Thoughts on BMW e30's
Discussion
McSam said:
When the advert title describes it as "brave", you really need to leave it alone 
we shall expect a full damage report in Readers' Cars soon..
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=47&t=1556430&mid=375106&nmt=Bmw+e30+323i+rust+bucket+purchase we shall expect a full damage report in Readers' Cars soon..Already made it ready to fill with lots of pictures of rust soon, or not hopefully!
I dont even know how to weld.
Found a place local which has a low profile trailer I can rent due to the seller telling me "I've not started it and I think it should really be checked over throughly before doing so, I'm not sure about driving it on!" so that ended my plans of using a plant trailer with a large incline and no winch.
My plan seems similar to the sellers though. Mainly for engine/box and sell random other bits to make it a cheap parts car for a non rusty shell.
HustleRussell said:
Glad to hear it, got an M50B25 in my E34. That said, I'm secretly hoping it blows up so I can stroke it out to three litres... If the car itself is finished before the engine I'll be putting that engine into something else... Could well be an E30, E21... 2002...
I took the M50B25 out of an E34 and put it into an E21. It's a great swap but is a lot of work and money, and if you have a heavy right foot the driveshafts are time bombs (ask me how I know...). M50 into E30 makes much more sense 
I believe 2002 rear axles are just as weak 
Wow, that looks like an absolute wreck, good luck getting that back on the road (running).
I'm very surprised to see E30's can still be had cheap. I thought they'd have been hoovered up by now, despite being typically as old and naff as a Cavalier or a Sierra, they have the 'right' badge. I can remember their nadir, when they were the estate banger of choice for buyers who couldn't afford a used E36 or a Subaru Impreza. I would have thought that once a car is finish it's sink estate phase, only the better examples remain and command a premium, especially in the E30's case where so many will have been sought out for drift slags (try buying a 328i E36 nowadays!).
I'm very surprised to see E30's can still be had cheap. I thought they'd have been hoovered up by now, despite being typically as old and naff as a Cavalier or a Sierra, they have the 'right' badge. I can remember their nadir, when they were the estate banger of choice for buyers who couldn't afford a used E36 or a Subaru Impreza. I would have thought that once a car is finish it's sink estate phase, only the better examples remain and command a premium, especially in the E30's case where so many will have been sought out for drift slags (try buying a 328i E36 nowadays!).
Slow said:
Looking at picking up a bmw e30 for a bit of a fun car. Would be a early 316/318/320 in manual I imagine. The 323/325 are fetching 2k+ all day long.
Plans would be to aim for a track car while learning to do work myself. So basic coilovers, stripped interior, bucket seats and wider wheels.
So really asking, what are people opinions on them? Bad/good idea?
Edit: Only 21 and starting uni next year so would be done on a budget.
I had a 318 ages ago.Plans would be to aim for a track car while learning to do work myself. So basic coilovers, stripped interior, bucket seats and wider wheels.
So really asking, what are people opinions on them? Bad/good idea?
Edit: Only 21 and starting uni next year so would be done on a budget.
Edited by Slow on Sunday 22 November 15:56
Kinda hated it at the time, in fact thought it was horrid. But somehow I look back on it with fonder memories than many other cars I've had.
And I often find myself looking at pics of them on the internet or in classifieds, thinking "mmm they look rather good". Only too see one out on the roads and thing "my word they are boxy!". In the flesh they seem less appealing than in pics.
If the price was right for an ok condition one, I think there is some charm there. But I'm not convinced they are maybe as good as people sometimes think they are.
Arguably if you don't need the space, then a BMW Z3 is a much more enjoyable car.
300bhp/ton said:
Slow said:
Looking at picking up a bmw e30 for a bit of a fun car. Would be a early 316/318/320 in manual I imagine. The 323/325 are fetching 2k+ all day long.
Plans would be to aim for a track car while learning to do work myself. So basic coilovers, stripped interior, bucket seats and wider wheels.
So really asking, what are people opinions on them? Bad/good idea?
Edit: Only 21 and starting uni next year so would be done on a budget.
