Wheres your threshold for parting a car?

[DaveSmed]

Just wondering where most people decide to stop throwing good money after bad, because I really am on the fence with this stupid car.

I have had absolutely no luck with any E30 I have ever owned. The first one was a bit self inflicted (that was a really decent car, an '84 e in pristine shape that my dumb ass wadded up) but after that, it's just been a shit show.

I put serious money into this last one and it seems to spend most of its time being an expensive hassle as opposed to being something fun to drive on nice weekends. I have owned it for three years and drove it a month. It thanked me for all of that time, work, and money by inhaling an intake valve 160mi from home. I pulled the valve cover, cams, vanos, and cam tray, then said fuck it and let it sit for going on 5 months now.

I have a pretty decent spare parts collection that I'm starting to pare down, and the money from that is actually pretty good vs. the hassle I expected. I keep eyeing up that albatross in the driveway wondering if I should try to cut my losses and recoup some of my money, or keep plugging away and telling myself it will be worth it in the end. The money from the spare parts i'm selling is going to fixing up the green car which has been languishing in storage for wayy to long and for some renovations around the house.

What do you think?

[Quadrajet]

Everyone has a different threshold. I suppose mine is where I take the percieved price of car versus the time and money for parts. Especially if there are desirable parts on the vehicle ie LSD, 5spd and associated parts.

[jlevie]

My threshold would be serious accident damage or rust issues. Engine/drivetrain/suspension problems are all fixable for relatively little money. As long as the body/chassis is good the car can be restored.

You post mentions "cams, vanos, and cam tray" which suggests that this car has had an M50 swap. That being the case, your problems may just be that of having a well worn engine used in the swap. That might suggest replacing that engine with one in better condition.

[agent]

My threshold would be serious accident damage or rust issues. Engine/drivetrain/suspension problems are all fixable for relatively little money. As long as the body/chassis is good the car can be restored.

This.

[FredK]

I don't remember if you had an S50B32 or not. If this is the case, I'd personally cut bait on the engine and either upgrade to an S54 or get a placeholder engine, rather than rebuilding a dropped-valve Euro engine.

I know all about projects languishing. I put my engine swap down for a good 6 months because of a lack of time and also just being tired of working on cars. What helped me to get back on track was to write down a plan for the major remaining expenses and to write up a task list to work against.

It's easy for you to second guess yourself when you don't have a running E30. Once you do, you'll remember why you love these stupid cars so much.

[Wschnitz]

Mines been being an ass too lately, fix one thing and another breaks... Can't wait to see what happens at autox

[DaveSmed]

My threshold would be serious accident damage or rust issues. Engine/drivetrain/suspension problems are all fixable for relatively little money. As long as the body/chassis is good the car can be restored.

You post mentions "cams, vanos, and cam tray" which suggests that this car has had an M50 swap. That being the case, your problems may just be that of having a well worn engine used in the swap. That might suggest replacing that engine with one in better condition.

Yessir, S50B32 running a DTAFast standalone tuned by Chuck Stickley. Engine has 68k on it, but it sat for a long time (poss weak valvespring?) and survived two car totaling wrecks. Made 301 rwhp on a basically stock engine with a iffy vanos unit.

I don't remember if you had an S50B32 or not. If this is the case, I'd personally cut bait on the engine and either upgrade to an S54 or get a placeholder engine, rather than rebuilding a dropped-valve Euro engine.

I know all about projects languishing. I put my engine swap down for a good 6 months because of a lack of time and also just being tired of working on cars. What helped me to get back on track was to write down a plan for the major remaining expenses and to write up a task list to work against.

It's easy for you to second guess yourself when you don't have a running E30. Once you do, you'll remember why you love these stupid cars so much.

This is something I have thought about quite a bit lately, the euro engine is purported to be rather stout, (worked great for me :/) but parts availability is getting to be a pain and the prices are climbing. Friggin spark plugs are a battle.

I think I'm gonna swap the caddy and the e30 around in my storage area, and spend some time tinkering on something I haven't messed with in awhile. Maybe a break is all I need (while keeping an eye on s54 prices)

The biggest kick in the ass was the car was slow! (relatively speaking) It had stronger midrange before I put it in this shell, when it was running with a healthier vanos and stock DME. I really cracked open the piggy bank to get this thing up and running for the summer too. The car fund could use some recovery time.

[jlevie]

A 68k S50 engine won't drop a valve unless it is or has been severely mistreated. One, very viable option, would be to sell the motor and put in a good M20B25. Then you'll have something that is reliable, low cost, and with a decent amount of power.

[TobyB]

Wheres your threshold for parting a car?

when I run out of storage.... ....seriously....

If it's cheap to keep and I like it, I do.
When it gets stupid, then it's time
to fix it or sell it or part it...

t

[K1CKBAC]

If there is serious body damage and hacked/burned up wiring I'm out. Everything else is fine. A lesson I learned is to replace all the things I can while I tear a certain part of the car apart and install it correctly the first time. Beats doing it over again...