New guy looking to buy his first e30 *updated with pics*

[Grackle]

Went to check out an 86 325es today and ended up bringing it home:






Car has a few things that need to be sorted. Shifter is pretty loose, the a/c fan speed knob mount (?) is broken so it rattles around, the rack boots are trashed, the passenger front marker falls out cause the clip is broken, the speedometer doesn't function (is this the odo gears?), 02 sensor isn't hooked up cause it needs to be replaced (according to the PO), the battery hold down is missing, and the positive battery cable is cracked. However, it made the 30 mile trek home without incident, though I did have a scare right after I bought it where I could have sworn I smelled something electrical burning, I panicked and turned the a/c speed down from 4 to 2 and it seemed to go away. I want to fix the broken stuff, I wanted coil overs, but I like the non harsh ride and lack of rattles when I go over train tracks like all my other cars. Change the wheels/tires, and ditch the diving boards (tuck or update, I am not sure yet). Pretty stoked though, I paid a little more then I wanted too, but I really like the color a lot once I saw it, it looks green in direct sunlight and reminds me of my grandfathers old 88 Olds when I was a kid.

[flyboyx]

i have a couple(thoughts that is):

first: 1k for a 318is is pretty cheap. that is what a parts car would be priced at.

2nd: i am pretty sure that car has at least a bad head gasket if it is blowing bubbles out the expansion tank.

3rd: if you have the tools and are willing to learn how to fix it, i say go ahead and pull the trigger.

something to keep in mind: in the long run, you are probably better off spending 4k for a pretty nice car than buying this one. at this higher price point, most of the little head aches will have been fixed, and a car in this range will probably have good paint.

if you want this car to have a nice paint job, it will probably set you back 3 grand or so. then you will have all the other major and minor items to fix that will cost you countless thousands of dollars in parts and time.

welcome to the forum. what part of tejas are you from?

[Grackle]

i have a couple(thoughts that is):

first: 1k for a 318is is pretty cheap. that is what a parts car would be priced at.

2nd: i am pretty sure that car has at least a bad head gasket if it is blowing bubbles out the expansion tank.

3rd: if you have the tools and are willing to learn how to fix it, i say go ahead and pull the trigger.

something to keep in mind: in the long run, you are probably better off spending 4k for a pretty nice car than buying this one. at this higher price point, most of the little head aches will have been fixed, and a car in this range will probably have good paint.

if you want this car to have a nice paint job, it will probably set you back 3 grand or so. then you will have all the other major and minor items to fix that will cost you countless thousands of dollars in parts and time.

welcome to the forum. what part of tejas are you from?

Thanks! I am down in the Austin area. I was afraid about those bubbles. He said it got hot on him, and he shut it off, but it got into the red range on the gauge before he got it home, dunno for how long though. I like the body on this one, it is a nice 20 footer, so I don't have to be careful with it, but it doesn't look like a total pile.

I do have a garage with space to store it and a full compliment of tools (this isn't my first rodeo, just my first with a BMW), problem is I don't know of any machinists in the area that might need any specialized tools to do the head work, etc. I can only assume the head is warped and will need to be milled. I had considered buying it for an LS swap, but honestly don't want to do that as I would like to keep it pure. The bubbles stopped when it hit OP temp, so I was hoping it was just a bypass of some sort causing it, but it sounds like that was a vain hope.

[e30onBBSs]

Maybe see if he will let you do one of those combustion in the coolant tests? I don't think they are too expensive

[Nick_S]

Offer him $750 and be prepared to put a decent bit immediately into the car. Replace the entire cooling system, do a full tune up and fluid flush. It's relatively cheap and easy to do. Then go from there. Looks decent.

[Grackle]

I am kicking myself now because I didn't take my compression tester with me. That would have told me right off if it had blown the HG or not. I am going with the assumption that the head is going to have to come off it. I really like the car, the doors shut solid, I just have to muster up whether or not I am willing to put this much work into the car before I am really going to be able to drive it.

[abrokenframe]

Like others have said, it looks like a good project if you don't mind putting some time & money initially. Good news with that approach is you know exactly the quality of work done to the car.

However, I would also recommend spending a little more upfront around the $4-5k mark for a while if you need an instant driver. Most in that range will have major bugs worked out and probably present well.

All these cars need work. It just depends how much you plan on doing immediately. Though nothing worse than investing more money/time than expected on a POS to begin with. Much more satisfying on a good starting point.

They are out there...

Ryan

[Grackle]

Couple more things. The car has regular green coolant in it, what could the ramifications of this be? Head corrosion? Also, my google-foo is weak, assuming I have to get into to the motor on this one right off, I would like to know what that entails. I have built a couple of V8's, done work on Boxer flat fours, but I am unfamiliar with the M42.

[Grackle]

Well it is moot now. Guy sold the car last night. So I start the search again!

[flyboyx]

That sux. Don't worry about green coolant. It doesn't hurt anything. I truly believe the blue shit is bmw's way of sticking it to the man. I never waste my money on that stuff.

[jalopi]

+1, for the most part the only thing different about coolants is the dye color the manufacturer decided to use

considering a member recently paid $23k for a 318is, $1100 was probably a steal of a deal considering the e30 market today, even with a BHG and 300k miles

but seriously fuck anything that janky with 300k miles, probably ALL the consumables need to be replaced (bushings, bearings, balljoints, ect)

[Grackle]

but seriously fuck anything that janky with 300k miles, probably ALL the consumables need to be replaced (bushings, bearings, balljoints, ect)

Yeah that was a concern of mine. There is literately only one other e30 for sale in the area and it is more then I wanted to spend.

[agent]

There are at least a handful of fly out/drive home examples listed here. Make it an adventure!

[Grackle]

I actually found another one that is setup just like I want, but it has a salvage title. :-/

[jalopi]

no big deal, e30s get "totaled" by most insurance companies due to their age, even if it's something as insignificant as some lady backing into a fender.

find out why it has a salvage title, check the car out (or ask if you can take it to a frame shop or some shit), who knows it might be nothing major. even if it actually did get fucked up good, as long as someone competent fixed it you shouldn't have any issues.

only real reason to stay away from it is if texas makes it difficult to tag salvage title cars