Planning to pick an e30 soon..

[jasonbaek]

Hello, I'm new to the forum here but I always wanted to get a nice e30 since I sold my mk2 jetta couple years ago. I find that older cars like these can be repaired easily and parts are easy to find as well..

Anyways, I've been looking for a decent one for months now but haven't seen one that I want since january or something.. However I found clean original 91 318i coupe and I'm going to see it today unfortunately all the bmw shops are closed for the weekend so I have to check the whole thing by myself..

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...AdIdZ295891555

It seems that the owner took a good care of it but I'm kinda afraid of getting myself into that e30 100k~150k nightmare..since it's a low mileage car..

[BigD]

The E30 is a very simple car, there's nothing that can go wrong that is nightmarish. The only thing that kills these cars is rust. I believe a car's life is well represented by its interior, and in this case, the story seems to add up. I hope that's a typo about it being a 316, otherwise that will be a painfully slow car.

[Woofer]

If you are looking to spend 4-5k on an e30 I'm sure you can get one that has some work done to it. Just last december my friend sold his e30 vert NO RUST and motorized top with 204,000 kms on it for $2900. The car needed new shocks that was it. Sit tight and you will find what you want.
I would even consider looking to pIck one up in the states.
Good luck with your search.
There is also a thread in the e30 section regarding purchasing an e30, check it out.
I'm sure others on this board will agree with me when I say be careful these e3Os are addictive and can make your wallet seem lighter lol.

[Vrbovsky]

I dont think thats a typo. It looks to be a euro import. its got a few euro items like the clock and that intake isnt the 318is m40 intake... could be a euro snail...

[misschigga]

Originally Posted by Vrbovsky

I dont think thats a typo. It looks to be a euro import. its got a few euro items like the clock and that intake isnt the 318is m40 intake... could be a euro snail...

Yep 102hp Still cool though

[jasonbaek]

Hehe I put a deposit ..I saw the car and I'm picking her up before August 5th. Yes It's a 316i with 102 crank horsepower....but I prefer relaxed driving so 100 h p would work nicely for now..

First time I thought it was a typo as well so I called my insurance company on last friday and got a quote for 318i.. hopefully they'll accept 316i with no problem..

My main concern is the repair though.. I heard that m40b16 is harder to fix in here beceause of different parts? Well it's a long shot but how much would it cost to swap a m42 into this thing?

[Vrbovsky]

why an m42 swap? there are bigger more powerful options for swaps and better documented/resourced options for the DIY project. m50 s50 etc. but if the engine works well and it does the job for you, then don't worry about a swap.

[jasonbaek]

I thought m42 would be an cheaper alternative comare to m50... well under the circumstance I can't do any DIY work under the hood...I live in an apartment and all of my buddies are moving downtown apartment.. the engine seems fresh so I'd just keep it as is until something goes wrong

[DIY]

if your gonna look into making it faster and more exciting, I think thats a bit much to pay. If you just need a car to drive its prob a sweet deal. getting PS is not such a big deal, PW prb wont happen but who needs it.. No rust is a good point to it, when I bought mine there was a bit but nothing impossible to handle ($2000), as long as it gets sprayed with the rust proof stuff it should be in good condition for years to come... and the faster stuff breaks the faster you car gets

[misschigga]

Congrats!!! You will be unique! There will be tons of other cars on the road a lot slower then you.