New E30 Lover buying help

[Djplatinum50]

Hey Guys, My name is Tom. I am new to the forum and to the BMW. I caught the E30 bug a few months ago and have been searching for one of those beauties ever since. Cash is a big concern so i was looking for something that maybe needed some work for a great price.
So here is my question. I found a 1985 BMW 325e for $700.00, manual, and has about 180K on the clock. Here is the catch, it needs a new oil pan due to it being ripped open by a piece of concrete hitting it. Also needs brake work, the PO said the brake pedal has to be pushed pretty far to stop it. Other than that he said the motor and trans are great. I will eventual do a motor swap for something a little better, or get the components needed to freshen the "eta" up. He said there is also some minor issues here and there, but nothing that will cause major issues. I am pretty mechanically incline as I work on Motorcycles on the side and I love tinkering and figuring stuff out. I did a search on the net on changing the oil pan on these cars, ad it seemed pretty straight forward.

Here is my questions:
Is the car even worth looking at?
if so what other things should I look for as deal breakers?

I appreciate all the help I can get.
Thanks,
Tom

[tonerrrr]

There are certain things to consider when buying. At the end of the day, it doesn't cost THAT much to get something sorted but still, it costs more to do the work, than to have it "already done".

My car for example has around 2k+ into it and I'm selling it for $3k which I'm completely fine with. Just saying, it's best to buy something that someone has already spent money on.

The brake set/rebuild stuff I got was from Turner was just under $400. You can go this route, or you can buy new pads and call it a day (inspect other elements obviously). It's all about how you want to approach the car.

If you want to just get the thing running (new oil pan, new pads if that's what it is) then there will be minimal investment. If you start wanting to buy things like suspension and the brake kits etc, you'll be dropping more money than if you were to say something like buy my car.

With that year you will have "diving board" bumpers as compared to plastic ones. The engine will be a lot different power wise than the newer ones as well. These things are deal breakers for a lot of people, maybe not you. Since it's just an E that you're looking at, see if it has sport seats compared to comfort, or any other items like, power sunroof, bottlecap vs basketweave wheels, etc. Also, cracked dash vs non cracked dash etc.

"Rusted away" would be a deal breaker. Look for rust on the trunk weather seal, battery tray, and everywhere in general. I was lucky and purchased with minimal rust since my car was a southern car.

POST PICS! :hitler:

[blunttech]

Keep looking. It may be fine but you have no way of knowing how long it ran after the oil pan was taken out. Assume complete brake rebuild. Suspension is likely shot. Thats a parts car in my mind. You may very well throw 500 at it and have a nice car but its not worth the gamble to me. Youll still end up with an 85E

[F34R]

The oil pan can be changed really fast, but if I were you search for something running for 3-500 more. Don't know what you're getting into without being able to drive it around.

[Djplatinum50]

There are certain things to consider when buying. At the end of the day, it doesn't cost THAT much to get something sorted but still, it costs more to do the work, than to have it "already done".

My car for example has around 2k+ into it and I'm selling it for $3k which I'm completely fine with. Just saying, it's best to buy something that someone has already spent money on.

The brake set/rebuild stuff I got was from Turner was just under $400. You can go this route, or you can buy new pads and call it a day (inspect other elements obviously). It's all about how you want to approach the car.

If you want to just get the thing running (new oil pan, new pads if that's what it is) then there will be minimal investment. If you start wanting to buy things like suspension and the brake kits etc, you'll be dropping more money than if you were to say something like buy my car.

With that year you will have "diving board" bumpers as compared to plastic ones. The engine will be a lot different power wise than the newer ones as well. These things are deal breakers for a lot of people, maybe not you. Since it's just an E that you're looking at, see if it has sport seats compared to comfort, or any other items like, power sunroof, bottlecap vs basketweave wheels, etc. Also, cracked dash vs non cracked dash etc.

"Rusted away" would be a deal breaker. Look for rust on the trunk weather seal, battery tray, and everywhere in general. I was lucky and purchased with minimal rust since my car was a southern car.

POST PICS! :hitler:

Hey is your car still for sale. And where are you located?

I

[Djplatinum50]

Thanks guys for all the help. I will at least take a look at it and check for the things mentioned and ask questions. I am fully aware that not being able to drive it means I have no way of knowing the full extent of what's going on with it. I kind of had that mindset that there would be issues that would need to be addressed. But a you all say would it be worth it? I'll go take a look at and see.

[F34R]

Hard to tell without pictures to be honest. Here is my advice, take a lot of pictures for us. Engine bay, underside(rust), check battery area for rust(pockets in trunk), brake/gas lines, interior and see what works and does not. I would look for a 86+ I believe the 84-85 had the c104 harness connector(rectangle).

Don't agree to anything on it, IMO it is a parts car. I don't believe it is going anywhere fast. We can then give you better advice once you post up pics.

What I always tell someone looking to buy a non running e30 is do you plan on swapping? If not find something that runs, e30s are not a cared for car. Every time I go look at one for under 1,500 they ALL need a lot of work. It is better to spend more and get something ready to take care of.

Rust is a big issue it you cannot handle the welding part or pay to get it fixed then move on. Rust is a fast death for our cars as they are a Unibody. If it is really clean then snag it for a engine swap. I bought a rolling rust free shell to build off of.

[tonerrrr]

Hey is your car still for sale. And where are you located?

I

FL, more info: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=250095