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

[AWDBOB]

Dropping in to say that I think a restoration is a terrible idea unless you really find yourself passionate about the work.

Buy a $1k e30, make it safe to drive, mechanically sound, and drive the shit out of it.

Restore, and there's a 12.3% chance you'll ever actually enjoy the car.

Sincerely,

Someone who sold all of their nice stuff and enjoys driving a bunch of shitboxes

[MrBurgundy]

To answer your question, no, that's not a good idea.

You need major experience to restore a car to "mint" condition and based off your skill level, way more than 7-8 months.

If you want a nice car, buy a nice car.

If you want to build a career in restoring car, that's a different question. It seems like you're just in it for a nice car and there's nothing wrong with that, but like said above- restoring a car can be a grueling process that you might not even be able to finish, which will sour the whole experience.

[audiquattrot]

i choose A....thats what mine was for years. A $3K beater that i wanted mechanically sound....and drove the PISS out of it. It was the best years of that car's life......many memories. A restored one will just collect dust, we all know this.

[Vincenze]

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.

But it's different when somebody wants to restore a $1,000 car to "mint condition".

For example, the driver's seat was broken. "Since the owner needs the car to work", he threw away the seat and put a seat from a VW.

[It's Soda Not Pop]

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.

Mine was a turd when I got it. It's still a turd but with a lot of new stuff and proper maintenance done. Lol.

[roguetoaster]

But it's different when somebody wants to restore a $1,000 car to "mint condition".

For example, the driver's seat was broken. "Since the owner needs the car to work", he threw away the seat and put a seat from a VW.

OTOH, almost every cool E30 mod was discovered because we were young people of limited means and we wanted our old BMWs to be fancy. To be fair, some Recaro Trophys out of a VW are a fine addition to an E30.

[lukeADE335i]

Agreed - and a VW seat is almost indistinguishable from a Recaro LS.

[Vincenze]

To be fair, some Recaro Trophys out of a VW are a fine addition to an E30.

Well, the owner of a $1,000 car will buy $100 Recaros.
The owner of a $15,000 car may buy $800 Recaros.
There will be significant differences between the two sets.

[lukeADE335i]

Neither owner will pay $5500 for a pair of new Recaro LS classics (and then retrim the back seat to match), so the $800 seats aren’t a bad option.

[Vincenze]

Neither owner will pay $5500 for a pair of new Recaro LS classics (and then retrim the back seat to match), so the $800 seats aren’t a bad option.

The going rate for a set of "never used" Recaro LS is $3,000-4,000.

If somebody buys $200 (even $800) Recaro seats and wants to restore them to "mint condition" cheaply, he has to buy new fabric ($100 per yard) or leather, sew new covers, buy new foams (if they are even available), get new plastics (very difficult to find). As he has no experience and a proper sewing machine, the seams may not look good.

[AWDBOB]

If somebody buys $200 (even $800) Recaro seats and wants to restore them to "mint condition" cheaply, he has to buy new fabric ($100 per yard) or leather, sew new covers, buy new foams (if they are even available), get new plastics (very difficult to find). As he has no experience and a proper sewing machine, the seams may not look good.

What is your favorite kind of cheese?