How much has your e30 cost you?

[SpecM]

Car 2300
5-speed swap 500 ish
Timing belts x 3 = 90
Plugs x 36 = 80
Suspention repairs 400
Oil and fluids 300 ?
Cooling system rebuild 800

Other stuff ???

Probably over 4500


Sent from my Vortex using Tapatalk

[willworkfore30s]

Car- $250
Good motor- $300
Sold bad motor- -$230
Wheel bearing- $77
Newish motor mounts- free from the guy who bought my old motor

$397 for a stock well running 318is

[tttoon]

I promised myself never to do this. Amounts are approximate and some include labour.

Car - $4500 (1991 AW2 318iS with M50 swap already done)
Various emission repairs - $800
Cat - $200
Tires - $460
Radiators (2) - $500
Cooling system overhaul - $300
6 new coils, spark plugs - $300
A/C repairs (A/C has since been deleted) - $800 total
Exhaust mod, headers - $500
Rear shock tower brace (for coilovers) - $300
Steering rack (Z3) - $250
Wheel refinish - $650
Spacers (4x25mm H&R) - $230
Suspension (AST Sportline 2 with extra front spring set) - $3000
AKG Bushings - $250
Front Brake kit (Massive race kit) - $1200
Rear Brake refresh - $300
SS Brake lines - $100
Seats - $400
Steering wheel - $300
French Hella smilies - $100

I sold the Vogtland springs - -$80
I sold previous 15mm spacers - -$40

Items in RED have since been proven to have been useless, almost 100% money thrown away. So I could have had an s50 in there by now for the same money. But what are you going to do.

Total is $13340, forgetting some stuff. Makes me a little sick to my stomach. I spent too much money in the first month of ownership that now does not make a difference. Plus ditching the A/C at the first sign of trouble would have saved me tons. But I can say it does really well on the track and makes me very happy as a DD every morning. I'll probably never sell it. Outside of an s50/52 I do not foresee anything big I would want to change this year.

[Hans Gruber]

A/C repairs (A/C has since been deleted)

Deleted ac in Az...makes me sweat just thinking about it.

Silly to post my totals since i JUST bought the bugger in december but...
car:$4 grand in PRISTINE condition
coils$1500
m54 330i long block $600
depo euros $200
$2300 w/o car so far lol

[bestwheelbase]

First E30 cost $3,500 and the M20 exploded within six months. Oh memories.

[Car Addict]

well since the winter e30 is
$500 1990 325i
$700 rebuilding top end, rear brakes and diff
that one is $1200

the pretty show baby lets see
$2800 1991 318is
$1000 suspension
$1000 head unit, subwoofers, amps, speakers
$2500 first respray plus body work
$800 18" breyton sport magics
$725 Nitto neogen tires
$215 braking system refresh
$3254 second respray and body straightening major reconstruction after crash
$617.34 timing system refresh. Blunt can confirm
$100 crack free dash
$200 dynamat'd entire interior and trunk
$300 rim straightening (Damn you 30 series tires and new england roads)
$225 Nitto neogen tire (damn flat ruined my night with a lady friend)
$170 shiny new steering wheel

$13,906.34

plus looking to place an order within the month for a bunch of suspension bits. should be right around $700

Grand total
$14,606

that is not including small and emergency repairs like fuel pumps, oil changes, or a bunch of minor cosmetic changes; Eg. is lips, trim pieces, lights.

[tg318is]

I'm in that ^ ballpark too :(

[Jboss12]

Car- 300

Timing components- 50
Clutch- 50
Rear bumper- 70

Grand total- $470



Needs suspension refresh badly, feels like a wagon

[stamar]

What can I count my labor as? Can I only count the parts?

car 1200
tires 300 i bought new tires with the car so I consider this a non maintenance item. Consider the car cost 1500 then how can you have a car without tires?
csb guibo mmounts trans mounts parts 150
hoses 30

polish wax glaze and leather dye condition crap 80 it all seemed cheap but i got a lot of crap/
head unit 70
headlights 15
I guess I wont count oil but i will count
3 quarts redline trans/diff fluid 40$
20$ coolant.
25 o2 sensor
20 plugs includes some seafoamdeleted
1925$ in parts

even at 10$ an hour several hundred dollars fixing stuff. If everyone gets to write off their mechanic bills I need at least 500$

I bought like 25 in paint and sandpaper for the front valence.

