The Pro's and Con's of buying an E30 ??

[Duckypoos]

Evenin all ....

So , I'm almost on the verge of finally committing to buying an E30. It's a car i've always lusted after , and now i'm finally in a position where the trouble n strife has allowed me to buy one , whilst keeping my E46 also.

Here's the problem though , which will ring true with anyone else that's looked in to buying an E30 will surely recognise ----->> WHAT THE HELL SHOULD I BE LOOKING FOR !!??!!??!!?? AAARRRGGGHHHH !!!!!

Ideally I would like either a 325i Sport Saloon , or a 325i Touring.

Problem 1 = by the looks of it all the 325i Sports out there have been lowered / highered / lights changed / aftermarket bodykits etc etc etc .. None of which inspires me to buy any of them :-(

Problem 2 = are their any 325i Sport Saloons still out there in great condition ???

Problem 3 = are the 325i Touring's as breathtaking to drive as the saloon / sport models ????

Problem 4 = is a £3k 325i gonna end up costing me a further £3k a year to keep on the road ?????


Sorry for what must be the most repeated query on any BMW related forum , but you guys on here seem to know what your talking about , and it would be very helpful to have all available knowledge on the matter in 1 place....

Thanks in advance for any help .....

[Zead]

What a can of worms you could open. Essentially these cars are getting tired and have old technology. So need a bit of upgrading to keep them viable as the 'ultimate driving machine'

So finding a good one that has been properly cared for, is going to be hard, but will reward you. Dont be too put off by suspension upgrades as long as they are not weed huggers from North London, it could be an improvement. I had a 325 convertible for 10yrs with some subtle mods and loved it. I'd still have it if I had room to keep it. However it felt slow after driving a 330D.

The better BMW mags always run articles on buying a used ..., so check out some back issues

good luck

[escargot]

I've recently stumped up some dosh for an E30 318is. It was a completely unmolested example with good history etc. To date, i've had a couple of problems BUT nothing out of the ordinary for what is essentially a 17 year old car.

I have however, thoroughly enjoyed every drive out in it, it's a wonderfully responsive and rewarding car to drive.

I'd check out E30Zone.co.uk for info, they're a really knowledgable lot over there.

What I would say though, bide your time and buy one that you're 100% happy with.

[Orangecurry]

Duckypoos said:

WHAT THE HELL SHOULD I BE LOOKING FOR !!??!!??!!?? AAARRRGGGHHHH !!!!!

Ideally I would like either a 325i Sport Saloon , or a 325i Touring.

hi - the sport is a good car, but you are paying a huge premium for an LSD and lower ratio gearbox. The 325 touring has m-tech suspension as standard (which only lowers by 15mm BTW), and is IMO still a great looking vehicle.

So if you want a tin-top, IMO buy the best 325 SE on 14" alloys you can find. It probably won't have been owned by the modding community, and might well have fBMWsh.

There's an old lady in our village who has a dark 325 2door, with 60k miles, but she said she'll never sell it.... so there are some still out there.

Be careful that coolant changes have been done regularly on the M20, otherwise you tend to get head-gasket issues.

[Mustard]

I echo the above comments... the less 'sporting' the spec of the 325i then the less chance of it falling into the wrong hands

Dont get too hung up on spec, buy on condition, history and provinence and be prepared to pay a little extra above the going rate in order to secure a car thats got all 3 of the above

Problems with ours have mainly been minor electrical gremlins that have been ironed out very cheaply with the help of ebay

www.oldcolonelcars.co.uk are worth keeping an eye on

Just for reference the grey 325i sport was £5k and lasted about 2days before being sold so that gives you an idea what you'll be paying for one of those (£2k buys a shed!)

[Duckypoos]

" Just for reference the grey 325i sport was £5k and lasted about 2days before being sold so that gives you an idea what you'll be paying for one of those (£2k buys a shed!) "


Any thoughts on a well cared for 318i lux touring ??? Pricing would be considerably less right ? Obviously way down on performance , but this isn't an issue , as i'm stumbling across quite a few of these that are in tip top condition , and the more I search around for an E30 , the more i'm realising that i want a car that looks a beauty far more than i want a car that goes like stink .....

[Mustard]

Duckypoos said:

" Just for reference the grey 325i sport was £5k and lasted about 2days before being sold so that gives you an idea what you'll be paying for one of those (£2k buys a shed!) "


Any thoughts on a well cared for 318i lux touring ??? Pricing would be considerably less right ? Obviously way down on performance , but this isn't an issue , as i'm stumbling across quite a few of these that are in tip top condition , and the more I search around for an E30 , the more i'm realising that i want a car that looks a beauty far more than i want a car that goes like stink .....