I had a 318 ages ago.Plans would be to aim for a track car while learning to do work myself. So basic coilovers, stripped interior, bucket seats and wider wheels.
So really asking, what are people opinions on them? Bad/good idea?
Edit: Only 21 and starting uni next year so would be done on a budget.
Edited by Slow on Sunday 22 November 15:56
Kinda hated it at the time, in fact thought it was horrid. But somehow I look back on it with fonder memories than many other cars I've had.
And I often find myself looking at pics of them on the internet or in classifieds, thinking "mmm they look rather good". Only too see one out on the roads and thing "my word they are boxy!". In the flesh they seem less appealing than in pics.
If the price was right for an ok condition one, I think there is some charm there. But I'm not convinced they are maybe as good as people sometimes think they are.
Arguably if you don't need the space, then a BMW Z3 is a much more enjoyable car.
I had one for a few years, by the time I sold it it had an M50 engine, LSD, M3 bushes, e36 rack, various other bits and bobs. Did the 'ring in it, happy days.
I was just finding that for track stuff it was quite compromised, it's still basically a saloon car that's very hard to get down to the 1000kg level never mind below. Big brakes are $$$, once you start lowering it the rear geo goes to pot and there's no adjustment so you gotta start welding or buying more fancy bits. After all that you're still sat in a heavy saloon car which is now pretty impractical and gonna lap about the same as a bargain basement ebay Elise.
It wes a very cool car though loads of character, many good times were had in it! You'll have a blast in yours
I was just finding that for track stuff it was quite compromised, it's still basically a saloon car that's very hard to get down to the 1000kg level never mind below. Big brakes are $$$, once you start lowering it the rear geo goes to pot and there's no adjustment so you gotta start welding or buying more fancy bits. After all that you're still sat in a heavy saloon car which is now pretty impractical and gonna lap about the same as a bargain basement ebay Elise.
It wes a very cool car though loads of character, many good times were had in it! You'll have a blast in yours
I've owned both a Z3 2.8 and an E30 325i - they both teach you that rear-trailing arms are only good if you want to learn about oversteer, and they are both very well made - IMO the E30 epitomises the phrase 'over-engineered'.
I still have this; it gets dragged out of the garage every now and then.
It's too late to warn the OP about rust isses around the front suspension towers
I still have this; it gets dragged out of the garage every now and then.
It's too late to warn the OP about rust isses around the front suspension towers
I've had a number of E30s over the years.
Generally, rust is what gets them in the end, but if you get it sorted out, they are a genuinely decent car to run daily.
Parts costs aren't massively expensive, though some items are NLA and there's still a surprisingly large range of OEM parts available from the dealers.
Most service items can be had from Euros (Tip, don't go for cheapest stuff, it will fail in months) even as far as wishbones, dampers and springs, and droplinks.
E30zone has a wealth of knowledge on there, everything from how to guides, to advice to upgrading parts to improve car handling without spending lot. Examples would be Z3 short shifter conversion, the 067 Purple tag steering rack upgrade and Mondeo drop links.
Generally, rust is what gets them in the end, but if you get it sorted out, they are a genuinely decent car to run daily.
Parts costs aren't massively expensive, though some items are NLA and there's still a surprisingly large range of OEM parts available from the dealers.
Most service items can be had from Euros (Tip, don't go for cheapest stuff, it will fail in months) even as far as wishbones, dampers and springs, and droplinks.
E30zone has a wealth of knowledge on there, everything from how to guides, to advice to upgrading parts to improve car handling without spending lot. Examples would be Z3 short shifter conversion, the 067 Purple tag steering rack upgrade and Mondeo drop links.
buggalugs said:
I had one for a few years, by the time I sold it it had an M50 engine, LSD, M3 bushes, e36 rack, various other bits and bobs. Did the 'ring in it, happy days.
I was just finding that for track stuff it was quite compromised, it's still basically a saloon car that's very hard to get down to the 1000kg level never mind below. Big brakes are $$$, once you start lowering it the rear geo goes to pot and there's no adjustment so you gotta start welding or buying more fancy bits. After all that you're still sat in a heavy saloon car which is now pretty impractical and gonna lap about the same as a bargain basement ebay Elise.
