New to the Forum Check out what i got.

[Dodobrown]

Whats up every one. Ive always been a Auto enthusist i started my car craze out with a 02 civic si ugly as shit when i bought it but i think its come a long way.



So ive been in the JDM seen for several years and its just all to much money to all around and with the huge - of FWD and getting to play around with my buddy's e36 ive been quickly taking a liking to E30s. Although my civic is a great reliable car with low mileage and alot of work done to it i think its time to sell.

so my plan is as follows sell the civic pick up a decent shape e30 4dr go drifting!
With the cash that i have left over from the civic i plan on putting down on a house.

So my question to everyone is buying a e30 a good idea or should i look more modern ive always loved the look of a e30.

[Sepp]

It all depends on what yo want out of a car.
Decent E30's are much less $$$$ than decent E36's

Some folks think the E36's are ugly.
Some folks think that the E30's are lovely.

For me, the E30, is better looking, cheaper to buy, lighter in weight, easier to work on, and even cheaper to get parts for. The E30's also to me, handle better, versus the watered down/more cushy E36.

Drive them both as much as you can, and see which one you'll like the best.

[Dodobrown]

i love the e30s look and feel my only real concern is that is the car going to be reliable i'll only buy a plastic bumper car so thats like 89+ so is a 20 year old car gonna be a good daily driver.

Also its very hard to find used e30 on the east coast that arent all rusted out.

[z31maniac]

The last thing we need is another E30 in the hands of a ricer.

Please buy a 240SX.

[Holland]

i love the e30s look and feel my only real concern is that is the car going to be reliable i'll only buy a plastic bumper car so thats like 89+ so is a 20 year old car gonna be a good daily driver.

Also its very hard to find used e30 on the east coast that arent all rusted out.

The cars are fine as DD's and reliable as long as you keep up on the maintenance. You can't just mod these cars off the bat, they are older so the first thing you will be doing is replacing worn and broken components. They are awesome cars afterward though.

[Sepp]

Cars, in reality, are as reliable as you make them ($$$$$)
History shows, that the E30's, if decently well maintained, last a very long time. Rust is a major problem, especially around the shock tower areas..
Some surface rust can be dealt with-no problem.

Yes, they are all at least 20 years old.
So, if you're looking for the most reliable E30 you can get, check for a service history, and the following, if they have been replaced/rebuilt. (as you would with ANY 20 year old car!)

How many miles?

These are the major things that will go bad, or should be suspect in 20 years/100,000+ miles...that would cause a car to loose it's reliability factor.
Fuel pump (s)
Alternator
Radiator
Clutch
Master cylinder
Slave cylinder
timing belt/timing chain
water pump
starter
drive shaft center bearing
outer end shaft joints (CV joints)

If you have no problem turning a wrench once in a while, an E30 is for you.

[blunttech]

Hes right. Once you go through them and do all the maintenance they are very reliable. But youre not likely to find one for sale thats perfect off the bat unless you buy it from the right guy and get lucky. these cars as so cheap that baggypants snatch them up, make videos of themselves doing donuts in the walmart parking lot and dont do a dimes worth of maintenance to them and then dump them. Buy a solid rust free car and expect to put 1-2k into it to get it nice in a mechanical sense

[Sepp]

The last thing we need is another E30 in the hands of a ricer.

Please buy a 240SX.

Hahahaaha

But, if he got a Bimmer, he would no longer be a "Ricer"

More like a Spaetzle head, like the rest of us.

[Dodobrown]

The last thing we need is another E30 in the hands of a ricer.

Please buy a 240SX.

Hey Fuck off. Jk lol i was expecting some hatin. Yeah i use to love Honda's but recently they just dont impress me ever since i got a ride in my buddys e36 they just dont compare.

thanks for the help Sepp. hopefully i can find a decent shape e30 car i plan on completely rebuilding the car ground up. I eventually want to do a m50 swap if i found a 318 in good shape should i consider using that? also do you know how hard a tras swap would be. Im a experanced mechanic but i do not have a lift.

[blunttech]

Hey Fuck off. Jk lol i was expecting some hatin. Yeah i use to love Honda's but recently they just dont impress me ever since i got a ride in my buddys e36 they just dont compare.

thanks for the help Sepp. hopefully i can find a decent shape e30 car i plan on completely rebuilding the car ground up. I eventually want to do a m50 swap if i found a 318 in good shape should i consider using that? also do you know how hard a tras swap would be. Im a experanced mechanic but i do not have a lift.

there are many things to consider if you plan to go m5x/s5x
Start with a 325 late model if you plan to use the 260 tranny. If youre going to use the e36 tranny it doesnt matter and a late 318is would be a good choice as youll swap out the diff also anyway. . just read a lot before you make a purchase. Otherwise youre likely to spend money you could have saved for some sweet angel eyes

[Sepp]

For your questions, use the FAQ section, or the Search function.
Get to know the site.

Test drive as many as you can. Then you'll be able to see the difference between nice cars that might look a bit rough, compared to nice looking dogs.

And most importantly.

Bimmer = car.
Beemer = motorcycle.

As soon as you say "check out my Beemer", and point to a car..your street cred is down the shitter.

good luck hunting.

[Dodobrown]

What do you guys think about this http://binghamton.craigslist.org/cto/1543072061.html im a lil concerned that the a manual swap for this might be a lil more then worth it also is the heator core a big issue?

[xwill112x]

buy a STOCK 325 and have fun with it. m20's are tanks as long as the timing belt is changed regularly. and a stock car is less likely to have been beat on, and it gives you the chance to work on your own car and get to know it. first mod- put suspension on it, and you'll be happy with that for a while, then mod the motor, or yank it out and stick a m50 in. i started with a 91 318i, and ended up getting a 87' 325iC and a 86' 325eS. now all i have is the 318 with a m50 waiting to go in it. e30's are addicting, and fun. you can't go wrong with one. :up:

[xwill112x]

What do you guys think about this http://binghamton.craigslist.org/cto/1543072061.html im a lil concerned that the a manual swap for this might be a lil more then worth it also is the heator core a big issue?

dont get a iX, its awd, which makes it useless unless you live in a very icy/snowy climate. and its MUCH more likely to break than a e/i/is car, and the parts are tons rarer and tons more expensive $$$$$ :crazy:

[blunttech]

What do you guys think about this http://binghamton.craigslist.org/cto/1543072061.html im a lil concerned that the a manual swap for this might be a lil more then worth it also is the heator core a big issue?

a bad heater core doesnt make a car overheat. plus its an IX. it doesnt sound like you want an IX