I've had been searching for an E30 for about 10 months before stumbling across this one. The E30 appeals to me for all the usual reasons that make older cars appealing - light weight, analog feeling, relatively simple design/styling. Aside from those usual things, I gravitated toward the E30 more than my other options due to its eminent practicality and "jack of all trades" sort of utility. Sometimes practicality really counts for a lot, especially for something I had planned to use as a daily driver (plan has probably changed, but more on that later)
Suffice to say, lots of feverish perusal of Craigslist ads and frenzied calls to sellers were made for cars that I missed. In Texas, the good ones seem to go fast.
Finally this one came up, happily on the exact same day that I received a new job offer. Even more luckily, I was going to be traveling to a friend's house in Dallas where this car was located. It was around 2 pm and the car had been posted at 10 am for $4250. I called the seller immediately, built rapport like a boss, and luckily had him agree to hold the car for me to see it in 2 days. I'm glad I did this and don't think that the car would have lasted very long if I would have waited. This would also be my first manual transmission car, but when it comes to a 318is for $4250, learning stick on the car you just bought is a small detail.
Here are some pics. Car has been resprayed.
Anyway, the car. As I've dug into the car I still think the price was okay (in the end I paid $4600 so he would take down the ad), but perhaps not the screaming bargain that I had initially thought. There are a lot of little things with it, with some things done by the previous owner that I found amusing/shitty. Hey, we were all 18 once. I did some stupid stuff with my 240 so I can understand it. Here are a few: roll bar behind front seats bolted to floor pan (I'm no mechanic, but this is dopey, right? haha), aftermarket carpet layed OVER OEM carpet, NO AIR FILTER ELEMENT, stuff like that.
It's got some Magnaflow muffler that sounds really good, just a little drone. Also speedo seems to read high, the tach low - when I was first revving the engine I was thinking damn this really is a race car, sounds like it's at 7k RPMs when it's really only at 4! Well, I'm thinking the tach is just busted.
The first order of business was to find out where the leaks were coming from, assess any rust damage, and get it fixed. About a week after getting it I pulled out the carpet and seats, and found this:
I want to repair this the proper way, which I think means bringing it to somebody who can weld in some patches. The rust doesn't go through the floor pan in any area. Any thoughts?
Today I changed the oil, air filter, and fuel filter. Here's what the immediate to-do list looks like:
-brake fluid flush
-cooling system
-timing chain tensioner (preventative)
-valve cover gasket/inspect timing gears
-fix lumpy idle (actually found out this only happens with A/C on - just dips and goes up, dips and goes up, again and again)
-replace low/high beam lamps on both sides (H5006 lamps are proving difficult to find)
-e-brake rebuild
-hoses
I really want to firm of the brake pedal and fix the cooling system so I can take this thing to the autocross. I'm not about to drive it hard until I can be confident that the engine is running well and not hot, as I'd like to keep the block/head in rebuildable condition if possible.
The most pressing issue right now is the "hot" smell that I get when the car is warmed up. That, and the fact that the engine bay/parts are ridiculously hot after normal driving, makes me think the engine is running hot. The temperature gauge stays pretty steady at 1/4 but I don't trust it. Of course, I might be smelling something else but I want to make sure.
Probably going to be doing some cooling system troubleshooting next weekend. I can tell that the car has green coolant which was low when I picked the car up. Fingers are crossed that it isn't anything too serious, really the only thing that would really ruin my day is a cracked or corroded head, as I'd like to keep this car numbers matching if possible.
Until then, I'm happy to let this car sit in the garage, working on it when I can. The repaint is pretty nice except for a little orange peel, and I'm not in a hurry to start acquiring love taps and things from the rigors of daily driving.
Driving impressions/comparison to 240: The first thing that really amazed me was during the drive home on the highway I had a chance to just cruise, relax free from the effort of learning stick, and I noticed that the competence with which the car soaks up mileage is amazing for its size. Looking at the driver oriented dash and listening to the sewing-machine sounding engine, the word that kept popping into my head was "competence". I think I understand what people mean by German cars being serious. It just feels like a very competent machine on the highway, especially with the rebuilt suspension.
I can't really offer a fair comparison with my 240SX, as that poor car has original suspension with 150k, is automatic, etc. I do notice the difference in engine characteristic with the M42 being much more free and quick revving. It feels very racey and responsive in comparison. The E30 is more upright, and it feels it from the driver seat. The 240 feels lower. I love how close you are to the dash in the E30 - driving position is good.
It's also the little things that I've noticed. I've heard people say that the E30 has pretty nice interior materials quality and I've always thought "pfft, it's from the 80s, how nice can it be," but dammit if it isn't a very nice place to be! The door panels, dash material, etc. is definitely a step above.
Another thing is the design. The little connectors and things seem to have a nice positivity, a little tactile 'click' to let you know they are secure. It's things like that that make the car so nice to work on. If this is the way the Germans do things, I might be converted. Sometimes I open the trunk just to close it to hear it's solid "thunk." Driver's side door closes with almost no effort whatsoever - passenger requires a little more force.