If you want to buy a 'peach' then a 320i was the pensioners car of choice and as such there are some lovely examples around

318i has the M40 engine which is not regarded as BMW's finest (and requires very frequent cam belt changes and liable to top end rattles), though 'Lux' Spec was nice

[Orangecurry]

Mustard said:

Duckypoos said:

" Just for reference the grey 325i sport was £5k and lasted about 2days before being sold so that gives you an idea what you'll be paying for one of those (£2k buys a shed!) "


Any thoughts on a well cared for 318i lux touring ??? Pricing would be considerably less right ? Obviously way down on performance , but this isn't an issue , as i'm stumbling across quite a few of these that are in tip top condition , and the more I search around for an E30 , the more i'm realising that i want a car that looks a beauty far more than i want a car that goes like stink .....

If you want to buy a 'peach' then a 320i was the pensioners car of choice and as such there are some lovely examples around

318i has the M40 engine which is not regarded as BMW's finest (and requires very frequent cam belt changes and liable to top end rattles), though 'Lux' Spec was nice

None of these cars go like stink.

The 318 handles very well, the M20s feel nose-heavy at the limit. You will learn about oversteer.

The 320 and 318 M40 are very similar in power/-to-weight, the 318 actually has more torque, but the M20s sound fantastic. MPG on my 318 was 32 average; for the 325 it is about 26, (and the 320s are the same as the 325s).

If you are going to buy one of these as a keeper, hold out for the 325. It sounds wonderful, and the extra power is noticable; it will/is becoming a classic, and a good one will not depreciate.

[Mustard]

This E30 325i C Manual is not going anywhere!

[Orangecurry]

snap

[Mustard]

Needs to loose the ///M badge

Hows your hood? I fitted a new one myself that I got from the USA for £200!

[Orangecurry]

Mustard said:

Needs to loose the ///M badge

ahhh a member of the M-tec police.
Do I have to get rid of the steering wheel, gearstick and suspension that go with the badge?

Mustard said:

Hows your hood? I fitted a new one myself that I got from the USA for £200!

it's fine - it's only 19 years old, so loads of life left yet.

[Mustard]

Orangecurry said:

Mustard said:

Needs to loose the ///M badge

ahhh a member of the M-tec police.
Do I have to get rid of the steering wheel, gearstick and suspension that go with the badge?

No official, freely available factory extras....with the exception of perhaps the gear knob, but i'll forgive that one

[Orangecurry]

gear stick is 19 years old as well.

[lance1a]

I'd rather have an M40 1.8 than a 2.0L 6 pot, they are more responsive, and the 6 pot is dissapointing in that it doesn't go anything like it sounds. 325i is great as is 318is (m42). M10 1800cc motors are good too, but cost more to get any real performance from though the motor itself is virtually indestructable (watch mine break tomorrow, now that I've said that!).M40 316i is pretty crappy, but then again, with a bit of money any engine can be made to fit! M40's are prone to top-end noise but lifters and rockers (the usual culprits)are easy enough to change.

[jagdpanther]

lance1a said:

I'd rather have an M40 1.8 than a 2.0L 6 pot, they are more responsive, and the 6 pot is dissapointing in that it doesn't go anything like it sounds. 325i is great as is 318is (m42). M10 1800cc motors are good too, but cost more to get any real performance from though the motor itself is virtually indestructable (watch mine break tomorrow, now that I've said that!).M40 316i is pretty crappy, but then again, with a bit of money any engine can be made to fit! M40's are prone to top-end noise but lifters and rockers (the usual culprits)are easy enough to change.

I'll second that about the 2.0L 6 cylinder

It sounds fantastic and is usually fairly smooth, but its painstakingly sluggish and not much fun at all

If it was my quids, I would go for either a mint 318is, a 325i sport (getting expensive now) or buy a good example of an E30 coupe body and drop something else under the bonnet.....like a modified M30

[Duckypoos]

WoW !!! Thanks to everyone for their great responses so far .....

Judging by the input it looks like I should really be looking for a very tidy 318iS Coupe then right ? As opposed to a touring ....

[MoonMonkey]

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned the dreaded tin worm. Check rear arches, front scuttle, floor pan etc. They do rot believe you me. A 325i Sport would get my vote or how about an Alpina or Hartge conversion but expect to pay a premium.

[escargot]

There aren't many 318is's left now but with a bit of hunting, you should find a good'un.

I was lucky with mine:



(Before anyone points it out, I know it's missing the IS splitter! )

[Orangecurry]

Duckypoos said:

WoW !!! Thanks to everyone for their great responses so far .....

Judging by the input it looks like I should really be looking for a very tidy 318iS Coupe then right ? As opposed to a touring ....

BMW didn't do a 318iS touring. I'd still recommend a 325 over a 318iS.

Of course there is another option.

Sell the E46, and then buy a cheaper daily car, and an E30 M3.