Greetings (and, yes, my first post is asking for input on a car purchase...)

[ahrensNW]

I'd walk away from that for anything more than 2500.

[KingJaffeJoffer]

Car currently sits at 155K and here are service records:

3/18/11
Mileage=137K
Work=Coolant flush, valve cover gasket, valve adjustment, timing belt, water pump, radiator hose

7/11/11
Mileage=140K
Work=Throttle housing(not sure what this involved) replacement, replaced heater gasket, right rear wheel bearing

2/7/12
Mileage=140K
Work=odometer repair, replaced front strut inserts

5/3/14
New battery

Agreed price is $2350.

[Das Delfin]

7-11-11 would be your throttle body heater gasket.. common on these to fail

The blower motor repair is like the easiest thing to do on this car. It's like 4 tiny bolts, two screws, a clip, and two electrical connections. It takes like 10 mins. A new motor and resistor will set you back around $230. And to answer your question, you know when the resistor has failed when the motor only works on the highest speed. It's not common at all for the switch itself to fail.

I seriously considered a tan interior when I redid mine. Goes great with the delphin. If you get an upholstery kit for your front seats in vinyl you're looking at around $400

It's weird that the top is ripped but the window is fine. Either way the easiest thing to do is find a gently used top/frame from a guy parting out a car and bolt it in. It's like six bolts.

Interval for timing belt is 60k/4 years so def replace that and the tensioner asap just in case. Also not a hard diy and there are write-ups all over the web.

Here in new england cars rust out and clean examples are worth more than they would be where it doesn't snow.

That being said the car will be an ongoing project. There will always be something you'll have to buy or fix and it's a lot more affordable if you diy it.

[cg138]

Is replacing the seat cable pretty involved?

The cable isn't really hard. I had to do one for my passenger seat as well; you just need to get into the seat, which is fairly simple.

If anything, it's more annoying to source a replacement cable if you want it out of another E30. You'll have to find someone with a good cable that's also willing to part with it. Otherwise, you'll have to make your own.

--

Are you also over on M5Board? I think I recognize the username...

[KingJaffeJoffer]

Thanks for all of the helpful replies. Picked it up yesterday morning and it is in very nice shape. Body and paint have really been maintained well. Mileage is actually 153K, blower motor is working and passenger seat is stuck in the middle of the track, i.e., not too far forward or back, so swapping the cable is way down the list of things to do. It performed well on the test drive and the 100-mile drive home (guy in a pickup truck passed me while blowing his horn and giving me some vigorous thumbs up). Wheel bearing noise is scarily loud and braking is very compromised. There is a squeaking from the rear when going over uneven road. It also needs an alignment (pulls to the right). Clutch is strong, though. Two more questions: does the coolant level seem low (this is the gauge readout after 60 minutes at highway speed) and what can I do about the faulty OBC readout?

cg, yeah, that's me over there. Anthracite is one of my favorite colors.

[Das Delfin]

Your thermostat is either stuck open or installed incorrectly. There's an o-ring which often gets installed on the wrong side of the t-stat

The squeaking sound could be your rear tonneau cover rubbing against its latches. Reach your hand back while driving and put pressure on it.

As for the OBC, it's not that hard to swap them I don't know of a fix that deals with just the LCD. It's common for the backlights to go out, might be worth your time to upgrade to LED while it's out

[KingJaffeJoffer]

Thanks, Delfin.

[rcsoundn1]

HA! has dents in almost the exact spots mine does. Delpin, where did you get an interior for $400!!

[Das Delfin]

^ the front seats themselves would be 400.. in the FS ad it said the rear seats had been done already

[KingJaffeJoffer]

Update: Front pads, calipers, brake hoses and rotors will be replaced.

Two questions: 1) should I install SS lines? The car will be garaged during winter and will see less than 2,000 miles each year. 2) Based on the uneven wear on the outer edge of the left front rotor, should I be looking at replacing anything else which would have caused this?

[mjimport]

I wouldn't bother with stainless lines. I've had them before and really wasn't necessary. Considering your use expectations, spend the money elsewhere.

[KingJaffeJoffer]

Thanks. Started to pull the rear braking components yesterday and all of those will need to be replaced as well.