Possibly purchasing an E30, known issues?

^That looks like a good car with some PITA issues.

This doesn't count as spamming, because MachRC started it!!!!


IMG_4854 by überschnell, on Flickr

(weaksawwwce s52 can suck it :-p )

The owner is a mechanic in his mid 30's. It was going to be his project car but he does not have the time or money. It has headers and a straight pipe with a flowmaster muffler. I have been looking for e30's for months within 300 miles and haven't found anything near this cheap. Every car I see on craigslist or ebay is rusted out with high miles and they are asking 2.5k+. In my area these are very hard to find. This is actually the 3rd e30 I have seen in person.

Regardless of his profession, they didn't make an '89 325e. He's either swapped it, he's an idiot, or he doesn't know what he has.

I wouldn't buy it for that money. Especially with headers and a straight pipe, GD the M20 sounds awful with open exhaust.

Make a drive south of the Mason-Dixon if you want a rust-free shell. They're plentiful down here.

Yep the 2.7 is the 325e/es which is the low revving "eta" economy engine. It's not uncommon to switch and build on that block. See if he did.
Otherwise I would search for a 325is.

I have been wanting another e30...but I have also felt the mr2 turbo calling me back as well...

As Icoleman said the one i posted doesnt look too bad and i bet the guy would take less on price. Is that one within your 300mi range? Its in minnesota near the twin cities.

With you guys talking about the engine swaps wouldnt it not matter whether you got the 318, 318is, 325is, 325es, Since your swapping the engine anyways? Or am I missing something?

Well, engine swap to the e36m3's s50 or s52 is one option. Turbo'ing the stock "i" m20 is another, which you can see in my post above. There are advantages and disadvantages to everything.

And I never said that one didn't look too bad. The blower motor and leaks would be a real pain to fix.

take a look at my build thread lol

Originally Posted by InTheBeams

With you guys talking about the engine swaps wouldnt it not matter whether you got the 318, 318is, 325is, 325es, Since your swapping the engine anyways? Or am I missing something?

Sure it matters, as different models got different upgraded parts standard like LSD, better ratios, larger brakes, sport seat and steering wheel and OBC etc.

I didn't realize the 325is came with an LSD thats awesome. Though I read its not to hard to get an LSD and swap it into one of the other models. Thanks

He did not swap out the motor. Its all original. I may have misunderstood something. It's probably just a 325e with a I head.

Originally Posted by Silver01

As Icoleman said the one i posted doesnt look too bad and i bet the guy would take less on price. Is that one within your 300mi range? Its in minnesota near the twin cities.

The car has 200k + miles.....the car i'm looking at has 130k. I would never spend that much on a 200k+ mile car. I want a running rust free e30 regardless of what engine it has. It will just be a cruiser. Its either spend tons of money on a clean low mile e30 or buy an e30 in ok condition for cheap. My computer costs twice as much as this car.

take a look at my project thread...

ive always heard to stay away from ETA motors, because they just suck.

Originally Posted by TrippinBimmer

take a look at my project thread...

Nice man. That car was in rough shape. Going to subscribe to that! Car is coming together great.

Originally Posted by snikwad

ive always heard to stay away from ETA motors, because they just suck.

Why do they suck? Because they have a rev limit? The car will just be a daily driver.

read they have diesel like engine characteristics. it just doesnt sound like a fun E30. i dunno.

I'm going to chime in here a bit. I have owned or still own several E30s. I have had an 1984 318i, a 1985 318i, a 1987 325e, a 1989 325ix and a 1991 318is. The small 4 cylinders in the 1984 and 1985 318is were no power houses, but were pretty bullet proof, good drivers and got decent gas mileage. The 1987 325e was a bit quicker than the 318i's and you had to change the timing belt just like the service manual said. The 1989 325ix is a great car in all weather, heavy, but handles well and no snow will stop it with 4 good snow tires. The 1991 318is is a more modern 2002, the cult car. It was the lightest and the M42 dual overhead cam 4 cylinder made 132 HP stock, more than enough to move the car quite quickly (quite fast from 0 to 60). If you did some engine, exhaust and suspension and brake mods, the car was even quicker and even more fun to drive, especially on windy roads. Look for water in the trunk wells, all 3 of them, water in the tail lights, see when the timing belt was last done, if you can, pull a compression test on all cylinders. Common for the OD gear(s) to break (easy fix cause you can buy the gears for both models of speedo used), also common for dash to crack (can replace or put a cover over it). If the car really needs nothing, $1500.00 isn't bad (if you can live with the cracked dash), and still not too bad if you want to make it a project car as long as it has no rust (you might find rust on the rear facia on the passenger side between the tow hook and the corner where the battery lives) and you might find rust on the lower fronts of the doors and rear lower part of the front fenders. It should have the color coded Euro bumpers front and rear.

Originally Posted by tomoyer

I'm going to chime in here a bit. I have owned or still own several E30s. I have had an 1984 318i, a 1985 318i, a 1987 325e, a 1989 325ix and a 1991 318is. The small 4 cylinders in the 1984 and 1985 318is were no power houses, but were pretty bullet proof, good drivers and got decent gas mileage. The 1987 325e was a bit quicker than the 318i's and you had to change the timing belt just like the service manual said. The 1989 325ix is a great car in all weather, heavy, but handles well and no snow will stop it with 4 good snow tires. The 1991 318is is a more modern 2002, the cult car. It was the lightest and the M42 dual overhead cam 4 cylinder made 132 HP stock, more than enough to move the car quite quickly (quite fast from 0 to 60). If you did some engine, exhaust and suspension and brake mods, the car was even quicker and even more fun to drive, especially on windy roads. Look for water in the trunk wells, all 3 of them, water in the tail lights, see when the timing belt was last done, if you can, pull a compression test on all cylinders. Common for the OD gear(s) to break (easy fix cause you can buy the gears for both models of speedo used), also common for dash to crack (can replace or put a cover over it). If the car really needs nothing, $1500.00 isn't bad (if you can live with the cracked dash), and still not too bad if you want to make it a project car as long as it has no rust (you might find rust on the rear facia on the passenger side between the tow hook and the corner where the battery lives) and you might find rust on the lower fronts of the doors and rear lower part of the front fenders. It should have the color coded Euro bumpers front and rear.

The owner did state the speedo/fuel gauge goes out a few times since hes driven it. He said it frequently stops for a little bit then works again. I have read its just as simple as the circuit board going bad. Possibly the battery or gears like you stated? The car has no rust at all. Seats are mint just needs some carpet cleaning. First thing I have to buy is a new battery because he said it was dead and get an alignment. I'm not looking for a mint e30 because I don't want to spend the time looking and it will be way out of my price range. I wanted a project car to begin with. If I do end up purchasing it, it will get maintenance first, new paint, wheels, coilovers ect. Thanks for all the input

Yes, the circuit board behind the cluster can go nuts, bad connections, but you can pick up a new or good used board and all should be well with the gauges, if the trip and odometer aren't working though, it is usually the first 2 gears, they are prone to break, however, there are several places where you can purchase those gears usually for less than $30.00 for the 2. Also, sometimes you need to redo the grounds behind the dash. I had fun with all my E30s, still have 2 of them, the 1989 325ix and the 1991 318is besides my 2003 325xi and my 2003 330xi sport.

Originally Posted by bimminge46

Nice man. That car was in rough shape. Going to subscribe to that! Car is coming together great.

Why do they suck? Because they have a rev limit? The car will just be a daily driver.

I have a ETA Motor with a Head Swap Plenty of Fast for me