OH DEAR!! Just opened a massive can of worms!!

[xavi1980]

Hey All,

I had my E30 sport up for sale on here and on Ebay and this weekend was dawning on me as it was due to end sun evening, However i started twitching at the fact that i was going to say goodbye and contemplated the thought of restoring it! Oh dear! I never thought that sports out there would all hide all sorts of nightmares! I wont sell this one after i get out ofthe sthole im in now! the car cost me £3000 and i reckon im about to double that lol! i took the bonnet off and brought out the tools had a cup of tea and thought do i really want to see whats behind all the hidden extras............

I started by stripping the Mtech kit off inc front bumber and lower valance and thats where the game started! both front wings came off and were placed straight in the back of the van for the tip! what a waste of two perfectly straight and pristine painted panels! the bottom of the wings were rusted right through! thankfully for me the sills are in really good condition as is the scuttle! And the front lower valance (not the plastic mtech cover) the metal valance off and in the van what a shame! there i was thinking christ! i only just started! so i stripped the whole of the mtech kit every bit! luckily so far so good!

Moving on...... so the outside was stripped and ready, so far

• 2 front genuine wings, i reckon £150 each from BMW so (£300)
• Front valance i recken a good £280

plus a full respray and two rear arches £2000

Why a full respray??? well if im going to do it ill do it properly and wax oil it

So i ventured inside and pulled the leather out followed by the door cards centre console and carpets! stripped the inside completely and am happy to say the inner arches at the back have been done but i warn anyone buying a E30 check those inner arches otherwise ur in for 2 options, a bag of rust or 2 rear quarter panels OUCH!!!! The floor pan was ok but it had a repair to both front jacking points and were a fix rather than a cut out and restore so that will need doing, and whist were on the subject of the floor im going to replace the carpet so lets add to the previous shall we??....

• new carpet in black £380
• new floor mats £80
• re trim the leather interior £800 in black

So what a shock!!!! thats a total of £3800!!

so if anyone has any positive advice (lol) or help or tips or parts that i need to replace please feel free to help!

I have pictures that i want to add but i dont know how?

[TheEnd]

Can you summarise that in a sentence?

i'm getting selling your car on sunday, and decide to throw away good panels and strip it down whilst waiting.

[xavi1980]

lol yeah decided i wanted to keep it and pulled the sale of ebay

[TheEnd]

well, you might as well, better the devil you know and all that.
I've usually found my cars are worth more to me than what i could sell them for, and i'd never get anything i'd be as happy with for the sale money.


plus i'd blow the cash on beer or something, wake up a few weeks in the future and wonder what happened

[xavi1980]

yeah that happens when we let emotions get in the way of logic! had i left things as they were this morning id have min £3000 on sunday!! now i got £3000 bill instead lol plus £8 for ebay!! ha!

[xavi1980]

any ideas peeps?

[n3il123]

Is it the one in your profile? nice car but its not an e30!

[g7jhp]

E36

[rassi]

Cut your losses while you are ahead - you have discovered that your pristine E36 was not quite so pristine, and rather than the next owner finding this out to his/her great expense, you are the one at the receiving end. If I were you, I would break it rather than starting to shell out £3-4K that you will never see again. Unless you are determined to keep that car literally forever, it makes no sense at all.

[n3il123]

rassi said:

Cut your losses while you are ahead - you have discovered that your pristine E36 was not quite so pristine, and rather than the next owner finding this out to his/her great expense, you are the one at the receiving end. If I were you, I would break it rather than starting to shell out £3-4K that you will never see again. Unless you are determined to keep that car literally forever, it makes no sense at all.

Good call.... now if it had been an e30 325 sport different kettle of fish altogether!

[porka944s]

Uh Oh! bad choice, am i right in thinking you could get a good example of an M3 for that money?

[E30M3SE]

n3il123 said:

rassi said:

Cut your losses while you are ahead - you have discovered that your pristine E36 was not quite so pristine, and rather than the next owner finding this out to his/her great expense, you are the one at the receiving end. If I were you, I would break it rather than starting to shell out £3-4K that you will never see again. Unless you are determined to keep that car literally forever, it makes no sense at all.

Good call.... now if it had been an e30 325 sport different kettle of fish altogether!

Looking at his 'garage' it is a 1990 325i Sport which would hmake it an E30.

[E30M3SE]

porka944s said:

Uh Oh! bad choice, am i right in thinking you could get a good example of an M3 for that money?

EFA

[n3il123]

E30M3SE said:

n3il123 said:

rassi said:

Cut your losses while you are ahead - you have discovered that your pristine E36 was not quite so pristine, and rather than the next owner finding this out to his/her great expense, you are the one at the receiving end. If I were you, I would break it rather than starting to shell out £3-4K that you will never see again. Unless you are determined to keep that car literally forever, it makes no sense at all.

Good call.... now if it had been an e30 325 sport different kettle of fish altogether!

Looking at his 'garage' it is a 1990 325i Sport which would hmake it an E30.

I was just looking at the picture!