?? Value of Running 89' 325i w/ stripped interior ?? HELP PLEASE

[Nicademus]

Ok so I'm thinking of making a purchase tomorrow. I just want to get an E30 and start fooling aroudn with the thing ;) So here my question:

I'm curious what I should offer for this car:

- 1989 E30 325i
- automatic (comes with manual tranny and pedal assembly thingy for swap)
- stripped interior
~Includes front seats
~Dash board
~Door panels
- Running
- Good tires
- 2 door
- Didn't see any obvious sign of rust
- Small oil leak from somewhere?

[Nicademus]

Bumping this back up

Any help would be cool. Even just a quick $$$$ amount you'd pay for said car. I'm obviously new to the E30 world and don't know the values too well.

And yes I feel like a total newb, but this isn't the easiest thing to search for.

[tamanakko]

Miles,? Body condition???

[TDE30]

What is the mileage, rust condition, etc.? Has the car got plenty of records?

With average mileage (150-170k) it could bring maybe $2000-2500.

[Nicademus]

Not sure of the mileage:-?

It has a small dent on the right rear quarter panel and the paint is a gray color (delphin?) and is ok.

It has no documentation as far as I know

Seemed to be quite rust free (Seattle cars are usually pretty good that way :D)

[george graves]

Less than 100k $1800
Over 150k $1250

Just a guess - really had to say with out detailed pics and info, and even then people will disagree.

[TDE30]

Being a Northern car makes it twice as likely to have a little bit of rust. Check all drainage areas, underneath the battery, check the underbody well, the framerails, etc. Rust is usually a pretty big deal with these cars, once you find a little there's a good chance that there is a lot.

If the car has no documentation, then I wouldn't even consider it. Records are vital for any secondhand car purchase, you could save a lot of money by knowing which parts don't need to be replaced.

Not knowing the mileage is yet another strike against it.

Just pass on it, you'll be glad you did.

[Nicademus]

Being a Northern car makes it twice as likely to have a little bit of rust. Check all drainage areas, underneath the battery, check the underbody well, the framerails, etc. Rust is usually a pretty big deal with these cars, once you find a little there's a good chance that there is a lot.

If the car has no documentation, then I wouldn't even consider it. Records are vital for any secondhand car purchase, you could save a lot of money by knowing which parts don't need to be replaced.

Not knowing the mileage is yet another strike against it.

Just pass on it, you'll be glad you did.

I agree with everything you said, but we don't salt our roads here like they do in the Northeast and other places (or whatever it is they put on their roads that destroys cars).

I'll go takes some pictures of it and look closer tomorrow. He only wants $700 for it and its not listed anywhere. I found it through someone I know.

Any other places I should look for rust?

Oh and thanks a lot for all the help thus far :D You guys are all really knowledgeable and cool about helping people out.

[george graves]

You know - buying a incomplete "project car" sometimes is a great deal for the buyer. You can get a car that has had a lot of parts thrown at it, and if you like what it has, you save big time on not having to do them your self.

I paid $1500 for a very clean (complete) 1989 325is with 180k. But I've gone about replacing EVERYTHING anyways. Motor (m30 swap), tranny, drive shaft, full black interior, mtech-2 wing, and the list goes on. So if you have the modding bug, what you really want to start with is a clean straight body - unless you plan on painting (that's next for me)

If I were you, I'd find out the mileage, run a car fax (you'll need the vin - it's in the driver door jam and stamped into the steel in the engine bay just below the windshield.) $100 and most shops will perform a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) if you are still not sure or feel over your head. But if he is asking $700, he will take $600 cash. Oh, yea, show up with two "bill of sales" printed up with blanks for vin number, names, ect (you can download one, just google for it - one will be his copy, the other yours) - AND show up with cash. Nothing gets a seller panties moist like a stack of $20s or $100s.

At $700, you could buy the car, and if the car was a dude, you could buy another and mix and match parts - selling other - and still come out ahead.

If it was me, I'd hand him your license, and go drive the piss out of it. Try to overheat it - a nice little hill climb will test the cooling quite well this time of year.

HTH

[Nicademus]

You know - buying a incomplete "project car" sometimes is a great deal for the buyer. You can get a car that has had a lot of parts thrown at it, and if you like what it has, you save big time on not having to do them your self.

I paid $1500 for a very clean (complete) 1989 325is with 180k. But I've gone about replacing EVERYTHING anyways. Motor (m30 swap), tranny, drive shaft, full black interior, mtech-2 wing, and the list goes on. So if you have the modding bug, what you really want to start with is a clean straight body - unless you plan on painting (that's next for me)

If I were you, I'd find out the mileage, run a car fax (you'll need the vin - it's in the driver door jam and stamped into the steel in the engine bay just below the windshield.) $100 and most shops will perform a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) if you are still not sure or feel over your head. But if he is asking $700, he will take $600 cash. Oh, yea, show up with two "bill of sales" printed up with blanks for vin number, names, ect (you can download one, just google for it - one will be his copy, the other yours) - AND show up with cash. Nothing gets a seller panties moist like a stack of $20s or $100s.

