The Prognosis is Grim...

[NeoMishMoo]

After troubleshooting and trying to repair ever occuring problems with my car I just decided to pay 80 bucks to have a bmw tech give it a good looking over.

Here is their list:
-Both inner tie rods worn
-Control arm bushings shot
- Needs front brakes and rotors, rotors warped
-Steering rack boots ripped
-Both rear wheel bearings very bad (guy test driving said he was scared to drive it more than he did)
-Both rear shock mounts broken
-All 4 shocks and struts are leaking
-Transmission shifter and output seals leaking
-Transmission mount broken
-Rear subframe mounts are bad
-Camshaft seal leaking
-Fuel lines to the cold start valve and fuel rail are cracked
-Transfer Pump needs replacing
-Gas tank is rusted and leaking
-Starter fails randomly, sounds like start is about to die

I knew it was in rough shape but now I'm starting to think it might be time
to cut my losses and just buy a newer e30.

I think it is time to retire this poor west german machine from Daily Driver status and just keep it around to tinker with on the weekends.

It is an 87 eta so I think I should start looking for a nicer 89-91.

What do you guys think? Be easy on the flaming remember I have many fuel leaks.

[nando]

sounds like 25 years of neglected maintenance to me.

[z31maniac]

For much less than it'd take to get another car you could do all that stuff yourself.

[CorvallisBMW]

If you were doing the work yourself, it's not that bad. None of those are huge items. But if you had to pay somene to do all that, the labor costs would be 2 to 3 times more than what the car is worth.

In it's current shape you'll be hard pressed to get more than $500 if you sell it though.

[george graves]

Where do you park at night BTW?

[Atreus]

sounds like you need to hop in the suspension forum, and the DIY as well, and start saving some cash........

[nrubenstein]

Repair all that crap. Buying another E30 will just net you *another* car with most or all of those problems and some new ones on top of them.

That's just basic maintenance crap that you can expect to do when you buy an E30.

Mind you, if the shell is crap, ditch it.

[Nic01101011]

Repair all that crap. Buying another E30 will just net you *another* car with most or all of those problems and some new ones on top of them.

That's just basic maintenance crap that you can expect to do when you buy an E30.

Mind you, if the shell is crap, ditch it.

+1

thats all normal stuff you get when you buy a 20 year old car.

[NeoMishMoo]

I was just thinking it might be a good time to get a m20b25 powered newer e30 with plastic bumpers.

I would never sell this car though. Hell I've had the car going on 8 years now. Its the only car I've ever had. And I know that I could never get any money out of it anyway.

Mechanic told me to fix wheel bearings and fuel leaks first. Wheel bearing were quoted at like $750 dollars to replace. Could I do the wheel bearings myself?

[agent]

Where in KY are you? It might be worth the drive to see if my friend Donnie has any of that. He's parted a number of E30s and has all kinds of stuff.

http://nashville.craigslist.org/pts/1787283234.html

I agree with these guys though. That all sounds like relatively simple stuff you can fix yourself or with a buddy while you get to know your car intimately.

[NeoMishMoo]

What about these items:

Transmission shifter and output seals leaking
Transmission Mount Broken
Camshaft Seal Leaking Oil

Now I did half an engine swap but had a mechanic actually put my engine in because I didn't have a garage to do it in. I bought the transmission input seal the shift linkage seal the transmission rear seal the rear engine seal and gasket and some other stuff. Did the mechanic fuck me? I had this done just this past winter. One would think that the mechanic would have told me that my transmission mounts were broken. Come to think of it I bought new transmission mounts too, I'm guessing he didn't even install some of my parts...

[z31maniac]

Wait, you've had the car 8 years and it's in this state of disrepair? Can't even blame that on the PO, that's on all you.

May I suggest a Kia Rio? Chevy Cobalt? Toyota Camry?

[blocke]

I would imagine that in 8 years, you have not kept up on this car. Now would be a good time to start if you plan on keeping it. There is a DIY for nearly every thing he mentioned wrong, and the rest can be found in the Bentley. No way in hell I would pay $750 for someone to do my wheel bearings.

[NeoMishMoo]

I've given this car hell and it has taken all of my abuse like a champ. It survived me as a new 16 year old driver, it even survived 4 years of neglect during college when I had little to no time to work on it. Now I think that it has deserved some serious TLC which I plan to start on this weekend. First thing is the fuel leaks, then wheel bearings.

The mechanic quoted my fuel problems at $1,475. HA! I've got a fuel tank and I can replace the lines no problem.

I apologize to my car and to the forum for my neglect...

Oh btw anyone have a fuel transfer pump for sale? I don't really want to drop $250-300ish on a new one but I'm not sure if it is a good idea to buy a part like that used since they seem to fail often.

[agent]

Oh btw anyone have a fuel transfer pump for sale? I don't really want to drop $250-300ish on a new one but I'm not sure if it is a good idea to buy a part like that used since they seem to fail often.

...see if my friend Donnie has any of that.