Anyway, I think that's all for now. I'll be updating this thread periodically as I do things to the car.
Suffice to say, lots of feverish perusal of Craigslist ads and frenzied calls to sellers were made for cars that I missed. In Texas, the good ones seem to go fast.
Finally this one came up, happily on the exact same day that I received a new job offer. Even more luckily, I was going to be traveling to a friend's house in Dallas where this car was located. It was around 2 pm and the car had been posted at 10 am for $4250. I called the seller immediately, built rapport like a boss, and luckily had him agree to hold the car for me to see it in 2 days. I'm glad I did this and don't think that the car would have lasted very long if I would have waited. This would also be my first manual transmission car, but when it comes to a 318is for $4250, learning stick on the car you just bought is a small detail.
Here are some pics. Car has been resprayed.
Anyway, the car. As I've dug into the car I still think the price was okay (in the end I paid $4600 so he would take down the ad), but perhaps not the screaming bargain that I had initially thought. There are a lot of little things with it, with some things done by the previous owner that I found amusing/shitty. Hey, we were all 18 once. I did some stupid stuff with my 240 so I can understand it. Here are a few: roll bar behind front seats bolted to floor pan (I'm no mechanic, but this is dopey, right? haha), aftermarket carpet layed OVER OEM carpet, NO AIR FILTER ELEMENT, stuff like that.
It's got some Magnaflow muffler that sounds really good, just a little drone. Also speedo seems to read high, the tach low - when I was first revving the engine I was thinking damn this really is a race car, sounds like it's at 7k RPMs when it's really only at 4! Well, I'm thinking the tach is just busted.
The first order of business was to find out where the leaks were coming from, assess any rust damage, and get it fixed. About a week after getting it I pulled out the carpet and seats, and found this:
I want to repair this the proper way, which I think means bringing it to somebody who can weld in some patches. The rust doesn't go through the floor pan in any area. Any thoughts?
Today I changed the oil, air filter, and fuel filter. Here's what the immediate to-do list looks like:
-brake fluid flush
-cooling system
-timing chain tensioner (preventative)
-valve cover gasket/inspect timing gears
-fix lumpy idle (actually found out this only happens with A/C on - just dips and goes up, dips and goes up, again and again)
-replace low/high beam lamps on both sides (H5006 lamps are proving difficult to find)
-e-brake rebuild
-hoses
I really want to firm of the brake pedal and fix the cooling system so I can take this thing to the autocross. I'm not about to drive it hard until I can be confident that the engine is running well and not hot, as I'd like to keep the block/head in rebuildable condition if possible.
The most pressing issue right now is the "hot" smell that I get when the car is warmed up. That, and the fact that the engine bay/parts are ridiculously hot after normal driving, makes me think the engine is running hot. The temperature gauge stays pretty steady at 1/4 but I don't trust it. Of course, I might be smelling something else but I want to make sure.
Probably going to be doing some cooling system troubleshooting next weekend. I can tell that the car has green coolant which was low when I picked the car up. Fingers are crossed that it isn't anything too serious, really the only thing that would really ruin my day is a cracked or corroded head, as I'd like to keep this car numbers matching if possible.
Until then, I'm happy to let this car sit in the garage, working on it when I can. The repaint is pretty nice except for a little orange peel, and I'm not in a hurry to start acquiring love taps and things from the rigors of daily driving.
Driving impressions/comparison to 240: The first thing that really amazed me was during the drive home on the highway I had a chance to just cruise, relax free from the effort of learning stick, and I noticed that the competence with which the car soaks up mileage is amazing for its size. Looking at the driver oriented dash and listening to the sewing-machine sounding engine, the word that kept popping into my head was "competence". I think I understand what people mean by German cars being serious. It just feels like a very competent machine on the highway, especially with the rebuilt suspension.
I can't really offer a fair comparison with my 240SX, as that poor car has original suspension with 150k, is automatic, etc. I do notice the difference in engine characteristic with the M42 being much more free and quick revving. It feels very racey and responsive in comparison. The E30 is more upright, and it feels it from the driver seat. The 240 feels lower. I love how close you are to the dash in the E30 - driving position is good.
It's also the little things that I've noticed. I've heard people say that the E30 has pretty nice interior materials quality and I've always thought "pfft, it's from the 80s, how nice can it be," but dammit if it isn't a very nice place to be! The door panels, dash material, etc. is definitely a step above.
Another thing is the design. The little connectors and things seem to have a nice positivity, a little tactile 'click' to let you know they are secure. It's things like that that make the car so nice to work on. If this is the way the Germans do things, I might be converted. Sometimes I open the trunk just to close it to hear it's solid "thunk." Driver's side door closes with almost no effort whatsoever - passenger requires a little more force.
Anyway, I think that's all for now. I'll be updating this thread periodically as I do things to the car.
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