First e30, road trip, spares?

[BenDem]

Well, I've gone and done it. I bought a 325i '88 convertible.

(Sorry for the lousy pic, I was in a hurry packing up a family of 4 for a return flight home.)

It's in pretty good condition, no rust aside from the usual battery tray, all stock, well maintained... yadda yadda yadda.

In three weeks time, I'm going to drive it from Florida to Milwaukee. It's had a PPI with compression test and everything checked out aside from a few issues. I've replaced / fixed the following: steering rack, some leaky transmission seals, timing belt, thermostat, transmission pan gasket, and I had the cooling system flushed, new tires, and windshield wipers.

I drove it about 200 miles before parking it in my dad's garage until I return. It's seems strong and solid, pulls well and felt happy cruising at 85. I'm reasonably sure the car is in good mechanical condition.

I think I'm ready to go.

Finally, my question:

What should I bring in way of spares?

I was planning on:
Basic tool set
AAA card
Bentley Manual
Belts
Duct-tape
Assorted fuses
Quart of Oil
Distilled water
Zip-ties and hose clamps
A sense of humor

Anything else?

[hendrixvodu]

I know it sounds silly but I recently had my alt randomly die out on me with no warning I'd suggest going to autozone and buying a cheap like $180 jump box it's always nice to have and in a jam it be enough to get you to a shop

[BobombETA]

Spare relays (headlight and fuel pump), spare tire (didn't see it listed), taillight and license plate bulbs.

[BenDem]

Ahh yes, I forgot: the spare is there.

I've just added bulbs and relays to the list. :)

(I've not owned a car in over 15 years, so I'm a little rusty on all this.)

[YosemiteSam]

Yeah, your list looks pretty good. A while back I drove my car to Colorado and back with some friends, we took the scenic route. Other than making the mistake of driving through Death Valley in the middle of the summer, a high of 130 during the day and a low of 90 at night, the trip went smoothly with no real hiccups.

[heatmakerz]

This thread seems very familiar to one that was posted to bimmerforums a few weeks back but your list seems decent enough. Good looking cabrio btw.

[rcsoundn1]

Just took mine on a 13hr 900 mile trip from NJ to GA. TGH all I had were varied tools, coolant, and oil. I had some recent repair records which showed a recent head rebuild, water pump replacement as well as a timing belt. I looked the car over from front to back and did not find anything that scared me, so I got in it, and drove on cruise between 80-85mph the whole way.

[BenDem]

This thread seems very familiar to one that was posted to bimmerforums a few weeks back but your list seems decent enough. Good looking cabrio btw.

Sorry for the cross-post, I'm still getting a feel for the various e30 forums.

[BobombETA]

Ahh yes, I forgot: the spare is there.

I've just added bulbs and relays to the list. :)

(I've not owned a car in over 15 years, so I'm a little rusty on all this.)

I've got an e30 i'm scrapping. If you want I can pull the relays and ship them to you if you cover the shipping.

[BenDem]

I've got an e30 i'm scrapping. If you want I can pull the relays and ship them to you if you cover the shipping.

That'd be great. I'll PM you for details.

[FLG]

No need to buy a whole alternator, id keep a voltage regulator or change out the voltage regulator and keep the old one as a spare, 10 min job once you get the air box out of the way, alts usually are good, its the brushes on the regulator that go bad.

[Balleristic31]

Spare fuel pump if you've got access to one. They seem decide to die at the most convenient times :D

Also a good flashlight is a must.

[BenDem]

Is it likely that I'm going to need the fuel pump and voltage regulator in the next few years? If so, I'll just grab 'em now, since I'd be buying them anyway.

[bddog]

Tube of RTV gasket silicone, 3 or 4 aluminum cans, tin snips, some large rubber inner tube, hose clamps; some large, some smaller. This little kit can repair so many things that tend to go bad when out and about, from short time fixes of hoses to long term fixes of items like exhaust pipe.
I have accumulated spare radiator hoses, intake boot , even relays and a spare ECU that are in my trunk right now.
Gallon of water, electrical tape , a length of wire (electrical and baling), bottle jack with a couple chunks or wood, all are in my trunk. Of course jumper cables.
Have fun, drive safe, good luck to you!

[E30_Pare]

fuses, flashlight, a sheet of gasket. Honestly for basic road side repair the oem tool kit has saved my ass many times.