New to E30's but not for long (Hopefully)

[moreoff]

Color I really don't have any real preference. Most e30 colors are really nice. Price if it's in really good condition with low-ish miles and good service records, about 5k but I'd want to spend less and get a fixer

this one is 5speed and 4doors and has quite a few tasteful additions.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/4441142978.html

this is the only 1 i saw with your requirements^ perhaps contact him and try to get a better deal. and it appears the timing belt and water pump have been done recently as well, which is a bonus.

[moreoff]

I've seen that, but with all the mods and such done to it already, I'd rather find a cheaper one and get parts I want than settle with it and pay more. Realistically I'd rather spend $1,500-$2,500 and get a decent e30 and make it great. Is that a noobish thing to say/want?

no that's totally understandable to want to do the mods yourself. that's half the fun of owning these cars. that auto one you first posted may be the most ideal for you then.

[moreoff]

Also, nearly every E30 you go to see will be in significantly lesser condition than it is being described and/or how it is being presented in the FS ad. If you think, "oh the seller is so honest....look how he's pointing out all the flaws"...you're really only being shown 25% of them. You'll see the rest when you go to see it. "The car is XX years old, what do you expect?" will be the reasoning behind *anything* you find wrong with it.

this part is especially true. the previous owner may not be aware of worn items or damaged areas. i recently purchased an e30 that had much more rust than the PO described. but that's how these things go, so just be ready to put in extra work to bring your car to the level you want it.

[JonTheHero22]

Okay, so my hopes of getting a "decent" e30 for $1,500-$2,500 are hopeful to say the least. Would you guys recommend getting the $4-5k e30 verses the $1,800 and putting a lot of time and money into it?

[JonTheHero22]

Fixing a more problematic e30 sounds "fun" / pain in the ass, but I feel like the experience of working on it and the knowledge I gain would be worth it in the long run since it seems like this information could be used toward other projects in the future. (e21, e28, etc)

[fiveightandten]

Okay, so my hopes of getting a "decent" e30 for $1,500-$2,500 are hopeful to say the least. Would you guys recommend getting the $4-5k e30 verses the $1,800 and putting a lot of time and money into it?

It all depends on your money/time ratio, and what you want.

I personally didn't want a crazy project car. I have 2 other BMWs, so buying a $1800 basketcase E30 and limping it home to get torn apart wasn't what I wanted. ALL of them need at least some level of work. The best you can do is be honest with yourself in terms of what you want the end result of the car to be, and pick your battles based on how much work you want to do.

I have maximum respect for the guys that buy these clapped out E30's and bring them back to life. I just don't have the time to put into those sorts of cars. Your life may be different. It all depends on what you want out of the car.

[fiveightandten]

this part is especially true. the previous owner may not be aware of worn items or damaged areas. i recently purchased an e30 that had much more rust than the PO described. but that's how these things go, so just be ready to put in extra work to bring your car to the level you want it.

That's true.

To put arbitrary (but maybe not so arbitrary) numbers to it, the PO may list 25% of the flaws/problems, you'll see another 25% when you look at the car, and the other 50% after you get it home.

[JonTheHero22]

Is there anyone out there who's bought a "basketcase" e30 and made it a back into the ultimate driving machine? How much did you spend and how much time did it take? fiveightandten, you got the white 325es in very good condition, how much have you had to spend on it to maintain it?

[Kevinl]

I spent 3k on mine and I have spent another 4k+ and it still needs a few things & eventually paint which will be another 4k

[JonTheHero22]

So given the choice of buying a pretty solid e30 for 5-7k, are you happier with your choice to buy yours and get it to what it is at today?

[JonTheHero22]

So there's this one:

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/4442483516.html

Which is very cheap, and says it needs a new fuel pump. I'm figuring that since it's so cheap, that's not gonna be the only problem and also i'd probably have to change the timing belt if I were to get it. Are there any noobies who diy'd the timing belt? Is it a do-able task for someone with not a whole lot of experience?

[JonTheHero22]

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/4439551210.html

This one doesn't seem too bad, first manual trans. All in all seems like a decent price. Any thoughts? The CA Blue plates are also a nice feature.

[fiveightandten]

Is there anyone out there who's bought a "basketcase" e30 and made it a back into the ultimate driving machine? How much did you spend and how much time did it take? fiveightandten, you got the white 325es in very good condition, how much have you had to spend on it to maintain it?

See the projects section. There are plenty of build threads in there, and a lot of people share their budgets. But it all depends on how deep you want to go. I read a great restoration thread the other day where a member and his wife rebuilt a late model sedan. They were $25K into it all said and done. That's one extreme.

I've done the following to mine since February when I got it. This is maintenance and common upgrades i've done so far, as almost noone does just maintenance on an E30:

Maintenance:
Fluids - $100
Belts - $30
Spark plugs - $15
Fuel filter - $15
Air filter - $15
Shift linkage parts - $25
Exhaust hangers - $10
Washer nozzle t-fitting - $10
Valve clearance (valve cover gasket + RTV) - $25
Driver's side interior door handle (had some freeplay in it) - $15
Misc bulbs (fog lights, marker lights, OBC, etc) - $30
Wiper blades - $20
Front struts (someone cross threaded the top nuts)- $100


Upgrades/add ons:
Wheels and tires: $1000
Euro plate filler: $70
ZHP knob: $65
Shift boot: $15
ebrake handle: $10
Vogtland springs: $200
Lamin-x: $17
LED trunk light upgrade: $15


Maintenance that still needs to be done:
Timing belt (was last done in 2010)+ water pump: $100
Alignment: $100
Exhaust manifold gaskets (it's developed a tick that I believe to be a leak): $25
(note that i'm ignoring a lot of stuff, this is really bare minimum for my particular car. Other stuff like radiator, hoses, expansion tank, etc. will likely get done)

Maintenance to bring it up to speed: $636
Upgrades/Add ons: $1392
TOTAL: $2028


I'd consider my maintenance situation on the extreme low end, as my car was a bone stock, well kept, 70K mile car with a good amount of maintenance records. I can't imagine having an E30 be any cheaper to bring up to speed. Pretty much everyone puts wheels and springs on the car, and a few aesthetic bits. I haven't even gotten into getting the cool headlights, and Euro grilles, and getting proper shocks on it, a chip, exhaust, ect. That stuff will easily escalate to another $2K. Is it necessary? No. Are you going to wind up doing it over the course of owning the car? Probably.

I'd say plan on an average of $1K to really get an average E30 running in reliable condition, to the point you can trust it to get you places. Add another $1K+ if the car doesn't have wheels and you want a cheap set to make it look cool.

[Kevinl]

So given the choice of buying a pretty solid e30 for 5-7k, are you happier with your choice to buy yours and get it to what it is at today?

I would have probably tried to buy a cleaner car for more money but now I'm too far in Although If I was gonna spend 8-10k I would get a E36 M3 sedan

[KIRIEIW]

IMO the cars in the 7k price range should have perfect paint, ALL MATCHING PANELS, and a completely refreshed suspension set up along with a leak free m20.