Hey R3V'ers
I want your input to help my dad decide if he should junk, part, sell, or do something else with his E30.
It is a '91 2dr auto Lazurblau-Metallic 325i that he bought in 2000 for my younger brother and I to drive through high school and college. When we both went to graduate school the car got put away, and was more or less forgotten. When I bought my '90 iX this past summer his interest in the old car was again sparked.
Last fall he more or less handed it over to my uncle; a car guy but almost purely with a domestic/truck interest. The idea was that they'd get it back into running shape at least, but now my uncle is busy with other things and wants to wash his hands of it and send it off to the junkyard.
I can tell my dad doesn't want the car to die; after all he has stubbornly hung on to it for almost 15 years, wayyyyy longer than any of our other "better" cars have lasted. But he also clearly doesn't want to spend another dime on this thing or do what is really necessary to save it.
IIRC, the car has about 200K miles on it. The engine was largely rebuilt at around 150K due to a timing belt failure that did the usual damage (sloppy mechanic). My brother rear ended a truck hitch with it when he was in college, so the grill, hood, and bumper are a little mashed up. There is considerable rust in the rocker panels behind both front wheels, and a little near the license plate light though not in the battery tray. The paint is getting rough as it was outside a lot, but at least it was kept inside during the winters until this past one. The brakes, due to lack of use, are pretty much siezed/shot. The tires are just a year or two old on the original bottles caps. The interior is a bit rough; the drivers seat definitely needs to be replaced and there are a few minor cracks in the dash.
On the good side it does have map lights on the rear view mirror, and a glass moonroof (FTW!).
The car is currently in the Chicago area. I am wondering what R3V's advice is; Junk it? Part it? Sell it as is? Something else we haven't thought of? If you could provide an estimate of it's worth that would be even better.
My dad is getting pressure from his sister to give her husband the "thumbs up" to get rid of the thing. I am trying to keep it from going to E30 heaven as long as I can. I would take the car, but I am moving in a month and don't have the time or space to give it the attention it needs. If I could let my dad know that it was going to someone who wanted it, in part or whole, I think that would make him very happy.
I can't get to it for another four weeks. My recent experience with my iX (and lots of reading here) have me convinced I could assess it quickly if I saw it in person. At the very least I'd like to get some ammo from you all to hold off my uncle at least until I can do that much.
Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think!
Photos from last fall. I think they make it look better than it actually is. You should be able to spot the rocker panel rust in the top photo, and the collision damage in the lower photo.
I want your input to help my dad decide if he should junk, part, sell, or do something else with his E30.
It is a '91 2dr auto Lazurblau-Metallic 325i that he bought in 2000 for my younger brother and I to drive through high school and college. When we both went to graduate school the car got put away, and was more or less forgotten. When I bought my '90 iX this past summer his interest in the old car was again sparked.
Last fall he more or less handed it over to my uncle; a car guy but almost purely with a domestic/truck interest. The idea was that they'd get it back into running shape at least, but now my uncle is busy with other things and wants to wash his hands of it and send it off to the junkyard.
I can tell my dad doesn't want the car to die; after all he has stubbornly hung on to it for almost 15 years, wayyyyy longer than any of our other "better" cars have lasted. But he also clearly doesn't want to spend another dime on this thing or do what is really necessary to save it.
IIRC, the car has about 200K miles on it. The engine was largely rebuilt at around 150K due to a timing belt failure that did the usual damage (sloppy mechanic). My brother rear ended a truck hitch with it when he was in college, so the grill, hood, and bumper are a little mashed up. There is considerable rust in the rocker panels behind both front wheels, and a little near the license plate light though not in the battery tray. The paint is getting rough as it was outside a lot, but at least it was kept inside during the winters until this past one. The brakes, due to lack of use, are pretty much siezed/shot. The tires are just a year or two old on the original bottles caps. The interior is a bit rough; the drivers seat definitely needs to be replaced and there are a few minor cracks in the dash.
On the good side it does have map lights on the rear view mirror, and a glass moonroof (FTW!).
The car is currently in the Chicago area. I am wondering what R3V's advice is; Junk it? Part it? Sell it as is? Something else we haven't thought of? If you could provide an estimate of it's worth that would be even better.
My dad is getting pressure from his sister to give her husband the "thumbs up" to get rid of the thing. I am trying to keep it from going to E30 heaven as long as I can. I would take the car, but I am moving in a month and don't have the time or space to give it the attention it needs. If I could let my dad know that it was going to someone who wanted it, in part or whole, I think that would make him very happy.
I can't get to it for another four weeks. My recent experience with my iX (and lots of reading here) have me convinced I could assess it quickly if I saw it in person. At the very least I'd like to get some ammo from you all to hold off my uncle at least until I can do that much.
Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think!
Photos from last fall. I think they make it look better than it actually is. You should be able to spot the rocker panel rust in the top photo, and the collision damage in the lower photo.
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