thinking about buying a 85 325e.. should i?

[twisted325e]

I currently drive 2000 custom Turbo charged Celica GT-S (nothing ricy so don't hate ;)

My friend is selling an 85 325e, 4 door, 5 spd. It's in ok condition and it runs good. He would give it to me for $250. Need a lot of work tho. seats are all ripped of, has a bit of rust so it needs a new paintjob. passanger side door handle is missing and other little htings like that. I was ready to buy it but now it seems to have problems with the alterantor so i dont know now.

here is a pic


Mainly i'm looking to start a new project since i'm almost done with the celica. I've always liked bmw's and i have a new found love for 80's car so it seems like the perfect choice. Now i've reading around and it seems like the 325e is not the best car for performance mods? is it even worth bothering with it?
My celica is my daily driver so i'm not in a rush.
i might not be looking to do anything crazy but at least have some nice power so i can trow the car around for some fun spins. But i also might get carried away and want to build the hell out of the engine.

Should i go for it? or should i not waste my money. It seems like a really good deal to me.
Eventually I'm looking to dump 5 to 10k on it depending how carried away i get.
I just don't want to buy it and then be like damn i should've bought an 'i' because this or that.

thanks!

[KenC]

The car isn't worth it if you're planning on dumping money into it. If you're going to dump 5-10k into an e30, why not start with a newer 325is or M3?

[nando]

for $250, I'd buy it and use it as a daily beater.. but I wouldn't dump money into a car with rust and electrical problems. there much are better E30s around if you want a project car to put money into. $250 isn't much to start with, but if you have to paint it and fix rust, that can be a good $3500 easy, which is 14 times what you paid for the car originally.

also for power, you'd need to swap the motor out, which can be another $2-10k depending on what you do. There's not really much you can do to an E engine to make it fast.

not saying don't do it, just letting you know what you're getting into. E30s tend to be moneypits! :)

[KDZROK]

for $250, I'd buy it and use it as a daily beater.. but I wouldn't dump money into a car with rust and electrical problems. there much are better E30s around if you want a project car to put money into. $250 isn't much to start with, but if you have to paint it and fix rust, that can be a good $3500 easy, which is 14 times what you paid for the car originally.

also for power, you'd need to swap the motor out, which can be another $2-10k depending on what you do. There's not really much you can do to an E engine to make it fast.

not saying don't do it, just letting you know what you're getting into. E30s tend to be moneypits! :)

HERE HERE!

But oh so friggin worth it.

Did I mention that I looooove my car?

[robert325is]

if its only $250 i'd definately get it.. if nothing else you could put about $500 into it and get it running good and sell it for $2000

its all up to you though

[KDZROK]

if its only $250 i'd definately get it.. if nothing else you could put about $500 into it and get it running good and sell it for $2000

its all up to you though

Uh, and what would you suggest he do to the car for $500 bucks that would put it worth more than blue book value??? (it's worth apx $1,900 from private party iin EXCELLENT condition with 50k miles)

[BMW BMXER]

Bum motor (for modification)
Bum Interior
Bum bumpers (for modification)

Buy it and part it, or dont buy it at all. IMO

[KDZROK]

Bum motor (for modification)
Bum Interior
Bum bumpers (for modification)

Buy it and part it, or dont buy it at all. IMO

:up:

[twisted325e]

thanks, everyone's got excellent points. I think if i'm having my doubts i really shouldn't buy it. At first it seemed like a great deal but the more i look at all the parts that need to fixed the more i worry about it. I've looked around for other e30s around my area and can't really find anything else.

But the way i first looked at it is think about all the people who buy rusty 60's and 70's muscle cars and make them into beautiful machines who gain great value, why not do the same thing with an almost free '85 eta. I dont even own the car and i already love it. the more i look at your rides the more i want one.


... decisions decisions...

[DEV0 E30]

I got an 84 325e - 2dr - auto. If it was manual I may have kept it but I'm looking into buying a 89 325is. If I were you I'd wait, I rushed myself.

[MR 325]

But it for $250, replace the alternator, and dirve it in to the ground.

[twisted325e]

yeah that's true... but i'm looking for anew project car not really a beater

[KDZROK]

yeah that's true... but i'm looking for anew project car not really a beater

I would wait on a later model i. That way you have more power to begin with and you don't have to deal with modifying those HUGE early model bumpers. (Unless you like those in the first place)

You can do ALOT to a car, even one in pretty bad shape for 5 to 10k. Just look at Jordan's. Granted he did everything himself, which saved a butt load of $. If you are in a position to do the work yourself and have a lot of time to spend on it, it definitely can be done within that kind of budget.

AS for waiting for the right car, man we are on the east coast, in two HUGE cities, (i am in Washington DC) There are e30's EVERYWHERE. I am certain if you wait it out, you will find a perfect project car in no time.

GOOD LUCK!!

[Super Eta]

*skips every post*

Ok first off do not buy a 325e..you will regret it in the end. I know i do and i was foolish enough to buy another one exactly like that but in perfect condition down to even the 4 doors. I now i am going back and buying the car i was intending on buying and sellnig off the 4 door.

That 325e right there is not worth your money or time to mess around with. buy it only if you intend to use it for parts. 8)

[MR 325]

Well, as far as making that car a project car, I bought my 325e in August 2003 thinking I could make it a nice car, it was not in much better condition than the one you have posted a picture of, it just didn't have rust thanks to me being in CA. The point is, there is way too much that my Eta needs to be a nice car, sure I did some thing to it like bodywork, seats, exhaust, tranny mounts, diff mounts, csb, etc but it's still a pile of shit, lol.

Wait and find a nice car to start with, I finally realised that and bought a 1991 325i that I love.