some opinions or other points i didnt think about. thanks for reading. if i missed anything, let me know. i can go drive the car if im decide to really consider it.

thanks.

[lucky7]

any input whatsoever??

[smonkbmw]

sounds like a good deal. check the timing belt situation etc. check for rust in usual places. maintenance history and all that.

these stories are a dime a dozen, which is why youre not getting much response. no one on here can tell you what to do and what not, especially since we cant see the car our selves and your description is kind of vague. if it has a good history (which id question since his kids drove it) maintenance wise, no rust, body is straight, clean title etc, i dont see why not. then again im not a fan of diving boards either.

[lucky7]

it sounds like he's the 2nd owner. its at a small mom + pop shop. the old guy got it for himself. it was never his kids cars. he recently did the timing belt at his shop. stuck my head in all the fender wells and there was no rust. which is shocking for a michigan E30.

i guess my question was really about the tachometer not working all the time. that and the passenger window. i appreciate your response though. im not really on here enough to see these sorts of posts. im in the members ride section 99% of the time im on here.

[dlmpsy]

You need to take it for a test drive to determine if there are any problems. Old cars like the e30's are gonna need some TLC. You just want to avoid major problems, like timing belts, engine, transmission, clutch, etc. Look at the body panels to help detemine if it was in a crash (look for mismatched paint or uneven gaps between panels), look under the car to check for leaks or other damage, look for oil build-up on engine components. Check the trunk and floor boards for dampness or water build-up.

[StereoInstaller1]

133K for $1700, straight and clean?

Do it, don't look back.

[lucky7]

i looked over the body quickly, and everything looks legit. its lacking dents, but the front lower bumper could be replaced, as its got some cracks. im not all that concerned with the exterior, aside from rust. i didnt even think to check for oil leaks or any grime under the engine. ill have to do that. he said the clutch was really good still. the guy seemed really legit. like talking to my grandpa. i'd certainly take 'er for a spin before purchasing.

i got off the phone with my dad. he's buying an '05 sierra for our new work truck, but doesnt want to drive it as his DD. so he would DD my moms C320. i would give my mom my '99 corolla, and they would buy this thing for me. like i said, it fired up right away, and sounded strong. no exhaust leaks or anything (again suprising for a 20 year old michigan car). my first car was an '86 ETA, and i have missed it dearly since i r3v'd it. lol. even though i would LOVE to have a plastic bumpered car, i could certainly live with getting euro bumpers, or even tucking/painting the DB's. its black, so painting the DB's would look fine IMO. all i want is to go auto-xing. 133k is low mileage for an E30. its got less miles than my 99 rolla, and its 12 years older. i know it wouldnt be perfect, and i'd be messing with new suspension pieces. but day to day driving, im not one to beat the crap out of my cars. so it would need some work, im ok with that. like i said, its pretty clean for a MI car. and the price/mileage looks good. i may go through with it. you guys may see me on here much more frequently.

thanks again for the input. lastly, whats the remedy for a non-working tach?? i test drove an IX one time with the same issue. im assuming its relatively common?

[SpecM]

-Tach issue... check all fuses. Or amybe the SI boards are toast, in which case just replace the gauge cluster.

[lucky7]

cool, thanks. just got off the phone with him. going to look at it again and go for a test drive in about an hour.

[lucky7]

snapped a few shots. obviously i used the wrong lens. hahaha.














it drives better than i thought! he just did the timing belt recently. the clutch feels good. i cant expect it to feel like its on rails. afterall, its on 20 year old suspension. but it feels good. it was very easy to drive. the tach DOES work, it just sticks a little bit. its dirty, and my JDM angles make it hard to see. but the body is really pretty clean.

thoughts? i told him i like it, but i'd have to sleep on it. remember, $1700.

[lucky7]

well, i pick 'er up at 4. haha.

[Danny]

Yes!

Good man!

[E30Kaiser]

I was about to say....POUNCE ON DAT SHIT! Nice though, now you got the double Kouki/Bimmer attack going on, you are unstoppable.

[lucky7]

there are some 15" gold VSXX's on the vortex in 4x100... if only i had an extra $1400 lying around. it would be a double threat. prepair for stupid questions. haha.

this is how the car looks from the side. its got a wingless CF trunk on it now. and my CF trunk is still sitting in the garage.

[Danny]

Is that a 240?

Forgive me for my notknowingness