to buy auto vert or not

[Dodobrown]

i have an opportunity to buy a clean alpine white e30 with a hard top but im a lil leary to jump right in. i currently own a alpine wite ix that has given me some problems but nothing i cant overcome. anyway whats everyone's opinion on the vert. can any one share some common issues that i might run into owning one.

[flyboyx]

the biggest negative for most here would be the fact that the car comes with a slushbox trans. how important is this to you? can you live with an auto? those transmissions have some failure issues that are very common. mostly from being revved up and not being in gear. however, they are common and easy to find cheap in good condition. there is a "fix" that involves replacing a shaft with nylon seals instead of metal ridges. you can always do a 5 speed swap. the parts at a pick a part will run you less than 250.00. from this forum about twice that. can you install it yourself? if not, look for another 500.00 to install the change out.

otherwise, the tops obviously need replacing every few years, the back seat usually splits at the seams up on top where it is exposed to the sun. if it is a 92 or 93 the power top is almost always broken. as far as the hard top is concerned, the headliner falls down in all of them and needs to be resecured with adhesive. the vinyl often comes loose on the outside behind the rear side window there that scallop is located. check the seals on the top. spray a garden hose all around the edges and look inside the car for leaks. hardtops are expensive to buy and the parts to fix them are also pricey. you would want to check to see if the seals are still available from the dealer if they need to be replaced. the other problems are about the same as any e30.

[z31maniac]

I say go for it, I've got a project 'vert in my garage right now.

However, we did find some damage underneath, so depending on what the body guy says, I'll be parting it out.

[Violet88]

do it. cruiser car forsher, roll around with the top dropped like a boss

[Brezzi]

if the car is straight and has no issues mechanically or leakage related to the top the obvious fix would be: 5 speed swap and body reinforcements. race skids makes a nice xbrace that has gotten good reviews from vert guys

[Dodobrown]

Is there alot of vert spefic parts like the ix and if so what are prices like?

[z31maniac]

Interior pieces, front fenders, anything to do with the top of course, doors?

I think that's it, but I could be missing something.

[Dodobrown]

So mostly just body stuff and convertible top spefic things but not engine or suspension. My ix is killer when ever it needs any thing

[goinstrong]

You haven't said the year of the one you are considering...

If it has an electric top, the motor and mechanicals can be finicky. I am in the process of converting the electric top on my 1993 (last year of the E30 convertible) to a manual top. I am running into a few issues figuring out how to secure the hatch when the top is down, but the rest is pretty simple.

The rear seats are specific to the convertible, and the sport seats have the leather going horizontally vs. vertically with the coupe and sedan.

I have a 1988 and a 1993, both red and both with a 5-speed. I would encourage you to go drive a 325i manual before you commit to an automatic...if you can live with the automatic, the body is straight and the car runs well, go for it.

There is another forum that can supplement the info here:

bmwe30ic@yahoogroups.com

Let us know...
Tim

[MC Hammered]

My first vert was was an automatic and after driving it for 3 weeks I hated it.

Sold it and bought one with a manual tranny and it is so much better and a lot more fun to drive.

Other than some vert specific body pieces the rest of the car uses parts from the coupe which are everywhere.

[McGyver]

verts are great. Remember that the hardtop in decent condition is worth $800-$1100. so depending on how cheap its being sold, you might be getting a killer deal. the rear springs are supposed to be beefier, but i have coupe H&R Race springs on mine with no problems. and the mechanicals are all the same.

[e30rapidic]

buy it, throw manual a trans and you are good to go! You'll love it on warm summer nights.

[MC Hammered]

Having the hardtop should factor into your decision as trying to find one afterwards is very difficult.

[N2MYE30]

One day mine will be a manual but for now, it's just fine. No problems with mine or my previous MT2 cabrio.

[scottinAZ]

I also have a vert in the garage. This one is gonna stay an autotragic for now because of the wife (no stick driver). When I trade in the wife, Ill factor a 5 speed swap into the divorce. as others have said, check the top, and if the body is good, everything else can be fixed