325is car buying advice
I am looking at buying this 325is that someone came to me with when I made a wtb ad, I am in Ontario Canada so minimal or rust free cars are very hard to find and the market even for a semi clean 318 or 325 is minimum $10000-$15000, so I have this 325is with an m50 swap offered to me for 7-8k the catch is that the oil pan was ripped off and has not driven since, he has a new oil pan and it just needs an oil pump but advice from my mechanic is to negotiate as if the engine is garbage because there is no way for me to test it and when insurance hears the oil pan came off they immediately write off the whole car, I was planning on offering $5000 for it but was looking for feedback as to what one would be worth without an engine and any buying tips you may have
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That floor doesn't look to hot. Whats up with that?
They did half the trouble of getting the carpet out to look for rust.
usually rust at Gas pedal, Trans mounting interior, front "Jack points" , Frame rail areas on firewall, Rocker seems. Of course batter box and on the adjacent side of the trunk.
Most all are going to need everything, So if the rust is manageable its worth dumping the money into.
Its worth the extra couple grand not to finish someone elses can of worm.Last edited by moatilliatta; 03-23-2021, 12:35 PM. -
Op, being in Western Canada, I know the struggle in finding a nice e30 (or any e30). Been part of the "crowd" since the early 00's.
Most (including this one) will need substantial rebuilt work. The seller is not disclosing everything, and this car needs a LOT of work to get into any reasonable driving status.
Id offer him a serious bid of 4k and don't go any higher than 5k. That's about the value of parting this car out in its current state (as that's what it is at this point).
good luck
If it's got tits or tires, it's gonna cost ya!Comment
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run away. screaming. seriously........'72 2002 pickup | '88 M5 | '89 330is | '89 M3 | '01 Z3M | '11 328xi-t
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That's easy for you to say, your on the West coastOriginally posted by e30austin View Post
You should come up here. The majority of e30's are nothing but a distant memory.
Despite their exclusivity, they don't sell for the prices they fetch in the US.
You'd think that since they are more rare they'd fetch higher prices...but that ain't the case.If it's got tits or tires, it's gonna cost ya!Comment
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I think that’s what I’ll do, the ultimate goal is to eventually ls swap it anyways but being a student don’t want to waste a ton of money right nowOriginally posted by Stanley Rockafella View PostComment
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If you're still thinking about buying it, make sure you have a place that it can sit for at least a month without moving. It's definitely a project car.Comment
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Man, I'm glad I'm not trying to buy an E30 these days!
That thing looks like a heap to me - but I get that the market for E30s has to be tough in eastern Canada. I see rust in places I'd rather not (and there aren't very many pictures) but maybe that's not too rusty for the northeast. As long as you're good with the price and with the understanding that it's going to be a project and is going to need money to bring it back, I say go for it. The days of $1500 mint E30s are long gone at this point, unless you get extremely lucky..Comment
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Can't you import a California or Arizona car?
I read it's pretty easy to import an older car to Canada from Japan.
Why would you pay $15,000 to replace all rusted panels and repaint a car?Comment
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***UPDATE I ended up picking it up for $5200, there is some more work that needs done that wasn’t disclosed but it is a project and I do have another parts car already that will save on the cost, the paint and interior is very good but going to deal with the rust issues and motor over the next monthComment
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