My name is Garrett and yesterday (Sunday, December 6th, 2015) I "purchased" my first ever BMW. This is my first ever build thread on any forum, so bear with me. It's probably gonna be very wordy and I'm sure I'm going to be overcoming loads of learning curves throughout this build.
Here are pictures (added Sunday, December 20th, 2015):
Here's a bit of a background story (left as I typed it the day I made my purchase) into how I've gotten to become an E30 owner:
So, why E30? Well, I was never really a fan of any vehicle pre-2000s until about a year ago. That being said, on December 3rd, 2014, I purchased a 2008 Audi A4 Quattro. I had gotten a new job and overtime was good to me, so I went for it without much thought. It was my first ever manual vehicle, as well as my second car and first ever vehicle purchase (first car was an auto 2004 Honda Accord Coupe from my parents). I'm currently 22 years old, so this was a big deal for me. But it didn't take long for me to realize that the previous owner had left me with a project I was unaware I was getting myself into. The car was listed for $10,500 so I traded in my Accord as down payment and took out a loan for $7,500. About a week into driving the car, CEL. I called up the dealership I bought it from and was told to bring it over to read the code and figure out what they could do to help. They gave me $100 to get a replacement part. Keep in mind, I hadn't done proper research on this car prior to purchase. I was having to take someone else's word for everything. I bought the coolant temperature sensor and replaced it myself. By this time, after lots of procrastination, long work hours/weeks, it had been a couple months. This didn't resolve the issue, so the next step was to change the thermostat. I've been moving around a lot for the past couple of years, so I didn't have the proper tools to change a thermostat on a B7 A4. I was quoted around $500 at my favorite shop, but I decided to let it ride. Next thing you know, I had my cam follower checked (for the first time) and it had worn completely through (common FSI engine issue). Over $1500 in parts and labor later, and I decided to continue putting off that thermostat change. At this point, work had slowed down drastically, to the point I began seeking other employment to make my bill payments, obviously including my car payment. Eventually, I was able to find the best job I've ever had. It allowed my girlfriend and I to move out of her parents' house, where we were previously staying while she went through culinary school (at the time I couldn't afford to move us out on just my income, alone).
My new job provided me with a work vehicle, so, aside from weekend trips to the store and friends' houses, or the occasional restaurant trip, my Audi was just sitting outside, not being driven, while I continued to pay car payments and high insurance (obviously, I had to have full coverage, since it was being financed). It was at this point that I came to full realization and acceptance that I had made an impulse purchase and hadn't really taken the time to decide what type of vehicle I really wanted. I decided I no longer wanted to waste money paying for a car that just sat there all week. On top of that, I couldn't stop daydreaming about owning an E30 after I stumbled upon the /DRIVE video of the tire punishing E30. From there, YouTube videos of both beautiful and beastly E30s became a nightly occurrence. I caught myself losing interest in anything produced [I]after[I] the late 90s (which included my A4). So I posted my Audi on Craigslist, CEL on the dash (fuck it), and waited.
Surprisingly, I got a hit within a couple weeks. The guy was super excited about finding it at its reduced price (still above what I owed, of course), fully aware of the CEL, and checked it out the next day. It was a slightly lengthy process, but I was finally able to hand over the keys early in November. So now I was reduced to driving my girlfriend's automatic Civic outside of work as the search began to find my E30. The main concern was whether or not to purchase one that's mint, or one that's basically a blank canvas, or more like a destroyed canvas that you've got to piece back together before you can even start painting. After looking at many amazing examples on here and all over the internet, I was able to decide what I wanted: a 325i/is, 2-door or 4-, 5-speed, with a running engine, little rust, with absolutely no further regard for the condition of the interior or body (other than it having to be structurally sound/safe), all for as cheap as I could get it.
I searched and searched and just couldn't believe the amount of rollers and E30s with no engines or transmissions for well into the thousands of dollars. I even began to get so discouraged that I looked at 80s and 90s Japanese cars, however, not really keen on leaving the European side of the automotive community that I've grown to really enjoy. Just when I had decided to settle (keep in mind, I'm driving an auto Civic, with a n/a 1.8L, with eco mode at this point) with a cheap 240sx and drop in a 1UZ to hide my tears with maximum tire smoke, I typed "325i" into the search bar of Craigslist's automotive section during my lunch break, set the model year to a maximum of 1991, and ticked the "search nearby areas" box. Just a few listings down, I saw it: an "ugly" Bronzit sedan, sitting on jackstands in a driveway, asking price $1500, "in need of new fuel pump, but otherwise good mechanical condition," along with a mention of replacing that soon. Followed by "has BC Racing coilovers currently installed." I contacted them immediately. I'm in Raleigh, NC and it was located in South Carolina, 30 minutes outside of Charleston. It didn't matter. I spoke to a woman who explained that her husband had been driving it when the fuel pump went and that he'll be replacing it before it sales, included in the asking price. That really didn't even matter, I wanted it, it was listed the lowest I've found a supposedly running E30 that wasn't a 325e/es, and only horrific, irreparable rust could stop me now.
I went down to look at it yesterday, cash in hand, but planned to give a holding deposit so that I could come back and tow it the 4 hours home next weekend, that way they would have time to replace that fuel pump for me. I was so excited, that I did not snap a single picture, but then decided it was best to wait until it has a good hand washing first, anyway. The owner took my deposit of only $200 and gave me the keys with a copy of the clean title. She then offered to let me take it for only $1200 since I had come so far. The remaining balance is being given to her upon my arrival for pickup this weekend and words can't describe how excited I am to begin my first real automotive journey.
