Shed of the Week: BMW 3 Series Touring (E30)

Grab them while you can, E30 Sheds can't be around much longer

In most walks of life, it's customary to celebrate 'firsts'. First past the post, first across the line, first politician to tell the truth, that kind of thing.

It's different in Shed world. Here, we celebrate 'lasts'. Last man standing, last decent car that (insert manufacturer name here) ever made, last time Shed had conjugal relations with Mrs Shed and so on.

Well there's no rust from here...

In this case we could be talking about the last useable E30 for under a grand. For extra lasty fun, it's a 1993 car, which makes it one of the last E30s ever built.

The second thing being, it's not rusty. Well, it doesn't look rusty anyway. All the evidence we have to go on are some low-res driveway pics taken from the furthest boundaries of the owner's bijou property. These smudges give the impression of a clean looking car, but the images we really want to see - inside the cabin, underneath the boot carpet and below knee level generally - just aren't there. That's a shame because these are the most likely problem areas for any E30.

Back in them thar days of yore BMW thought it was a good idea to use plastic shrouds to protect anything that was even vaguely vulnerable. Twenty-odd years later, many an E30 owner can be seen cheerily whiling away the hours before death in pursuit of the corrosion that these cack-harbouring shrouds created.

Let's hope the other three look as good!

It would probably be quicker to tell you about the areas you don't need to look at than the ones you do. However, in the interests of full disclosure and freedom of information, the main danger areas include (but are not restricted to) bulkheads, sills, door bottoms, front suspension turrets, front and rear arches and front wings (inside and out), and pretty much everything made of metal at the back end.

Just when you've rooted out all the crumbly stuff and are feeling rightly proud, you may then find yourself aghast to discover a mangled mess at each front corner of the floorpan - a clear sign of some joker having incorrectly used them as jacking points.

The camshaft of this M42 engine will be driven by a chain rather than a belt, which along with the fact that the oil feed to the top end works rather better than it did before surely defrays at least some of the disappointment of it being a 99hp 1.6 rather than a proper six-potter. Balance that up with a little more good stuff from the PH lexicon of desirability like rear-wheel drive and 'interesting' rear suspension and you'll realise that, with the correct mixture of worn-in ditchfinder tyres, the rare joys of underpowered oversteer will be well within your compass, especially in the wet. Even with 99hp.

Might have a lot of gearchanges in a 316

Less good stuff to look and listen out for: brittle seatbelt clips, dry door locks, wet steering racks, non-instrumental instruments and the insistent vibrating thump of worn driveshaft bearings.

This car is certainly nowt special in terms of its engine, but it is an E30 and it is on cross spokes. Classic cars have become one of the big four investment areas, the other three of course being gold, diamonds and haggis. If you believe the current forecasts of more economic doom around the corner, there'll be a stampede to recognise the next big riser.

Shed's not saying that this particular E30 is ever going to be worth a huge sum, but with this engine it will be a reliable runabout. With another engine from the piles on offer in the global scrapyard, it could be something rather sweet.

On the strength of the pics we have, a studious gange should be well worth the cost of a train ticket. And not necessarily a Super Saver APEX off-peak Senior Railcard assisted one either.

Here is the ad.

A classic BMW 316i Touring Lux. MOT until June 2016. Electric sunroof. Electric front windows. Electric mirrors. Front fog lamps. Power steering. Partial service history. CD/radio. Alloy wheels. Central locking. Estate providing that extra boot space. Very low mileage. A very clean and reliable car. A great run around. Front drivers seat worn.