I need guidance, is this a stupid idea? (E30 restoration project)

[Tana]

Hello everybody, this is my first post.. in fact my first post in any car related forums for some years now .. I would like to explain my situation as efficiently as possible.. the ONLY reason I even decided to have this idea as even a potential option is because I saw somebody selling an old e30 for 1000$.

ok here’s the deal, I love old BMs , always have. It’s been sort of a side dream of mine to own an old one , meaning any of the 80s/ early 90s model .. with the boxy shape / shark nose.. well when I was 19, and a lot dumber, (8 years ago) I decided that this dream would be super easy to accomplish so I saw someone selling an old e30 for around 1200 , in very rough shape.. and I thought it would be a great idea to purchase it. I immediately regretted my decision after I realized how much actual work goes into restoring an old car… especially a rust bucket (I live in Canada). So I sold it a week later. Anyways..

I was just browsing out of the blue , and saw an old e30 for 1000$ which blew my mind since they’ve gone up in value so much. Basically, what I would LIKE to do is buy it, and for the next 7 -8 months , slowly restore it to absolute mint condition.. meaning completely cutting out all rust and welding new metal in. I don’t have experience with this, but I’m a handy guy.. now that im a lot more mature and have some funds at my disposal.. do you think this is a good idea ?? Is 1000$ a good price for an old e30 sedan with 340k KM in bad shape? If you had to guess roughly, how much am I looking at money wise just to restore the body back to mint condition, if I did all the work/labor myself.. (10 grand?)

this sounds super exciting to me because I’ve always wanted to restore an old car + I get to learn a lot about the internals/everything of a car. I know that this would require a TON of work and a TON of time invested .. which is fine, but basically how difficult of a job is it.. any general tips/ 2 cents would be greatly appreciated it. Thank you

[roguetoaster]

I love old BMs , always have.

Well, rule 34 applies I suppose.

In seriousness, so much depends on the space/facilities you have at your disposal. If you have a place the car can sit, in pieces, undisturbed for potentially years, and the time/funds/desire to do it, then just do it. As to cost, who knows, but 10K CAD would likely get you there cosmetically if you actually do the work yourself. Be warned, your first project probably won't be mint, but all of our definitions of what that actually means are quite different. Finally, don't expect any return on investment whatsoever.

[Vincenze]

You can check this Jordan's restoration thread: https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/for...318is-restomod
Keep in mind that he outsourced all body work.

Many E30 parts are not available anymore if you want to restore a car to mint condition. You can paint the body to the highest standards, but people will see the cracked dashboard, dirty carpet, old plastics...

Why wouldn't you import a California car that has no rust?

[Tom Galloway]

If you love old BMW's than you could buy a second car for parts .

tg

[twright]

I think your idea of restoring the car is a good one. However, we need to know how much of a project is it? The best way is to show us some pictures of how bad the rust is. Rust is the hardest part of any restoration.

Show us some pictures and they we'll have a better idea of what you are getting yourself into.

[moatilliatta]

It’s been done here. Dig through the threads and see if you have what it takes.


It’ll cost you triple.

[82eye]

As to cost, who knows, but 10K CAD would likely get you there cosmetically if you actually do the work yourself. Be warned, your first project probably won't be mint, but all of our definitions of what that actually means are quite different. Finally, don't expect any return on investment whatsoever.

10k cad is barely a respray. you might get it for that if you do all the restoration, cut out rust and re-weld in panels, prep, prime etc, yourself. i'm looking at quotes of 25k + for paint work on what is considered a 'clean' car here. you can usually buy e30's and import from the states cheaper than rebuilding here. 10k is a very basic 8 ft maaco respray now. expenses here are astronomical compared to the US. stuff is basically double unless you do it yourself.


edit : 18 - 25k buys a reasonable e30 which may still require some work, even possibly body, in the used market here. the quotes you get from a shop will be about the same to paint one proper, without rust repair.

[82eye]

if you are on the prairies there is an engine out turbo project local someone is selling. engine is built but not in the car. bodywork has been done on the shell but needs paint. it may get you to what you are after quicker.

