Is it worth fixing...

[esheg4ever23]

Hi, I'm new to the board, I recently started getting into E30's, and my uncle gave me his '91 325i, but it has way too many problems. I need opinions on whether I should repair it or sell it/trade it in for one with less problems. Ok here's a list of everything thats wrong with it:

Brakes are GONE
Suspension is gone
Power steering makes loud sounds
Doors don't lock from the outside, you have to lock it from the inside then close the door
Cracked dash
Odometer Broken
When you open the trunk and look to the right where the trunk lid seals onto the chassis, there is a rust spot about 5 inches long
The tires are cracked, because it was in storage for about 3 years
The inside of the car smells like antifreeze after driving for a few minutes, I'm guessing it's a leak.

That's all I could think of for now, what do you guys suggest for me to do? Is it worth fixing? Also if I decide to repair how much would the major things cost just to get it to daily driving condition? Thanks.

[Aptyp]

Umm, buddy, every one on this forum got their cars in pretty much the same shape, and then worked their ass off to fix everything.

HELL YEAH ITS WORTH IT.

[esheg4ever23]

Haha that's what I'm telling my uncle but he keeps sayin nah it's not worth it the costs will cost more than the car itself, but I'm totally down to do it I have money set aside too. How much would this all cost to get it to a daily driving condition?

[318isbmw]

Of course its gonna cost more than what the car's worth. Yes you'll be able to get it to daily driver condition, but depends on what you wanna do to get it there. If you go all stock then it'd be cheaper than modding everything as you go. Personally I like the e30 cuz as stuff breaks I throw aftermarket stuff in its place. A lot easier to build the perfect car out of a cheap car than buy a newer car and then go modifying it.

[willybustaE30]

Haha that's what I'm telling my uncle but he keeps sayin nah it's not worth it the costs will cost more than the car itself, but I'm totally down to do it I have money set aside too. How much would this all cost to get it to a daily driving condition?

if you got it for free, i spend a couple grand on it.

motor & drivetrain, then suspension , then feel good mods.

[esheg4ever23]

Of course its gonna cost more than what the car's worth. Yes you'll be able to get it to daily driver condition, but depends on what you wanna do to get it there. If you go all stock then it'd be cheaper than modding everything as you go. Personally I like the e30 cuz as stuff breaks I throw aftermarket stuff in its place. A lot easier to build the perfect car out of a cheap car than buy a newer car and then go modifying it.

Well mostly stock but I do want to upgrade some things here and there, for sure I'll upgrade the suspension and brakes, but lets just say if I were to revert it to stock, including the door lock problem, rust spot, everything, how much would it roughly cost around? I need a good idea of how much I'm going to spend before I do anything, as I'm kind of on a budget because I'm using the same money to get a Mazdaspeed3

[E30 Wagen]

Definitely fix it. Any e30 with a solid body is worth getting back on the road. Seriously, the things you listed are nothing and easy to fix.

[esheg4ever23]

if you got it for free, i spend a couple grand on it.

motor & drivetrain, then suspension , then feel good mods.

Yeah it was free, I think I might take it to TNG Auto and have them check it out. I'm only 20 minutes from them.

[nando]

2/3rds of the stuff you listed are maintenance items (brakes, suspension, tires, etc).

[esheg4ever23]

Yeah I guess, so roughly around 2k is what I should expect to spend?

[nando]

honestly I think you could easily fix all of that stuff for $2k - shocks/springs, tires, brakes, and the rest you can get from parts cars and a bit of elbow grease.

your PS sounds like it's just low on fluid - probably leaking from the hoses or banjo fittings. if it's the banjo fittings, replace the 10 cent crush washers. it could also be the rack, in which case you can use one from an E36 with some work - they cost around $100-$150 used.

[eric (^__^)]

ball joints, a thermostat some anti squeal on the brakes and you should be good to go

don't forget to slap some turbs

(welcome, spirit brother)

[esheg4ever23]

honestly I think you could easily fix all of that stuff for $2k - shocks/springs, tires, brakes, and the rest you can get from parts cars and a bit of elbow grease.

your PS sounds like it's just low on fluid - probably leaking from the hoses or banjo fittings. if it's the banjo fittings, replace the 10 cent crush washers. it could also be the rack, in which case you can use one from an E36 with some work - they cost around $100-$150 used.

Sounds good, so if I want to just upgrade my suspension all at once should I take it to TNG and they'll take care of the rest? or do I have to buy the parts myself?

[1991 318is]

You didn't mention mileage. The condition of the engine and drivetrain are important considerations. Also rust you can see usually means there's some you can't. I would definitely have the unibody checked for rust and structural integrity. If it has a solid body, engine, and transmission I would go for it.

[esheg4ever23]

The odometer stopped working after 150k miles, I'd say it has about 165-170k