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87 325is Should I buy/issues?

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    87 325is Should I buy/issues?

    Hi all!

    I went and looked at this E30 today.



    1: Mechanical issues that I need advice on.
    Right when the guy pulled up next to me in my vehicle he said the check engine light just came on. Also during the test drive we both noticed that it would shake a little almost like a misfire or something of that nature at idle. And when I drove it I noticed less power than my 89. Any ideas what this could be/should I steer clear? I am fairly mechanically inclined (I'm an apprentice technician and have worked a lot on my 89) And i have a decent tool set so i'm able to do most anything. Any help would be appreciated Thanks!

    2: Info about my impression of the car.

    The paint is fairly decent a little oxidation in one area but not to bad. Overall the cosmetic side of it is much nicer than my 89 is. On the interior some cracks/tears on the drivers seat bottom. Other than that the interior is pretty good/clean. Nice supple leather M shift knob not sure where its from. Nice suede shift boot dash is free of cracks and the steering wheel's leather is also nice and supple. It is missing the lower dash trim panel that hides some wiring but that's not a huge deal. The vehicle does seem to be lowered a bit and the guy said the previous owner had some Eibach adjustable shocks or something like that put on but he didn't know how old they are. The tires are Bfgoodrich sport tires (didn't look at the model name) 205/50/15 i believe I didn't notice any rubbing and they seem to have great traction and cornering stability. Car tracks nice and straight while coasting and braking. The clutch is hugely different from my 89. Much less travel and more grabby, possibly an aftermarket clutch? It felt like it performed well and had good life to it. And lastly the brakes are really quite loud with light application but they stop the car very fast and efficiently when pressed hard. Also While driving at close to 40 mph a slight squeak noise can be heard that sounds like the brakes. Could they be dragging causing the lack of power? Overall it feels like a nice solid E30, I'm only concerned as mentioned above about the CEL and apparent lack of power. I told the guy I would have to sleep on it and also asked if I could do a compression test which he agreed to. Let me know what you guys think. Should I get it or not and any ideas on the CEL?

    #2
    its not the original valence, that is from a es car, not a big deal id buy it

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by bastianshaw View Post
      its not the original valence, that is from a es car, not a big deal id buy it
      Yea that doesn't bug me really. What im most concerned about is the check engine light and the lack of power.

      Comment


        #4
        It "looks" pretty clean man, take one of those magnet metal/bondo finders with you just in case. I would get rid of the eye lids, but thats just me.

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          #5
          Well I went and did a compression test today and first off the guy said he had put too much oil in it yesterday and today he drained some out and now the check engine light is off. The compression test results are 156psi in cylinders 1,2,3,4, and 6. Cylinder 5 is sitting around 95. The compression test was done with engine slightly warm and throttle held open for 3 compression cycles on each cylinder. I put a small amount of oil in cylinder 5 and did the compression check again and yielded 95 psi after 3 compression cycles and about 130 psi after 4 compression cycles.

          Comment


            #6
            So ... offer him $2300.00 & drive it home.

            It's got a ton of miles but it's not worn out. Change the pads to the others he has & start checking for vac leaks and/or collapsed vac lines. Tune up might be in order but a decent E30, right now, for under $3K is good - IMO.

            Comment


              #7
              Those compression numbers aren't very stellar. I'm sure the motor will run fine for a while longer and but I'd save up for another M20, 24v swap or a rebuild.

              Other than that it looks pretty solid and cheap for a 325is these days

              Comment


                #8
                Holy waffles, 230k miles! Atleast it gives you an excuse to stroke out. I would go $2500 I got mine for $3400 but she only had 174k and shes in a lot better shape and came with a lot of goodies. Also check what state it was originally from too.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Congrats

                  Great find. As long as there is no rust, it was a fair deal.

                  Javier

                  Comment


                    #10
                    You should be able to do a stomp test. Should produce 1444.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      87 325is Should I buy/issues?

                      Originally posted by greese View Post
                      You should be able to do a stomp test. Should produce 1444.
                      Stomp tests only work on 173 ECUs or newer (with cars running 1.3 motronic). Most likely, the 87 is running a 153 or later using 1.1 motronic

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