How much is your e30s upkeep?

[nando]

I have no idea - sometimes I buy parts for my car and never have time to instal them. probably less than $100/month though. I haven't had to do anything to it other than oil changes in about a year.

[Oofie_SD]

You'll find another. They're not a dime a dozen, but they aren't as rare as the almighty Dodge Colt. Talk about a rare specimen...

Yeah, I guess I just need to be more patient and check cl and the for sale forum here every hour.

[Jesse30]

100,000 dollars. easily.

[z31maniac]

About to drop about a thousand to put new wheel bearings, LCA's, CAB's, motor tranny and diff mounts, tie rod assemblies, sway bar end links, rotors and HAWK HP+ brake pads.

But the car had the other big stuff done recently. And it already has the other suspension goodies.

[z31maniac]

I mean, if you have to ask you can't afford it.

[Oofie_SD]

I mean, if you have to ask you can't afford it.

Yeah, thats why I'm asking...I'm afraid I can't afford it

[rThor432]

E30's are dirt cheap to own and maintain. But then again, anything is when you are in the business of servicing cars.

Also, when I say E30's are cheap to own and maintain, I admit I have more than $10k including purchase price and maintenance. The car is still not exactly where I want it to be.

But even if I had a Civic it would take that much to get it right and keep it that way. With the CCA discount (which is all I had for years) parts at the dealer are cheap enough. Eventually you get to know the parts manager well and he starts giving you stuff below wholesale cost. That's nice too.

[z31maniac]

Yeah, thats why I'm asking...I'm afraid I can't afford it

As long as you can due your own work, or find a friend and bribe them with beer and food to help, parts aren't too bad.

Just keep in mind the newest E30 is 17 years old. There are going to little and possibly big problems that need to be taken care of.

That being said, I'd walk away from one that didn't have a maintenance history, unless it was just dirt cheap. Then the first thing to do would be Timing belt/water pump, change/flush ALL fluids, and give it a tune up.

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

I am glad the OP is asking about the upkeep, because the last thing we need is someone diving into E30 ownership not knowing what to expect and walking away with a horrible impression on E30s, also leaving just one more E30 stranded with a bad owner that will abuse it.

[StereoInstaller1]

I am glad the OP is asking about the upkeep, because the last thing we need is someone diving into E30 ownership not knowing what to expect and walking away with a horrible impression on E30s, also leaving just one more E30 stranded with a bad owner that will abuse it.

Yeah...no shit right there..."I gotz coilovers, why do i ned to change the timin belt?"

[Huff]

Just a little bit of my heart and soul everyday..

Plus, a few dead relationships with girlfriends.

[DEV0 E30]

I would say $2,000 - $3,000 per month to upkeep the E30.

Modding doesn't equal upkeep.

As long as you get an E30 and aren't swapping motors it should be a relatively cheap car to maintain. If you get an E30, do all of the work yourself and stay with an M20 and actually replace the timing belt you will have the money left over for suspension. Maintaining these cars is not hard, saying no to modding them is.

[E30 Cabrio]

As long as you can due your own work, or find a friend and bribe them with beer and food to help, parts aren't too bad.

Just keep in mind the newest E30 is 17 years old. There are going to little and possibly big problems that need to be taken care of.

That being said, I'd walk away from one that didn't have a maintenance history, unless it was just dirt cheap. Then the first thing to do would be Timing belt/water pump, change/flush ALL fluids, and give it a tune up.

I tried to make the same point in a different thread. A car without records is a good indication that it was neglected and will be much more costly to bring up to par.

I too would walk away from an E30 without service/repair history/records.

These cars are inexpensive to maintain and own if you can do some basic wrenching and aren't afraid to get your hands dirty.

As mentioned, little things like switches and such tend to fail after 20 years, which are inexpensive and plentiful on the internet.

Other things can be more costly, but if you find a car that was taken care of by the previous owner(s) and have a history, it'll be much less surprises and you'll know what's been done and by who and what hasn't been addressed.

Overall, these cars are dependable, inexpensive to maintain and will run forever if basic maintenance was and is followed.

Avoid Auto Transmissions as they are slugs and tend to fail after around 150K miles and are a major expense to rebuild.

Other then that, read up on them and be prepared to fix little things along the way, with the occasional more major expense once in a while depending on previous history, mileage and driving habits.

Also, the "i" motor will be more powerful then the "e" motor, but MPG will suffer slightly. But given the choice, almost everyone would take an "i" over an "e"

And, the "is" is the "sport" model which has the upgraded suspension and usually some other goodies like Premium Sound system, Map Light Mirror, Sport Seats, Sport steering wheel, power sun roof, 13 button On Board Computer, Front air dam, rear lip spoiler, etc..

Bottom line is, do your homework, do lots of reading and be patient and get a car that was taken care of by the previous owners and don't become emotionally attached to a car.

It took me over 6 months to find the right car, and this is in the SF Bay Area where E30's are plentiful.

[Oofie_SD]

Thanks guys! I have read up and is set on getting an 89-91 325i/s because i like the plastic bumpers more. I just wanted to make sure that the e30 isn't a money pit unlike my old e46.

[funcrew]

Usually you end up spending the most when you purchase the car because the PO didn't maintain a damn thing. (at least for the cars ive bought) After the initial maintenance they are cheap to run.

That's my '89 Convertible in spades. Fixing the PO's deferred maintenance plus upgrading the suspension properly, plus stuff that rots out on any car at the 20 year mark, is going to cost me a lot more that what I paid for the car. But, it's not all bad news:

1. I shouldn't have much maintenance costs for a long time - my car has 63K miles on it, and I'm replacing dang near every wear part on it.

2. The parts (both replacement and performance) are amazingly cheap - much cheaper than parts for my old Ford Explorer.

3. The grin effect with the top down makes all the work worth it.

4. Heated seats in an old jalopy - ahhhhh.