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To sell, or not to sell...Some advise or opinions would be greatly appreciated

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    To sell, or not to sell...Some advise or opinions would be greatly appreciated

    For starters, I'm a Senior in high school getting ready to graduate and move away from my parents in the bay area and down to LA for college. I currently drive an automatic 1990 325i.

    A little history, My first car was a 2003 330i 6spd in absolutely pristine condition but I shamefully totaled it screwing around so my father bought this e30 from a mechanic(thinking that 3k was a good price for it in s*** condition.)

    My punishment for crashing was having to manual swap it on my own but that seemed to be a bigger task than anticipated in my current situation. Its currently in the process of getting repainted but my dad has asked me if I want to give it to my sister and he would buy me another car. Once I get to college I don't think I'll be able to do much large scale work on the car since all my tools and garage space will be at my parent's house.

    As the car sits, it has 116,000 miles, leaks oil from multiple locations, the transmission leaks, has blown suspension, the dash is in horrible condition, the entire cooling system needs to be replaced. I pulled the rear subframe out and replaced all suspension bushings with condor UHMW (original plan was to turn into hpde/autocross car to go with my friend and his dad.) I have around 65% of the swap parts needed.

    If I were to keep the e30, my plans would be to restore it to OEM+ condition.

    I love the car and how it drives(even with blown stock suspension), but I don't want it to be a hassle and money pit. Is it worth it to keep it and hope it makes it through college or should I let my dad get me another car for college, what are yall's opinions on this?

    #2
    Originally posted by ryuio11 View Post
    I love the car and how it drives(even with blown stock suspension), but I don't want it to be a hassle and money pit.
    Based on the condition you've described, it's going to be a hassle and it's going to be a money pit. Does that mean you should get something else? Not necessarily. Can you make it work? Probably, but you'd really need to love the car.

    When I was in college 20 years ago I had an old Audi that would constantly need attention. Something was always broken. However, that car is the reason I got into autocross and eventually HPDEs. That car is the reason I learned to work on cars (initially out of necessity and then subsequently out of the joy and sense of accomplishment it brought me). That car is what lead me to reading and contributing to car forums. Looking back at it now, that car really changed my life, interests, and passions in a way a reliable and hassle-free car couldn't. After about 10 years of ownership I got fed up with it and sold it for next to nothing, bought a WRX wagon (to be followed by an STI), and swore off owning anything German ever again out of sheer frustration. Fast forward 16 years later to today I have two BMWs in the garage and couldn't be happier.

    That's my story. I have no idea what you should do. :)

    Comment


      #3
      You're a young fella, with your whole life ahead of you. My advice is, get something reliable, and practical, for college, and get a project when you're done - unless you're committed to spending all your free time, working on/fixing the car, then, by all means...
      '72 2002 pickup | '88 M5 | '89 330is | '89 M3 | '01 Z3M | '11 328xi-t

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        #4
        grab yourself a honda

        you're not going to like owning a project car in college without a space to really work on it.
        Originally posted by wholepailofwater
        Q
        :devil:


        WTB: Dove Grey e36 Front Door Panels (2 door)

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          #5
          A Honda fit has been in my mind recently as my friend got one as a dd so he didn't have to daily his full out track e36 m3 and he's been loving the absolute crap out of it.

          Comment


            #6
            Project car in college is hard but youll meet cool people, in LA there's lots of people to help you too. Mine sat in the lot for extended periods of time not running when I lived on campus with my E30.
            91' 318is 90' 325is

            Originally posted by Sonny
            Buy the E30s, they ain't gonna last long
            E30 can make you, E30 can break you
            "He who controls the Nova's, controls the Boomers"

            Comment


              #7
              What are you likely to major in? Some career paths aren’t as costly in time as others, so after 2 or 3 years that will fly by you may have a different outlook.

              there are still a lot of e30’s around, so letting this one go wont be the end of the world, but buying one in better condition will set you back more money, which can be worth it.

              tough decision, good luck with school.
              My son has the 1987 325e, 2 door, 5speed
              I daily the 1989 325i, 4 door, 5speed

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                #8
                I kept my vintage car for weekends and rode a bike in college. Will your parents let you store the car. A project with your dad would be cool and a good reason to head home for some good food.

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                  #9
                  Get rid of it. You're at a point in your life where the money is better spent on girls, books, weekend trips and food.
                  Drive it hard. Maintain it well.


                  Convertible Technical & Discussion
                  A Topless Memorandum

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                    #10
                    ^What he said. Corolla or Camry, pick your poison.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Do what makes you happy, cars come and go. Don't do what's easy, do what whatever the consequence comes your way you can live with.
                      Youtube channel is up!-->According2Valentine

                      Your signature picture has been removed since it contained the Photobucket "upgrade your account" image.
                      If lucky, the E36 will die peacefully, in its natural habitat, and be given the prestigious honor of donating its parts to an E30
                      Originally posted by J3M93
                      This guy delivers, you are a boss

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                        #12
                        Focus on whats most important while you're in college. Getting as much booty as possible
                        Simon
                        Current Cars:
                        -1999 996.1 911 4/98 3.8L 6-Speed, 21st Century Beetle

                        Make R3V Great Again -2020

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                          #13
                          Cannot properly answer question without more pics of mom/sister
                          If it's got tits or tires, it's gonna cost ya!

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Had a couple of different old Nissans and an e21 through college - none of them cost more than $2k. Can't say any of them got me much booty, but my wife and I have some funny stories we still talk about 20 years later out of the old Nissans (the e21 was an M10 powered 320i and pretty reliable, so less stories with that one!)

                            Got her into an old B110 Nissan too, which she ended up driving for 10 years through two degrees. Eventually we got to a point where we had to either restore it or sell it on to someone as a project & she still regrets selling the car, even though they'd started to hit classic status by then and we made a decent profit on it. Since then she's had two new cars and there's no sense of adventure with those.

                            I'd say if you're up for the challenge, spend the break before college fixing the leaks / suspension & cooling system - you might find it's pretty reliable after that, then chip away slowly at the cosmetic stuff. If you're not up for the potential consequences of fixing things when the car breaks down inconveniently, grab the Fit (and enjoy the many other things you get out of college without having the most unreliable car in class) :)
                            My e30: OEM+ with M30B35

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                              #15
                              Originally posted by Stanley Rockafella View Post
                              Cannot properly answer question without more pics of mom/sister
                              Simon
                              Current Cars:
                              -1999 996.1 911 4/98 3.8L 6-Speed, 21st Century Beetle

                              Make R3V Great Again -2020

                              Comment

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