It wes a very cool car though loads of character, many good times were had in it! You'll have a blast in yours
Spot on, that pretty much echoes my thoughts on them from earlier in the thread.I was just finding that for track stuff it was quite compromised, it's still basically a saloon car that's very hard to get down to the 1000kg level never mind below. Big brakes are $$$, once you start lowering it the rear geo goes to pot and there's no adjustment so you gotta start welding or buying more fancy bits. After all that you're still sat in a heavy saloon car which is now pretty impractical and gonna lap about the same as a bargain basement ebay Elise.
It wes a very cool car though loads of character, many good times were had in it! You'll have a blast in yours
Far better track car choices out there so you'd be picking one with your heart rather than your head but there's nothing wrong with that really and trackdays are about fun, not lap times. They're great looking cars IMO...really well proportioned.
Updated my readers cars thread but imagine most of you here havent seen that so il paste it here too
So finally in 30 minutes ago, quickly grabbed these pictures. From the ad looked like the inner edge of doors was holey, just cobwebs
Will clean up tomorrow and get better ones, or worse depending what I uncover, lots of overspray on plastic trims near the arches from a quick glance which suggests lots of lovely filler.
The guy gave me a spare bumper, both are slightly damaged so not sure if they can come apart to fix together to make one whole.
No radio, but other than abit of cobwebs and mould interior seems to be like new. Going to head into a few tyre garages tomorrow to see if they have any bald tyres I can have for free just to roll the car around for now.
Rear spoiler thing is a completely different colour, no idea if it was meant to have one.
Going to nick my battery out my old bmw and see if she will start, previous owner said it was last running in 2010 when it drove to his house. Anything I should do before just trying to crank it?
So finally in 30 minutes ago, quickly grabbed these pictures. From the ad looked like the inner edge of doors was holey, just cobwebs
Will clean up tomorrow and get better ones, or worse depending what I uncover, lots of overspray on plastic trims near the arches from a quick glance which suggests lots of lovely filler.
The guy gave me a spare bumper, both are slightly damaged so not sure if they can come apart to fix together to make one whole.
No radio, but other than abit of cobwebs and mould interior seems to be like new. Going to head into a few tyre garages tomorrow to see if they have any bald tyres I can have for free just to roll the car around for now.
Rear spoiler thing is a completely different colour, no idea if it was meant to have one.
Going to nick my battery out my old bmw and see if she will start, previous owner said it was last running in 2010 when it drove to his house. Anything I should do before just trying to crank it?
Slow said:
Ok, so no messing about here.... Bought this just now on ebay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1984-BMW-323i-Manual-E30...
Guess its time to buy a non rusty shell unless this one is saveable for a decent price.
According to the completed listings you could have bought that car for £500 3 weeks earlierhttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1984-BMW-323i-Manual-E30...
Guess its time to buy a non rusty shell unless this one is saveable for a decent price.
On a more serious note, well done for taking it on. It's an early example of a E30 with lots of potential.
Here's my old one. Big mileage 318is...reliable, no rust (at all). I've had a few E30s and I love them. Though the steering is a let down, the handling is great. The overall size of the car is great for a bit of driving fun.
The M10 318i is reet slow though.
Watch out for the semi trailing rear suspension. Lethal, it is.
I had a 325i a year or two ago. I bought a fairly good one, looked after it, and sold it for more than I paid for it.
Mine was near mint, all original paintwork etc. Lots of toys that some modern cars don't have. Heated seats, air-con, sunroof, cassette deck which could skip tracks! Lovely engine, which just loved to rev.
It was a great car and I was sad to see it go, if only I had more room I would have kept it.
Mine was near mint, all original paintwork etc. Lots of toys that some modern cars don't have. Heated seats, air-con, sunroof, cassette deck which could skip tracks! Lovely engine, which just loved to rev.
It was a great car and I was sad to see it go, if only I had more room I would have kept it.
I have an E30 track car, so I suppose my comments should be considered in light of that...
