Buying an E 30 (Checklist)

[ara325]

Originally Posted by PelicanGolf2

Make sure that you check the car with a full tank, I bought my car and the whole time it only had less than 20L in it. Get it home, fill it up, alas!! it is leaking. From what I see it is very expensive to replace the tank and alot of people have had pacth jobs. I highly recomend you inspect the lines on the drivers side just in front of the rear wheel.

Oh yeah a replacement tank ordered from germany is 943.00 cdn (at cost) from BMW so I was told.

Good call...often times cars will have a gas tank leak at the top of the tank. Such was the case with my M10. All I did was to make sure not to fill it up all the way...cheezy way around it i guess.

[Derek89E30]

Wow, that checklist was great, ive been looking for something exactly like it for so long on the internet, and i finally found it.

So this is my first post on this forum...Im looking into buying a 1989 325is. It has 317000 kms on it, and looks like it is in fairly good condition. Im buying it off of a relatives friend. now, i guess the car was in a accident, it was hit slightly in the back end. the seller rebuilds bmws as a hobby, and has completely rebuilt the rear suspension and replaced the rear axle. Is there anything else in the back that could have been damaged that i should look for? Im a little nervous about buying a car that has been in an accident, but by the sounds of it, hes done a pretty impressive job rebuilding. in the process he also replaced the timing belt and water pump on the engine. any comments would be appreciated. thanks guys.

[ara325]

Originally Posted by Derek89E30

Wow, that checklist was great, ive been looking for something exactly like it for so long on the internet, and i finally found it.

So this is my first post on this forum...Im looking into buying a 1989 325is. It has 317000 kms on it, and looks like it is in fairly good condition. Im buying it off of a relatives friend. now, i guess the car was in a accident, it was hit slightly in the back end. the seller rebuilds bmws as a hobby, and has completely rebuilt the rear suspension and replaced the rear axle. Is there anything else in the back that could have been damaged that i should look for? Im a little nervous about buying a car that has been in an accident, but by the sounds of it, hes done a pretty impressive job rebuilding. in the process he also replaced the timing belt and water pump on the engine. any comments would be appreciated. thanks guys.

You have a legal right to take the car to a mechanic for an inspection BEFORE you buy it. I would suggest you take it to a good body shop that can measure if the frame is straight. If you know the car's been in an accident, I wouldn't hesitate to get the frame checked before purchasing. Also, look at the lines of the car and make sure they're straight, i.e. check that the gap between the hood and the 1/4 panels are consistent the whole length, check the same for the rear trunk, bumper, etc...
good luck

[qimis]

You probably wanna check this one too, it's right on the battery side:

http://www.maxbimmer.com/forums/show...=water+leaking

[dgmorr]

Originally Posted by BMW325BMW

i find them easier than japanese cars to fix... u need little tiny hands to work under the hood of a honda

I don't think you're speaking from experience. I'm comnig from the Honda world and find the E30 engine bay cramped.

[e30countess]

Nice read......exactly what i came here for!

[03 Dinan 3]

hey guys,
I've been doing quite a bit of research and I'm looking into buying an E30 as a project and maybe eventual track car.
I've decided that I want to get a 325is or 318is.

From what I know, the 89+ has a LSD I think..

So my 2 choices right now are:

1. 1988 325is with 223,100 kms
2. 1991 318is with 256,000 kms
both are under $3000, both are manual and both appear to be in good shape. The 318 looks like it's in a little better shape exterior-wise

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Ideally I wanted to find one for super cheap, but I want one that is driveable from the get-go.

this checklist is awesome and very detailed too! I'll be sure to apply it when the time comes to look at them.

[ÆJackacks]

Don't fall in love with the first BMW you find!!

[ara325]

Originally Posted by 03 Dinan 3

hey guys,
I've been doing quite a bit of research and I'm looking into buying an E30 as a project and maybe eventual track car.
I've decided that I want to get a 325is or 318is.

From what I know, the 89+ has a LSD I think..

So my 2 choices right now are:

1. 1988 325is with 223,100 kms
2. 1991 318is with 256,000 kms
both are under $3000, both are manual and both appear to be in good shape. The 318 looks like it's in a little better shape exterior-wise

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Ideally I wanted to find one for super cheap, but I want one that is driveable from the get-go.

this checklist is awesome and very detailed too! I'll be sure to apply it when the time comes to look at them.

I used to have a 318, then when i went to the 325...what a difference. IMO, might as well go with the 325 since it might become a track car.

[LeftRights]

don't forget about those damn "backing plates"

[LeftRights]

Auto Transmission $ 1,000????? mabey new, i got one for $200 no problem.

[daveed]

How is the shifting on these cars in general (yes I know this is difficult to explain in words)?

I just viewed a car with a very "loose" stick (didn't get a chance to buy it anyway since another buyer showed up 5 mins before me and had first dibs). While driving I didn't have any problem finding gears (no grinding or resistance even putting it into reverse from stop) but it still felt way "looser" than any 5speed I've used. My experience is very limited though (early 90's Ford Escort which my current daily and my dad's recently purchased Accent). I figured that the shift assembly was worn out and that the gearbox was probably fine but the car was very low mileage (160k) and I'm not an expert at all.

[HavocSteve]

Mine's kinda loose. No problems really, I think it's the shift linkage. They have clips which get worn out and can cause havoc when trying to shift gears. I haven't replaced my clip yet but I'm going to do so one I change my clutch.

[daveed]

Originally Posted by HavocSteve

Mine's kinda loose. No problems really, I think it's the shift linkage. They have clips which get worn out and can cause havoc when trying to shift gears. I haven't replaced my clip yet but I'm going to do so one I change my clutch.

Thanks for the reply Steve, I'll have to take a look at the Bentley manual for a diagram of the shift linkage.

Anyone else have any insight so I can get a bigger sample size?

[Mre30M]

Thanks for the guide. just picked up e30 convertible. Love it!!!!