[e30trooper]

car- $1000
oil pressure switch - $8
swapped my euro bosch smileys with fx-r bi xenon new phillps bulbs - est $400+
matt b mtech shift boots with momo shift knob - $50
rear plate filler - $35

ive had this car about 2 weeks now :)

[gr8skyr]

325 ix cost since new, and my cost

Two part answer here, since I've got service history going back to 1,200 first service ( $41.95 on 4/6/88).

1) These are PO costs, exluding maintence like service 1/II, headlights, roundles, brakes, oil, all that BS.

$1,061- "dissassemble reassable cylinder head ( new valves, rocker arm, timing belt ( I assume failed at 90,000 miles/ 6 years)
$175- door lock cylinder
$150 receiver dryer a/c
$419 drive shaft
$575 steering rack
$217 control arm/ bushings/ ball joints
$286 throttle body assembly
$786 AC compressor
$ 400 transmission seal
$800 oil pan gasket ( labor mostly)
$ 390 muffler ( part/ labor)
$ 233 fuel pump
$ 1665 clutch-flywheel-pressure plate+labor
$238 rear Bilstein shocks
$900 front shock/ tube/ insert (parts labor)
$360 fuel pressure regulator
Total major expenses =$8,655
These mostly exclude labor costs- 2 sometimes 3X part costs.

( added up parts/ labor for larger items totalling about $14K 1988-2010



Part 2) How much has this cost me? Owned since May '10
$3,000 '88 325ix, 222,000 miles.
$ 420 (CV boot kit, r12/r134 A/C conversion. recharge.)
$254 oil filter housing, power steering hoses parts/labor
$ 160 Polk MM5251 front component mids/ tweets/ crossover
$ 360 Polk PA1100.5 5 channel amp
$ $35 JL 12' sub in box- used
$ 400 install system ( including head unit/ rear speakers)
Total I'm into this thing for= $4,629

[EThirty318i]

Car $650
m20= already had
belt, H20 pump=$100 ish?
JOM coilovers $400
all Poly bushings $260
Khumo Ecsta XS' $453.**
IE3's & Billy sports $780ish
lightened flywheel $100
17lb injectors Free
TRM chip $115
173 ecu Free
z3 1.9 SS Free

A lot more, just can't find the file I had every record in

[Anguz]

going on 12k of my hard earned dollars

[TehPilot]

Creepy sig^

[stamar]

you know I love all of you.

But I dont want anyone to fool themselves.

The private party value for a 1992 325 convertible with essentially all options, in what is considered perfect condition with 150,000 miles is









2900.



And none of your cars are in perfect condition. or a 92.

The truth is, most of your cars are worth under 2k on on the used market. Those are the ones with coilovers or something outstanding.... because a 87 e30 with 210,000 is actually not worth 500 in perfect condition....
And contrary to any e30 propaganda ( believe me on the celica forum they all talk about how their 1993 celica is worth 4k) the kbb value of e30s is falling so fast kbb lists its values as very doubtfull. Kbb values are based on what the sale values went for in the previous year, and the average price fell so much its listed as dubvious. And you dont have to have any doubt as to what that predicts for the future.


I think cars are great but were talking figures, and talking about ignoring figures and ignoring 500 pound gorrillas in the room. Everyone wants to live in denial of the value of a 20 year old car.

Plenty of the lists here are totally in touch with reality but plenty arent. At least face it for a moment and then go on ignoring it I guess I will too.