[roguetoaster]

10k cad is barely a respray. you might get it for that if you do all the restoration, cut out rust and re-weld in panels, prep, prime etc, yourself. i'm looking at quotes of 25k + for paint work on what is considered a 'clean' car here. you can usually buy e30's and import from the states cheaper than rebuilding here. 10k is a very basic 8 ft maaco respray now. expenses here are astronomical compared to the US. stuff is basically double unless you do it yourself.


edit : 18 - 25k buys a reasonable e30 which may still require some work, even possibly body, in the used market here. the quotes you get from a shop will be about the same to paint one proper, without rust repair.

Yes, 10k, is a complete DIY project, no outsourcing.

[Panici]

It depends on how much you're willing to DIY, and how much modification from original you plan to do.
And also to what level you want to restore.

If you are able to do a mechanical refresh and metalwork yourself, and live with the original paint and exterior then it can be done with 10k not including your cost of tools.
You'll need a decent MIG welder w/gas and accessories on top of a full set of hand tools and some specialty pullers etc along the way.

All this assumes your car isn't a total rusty mess. Sheetmetal isn't too bad, but getting into structural/chassis/subframe rust repair is a steep learning curve for a beginner.

I don't have much experience doing bodywork myself, but I plan to learn on future projects. It is more of an art then mechanical in my opinion. If you can knock out body & paint yourself it can be done at a fraction of the cost of a bodyshop.

--

It's easier if you have a garage to work in, but I did a large portion of the mechanical work to my E30 outside in the driveway before I had indoor space. Even did the rear subframe refresh and transmission swap with the car outside!

As one datapoint, I've done everything on my project myself from complete mechanical restoration, sheetmetal/rust, all the way to engine swap/rewire/rebuild.

I did send it to a bodyshop for bodywork and paint, which was expensive and still not a flawless job. I can now see why muscle car guys easily spend $40k+ on paint & for a show-level finish.

That said I always want my car to be a driver, so perhaps a paint imperfection here and there is not the worst thing in the world, but I digress.

--

The question you need to ask is how passionate are you about the project itself?

For me rebuilding a car is half the fun of being an enthusiast. It makes driving the end result all that more satisfying when you've made it happen with your own hands.

If you are willing to learn and enjoy hands-on work, an old BMW is a great platform to tackle.

[Panici]

Finally, don't expect any return on investment whatsoever.

Just to echo this point, I probably could sell my car for less then 1/3 of the money I have into it. (And that is completely ignoring the countless hours of my time since 2014)

I will never sell it so it's a moot point, but a serious project car is basically throwing your money away.
You're paying for the experience of restoring something the way you want.

You'll always be better off financially buying a car in better initial condition.

[It's Soda Not Pop]

Yes pictures would help the pros here give you a better assessment. What kind of money can you spend? What are willing to spend? Are you prepared to sacrifice your first born (lol jk)? I think after you post some pictures you'll get a better idea of what you're working with. Then I would sit down and figure out what kind of money you can spend and go from there. Because if it's a lot (which a lot is relative) then may want to find another car. But I completely understand wanting to save one from being scrapped. They all deserve some love.

[Panici]

But I completely understand wanting to save one from being scrapped. They all deserve some love.

This has been my motivation before. I know the two E36s I combined to make one runner were rough enough to be scrapped. Took ~140 hrs of wrench time to make a roadworthy car.

[Vincenze]

A $1,000 car is usually treated as an end-of-life car. It usually sits outside under rain and snow for years. No expensive maintenance is done. There is likely a big problem with the engine or transmission, etc.

A person who buys a $15,000 example treats it completely differently.

[roguetoaster]

A $1,000 car is usually treated as an end-of-life car. It usually sits outside under rain and snow for years. No expensive maintenance is done. There is likely a big problem with the engine or transmission, etc.

A person who buys a $15,000 example treats it completely differently.

Not so sure. How many times have we seen a 15-20k E30 sold on a year later with the only maintenance listed as an oil change? I suspect it's a matter of usage, cheap cars get used, overpriced ones don't, and it's even possible that cheap cars get more maintenance since the owner needs the car to work, whereas the other car doesn't need to work perfectly since it's rarely used.