Buying An E30 Bmw

seanyleary

Hi All.
I have decided to buy myself an E30 BMW, but not sure on which one to buy. I have 3/4 in mind.

First 325i sport, but the price is putting me off. your looking 4 to 5 grand for a good one. Its 20years old. Even a rough one is 3 grand.

Second 318i sport. same set up as the 325i except the engine of course. Again 5 grand for them in Ireland but you should get one in the UK for 1500 sterling.

Third 320i sport. The biggest problem with these is you can't find any so no idea of price.

Fourth 316SE auto. Yes the 316or 318SE still cheap, 500 euro. The idea would be to strip it back, body-kit, respray, new suspension, interior, and maybe drop in the M50 engine from the e36. Problem is how much would this cost. I have no idea. Has any done this to the 316, if so how much do you think it would cost? Don't want to start and not be able to finish it.

SO. I have 4 grand to spend maybe a bit more if i go for the fourth option.
Let me know what you think i should do.


I have no idea

2 Espressi

I went looking at a few of these before, any of them will be 20 years old, not just the 325s!
It might sound obvious, but it was a bit of a shock sitting into one and realising how far car design has come in that time.

There was a big spike in their popularity a couple of years ago, mostly with Alpina replicas and dropped suspensions. Most of 'em seem to have been written off, or put in storage waiting for classic status.

A nice clean 325 would be my choice, or a 318is but bear in mind you'd get a lot more E36 for you money. They may not be as pretty, but there are quite a few more of them about, so it should be easier to find a good one.

There's a really good 318is guide at http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/index.html

seanyleary

Yea i had a E30 316 saloon a few years back. funny smell in it, and didnt pass the nct as there was a lot of work needed in the end. Loved it though.
I have E36 at the 328i sport, just looking for an e30 as a sunday car.

gezas

BMW 3 series is more like sport car and BMW 5 series is more comfortable car for serious gay. So its depends on you, what you want.

Seth Brundle

seanyleary wrote: »

First 325i sport, but the price is putting me off. your looking 4 to 5 grand for a good one. Its 20years old. Even a rough one is 3 grand.

Second 318i sport. same set up as the 325i except the engine of course. Again 5 grand for them in Ireland but you should get one in the UK for 1500 sterling.

The price reflects the demand unfortunately.

seanyleary wrote: »

Third 320i sport. The biggest problem with these is you can't find any so no idea of price.

The 320i 'Sport' is presumably the 320i with M-Tech suspension, etc. It is not a sport in the same way that the 325i Sport was.
Also, don't confuse it with the 320iS which was a 4 cylinder baby brother to the M3 (in standard clothing).

seanyleary wrote: »

Fourth 316SE auto. Yes the 316or 318SE still cheap, 500 euro. The idea would be to strip it back, body-kit, respray, new suspension, interior, and maybe drop in the M50 engine from the e36. Problem is how much would this cost. I have no idea. Has any done this to the 316, if so how much do you think it would cost? Don't want to start and not be able to finish it.

Its possible but I'd be curious to see the insurance quote. Also the M50 would come with more electrics (sensors, etc.) so it could be a pain. YOu would probably need uprated brakes from the drums that would be on it.

2 Espressi wrote: »

I went looking at a few of these before, any of them will be 20 years old, not just the 325s!
It might sound obvious, but it was a bit of a shock sitting into one and realising how far car design has come in that time.

The last E30 saloon/touring was made in early 1991 so its not quite 20 years.
You are right - a lot has come in terms of design. However, modern cars are so full of electrics and added weight that it takes away from the driving experience. I still miss my 320i very much!

FOGOFUNK

Youd probably be better off in the classic car forum?

Rowley Birkin QC

Any ambitions of hunting an E30 M3?

Vegeta

One thing I would warn against is you can see how hard it is to get a decent one, so imagine trying to get parts for one.

My brother has a 318iS and someone crashed into him. He is looking for a rear drivers side trailing arm and cant get one cheap anywhere.

It costs mental money from a main dealer here.

I would say the opposite about the interior. Sure it aint pretty but its got heated electric mirrors, eletric windows, an mpg needle/indicator etc etc. Way more gear than a few cars even 4 years old.

I love that car, would be great to see it on the road again

Vegeta

bigkev49 wrote: »

Any ambitions of hunting an E30 M3?

There's a nice one driving around Limerick with a good looking lady driver.

Seth Brundle

Vegeta wrote: »

One thing I would warn against is you can see how hard it is to get a decent one, so imagine trying to get parts for one.

My brother has a 318iS and someone crashed into him. He is looking for a rear drivers side trailing arm and cant get one cheap anywhere.

It costs mental money from a main dealer here.

I would say the opposite about the interior. Sure it aint pretty but its got heated electric mirrors, eletric windows, an mpg needle/indicator etc etc. Way more gear than a few cars even 4 years old.

I love that car, would be great to see it on the road again

There are loads of places to get parts such as GSF, OTTO, Euro Car Parts. SHould BMW be the only place for a new part then you can try several BMW Breakers such as FAB Direct.

Vegeta

kbannon wrote: »

There are loads of places to get parts such as GSF, OTTO, Euro Car Parts. SHould BMW be the only place for a new part then you can try several BMW Breakers such as FAB Direct.

Tried GSF before but no joy, will try my luck with the others. Cheers

Just to add my brother has informed me its an m42 and only in production from 90-91 so that's maybe why I am having problems.

I think I heard my brother say that the same part from the 325iS would fit.

bucks

Check out E30owners.com for advice and E30 cars/parts for sale. Its an Irish E30 enthusiast site !

Ferris

kbannon wrote: »

Its possible but I'd be curious to see the insurance quote. Also the M50 would come with more electrics (sensors, etc.) so it could be a pain. YOu would probably need uprated brakes from the drums that would be on it.

Its a fairly common swap in the US and UK. Its not easy but you don't need any real custom bits apart from a specially fabricated exhaust. Also the Vanos in the m3s engine (s52b30/32) can be troublesome. other bits required include a driveshaft, thinner rad, e28 engine mounts, a smaller master cylinder (out of an e21 I think) and possibly a different ratio diff (LSD would be advisable). Ideal engine to use would be the all alloy M54B25/30 from the Z3 as its lighter than the cast iron M engines off that period and the older M50's. Apparently the work to adapt the wiring loom is one of the most difficult jobs.

There is a good forum on yahoo called e30twincam. Lots of info there, even a guy who put a mitsubishi evo engine in.

Only problem is that e36 M3's are so cheap at the mo that you need to really want an e30 to justify their cost.

paddy316i

I used to have an E30 316i. It was absolutly mint. Sold it in the end though. Plenty of work involved so don't go buying one as a commuter car. Will probably let you down. e30zone.co.uk is good too

Andrewf20

Money no object M3, if not then Id recommend the 318is. I was driving this one recently and its a hoot. Some good info in these links.

http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/318isfaultstable.html
http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/318isdriving.html#driving_livingwitha318is