M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
FAQ / REFERENCE => M42 Buyer's Guide => Topic started by: JChartowich on November 28, 2015, 02:58:19 AM
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Hello M42 Club,
After having spent several days pondering the finer points of buying a 1991 318i, I was very glad to find this forum and have already learned some cool stuff from reading some other buyer's guide posts. I have been on a real trip about E30s for a while now, and finally have a budget of ~$4000 to work with to buy as nice of one as I can find. My criteria are few, and include very minimal or no rust, good interior, and decent reliability. I enjoy wrenching on my small fleet of vehicles already, and work at a parts store so I am always on some trip about cars. I feel like one of these E30s would be right up my alley, but I am trying not to fly blindly into this one and buy the first car I see, as I don't have time for another project car right now. If anyone feels like shedding some light on my idea, I will truly appreciate any help. Here's the car in question:
http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/5300625378.html
The other salient point is that I have to drive about 300 miles just to look at this car. I have talked to the guy at length, and he's been really honest about what he's done (and not done) to the car. Also, he claims to have owned 3 other e30s, which is definitely a plus. Here's a list of what he's told me, excluding what's written in the ad.
-Replaced all doors except drivers, I think he said all of them have good origial paint. He said the car was never wrecked, but the doors were rusting and dented, so he wanted to replace. I forgot to asked if he matched the passenger door lock.
-Rear bumper was hit, had body shop professionally replace.
-He said the car has minimal rust in a couple places, didn't specify where.
-Relpaced all of the car's seats. Cracked dash under the cover.
-You can see a crack in the windshield in one photo. My local glass shop wants $250 to replace it.
-Blower motor vibrates badly on last two speeds.
-As far as mechanical goes, he said he did the intake gaskets and a tune-up recently.
-Oil pan gasket is good (for now), rear main seal drips.
-has not checked the 6 bolts under the pan. I didn't ask about the chain tensioner, but I doubt if it's been replaced.
-Transmission supposedly shifts fine, he says he doesn't have a feel for how good the clutch is.
-He didn't mention the driveshaft guibo or CV joints.
-The cone filter was a previous owner special (notice the aluminum plate for a heat shield), but I found a new box on ebay for $150.
Based on what the man himself and his ad have said, I think its safe to say he's poured his heart into this car. What do you guys think? I'm sure I'm forgetting a few obvious things. I would like to at least go look at the car, but it's a long drive and I want to do my homework on this car. I originally did not want a 4-door or an M42, but I've definitely warmed up to the idea of the M42 under the hood, and to my eyes the car seems too nice to worry about the 2 extra doors. Admittedly, I'm far more concerned about the cosmetic condition of the car than the mechanical. My body work skills are non-existant, but I love wrenching on stuff. I promised myself that I would not buy another car that has been repainted, and it seems that even though the bumpers have new paint, the rest of the car's finish is original and in good shape. Even thought the replaced doors ruin the originality, I'm not worried about that for a car that just needs to be a solid daily driver.
Thanks for reading through my tediously long post. I am interested to hear what you guys think about this, and thanks in advance for the help!
Josh
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Hello Josh
Looks solid, my 2 concerns are engine wiring cover and what is going on with the front battery area, boot relocation, stain possibly from battery acid.
That's the only place I have any rust, my battery cracked once and battery acid does not agree with anything.
Regards Rohan
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Hi Rohan,
Thanks for the reply. I guess its a testament to my inexperience with these cars, but I just thought the front tray was always unused and that the battery was always in the trunk, as I've seen one other car like that. Good call, I will make sure to check and make sure the trunk relocation isn't a hack job if I go look at the car. As far as the engine wiring cover, where is that missing? Does that go just above the rear intake under the cowl?
Josh
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Hi Josh
The wiring cover goes directly in front of the windscreen, just in the engine bay.
Regards Rohan
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Hi Rohan,
Thanks for the reply. I guess its a testament to my inexperience with these cars, but I just thought the front tray was always unused and that the battery was always in the trunk, as I've seen one other car like that. Good call, I will make sure to check and make sure the trunk relocation isn't a hack job if I go look at the car. As far as the engine wiring cover, where is that missing? Does that go just above the rear intake under the cowl?
Josh
You're correct - the battery in the coupe & sedan is always in the trunk. The only exception is the cabrio (I finally own all three models, so I'm an expert, LOL). Given the painted/PC manifold, I wonder if he has any other mods...might have a chipped DME. Listen for unusual chain noise coming from the cam case. M42s are fairly noisy motors, but they shouldn't make grinding noises.
