New to forums, curious about purchasing.

[Staticpulse]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forums and had a few questions for you all. I always liked the look of the mid-late 80's 325's. My brother has really turned me on to them in my later years. Here's my questions.

Im really interested in purchasing a mid-late 80's 325i. I have the budget of about $2500-3500 to spend. Looking for solid frame (eg. no rust, paint chipping, dents) and clean interior. Need to be able to drive the car daily without major work til I can recoup from purchase.

What can I really expect for this price? Am I asking for too much?

Thanks for views and future help. I hope to add another car to this forum. Some of your cars are absolutely beautiful and Im jealous. haha

[LivingLegend06]

$3500 should be able to get you a clean solid E30. Welcome to the forums

[JasonC]

$3500 should be able to get you a clean solid E30. Welcome to the forums

+1, and don't look for a solid one in Chicago.

[Jon325i]

First of all, welcome to R3V. Good info to be found here....the search feature is your friend ;)

As for the budget you have in mind, you may find several examples in various states of condition for that range. How knowledgeable the seller is will play a part in just how much you pay.....as will its mechanical & cosmetic soundness. Try to keep your searching local this way you can actually see it and take it for a test drive. Craigslist, Autotrader and your local newspaper classifieds are good places to start.

Best of luck with the tire kicking.

Jon

[ethree]

$3000-car purchase
$250-airfare out to cali
$250-gas and hotel on the way home!

sounds like a nice long weekend to me!

[Bill-B]

Welcome! Be sure to check out IllinoisEuro.com, it is a chicago area Euro car club. We have weekly meets and cruises and stuff. We also have a thread dedicated to finding local E30s for sale

[Staticpulse]

$3000-car purchase
$250-airfare out to cali
$250-gas and hotel on the way home!

I would like to find something local but I've been searching recently and can't find too much. Traveling is definitely an option granted the car is worth the trip. And like your addition, it would come out of that goal unless I can get some more income.

[TopOfTheLine89]

if you shop around long enough you will get exactly what you want for that price or even less.

[Maluco]

Be patient in your searching: purchase... I personally had to rush my purchase for personal reasons. Even so I have not yet had to spend money on anything major besides what I applied myself, i.e. front suspension, cosmetics, etc.. find a nice one, get it, you'll love it. Welcome to R3v, you'll be at home here, mostly after your purchase. Good luck!

[einstein57]

Don't rush in to it. You always stumble across great cars when your only browseing. But you can expect a very clean, stock, relatively low mileage (125-155k) e30 for 3000-3500. As long as you treat her right and keep a mindfull eye on the valvetrain eg timing belt and valve adjustments, you should have no problem reaching the 300k without any major work.

[CleanAzzE30z]

For your budget, you can find a great rust free Cali car for that. Youll easily find one if youre patient.


Mariano

[Vedubin01]

Hey guys, its my little brother! Please keep an eye out for him if you would.

Dave, like they said dont rush, even if time is a factor. Northern cars tend to have rust in all sorts of places. Southern states and western states are great places to look. Lack of salt on the roads. Try to spend some extra time researching and understanding the car. They are a blast to drive and for the most part dependable if taken care of.

Good luck!

[e30 gangsta]

stay away from the salt belt if you can. And good luck

[monty]

A car is only worth what someone is willing to spend on it.