Finally back into an e30: ‘88 Alpine on Blue 325ic cruiser build

[IRON-E]

Remember the old wise words *less is more* you definitely seem mature enough, I say stay OE+. Oh and vendors are Gutenparts.com, Blunttech.com and FCPeuro in that order.

[Reichart12]

The style is all about what you want. The things you listed that made people "the coolest" are still sought after but I would say those parts are harder to find and more expensive thus prohibitive to some. Staying original is for low mileage survivor cars, although 108k miles is relatively low, I would still say modify it to your heart's desire. That's not a time capsule. For the engine, a m50 isn't as drastic as an upgrade over a m20 as I'm sure it was 10-15 years ago. So many different swaps have been documented so you're not limited there. And final thing from me, my go to vendor is Blunttech. All the parts, good prices, and extremely easy to work with.

Post some pics!!!

[dmanb2b]

As I research I see there being an interesting split of mindsets - if your car has nice paint and interior then keep it original, if not, do motor swaps, cage it, and make it a drifter/racer.

^^^^this

[Mastrcruse]

Seems like lots of things have changed! I am awaiting the arrival of my “new” e30 and I’ve been out of the e30 scene for 10-15 years. I’ve been researching and it seems like LOTS has changed. Most vendors seemed to have changed or gone under. Back in the day everyone wanted Mtech 1 and 2 but recently I was told to keep the diving board bumpers cause they “are original and different”. Saw others suggesting against motor swaps and keeping the fine M20 under the hood. H&R springs were the go to and you either dumped it with Race springs or daily drove with sports....and now I’m seeing air suspensions and people sticking with the 4x100 wheels.

When I was in last it was - Short shift kit from a Z3 or other BMW that received a shorter throw shifter, Mtech exterior, Mtech steering wheels, BBS wheels (if you had money) or Kopis (if you didn’t want to spend $3K on wheels), H&R springs, Bilstein shocks, and smiley’s. S50s, 5 lug swaps, and convertible hard tops made you the coolest

So before I get the car (being transported), bring me up to speed. Who are the go to vendors? Is it about originality and classic design? As I research I see there being an interesting split of mindsets - if your car has nice paint and interior then keep it original, if not, do motor swaps, cage it, and make it a drifter/racer.

Thanks and glad to be back! I’ll post a thread of the new car when it arrives.

The new car is an ‘88 alpine on blue convertible 5-speed with 108k miles. I’ve mainly only had red e30’s so I’m having a hard time visualizing colors but thinking white, blue, and brushed (don’t think I can do the storm trooper look with the blue interior). Has all the major maintenance stuff done to it. Deciding the direction of the build so I’ll drive it for a while before changing anything. No longer a broke ass college student, I can build the car from mild to wild but want it to be comfortable to drive to work a few times a week but be unique. So many things to figure out!