Did you…

[Erick]

I didnt for my 325i and I regret it. Ask TJ..... he stayed under my car for an hour and even he got fed up with the ghetto rigs my car has.

[nando]

no, I checked it out as thoroughly as I could myself though. and I had maintanence records dating back to the original owner and warranty period, plus the car had just been fully serviced by a shop (brakes, tune up, fluids, etc) when I bought it. :)

[hamann318is]

Dealer serviced with all records. Once my dad gave it the look over and drive, he ok'ed it. So no inspection.

Made the 4 hour drive back in traffic perfectly fine, but I noticed a massive increase in responce after doing a tune up (right after I bought it).

[e30sd]

nope, did everything short of a leakdown, which would have shown that the rings were complete and utter shit. fuck hamik.

learned my lesson, regardless :roll:

[BimmerToad]

nope, did everything short of a leakdown, which would have shown that the rings were complete and utter shit. fuck hamik.

How about checking the wiring?

I had mine inspected and found out the M42 under the hood is very strong. (leak down %s 100-96% ;) )

[MichaelH]

I have had plenty of e30's, and the only one I had inspected was the M3. 325's, 318's, etc are pretty straightforward, so anyone with reasonable mechanical aptitude and car experience can see if there is anything major wrong. The e30 M3 on the other hand is a little different. I would have an M3 inspected by someone who knows them; the rest of them...just use your judgement and make your own decision.

[e30sd]

nope, did everything short of a leakdown, which would have shown that the rings were complete and utter shit. fuck hamik.

How about checking the wiring?

I had mine inspected and found out the M42 under the hood is very strong. (leak down %s 100-96% ;) )

haha, "it's another case of hamik's handywork..."

[Bokes]

i looked it over, but i bought it from a reputable shop who also races BMW's that is local, so yeah, it had been taken care of. had a huge folder of records and reciepts. still havent had any problems with it *knock on wood also*.

[Den]

Yeah, I've paid for it before, but if a car drives well and has a decent service history, I wouldn't bother with paying someone to inspect it unless you are completely inexperienced or are paying an extreme sum for an E30. The items that the inspector says need attention can be used to negotiate with the seller, but if the price is already good, how much lower can it go?

Buyer: "The mechanic who inspected it says that this car needs a new guibo, and that's a $200 job."
Seller: "I don't care. The price is $2k, as is."

$70 wasted on an inspection.
Of course, the seller might come down $200, but he might have done that anyhow for any random reason, or just because you said 'pretty please.'

Spend $20(frequently on sale at Pep Boys) on a pair of lightweight, portable, plastic Rhino Ramps so you can look underneath with a bright flashlight for leaks, rust, cracks in the guibo, etc.

http://www.7453217467431.com/products/productDetails.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=3730423&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2507387&affID=39901&bmUID=1097717525875

Probably half of a car's value is determined by cosmetic condition, and you can certainly inspect that for yourself.