Bringing back an e30

[Tendere30]

Hey guys! I wanted to know about how much it would cost to buy a car for about $500 and then using my own resources to get the car back to running in tip-top shape.
Obviously there's a lot that would go into determining exactly how much it would cost, so I'll tell you what I know and you can try to help me out.
And also - this is probably the most important part - I'm still in high school, and I'll be starting my freshman year of college come fall. I don't know much about the workings of a car but hey, I'm willing and eager to learn :mrgreen:

So to start things off, here's a couple of pictures the seller sent me, they look edited to me but he told me they weren't and it was just cloudy out :roll: I'll ask for better ones but these will have to do for now.

Look at that pretty mug.




Comfort seats, 4-spoke wheel, I can replace those later, not too big a deal. A bit of a rip in the driver's seat but not too bad.



Here you can see the only noteworthy cosmetic damage to the car, there's a bit of a ding in the trunk and the right side of the bumper isn't looking good in the corner or under the wheel well (the left corner looks like that too).


There's that left corner. Something looks off in this picture but I'm not quite sure what it is. Also, there's that dent near the front.

The owner initially said the car had an overheating problem but then said he fixed it with the problem being a sensor and an electric auxiliary fan. The car has 220k miles. After talking to him a while about the car, I lost interest and decided for a better car to turn up but I contacted him again recently and he told me that the tranny went out, he was driving, went to put it in second, it made a big clunk and didn't want to move. He told me I could take it off his hands for $800 and I haven't texted him back yet.

What I want to know is, how much work and money will I be putting into getting this car running reliably? Will it be cheaper to just keep saving and buy one that's already in good condition?

[roguetoaster]

Other than the car being questionable because of the very questionable "mods" (and the type of owner that suggests) and body damage if it runs well and drives with no issues you can detect it may be worth it.

However, starting on a project and freshman year may not be the best mixes, especially if you are new to wrenching. There is of course something to be said for driving a hooptie in college as you get to break down and meet interesting people, and you don't need to give everyone who does not have a car a ride.

As to costs, it's hard to say, the cosmetics look easy and cheap enough to fix. Of course, the mechanical components are another story, as they could be anywhere from needing complete replacement to A-okay. Don't forget the cost of tools you will need to get the job done, time expended that could be better spent doing other things in college, and operating costs like insurance & registration.

Best of luck. If you do go for it you will find all you could possibly want to know about E30s here.

[Vivek]

Will it be cheaper to just keep saving and buy one that's already in good condition?

Yes and this will always be true. In terms of total money spent, it'll be way cheaper to buy a 3-4k e30 than a $500 one and bring it up to the shape of a 4k one. But at the same time if you have a nominal but steady income (maybe $50-100 to spend on it per week) you can do things incrementally and it'll feel like less money.