It's officially a money pit.

[warmseth]

I had about $7k into my car which was worth about $4500-5500 last week when my timing belt shredded and took the head with it. Now between that, a new m3 steering rack and some other maintenance I have a little over $9k into the car and it's still only. $4-5k value. No I don't intend in selling but I am a but squeemish thinking of the unrecoverable $$$ expense.

What's the most you've heard of somebody sinking into a non M3 E30? How much do you have tied up in yours? How far underwater are you? I'm about $4k unrecoverable. :)

[e30e]

I have atleast that and it leaks transmission fluid, doesn't get driven, and acts as a storage unit.

[catoichi]

I just bought mine 4 months ago. so far the transmission went and the transfer case and i needed new rear driveshafts ( don't ask). bought it for 1400, trannie 2k, new radio 200 and tons of assorted niggly little things. this summer i plan on new sport seats , new paint job. and maybe a spare set of winter tires.

[Jaxx_]

welcome to owning a car...

[sofargone561]

regular e30's around here are 4-5 if they run good and are in decent shape ive never even seeen an e30 m3 for sale near me but im willing to bed that even if it wasnt running it would sell for 8k easy

[funcrew]

I've had two that were pretty economical and one money pit. It's a crap shoot.

[VinniE30]

Think about it this way:

If you put 9k into a new or newish car (in mods and other stuff, on top of what you bought it for) and sold it a few years later it would likely be worth LESS than what you bought it for.

Be glad that with an e30 you can at least get SOME of your money back if you go to sell it, as opposed to getting nothing back, and usually selling it for LESS with many other cars, especially if it's new or newish.

[der affe]

I bought my 91 325i in 03 for $4500, it came with a 2.7 stroker 292° dbilas cam, ITBs, a split second piggy back and MAF conversion, all urathane suspension bushings, RDsways, BMP strut ties, msds shorty headers, bilstein struts and shocks, h&r sport springs, enki 16" rims, BB cat back, VAC solid aluminum motor mounts and a few bad clear coat spots.

Since then it has been my DD and i have added, recaro trophys, new door panels to match, mega squirt with wasted spark, luke box and all new speakers alomg with a new head unit, built my own heat shield airbox, timing belt/water pump/tensioner, 95 m3 rack, power steering delete, xd-16 af gauge, wide band, euro cluster, IX flares and skirts, euro side markers, euro trim, red tails, euro plate filler, MT1 wing, volvo lip, momo wheel,done both rear wheel bearings, new pads and rotors, added the missing belly pan, skid plate, billet RSMs, IE silicone hoses, mitsu radiator, electric cooling fan, schroth belts, matching rear seat to match the recaros, custom breather with welded an fitting on the valve cover, senica type 58 rims, wire cup holder, euro grills and blacked out kidneys, supersprint copy headers, custom mid pipe with cat delete, soild acetal trans mounts,US elips with 55 watt HIDs and cross hairs, 3.73 lsd and more stuff i am forgetting about i am sure.

waiting in the wings are: reiger lip, RX-7 front brakes with porterfield rs-4 pads, rear RS-4 pads, SS brake lines, new powder coated rear sub frame with custom urathane bushings and spacers to raise the subframe up 12 mm as well as 12 mm spacers to space the diff back down, Hardy and Beck long tube headers, solid diff mount, one way pcv to evacuate the catch can into the exhaust, coil overs with 550 lb front and 750 lb rears and camber plates, remote oil filter with system1 tall filter, RX-7 oil cooler, belly pan/lip spoiler, fiberglass hood and deck lid, and euro elips with true bi xenon lights and 55 watt HID highs.


most of that should be going on in the next month or so except the hood and deck depending on the painting.


my point being, i am WAY over the value of the car, but it is my hobby and DD car, i enjoy it, therefore it is money well spent for my happyness. as for the resale value of it, i am way upside down, but that was never my plan for the car.

drive your car and enjoy it for what it is.

[VinniE30]

I'm not sure if you meant $9k on top of the purchase price or in addition to but either way the point is you will get back more of your money putting it into an e30 than with most other cars.


Why would you sell it anyway? Who even cares about getting money back if you don't sell it

[lolcantturn]

You had $7000 into an M20? you're doing it wrong

[reelizmpro]

Many people have spent 10,15 and 20k+ on non m e30s. There r many reasons y. Car lovers do what they love even if it doesn't make sense to anyone else or financially.

[Justin B]

I built mine for just under 10k after swapping parts I already had, and it doesn't even have a heater :| No winter driving...

[DTM190]

$30+ between the two of them but this is Australia where everything costs 1.5 to 2 times more than it does for you guys so don't feel so bad.

[ssaylor]

I've had an 09 Audi R8, 2011 335is and a 2004 Boxster S in the last few years but now own 2 E30s - an 89 325is I bought new and a 90 M3 I picked up earlier this year. There is a point of diminishing return we all pass very quickly after purchasing an E30. But consider how much new cars costs these days, you'll still be better off than buying new. Most have more creature comforts but IMO, they are all unnexciting to drive. The E30 is one if the best designed BMWs of all time and fine examples are rapidly appreciating. Keep the faith!

[gath]

Many people have spent 10,15 and 20k+ on non m e30s. There r many reasons y. Car lovers do what they love even if it doesn't make sense to anyone else or financially.

^^^