Looking at an E21

[beejay]

I'm currently (very) tempted by an E21 for the next car, always loved the styling, and could do with knowing what I might be letting myself in for!

What could I realistically expect to get in the £1000 to £1500 range? I'm not that bothered about going for the top-end models (though a 323i would be nice!), I'd rather spend the money on a more solid car (sensible hat on for a second there). I guess if I wanted more power later on an engine swap wouldn't be out of the question, I've always understood that the powertains are quite interchangable on BMW's. Does fitting the 6-cyl to a 4-cyl pose any great issues?

The main worry I guess is running one day-to-day. How far could I expect to get on one tank? Any problem areas in particular to look out for, reliability wise?

Any suggestions on where to look for one too, they seem quite thin on the ground in the usual places (Autotrader, local ads, eBay...)? Are they getting quite sought after?

Thanks!

[Mustard]

Marquis Rex is the man you need to speak to on these, (might be worth emailing him )

[Shropshiremike]

beejay said:

I'm currently (very) tempted by an E21 for the next car, always loved the styling, and could do with knowing what I might be letting myself in for!

The main worry I guess is running one day-to-day. How far could I expect to get on one tank? Any problem areas in particular to look out for, reliability wise?

Any suggestions on where to look for one too, they seem quite thin on the ground in the usual places (Autotrader, local ads, eBay...)? Are they getting quite sought after?

Thanks!

I would think your main problem would be rust on a lot of very cheap ones, esp in the boot area. Going back 6 or 7 years the local small ads were a good place to look but I haven't seen more than the odd one in our local admag in the last 2 or 3 years and you're probably going to have to go much further afield to find a really decent one ( unless you're in London ). Is it going to be a hobby car or a main driver? If you want to spend a bit try the back of Classic Car mags for pricier, possibly better condition ones than Ebay/AT. Also the dedicated BMW mags and ask Fritz Bitz to keep an eye/ear open for any good ones ( also a good place for E21 spares and bits ).

I had an E21 323i as a daily car for a year or so and used to get about 26/27mpg trundling to work ( it was a 5-speeder ). By way of comparison my E36 328i gives about 31/32 on the same run. Replace as many of the suspension bushes as you can plus springs and shocks ( unless you have proof they've recently been changed ). IME it will make a big difference to the way it drives



Good luck with your search

[Shropshiremike]

Back of Autocar today features the E21 in the "All the Cars I've never Bought" series by Richard Bremner

[beejay]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not in any hurry to get one so guess I'll just keep a keen eye on the ads.
I don't mind something that needs some work but wouldn't want one that needs anything major for the next MOT, already rebuilding a Mini and don't really need the hassle of welding another car back together!
Also picked up this months Practical Classics as they've done an E21 buyers guide...