How long do these engines last.

[danalyse]

I have been looking for a nice cabrio. Many that I have seen advertised have lots of miles. 150k to 200K is not unusual. Few if any mention engine work. How long do these engines typically last. I know it depends on may things but a ballpark estimate. What goes first.

[Alkasquawlik]

If maintained well, they can last in excess of 300k miles.
There's a guy over on BF that has over 500k on his E30, his username is respectively 500kE30. 150k-200k with service records wouldn't bother me

[kishg]

forever..

[devonjordan]

forever..

This, so long as they are properly maintained.

[daniel]

yep, pretty much forever. and a day.

[Beach Bum]

BMW makes a good motor, and if they fuck up, it's fixed in a hurry. References for fuckups are Nikasil and S54 rod bearings, both of which were addressed fairly well, and these don't even concern our cars. The M cars require more maintenance and knowhow, of course.

[BlackSpeed66]

Mine has 180k on the clock and still reads a healthy oil pressure on my psi gauge.

No complaints!

[stormspike]

Are there any major issues with a S52 from a 98 M roadster? It had 50kish when swapped and all interior parts of engine looked great then. I am daily driving now and doing all oil, etc. I know the M20 could last a long time, but what about the S52? I seem to see a lot of people having to rebuild at 100k or so.

[e30s52]

My m20 took a dump at 215,000 when a rocker arm broke. So far my s52 has been a better motor in almost every way.

My old e30 had 32X,XXX on it but had bad rings when I sold it.

[xLibelle]

Body shop in Atl, owner had an eta with over 700k on original seal.

[TexasTerp]

I've got about 275k on all original engine (only 1 new tranny too!)

[dashboardmonkey]

217k, still has crosshatching in the cylinder walls with NO ring ridge

[z31maniac]

My M20 popped the headgasket at 129k, although this was knowing I had a burnt up exhaust valve and I just said fuck it, and kept driving it.

[xLibelle]

^ preventative maint will make some engines last forever.

While researching mercedes diesels for a project in a couple years, got a chance to see how funny those guys and their million mile engines can be. The om612(?) engine is the greatest act of engineering in terms of reliability in auto history to them and yet there are threads titled "where did your 300D leave you stranded"

[Tbolt]

anyone have links to a list of good preventative maintenance?

I adjusted my valves and try to keep the fluids changed regularly but details and more stuff I can do would be great.