The basketweaves are a nice touch (sedans typically came with 14" steel wheels and swanky hub caps), the E36 rack and R134 conversion are wonderful (if they've been done correctly), and the coupe chin spoiler is lovely. He's also added ellipsoid headlights (original would be antique sealed beams). HIDs make a lot of light, hopefully not a lot of glare. Looks like a well-maintained car with a few tasteful OEM upgrades. Owner is very knowledgeable as well. I'm not a fan of the CAI...they're noisy...but it's well done with a heat shield. An airbox is pretty easily sourced & restored.
I'd think that front "battery" tray marking is potentially a rust stain from something he was carrying there. Mine has a spare jug of coolant, LOL. As mentioned, there are two wiring covers missing - the long one across the firewall, and the smaller one over the battery terminal block on the passenger side. No biggie there, probably still available brand-new.
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Hi Rohan,
Thanks for the reply. I guess its a testament to my inexperience with these cars, but I just thought the front tray was always unused and that the battery was always in the trunk, as I've seen one other car like that. Good call, I will make sure to check and make sure the trunk relocation isn't a hack job if I go look at the car. As far as the engine wiring cover, where is that missing? Does that go just above the rear intake under the cowl?
Josh
You're correct - the battery in the coupe & sedan is always in the trunk. The only exception is the cabrio.
I think that's true for US spec cars, but the '89 318is I owned in Italy had the battery in the engine compartment.
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I think that's true for US spec cars, but the '89 318is I owned in Italy had the battery in the engine compartment.
I am not surprised by this statement one tiny bit...Italy is a world unto itself!
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Thanks a lot for the help you guys. I feel a lot better about this car with your experience and input on the table. We will see what happens if I make it to Denver in the next week. I'll make sure to bring the "mechanic's stethoscope" for the chain case, haha! I looked up a replacement airbox on ebay for about $150, so that's not too bad. I'll try to look for those wiring covers too, thanks for telling me or I wouldn't have even thought about it. I'm glad to hear a few more people concur that this is a solid car, hopefully I'll get to go and look at the car and see. Thanks again for the advice! :D
Josh
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Hi
My battery was in the front too, coupe 318is e30. Australia but again we get euro models.
But we are upside down Dave!
Cheers
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Hey Guys,
Sorry I didn't get back to you all sooner. I went to look at the car last Monday and decided to walk. I also looked at a 325ix and walked as well. The M42 was in good mechanical shape, clean engine bay, but it need a water pump pretty bad, it was leaking noticeably. The interior of the car was fantastic, but the big reason that I walked was that the car had quite a bit of rust, especially near the jack points. I decided it was a little more than I could handle. The guy was really cool about it, and he obviously put a ton of good work into the car, especially with the E36 rack swap. I felt bad to walk, but I think its wisest to wait for the right E30 to come along. Who knows, maybe it will be an M42 and I can officially join up with you guys. You are all a great crew, thank you very much for taking the time to help me.
All the best,
Josh
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Over the past year I have come to the sad realization that I should have walked from the car I currently daily because of rust problems. Stick with the search and you'll find what you are looking for.
Eventually.
Maybe.
I dunno.
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Kef is right - of course - spend your time looking for a good one. The cost of fixing significant rust or old bodywork certainly defends waiting for a good one. They're out there. If you're doubtful...refer to Norm Boudrault's rebuild...he even built a rotisserie!
As for the leaking pump, it could also have been the profile gasket under the head. That was a really common failure point, but BMW updated the part so it's unusual now. I got really lucky with a Florida car that had lived in Tennessee, but it's starting to rust in the same place - right around the rear passenger jacking point.
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325ix are really rare beasties these days, what was wrong with it?
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I always figured the 325iX was largely a victim of snow belt roads. We loved those cars around here, but the salt just eats them alive. A lot of them also died when the E30 was just another needy used car. You know, when they get 15-20 years old, passed on to kids that can't afford them and aren't really worth repairing. I scrapped a few cars I'd love to have now, including a Nissan 200SX (S12) and an adorable Toyota Starlet 5-speed. The E36 & E46 are that age now; I've seen them getting scrapped pretty frequently; it'd be a great time to pick up that 330XI you always wanted...
Used parts are few and far between. The entire front of the car is different from any other E30...parts are pricey. Not just obvious differences like the transfer case, front diff & shafts...but the struts, knuckles, wheels and even the subframe of the iX are all unique. The subframe is really a neat piece of work - a large aluminum casting that must have cost an absolute fortune to make.
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I always figured the 325iX was largely a victim of snow belt roads. We loved those cars around here, but the salt just eats them alive...Not just obvious differences like the transfer case, front diff & shafts...
My exact same thoughts. I would love an E30 IX coupe, but rust and that damn transfer case are what I believe to me the weakest links on that car.