About to buy an e30 need advice, deciding between these two.

[Alexbailey228]

This is my first post so sorry for the length i wanted to share my situation and introduce myself.

Ok so i just got rid of my 04 vw r32 a couple months back because i needed a truck for work. I now drive a dodge cummins diesel and am desperate to get back into something i can whip around when I'm not on the job. going from the R to the dodge has sucked pretty bad. i burned up a lot of cash to get the truck so what I'm working with to get the e30 is pretty tight. Im looking at 2 currently. one is 2200 and one is 1250. help me decide here ar the ad descriptions


here is the CL ad description:

"1989 BMW 325is (e30) for parts or repair. $1400 obo. As is.

I love this car, but I'm moving out of state, so I need to part ways with it. The car runs well, but the head gasket is a little leaky and needs to be replaced. I've purchased the parts for the repair, but I don't have the time to do the repair. As you'll see, I've made many improvements to the car, so it would be a great project car for someone.

More details:
206k miles on original engine
Converted to manual transmission with short shifter
Mille Miglia MMS 17" wheels (stock wheels also included)
K&N Free-flow air filter
Front strut bar
Tinted windows
Tan leather interior
Sun roof
Turner Motorsport Performance Chip (stock chip included)
BMW Car Alarm system

Needs: head gasket repair. Head gasket + new stretch bolts included. I'll also throw in the repair manual and CD."


here are the pics:





ok so the guy said he would take 1250 for this. only problem is it needs a head gasket and its 3 to 4 hours away and i would have to tow it back with my truck and get it fixed. I'm not to good with motors so i would have to pay to have this done. i was quoted roughly 1800 bucks which i cannot afford. but i have found replacement motors for cheap so i was thinking maybe i could swap it and be good? don't know much about this so that is why i am coming to this forum for advice.

here is the other car i am looking at. It is local but it looks like crap. but it is set up for auto cross and has motor work. only problem is it needs paint and is 1000 more plus i hate the bumpers so i would def switch those out. here is the CL description

"Sorry to those who emailed and got no response, I have had two buyers bail. Price is firm, she is a paint job away from being one of the baddest 'cross rigs in town, AND she's street legal. Less than 2,000 since engine was entirely overhauled. 4.10 w/limited slip. Performance exhaust. Chipped. Strut brace bars. Half cage with five point harness. And plenty more. Email for further specs."


here are pics of it




what i used to drive



what i drive now :/ for my job..



So as you can see i need something quick and german.

which one should i go with? the 325is for 1250 far away new motor needed? or ready to go auto crosser local with much cosmetic work needed.

thanks for your input

Alex

[Dj Buttchug]

i say buy the 89 and tow it home. HG jobs are not hard

[Chaz]

Lol at that red monster truck in the first pic. And the second one is because race car. Imho I would take the monster truck and give it some low and new rimz. And a head gasket isn't that hard to do.

[Alexbailey228]

Lol at that red monster truck in the first pic. And the second one is because race car. Imho I would take the monster truck and give it some low and new rimz. And a head gasket isn't that hard to do.

ya it definitely will need rims and springs but the motor would take priorty

[Alexbailey228]

i say buy the 89 and tow it home. HG jobs are not hard

for real? i would be real afraid to screw it up, i was thinking about looking for info on youtube tho

[TurboJake]

Shit. If your good, you don't need to lift the head more than 2 cm off the block.

Easy peasy.

Red car. Hands down.

[woodisgood]

Red one..less molested. Swap motor is a good idea.

[Alexbailey228]

Red one..less molested. Swap motor is a good idea.

ya thats what I'm thinking, only problem is where to find a motor in nc

[camip]

Red car do head gasket yourself.

[RagtopE30]

I vote monster truck. Oh and I am pretty sure there are several e30 guys and girls within 30mins of your location that can lend a helping hand or some friendly advice. I hear that Julien is now residing in Charlotte. Oh and parts/motors are plentiful in NC. You have Brandon right up the road(ish) with a ton of parts in King NC.

[MattBimmer]

If you have 2000 to work with I would look into one that was running if you are scared of a HG job. There were a ton on Asheville craigslist for 2200 2000 about two months ago.

[noE30]

Red one most definitely. Buy a Bentley manual and get to work! My e30 needed a head gasket when I bought it and I had never done any auto work before hand, e30s are as easy as it gets to work on.

[Mr. Tasty]

Red one most definitely. Buy a Bentley manual and get to work! My e30 needed a head gasket when I bought it and I had never done any auto work before hand, e30s are as easy as it gets to work on.

this

[pjens]

definitely get the 89, that second car looks like a junker on the inside, and it looks like a bunch of junkyard panels on the outside. Obviously the drivers seat broke or became torn and was replaced with that bucket seat. the red car is clean and looks to be much more original and less likely to be macgyver-ed. and i'm not a fan of the 4.10LSD unless it has a motor swap. the head gasket is actually quite easy, its about a hundred bucks for the machine shop to mill the head (at least where i went). i ran across a local BMW guy that helped me do it for a very reasonable rate to make sure i didnt monkey anything up.

[stamar]

Put an ad in craigslist offering 100$ for a mobile mechanic to replace the headgasket.

For a seperate unrelated purchase, go to a machine shop asking for it to be refinished to specs.

80$

180$ it already comes with the parts.buy the timing belt too cause its 20$

however I would at most offer 750 for a non running car. and that is very generous.


way better. The other one forget it.

related expenses, the car will need new coolant and new oil. theres a good chance it needs new plugs but leave the old ones in until its fixed and all.

seafoam out the combustion chamber. new plugs.

hey i dont know after 500 bucks you have a new gasket and new headbolts and timing belt plugs etc. ok go to 1000 final offer, 1000 plus 500 that sounds reasonable.