To Buy an E30

[tensai]

hi y'all,what should one be aware of when buying a 15 year old e30?i checked out some websites some months back and remember something about the underside of this model being prone to rusting?anyway, are parts hard to come by and are they cheap?what are the components that would require changing for a car of this age?i'm not sure what i'm getting into here.. h34r:

 

[fabianyee]

the pre 89 (Pre-facelift) E30 are prone to rust. Facelifted E30 are better protected.

 

[kevster30]

Hi tensai,

Welcome! Try doing a search as this topic has been discussed countless times.

 

[tensai]

just thought maybe some e30 vets might want to share their war stories.

appreciate the input so far nevertheless.
ta.

 

[fabianyee]

do a search and set the date range to 'ANY DATE'.

 

[ersalle]

Get the 1990 and above E30, the body are galvanised. No rust problems

 

[The Necessary]

I'm towing this to the 3-series forum. The e30 is definitely not a 'classic', yet. Time will tell.

 

[DanPromote]

agree, 15 yrs definately not within the definition of a classic car. I think there are certain requirements for a car to be a classic ie. no of years, rare and desirable. Which means something like a Proton saga after 50 years old will still not be considered as a classic E30 still has a good chance after 50 years, definately fits the years and it is desirable but not sure how rare.

 

[ersalle]

Its becoming a cults car..... a must have one ehhehehehe :nyehehe:

 

[ludavic]

tensai,

definitely get one of the galvanised ones unless u're into the chrome but from my point of view get the galvanised ones... less rust headaches.

also, notice how much u're willing to spend for the car ... say 5k? 10k / 20k or like some hehe 40k.

have in mind whether you want to bulit the car from scratch or done up car ... For me, its better to get it from someone who has already done up the car because he/she would have taken care of the bits and pieces ... that u may not want to deal with Then u style it the way you want it to be later.

bare in mind also the engine ... and wat u want to engine to be in the future ... for example, if you plan to go for 318is engine, its better to get a 318 first then plonk in the engine later. If you plan to go for a m20/b25 (2.5 e30) then purchase one that is already 325.

Like what Kevster said, please read up more about the car from the forum, other forums, website etc and most importantly test out all the possible options (318i, 325i, 318is, auto, manual etc) before buying the car ... take it from me, if you do not ... u may end up frus to max.

 

[pussy]

buy a well done up car..regardless of it's age.. better that you buy and spend money and time doing it..

me, no end of modifying until now.. to my liking and standard..



regards.

 

[tensai]

ya, i'm thinking maybe i should buy that e30 bible that i saw selling in amazon -- "BMW E30-3 Series: Restoration Bible (Brooklands Books) - Andrew Everett"

one thing about a car being done up or not - how does one tell?
if the seller doesn't have a service record (not sure if anyone bothers in this part of the world) does this mean i got to bring the car to some 3rd party for verification?

btw this is a lame question i know but what are the distinguishing features of post '89 models?

 

[kevster30]

Post '89 - plastic bumpers, larger rear lights and lower rear wheel arch

Pre '89 - chrome bumpers, smaller rear lights and higher wheel arch



Here's a post '89 car:

and here's a pre '89 car:

 

[elwine30]

basket kev, do you need to post up both cars with Alpina rims.... :getyourfactsright:

 

[tyke]

tensai dude,welcome to the club.
why dun u pop by to our official tt 2nite and meet the guys and ask us e30 owners the trials and trubulations of owning a pre 89 and post 89 e30....

its at SHOWRU CAFE,in kelana jaya behind the MAS training centre.
we r mostly there from 9.30pm onwards.

rgds,
-brad-

 

[kevster30]

Originally posted by elwine30@Jan 27 2006, 01:14 AM
basket kev, do you need to post up both cars with Alpina rims.... :getyourfactsright:

Must racun the newbie mar....ekekekeke

 

[jeffreyewe]

Get a banged up, rusted e30 and restore it.

That what I did No regrets....until the day I sold it.

 

[DingChavez]

Originally posted by jeffreyewe@Jan 28 2006, 12:50 AM
Get a banged up, rusted e30 and restore it.

That what I did No regrets....until the day I sold it.

way to go Jeff!

Yep, if you have time Tensai, you could do this. I'm doing it right now also. It's painful, torturous and demoralizing....until it's done. Then it's elating, wonderful. It's something because you know your car more inside outside....

ps I'm still on the painful side....

 

[KiNaKa]

Its actually depends on d patient of d people.

if u are not patient , i suggest u buy a facelifted done up one. (higher price of course)

if you are patient one.... good

buy any year u like as long as the price is good , if pre facelift model then u probably need to headache bout the rust problem especially on the front firewall & rear trunk.

you can easily get the motronic engine from the chop shop..$$

there are also complete good condition interior for sale included full set of mtec seats & door cards. or u can choose to re wrap with leather interior as u like.

about the bodykit. browse through internet and choose which one u like... then SLOWLY go and find it....

rims... bottle caps rims are the best la... no headache looking for it..

 

[Teekay]

My advise based on my previous experience. Look at the chasis for any rust or damage. Make sure that the engine don't overheat or air-cond not getting cold if stuck in the jam. Buying a car is pure luck! Sometimes you will get a damn good car which is 20-24 yrs old... sometimes they can be your nightmare even if they are brand new.

Spare parts (old & new) is plenty, depending on how willing is your workshop going to look for you.


Good luck to you....!