Help this BMWnoob out please GURU's

[njansenv]

Originally Posted by richie_s999

The E36 rear suspension used half of its parts from the E30, so yesthe are similar and quite a common swap to the E30.

I did not recomend an older car to someone, I gave him deciding points to help decide, my concience is clear.

(Sorry for the OT)

Huh? People have swapped the multi-link e36 setup to replace the trailing arm setup on the E30? (I'm NOT counting the Z3/318ti, which do have rear suspension setups that are nearly the same as the e30.) The e36 rear suspension design is fundamentally different than the e30.
Both are great cars, but perhaps better suited to DIY'ers, or people that are willing to learn how.

Nathan

[BMWnoob]

Originally Posted by stan man

Looks alright. It's winter now though, so you gotta ask where is the car now?
If it's sitting in a pile of snow, like the one you cheked out before, well thats no good.

Some negatives: chrome bumpers (diving boards) - depends on the personal preference though. Price is a bit high for the kilometers, but it looks mint, so maybe it was maintained properly. Auto trans + high milage = sketchy.

Some positives: no e-test required - less problems. In my opinion convertible and automatic go together nicely.

the side mirrors are white.. so you think it's repainted?? any idea the work and cost to swap this from auto to manual? is it worth the trouble?

[njansenv]

The mirrors are definitely painted, and I'd check to make sure that the car hasn't been (or if it has, that it wasn't to cover bondo and rust!) My wifes car is an auto, w/251k on it now, and it shifts/drives very well, though others have had problems with the auto. The manual trans swap isn't that difficult, and I'd sooner buy a clean auto car and swap it rather than rust repairs on a 5-speed car.

[BMWnoob]

just spoke to the guy.. sounds like an older gentleman..

had the car since 2003
it's being parked since sept 2008 outside..
needs new front brakes..
no maintainence has been done since he has owned it.. (i didn't go into details)

says there is some surface rust...

[stan man]

Originally Posted by BMWnoob

the side mirrors are white.. so you think it's repainted?? any idea the work and cost to swap this from auto to manual? is it worth the trouble?

Here is a link of another forum on what's envolved in a swap

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50123

See how the cabrio looks like and take some pics. Good luck