At $700, you could buy the car, and if the car was a dude, you could buy another and mix and match parts - selling other - and still come out ahead.

If it was me, I'd hand him your license, and go drive the piss out of it. Try to overheat it - a nice little hill climb will test the cooling quite well this time of year.

HTH

Yeah my other car and motorcycle are both pretty nice so I'm sure he'd trust me taking the car and driving it alone. What if the engine sputtered a bit or something? Kind of make it not such a good deal?

The way I'm looking at it is this. I could buy it and if I hate it or find something different I figure I could selling it for the same amount I bought it for easy. I already have an entire black interior lined up, including carpet, for $65. So I figure buy the car, slap the interior in and then possibly sell it again, make a few buck off it and buy something that manual.

Oh and yeah, I have the mod bug. I decided not to mod my IS300 or Bike and instead get an E30 for modding.

[Nicademus]

I think I'm going to go buy this POS right now :D

[MacBudd541]

you have to buy it. 700 for a running 325i, especially a delphin one with plastic bumpers. its a win-win. motor blows up on your way home you still can make your money back in parts. motor pulls hard home, you leave the interior in the lexus, swap trannies and you have a race car.... kinda. Do it.

[Nicademus]

So I went to his house and he's never transferred the title into his name, in fact the last two owners haven't. He has the title, the name of the last guy who had it titled and his address and phone number. I'm going to call the last owner and see if he'd sign the title over to me if I buy it.... if not things get kinda weird and complicated I think.

Oh yeah I forgot to mention......some jackoff took the front plastic bumper off and put the old diving board on the front..seriously? who does that? It still has the rear one though which is good.

Also I looked all over the thing and I couldn't really find any rust, even where the battery is. It has no carpet so in a way it was nice being able to inspect every inch of it.

I sent him an email and told him why his car sucks and asked what the lowest price is that he'd let it go for minus the manual tranny stuff. Once he gives me that price I'm going to then say "well then what would you sell it for with the tranny stuff?" I may go without the tranny if the price difference is great.

Opinions? (Damn I forgot to take pictures again)
Also can someone post a delphin colored car so I know if thats even the right color.

[TDE30]

So I went to his house and he's never transferred the title into his name, in fact the last two owners haven't. He has the title, the name of the last guy who had it titled and his address and phone number. I'm going to call the last owner and see if he'd sign the title over to me if I buy it.... if not things get kinda weird and complicated I think.

Oh yeah I forgot to mention......some jackoff took the front plastic bumper off and put the old diving board on the front..seriously? who does that? It still has the rear one though which is good.

Also I looked all over the thing and I couldn't really find any rust, even where the battery is. It has no carpet so in a way it was nice being able to inspect every inch of it.

I sent him an email and told him why his car sucks and asked what the lowest price is that he'd let it go for minus the manual tranny stuff. Once he gives me that price I'm going to then say "well then what would you sell it for with the tranny stuff?" I may go without the tranny if the price difference is great.

Opinions? (Damn I forgot to take pictures again)
Also can someone post a delphin colored car so I know if thats even the right color.

They removed the bumper and put diving boards on there?! They must have been pretty crafty, I had no idea that was even possible for a post-'88 build date car.

This car sounds a bit odd IMO, it's good to hear about the rust situation being fairly minimal, but no records/known mileage and the issue with the title are all strikes against it. It's important to remember that E30's aren't rare breeds, there are plenty of other examples for sale everywhere, just because this car is under $1000 don't throw the money away on a car that raises your eyebrows. Are you looking for a dedicated project car or a driver?

Here are a few decent shots of delphin metallic.

[Nicademus]

I own a o3' Lexus IS300 for my daily driver as well as a Harley Davidson Nightster.

I'm looking for an E30 as a project/hobby, something to mod, and I think they're awesome cars. I just really want one and only have about $1000 to spend at this time. Oh and this car isn't Delphin for sure, its some sort of grey blue color that I'm not too fond of. The colors I like are (pardon my lack of correct names, I'll learn them soon enough):

- black
- delphin (my IS300 is GraphiteGreyPearl which is like delphin but darker)
- white
- red

I just feel like I can't be too picky because of my lack of funds. If I had my choice I'd buy an E30 like this:

- One of the above colors
- 89'-91 (plastic bumper years right??)
- 325i/is (or the 318 would be ok too if everything else was right)
- Manual Transmission (this seems to be so hard to find unless its an 84'-86' for some reason)
- 2 door (preferably not a convertible)