looking at these e30's what do you think?

positivenote

Hi guys, ive decided to get meself a weekend car, an e30, as its something ive always wanted. Dont know anything about cars in all honesty but have always wanted an e30 since being a youngfella. im looking at these 2 and was looking for opinions on what people with more experience think of them... good deal, things to look out for etc...
ideally i want to get a car that needs no work done to it but can be looked after and driven only at weekends.
thanks for any advice given

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/977830
http://conachys.webzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=Car&carID=200937195168574&message=Your%20search%20returned%20one%20vehicle%2C%20which%20is%20shown%20below%2E&CFID=9508445&CFTOKEN=50140414

Boardmaster

Very nice. have always loved the shape of the E30. I think the grey 89 has a tow bar if this makes a difference to you.

would be tempted by the 318is but think you should try and knock down the price a bit as it seems a touch on the steep side.:)

Stevie Dakota

Have you tried asking here?

http://www.e30zone.net/

rebel.ranter

Hi OP,
I love the e30, I owned 3 of them over the years. It is unlikely that you will find a 1989-1991 car that does not need work done to them. There is always a list of things that need to be done. For me that is the "fun" in owning such a car.

I see that the 318iS is missing its original lip spoiler, the iS is a great engine but it is renowned for blowing head gaskets. If it were me I would get this checked out. Or even changed on purchase to avoid damaging the cylinder head in future.
All the rubber bushes are probably mush in these cars but they are cheap enough to replace. Likewise all the coolant hoses are probably weakened & shoudl be changed, again for peace of mind. In fact a complete overhaul of the cooling system would be recommended, new thermostat, waterpump, radiator cap (these were a recall on most e30s) & radiator pressure tested & new coolant.
Any preventative maintenance you undertake will definitely boost your confidence in the car's reliability.
Check under & around the rear wheel arches, boot, sparewheel well, near wiper arm holes in sunroof channels for rust. These are known areas of rust.
Make sure the sunroof opens & closes easily, it is a slightly tricky task to get the working properly again.

There are a gazillion other little jobs that you could do but the ones above are probably most critical. (e.g. A new set of shocks & springs & other serviceable suspension components. Alternator overhaul, starter motor overhaul, camshaft oil rail replacement, exhaust mountings, flexible brake pipe replacement, fuel pump replacement). It depends on how far you want togo & how long you intend keeping the car.

znv6i3h7kqf9ys

Look for a convertable if it's going to be a weekend car. Don't really like soft tops but the E30 is an exception. Also the 6 cylinder engines are better

rebel.ranter

Lyanna Broad Super wrote: »

Look for a convertable if it's going to be a weekend car. Don't really like soft tops but the E30 is an exception. Also the 6 cylinder engines are better

I woudl say the 318iS is a better car than the 320i, if you are going 6cylinder go for the 325i. If it is a weekend car the 318iS woudl be better on road tax/insurance.

znv6i3h7kqf9ys

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/(E30)-Co/200840190266373/advert?channel=CARS

rebel.ranter

Lyanna Broad Super wrote: »

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/(E30)-Co/200840190266373/advert?channel=CARS

Awful bodykit & hate the blue piping....sorry man! And €11,950 my arse!

Much nicer bus for half the money:

http://www.cbg.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=3448516

for a clean but not necessarily cheap e30 I would be looking here:

http://pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=819

positivenote

cheers all, rebel.ranter thats some list is it recomended to get someone who knows about this type of car to give the whole thing an overhaul with the stuff that you mentioned or are they little things that someone like meself who hasnt a clue could have a go at? id be looking at driving it at weekends mind so hopefully id get a good while out of it...

znv6i3h7kqf9ys

rebel.ranter wrote: »

Awful bodykit & hate the blue piping....sorry man! And €11,950 my arse!

Much nicer bus for half the money:

http://www.cbg.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=3448516

for a clean but not necessarily cheap e30 I would be looking here:

http://pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=819

Completly agree

rebel.ranter

positivenote wrote: »

cheers all, rebel.ranter thats some list is it recomended to get someone who knows about this type of car to give the whole thing an overhaul with the stuff that you mentioned or are they little things that someone like meself who hasnt a clue could have a go at? id be looking at driving it at weekends mind so hopefully id get a good while out of it...

It would be good if you could tackle the jobs yourself, it would help you to get to know the car inside out. Most of the jobs are straight forward as long as you have a decent set of tools. Other jobs would require specialist tools ideally & a bit of skill.
Of course you could drive it without doing any of the work & probably get away with it for 90% of the time. But I think it would be nice to keep it as good as it could be, there is a nice feeling when you you fix something yourself & also when that something is getting more & more exclusive* on the roads today.

Oh I could have made that list longer, I really went to town on my first one, a 318 (ZS4331). I changed the oil pump, brak master cylinder, control arms, upgraded to vented disks & calipers, retro-fitted all the following: electric windows using donor car, fitted rear head rests, OBC, Rev counter upgrade, front fogs,
Just checked Mywheels.ie & it looks like I was the last person to tax it . I think it is tucked away in some garage somewhere now:



*By exclusive I mean less & less of them about

EPM

Lyanna Broad Super wrote: »

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/(E30)-Co/200840190266373/advert?channel=CARS

Tacktastic