Some help buying E30

Christian.F · 04-16-2013, 02:14 PM

Hey guys wasn't really sure where to post this... wondering if someone can help me out...

I have been looking to get an E30 for a while now, and just need some help with guidance and whatnot...

I'm looking at an 87 325e right now, they are asking middle 2k for it... Does that seem fair?

193k miles
Non OEM Wheels
non OEM steering wheel
Paint looking pretty rough
Interior is decent
supersprint exhaust but has an exhaust leak

download 1.jpg (9.9 KB, 0 views)

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Christian.F · 04-16-2013, 05:05 PM

Has some rust, Manual, turner Chip, Racing dynamics...

westphone · 04-16-2013, 10:40 PM

Personally any second hand car I would like it to be as stock as possible. I would walk away from a car with 193k miles with many non-OEM items especially with engine tuning or performance tuning or suspension tuning. My 2 cents.

intoflatlines · 04-17-2013, 08:50 AM

I'd try to get an 325i or 325is instead of the 325e personally (depending on what your end goal is)

Jeff@TopGearSolutions · 04-17-2013, 10:47 AM

Depends on how much rust is a little rust. That is the highest deciding factor on most E30.

Original paint will never fair well on E30 this late in the game and even 10 years ago.

$2K is excellent if this rust is trivial. To be fair the mods are trivial. Steering wheel changes and wheels aren't a concern and superprint is a high quality exhaust. It probably needs a gasket or worst case scenario a few bucks at a muffler shop to fix. The chip was also very popular for the E30 and something that anyone who owned the car would purchase anyway as it's an excellent power adder for the money.

I'd like to find a clean E30 myself, and clean starts with rust free.

Efthreeoh · 04-20-2013, 08:11 AM

I owned an 1989 E30 325i for 18 years since it was brand new, so I'm a bit familiar with the E30. The car your looking at, I wouldn't touch if you can find an '89. The '89 325i or 325is IMO is the best version. It has the M20 "I" motor in it which is a far better engine than the "eta" engine in the '87 you are looking at. Eta motor was a dog, totally tuned for fuel mileage. The '89 was the first model year with the European-styled integrated bumpers that met US standards, the '87 has the big aluminum ugly-ass US Bumpers. Finally the '89 does not have airbags (less maintenance headaches for a 25+ year old car). The 1990 had airbags. It this point it will be hard to find a clean one, since most cars will have been through many owners by now and probably not well cared for. It's a money proposition anyway you look at it.

Good luck.

04-16-2013, 02:14 PM	#1
Christian.F First Lieutenant 45 Rep 383 Posts Drives: F97 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: USA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2018 BMW M3 [0.00]	Some help buying E30 Hey guys wasn't really sure where to post this... wondering if someone can help me out... I have been looking to get an E30 for a while now, and just need some help with guidance and whatnot... I'm looking at an 87 325e right now, they are asking middle 2k for it... Does that seem fair? 193k miles Non OEM Wheels non OEM steering wheel Paint looking pretty rough Interior is decent supersprint exhaust but has an exhaust leak download 1.jpg (9.9 KB, 0 views) download 2.jpg (6.0 KB, 0 views) download 3.jpg (8.2 KB, 0 views)
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04-16-2013, 05:05 PM	#2
Christian.F First Lieutenant 45 Rep 383 Posts Drives: F97 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: USA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2018 BMW M3 [0.00]	Has some rust, Manual, turner Chip, Racing dynamics...
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04-16-2013, 10:40 PM	#3
westphone Lieutenant 65 Rep 466 Posts Drives: M135i MT Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Taiwan iTrader: (0)	Personally any second hand car I would like it to be as stock as possible. I would walk away from a car with 193k miles with many non-OEM items especially with engine tuning or performance tuning or suspension tuning. My 2 cents.
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04-17-2013, 08:50 AM	#4
intoflatlines Lieutenant 67 Rep 501 Posts Drives: Z4MR, E34, E30 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	I'd try to get an 325i or 325is instead of the 325e personally (depending on what your end goal is)
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04-17-2013, 10:47 AM	#5
Jeff@TopGearSolutions 3441 Rep 79,211 Posts Drives: C6 Z06, 09 335i, 10 335xi Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: www.TopGearSolutions.com iTrader: (37)	Depends on how much rust is a little rust. That is the highest deciding factor on most E30. Original paint will never fair well on E30 this late in the game and even 10 years ago. $2K is excellent if this rust is trivial. To be fair the mods are trivial. Steering wheel changes and wheels aren't a concern and superprint is a high quality exhaust. It probably needs a gasket or worst case scenario a few bucks at a muffler shop to fix. The chip was also very popular for the E30 and something that anyone who owned the car would purchase anyway as it's an excellent power adder for the money. I'd like to find a clean E30 myself, and clean starts with rust free.
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04-20-2013, 08:11 AM	#6
Efthreeoh General 17317 Rep 18,740 Posts Drives: The E90 + Z4 Coupe & Z3 R'ster Join Date: May 2012 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	I owned an 1989 E30 325i for 18 years since it was brand new, so I'm a bit familiar with the E30. The car your looking at, I wouldn't touch if you can find an '89. The '89 325i or 325is IMO is the best version. It has the M20 "I" motor in it which is a far better engine than the "eta" engine in the '87 you are looking at. Eta motor was a dog, totally tuned for fuel mileage. The '89 was the first model year with the European-styled integrated bumpers that met US standards, the '87 has the big aluminum ugly-ass US Bumpers. Finally the '89 does not have airbags (less maintenance headaches for a 25+ year old car). The 1990 had airbags. It this point it will be hard to find a clean one, since most cars will have been through many owners by now and probably not well cared for. It's a money proposition anyway you look at it. Good luck.
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