Agreed, slow steering is in my opinion the single biggest detractor from the E30 driving experience. However that's easily enough remedied for well under £300 spent on an E46 3-turn rack and the gubbins to fit it.
A full refresh of the suspension and bushes will liven up tired handling.
With regards to the Sierra/Cavalier comparison, a well maintained E30 is a far cry from those. A far nicer place to be, far superior build quality, better engineered and a more refined driving experience overall (though now I've ruined mine, it's none of those things!).
So far as track car potential goes - agreed, there are far more efficient ways to spend money if lap times are what you're chasing. But there's something really satisfying about driving an E30 fast. A well set up E30 is pointy, balanced and predictable without any driver aids. And bloody fast too with a suitable engine swap. They can surprise a lot of people on track days.
Getting it well set up though - well that's another story
I have the 2.8 from an E36 328i in mine, with E36 M3 brakes, E36 Compact/Z3 coilovers and a Z3M LSD. It goes well, but still wants for more power and the suspension setup is a little compromised. Working on addressing all of those issues in 2016.
Post wouldn't be complete without a little video - here's one from Blyton Park in March. Still on Champiro Ditchfinders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvYA190NSvw
Agreed, slow steering is in my opinion the single biggest detractor from the E30 driving experience. However that's easily enough remedied for well under £300 spent on an E46 3-turn rack and the gubbins to fit it.
A full refresh of the suspension and bushes will liven up tired handling.
With regards to the Sierra/Cavalier comparison, a well maintained E30 is a far cry from those. A far nicer place to be, far superior build quality, better engineered and a more refined driving experience overall (though now I've ruined mine, it's none of those things!).
So far as track car potential goes - agreed, there are far more efficient ways to spend money if lap times are what you're chasing. But there's something really satisfying about driving an E30 fast. A well set up E30 is pointy, balanced and predictable without any driver aids. And bloody fast too with a suitable engine swap. They can surprise a lot of people on track days.
Getting it well set up though - well that's another story
I have the 2.8 from an E36 328i in mine, with E36 M3 brakes, E36 Compact/Z3 coilovers and a Z3M LSD. It goes well, but still wants for more power and the suspension setup is a little compromised. Working on addressing all of those issues in 2016.
Post wouldn't be complete without a little video - here's one from Blyton Park in March. Still on Champiro Ditchfinders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvYA190NSvw
Last update here, the rest will be in my readers car thread > http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
She runs! Took a while and some easy start though, sounded smooth enough.
https://youtu.be/zmsiO43yBYU
Spewed all its water and leaks petrol though. Didnt try drive it yet as it was running off jump leads from the Range Rover and needs the engine bay cleaned out, job for tomorrow, too dark now.
All inner arches near the sills need welded, outer sills need welded, not sure about inner sills though. Rear arches for sure, along with my new wings im due to collect tomorrow Strangely there is a big patch of filler on the top of the boot lid, going to peel off and explore soon. Roof is rust free though!
Scuttle area seems to have been saved by the 4" of mud filling it, except in the middle where there is a slightly rusty edge appearing... where the least of amount of mud was.
Popped the boot finally, was fairly stuck. Found new kidney grill, headlight surrounds and various other things.
Not sure if this means anything to anyone but if they could tell me if my car should have it?
She runs! Took a while and some easy start though, sounded smooth enough.
https://youtu.be/zmsiO43yBYU
Spewed all its water and leaks petrol though. Didnt try drive it yet as it was running off jump leads from the Range Rover and needs the engine bay cleaned out, job for tomorrow, too dark now.
All inner arches near the sills need welded, outer sills need welded, not sure about inner sills though. Rear arches for sure, along with my new wings im due to collect tomorrow
Strangely there is a big patch of filler on the top of the boot lid, going to peel off and explore soon. Roof is rust free though! Scuttle area seems to have been saved by the 4" of mud filling it, except in the middle where there is a slightly rusty edge appearing... where the least of amount of mud was.
Popped the boot finally, was fairly stuck. Found new kidney grill, headlight surrounds and various other things.
Not sure if this means anything to anyone but if they could tell me if my car should have it?
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