I hope that you're not too angry at me for wasting your time with so many words and so little (no) pictures. But once she's in my actual possession, I'll have to upgrade my phone's memory because I won't be able to stop taking pictures. Thank you for (probably not) reading!
Here are pictures (added Sunday, December 20th, 2015):
Here's a bit of a background story (left as I typed it the day I made my purchase) into how I've gotten to become an E30 owner:
So, why E30? Well, I was never really a fan of any vehicle pre-2000s until about a year ago. That being said, on December 3rd, 2014, I purchased a 2008 Audi A4 Quattro. I had gotten a new job and overtime was good to me, so I went for it without much thought. It was my first ever manual vehicle, as well as my second car and first ever vehicle purchase (first car was an auto 2004 Honda Accord Coupe from my parents). I'm currently 22 years old, so this was a big deal for me. But it didn't take long for me to realize that the previous owner had left me with a project I was unaware I was getting myself into. The car was listed for $10,500 so I traded in my Accord as down payment and took out a loan for $7,500. About a week into driving the car, CEL. I called up the dealership I bought it from and was told to bring it over to read the code and figure out what they could do to help. They gave me $100 to get a replacement part. Keep in mind, I hadn't done proper research on this car prior to purchase. I was having to take someone else's word for everything. I bought the coolant temperature sensor and replaced it myself. By this time, after lots of procrastination, long work hours/weeks, it had been a couple months. This didn't resolve the issue, so the next step was to change the thermostat. I've been moving around a lot for the past couple of years, so I didn't have the proper tools to change a thermostat on a B7 A4. I was quoted around $500 at my favorite shop, but I decided to let it ride. Next thing you know, I had my cam follower checked (for the first time) and it had worn completely through (common FSI engine issue). Over $1500 in parts and labor later, and I decided to continue putting off that thermostat change. At this point, work had slowed down drastically, to the point I began seeking other employment to make my bill payments, obviously including my car payment. Eventually, I was able to find the best job I've ever had. It allowed my girlfriend and I to move out of her parents' house, where we were previously staying while she went through culinary school (at the time I couldn't afford to move us out on just my income, alone).
My new job provided me with a work vehicle, so, aside from weekend trips to the store and friends' houses, or the occasional restaurant trip, my Audi was just sitting outside, not being driven, while I continued to pay car payments and high insurance (obviously, I had to have full coverage, since it was being financed). It was at this point that I came to full realization and acceptance that I had made an impulse purchase and hadn't really taken the time to decide what type of vehicle I really wanted. I decided I no longer wanted to waste money paying for a car that just sat there all week. On top of that, I couldn't stop daydreaming about owning an E30 after I stumbled upon the /DRIVE video of the tire punishing E30. From there, YouTube videos of both beautiful and beastly E30s became a nightly occurrence. I caught myself losing interest in anything produced [I]after[I] the late 90s (which included my A4). So I posted my Audi on Craigslist, CEL on the dash (fuck it), and waited.
Surprisingly, I got a hit within a couple weeks. The guy was super excited about finding it at its reduced price (still above what I owed, of course), fully aware of the CEL, and checked it out the next day. It was a slightly lengthy process, but I was finally able to hand over the keys early in November. So now I was reduced to driving my girlfriend's automatic Civic outside of work as the search began to find my E30. The main concern was whether or not to purchase one that's mint, or one that's basically a blank canvas, or more like a destroyed canvas that you've got to piece back together before you can even start painting. After looking at many amazing examples on here and all over the internet, I was able to decide what I wanted: a 325i/is, 2-door or 4-, 5-speed, with a running engine, little rust, with absolutely no further regard for the condition of the interior or body (other than it having to be structurally sound/safe), all for as cheap as I could get it.
I searched and searched and just couldn't believe the amount of rollers and E30s with no engines or transmissions for well into the thousands of dollars. I even began to get so discouraged that I looked at 80s and 90s Japanese cars, however, not really keen on leaving the European side of the automotive community that I've grown to really enjoy. Just when I had decided to settle (keep in mind, I'm driving an auto Civic, with a n/a 1.8L, with eco mode at this point) with a cheap 240sx and drop in a 1UZ to hide my tears with maximum tire smoke, I typed "325i" into the search bar of Craigslist's automotive section during my lunch break, set the model year to a maximum of 1991, and ticked the "search nearby areas" box. Just a few listings down, I saw it: an "ugly" Bronzit sedan, sitting on jackstands in a driveway, asking price $1500, "in need of new fuel pump, but otherwise good mechanical condition," along with a mention of replacing that soon. Followed by "has BC Racing coilovers currently installed." I contacted them immediately. I'm in Raleigh, NC and it was located in South Carolina, 30 minutes outside of Charleston. It didn't matter. I spoke to a woman who explained that her husband had been driving it when the fuel pump went and that he'll be replacing it before it sales, included in the asking price. That really didn't even matter, I wanted it, it was listed the lowest I've found a supposedly running E30 that wasn't a 325e/es, and only horrific, irreparable rust could stop me now.
I went down to look at it yesterday, cash in hand, but planned to give a holding deposit so that I could come back and tow it the 4 hours home next weekend, that way they would have time to replace that fuel pump for me. I was so excited, that I did not snap a single picture, but then decided it was best to wait until it has a good hand washing first, anyway. The owner took my deposit of only $200 and gave me the keys with a copy of the clean title. She then offered to let me take it for only $1200 since I had come so far. The remaining balance is being given to her upon my arrival for pickup this weekend and words can't describe how excited I am to begin my first real automotive journey.
I hope that you're not too angry at me for wasting your time with so many words and so little (no) pictures. But once she's in my actual possession, I'll have to upgrade my phone's memory because I won't be able to stop taking pictures. Thank you for (probably not) reading!
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