Buying a E30 sight unseen & roadtripping it back home

[sebe20]

So i've been searching for a good deal on a E30 Design Edition wagon, which i found 6 hours away. It's a Mauritiusblue 316i wagon from 1993. Decent price and most stuff i wanted to do already done in the last 1 1/2 years, still registrated and been driven lately. 2 previous owners, including the current guy who did following things:

• Completly reconditioned seats with original fabric from BMW,
• Everything inside refurbished or replaced
• swapped engine (M40B18) which got new internals/ seals/ bearings/ external parts,
• changed the Lambda sensors
• changed the fueltank and pump
• steering rack from a M3
• new sports exhaust
• changed the wishbones and
• a KW supension

I already talked with the owner and now im going to get it, but im worried it might brake down on the middle of the autobahn
Well he assured me i would easily make the way bay home with it and he drove it almost daily since it's been fixed half a year ago. Car has now 260k on it, the new engine around 100k (km)
I've seen pictures of it from all sides, from underneath and know where it's rusty (wheel arches and bootlid) but it seems to be in really good condition after all, not leaking or rusted trough.



What tools should i bring with me?
I thought about bringing a 10mm and 13mm with me, or a pipewrench. some zip ties, some wd40 and ductape.
Any suggestions on what to take care of before hitting the autobahn?



Maybe i will buy a new set on tires before starting the roadtrip, depends on how old and worn the tires are.

[Tisoc]

Hi there. That's a nice looking touring, hopefully it makes the trip, but here's my list:
-Needle nose pliers
-Good ratchet set
-Crescent wrench
-Small pipe wrench
-Vice Grips
-10mm, 13mm, 17mm, 19mm wrench
-Zip ties
-Duct tape
-Pocket knife
-Wire cutters
-Water
-Liter of oil
-LED light
-Magnet/Mechanic's finger
I'm sure there's other stuff I'm forgetting, but that should hopefully take care of any surprise roadside repair you might encounter.

[Stanley Rockafella]

Op you don't mention how far/long this trip is?
15 minutes? 5 hours?

Nice interior tho! Really digging those seats!
I've been contemplating getting my cloth sports re-done in a similar pattern, but with green instead of the blue.

[e30RS]

Also, consider fluids. I live in a desert so a couple cans of oil and radiator fluid/water combo is usually on my list. Good luck! The touring looks sweet!

[Tisoc]

Op you don't mention how far/long this trip is?
15 minutes? 5 hours?

Nice interior tho! Really digging those seats!
I've been contemplating getting my cloth sports re-done in a similar pattern, but with green instead of the blue.

He said 6 hours

[roguetoaster]

The M40 is generally reliable, and in a country that would actually have spare parts available at auto parts stores you don't need to prep too much, especially if you are taking a train to the car.

If it has actually been driven regularly and can make it on a quick test drive without raising any red flags you'll likely be okay for 6 hours.

Assess any needs and source parts locally, borrow tools from the owner if something needs to be fixed before taking it home. If it's something major either come back for the car later or don't buy it.

[325e '87]

Don’t forget the 19 wrench in case you lose a belt. Top off the battery in case the alt is weak. Maybe peek at an injector for an idea on how dirty they may be? Look at a spark plug or two? Check psi in the spare tire.

6 hours to us yanks isn’t much, but its enough to prepare for. You’ll know if the suspension and braking are safe enough pretty quickly and I’m glad you’re prepared to replace the tires. Have fun and nice car.

[2mAn]

I take my AAA card and go. Its the only way I feel alive...

[nando]

I would just drive it. You guys have TUV, doesn't it need to pass a whole bunch of inspections to be registered? is this 6 hours on the Autobahn at 100mph? (can the M40 even go that fast???)

[roguetoaster]

M40 wagons can hit at least 115-118 MPH, maybe more if you have another 5 miles of police free road.

M21T wagons can do nearly 130, and my M20 touring was too much of a crapcan to hit 110.

[sebe20]

Thanks for the help guys!
Ae the tools on board the same as the 4doors?
Yes we have a TÜV and o2 inspection but the tourings inspection was before the engineswap, everything else was done to pass.
Here in the south (Bavaria) every crap car can get TÜV as long you find a engineer that is willing to risk his job. (own experience with crap cars)

Before paying cash i will drive it and give it a good shakedown, look at everything you guys mentioned to be save.

Tires will be 205/50R15 toyo t1r.

The Autobahn can destroy your car, lost AC on a 2007 911 because I hit a pothole at 170km/h. Ofc it was a black car in the summer...

Also I will not drive faster than 130km/h, just want to bring it home savely.
OH it's a 5 1/2ish hours drive with no stops / road repairs at 100km/h.
In my experience it will take 6 hours with a fuel stop.

Should I document the road trip for your plessure?

[finnmole]

Sure, and let us know what passes you on the left...i'm hoping to one day rent a nice car and take on the autobahn.

[sebe20]

Sure, and let us know what passes you on the left...i'm hoping to one day rent a nice car and take on the autobahn.

Dashcam footage will do ;)
So far I'm bringing 10,13,19mm wrenches, zip ties, wd40, tape, set of pliers and 1l oil.


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[Stanley Rockafella]

The Autobahn can destroy your car, lost AC on a 2007 911 because I hit a pothole at 170km/h. Ofc it was a black car in the summer...

There's potholes on the Autostrasse?
IIRC when I was there I didn't see any.
I was in a Opel Astra 1.4 cabrio and was able to get it up to 180kph.

[sebe20]

Depends which part you went. Between Regensburg and Passau it's really bad.

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