Just Bought an E30! What should be the first things that I should do

[Rockardo]

I just bought my E30just about a week ago and just bought brakes for it but being so little educated on E30s I was wanting to know what kind of stuff should be done or like any cool mods and things of that sort that I should look into

[amcp]

Check valve gaps, timing belt, tensioner, water pump. M20 E30s will run forever so long as those 4 things are maintained.

[roguetoaster]

Do no maintenance, just clean it up and flip it on BaT or similar after driving it no more than 50 miles. Seems like the most popular course of action for new E30 owners today.

Alternately, you could spend hours reading this forum for ideas, and choose ones that will suit your desire/ability/budget.

[Rockardo]

Check valve gaps, timing belt, tensioner, water pump. M20 E30s will run forever so long as those 4 things are maintained.

The previous owner did all of that apparently but im probably gonna do it myself still as a precaution

[Rockardo]

Do no maintenance, just clean it up and flip it on BaT or similar after driving it no more than 50 miles. Seems like the most popular course of action for new E30 owners today.

Alternately, you could spend hours reading this forum for ideas, and choose ones that will suit your desire/ability/budget.

Nah this one is a keep for a longgg time

[RobE30]

Do no maintenance, just clean it up and flip it on BaT or similar after driving it no more than 50 miles. Seems like the most popular course of action for new E30 owners today.

Alternately, you could spend hours reading this forum for ideas, and choose ones that will suit your desire/ability/budget.

I've wasted (invested) hundreds if not thousands of hours on this site during my almost 19 years of owning my E30. There are so many different ways to waste or invest your money into these cars. Most important is enjoy the car, don't crash it and don't let drunk friends drive it. Peace

[mike.bmw]

What should you do? Start a build thread. And post lots of photos. :-)

Change all the fluids. Drive it a lot. See what breaks. Fix it. Drive it some more.

[ZEKTI]

2nd on the build thread. One thing that’s not maintenance per say but your should do if original is the soft fuel and brake lines. Every year I see more and more e30s catch fire due or 30yo hoses. If you DIY it won’t be too bad. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[McGyver]

Clean everything: take the seat out and shampoo the carpet, degrease the engine bay, clean all the buttons/knobs, clean all the surfaces. While you're doing that, make a list of everything that's broken so you can start making plans to repair it. If you don't already have basic tools, buy a "mechanic's tool set". Buy a copy of the Bentley manual.

The coolest mod fixing problems that make the car unreliable. It's pretty cool to have a car that starts every time and isn't a deathtrap.

[McGyver]

if original is the soft fuel and brake lines. Every year I see more and more e30s catch fire due or 30yo hoses.

This. inspect your brake soft-lines (by the wheels) for cracking. Replace them if they're bad. Check your fuel lines in the engine bay, by the fuel filter, and by the fuel pump. Replace dry rotted lines before driving. They will split, and they will catch on fire.

[dnguyen1963]

No, the first thing you do on this forum is to post a pic of your significant other. Otherwise, you'll get a lot of weird comments.

[ZEKTI]

No, the first thing you do on this forum is to post a pic of your significant other. Otherwise, you'll get a lot of weird comments.

That’s BFC OT.shifty Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[MrBurgundy]

No, the first thing you do on this forum is to post a pic of your significant other. Otherwise, you'll get a lot of weird comments.

Yeah, do this before I start asking weird questions

then change your timing belt and post it on BaT with a 15k reserve

[roguetoaster]

Yeah, do this before I start asking weird questions

then change your timing belt and post it on BaT with a 15k reserve

Insert Denzel my man gif here.

[Vincenze]

Look here, the value increased from $500 to $30,000.
https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/for...318is-restomod



Look here. The value increased from $250 to $31,000.
https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/for...ern-drivetrain



Look here. The guy paid $70k to a shop to modify his car, but lost his investment when he sold it.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1986-bmw-325e-24/