M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => General Topics => Topic started by: sumrnitz on February 22, 2008, 09:25:23 AM
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Greetings everyone, Chris from West Tennessee here. I've been lurking for a few months trying to learn as much as possible to make an educated purchase on an E30 when I come across one.Well, since I have found one interesting here lately I thought that I might ask some questions.
I was driving home a couple of weeks ago and out of the corner of my eye I saw a bright red, late model E30 sitting behind someone's home and decided to ask about it. On closer inspection it is a '91 318is, 5 speed, in beautiful condition with a fabulous black and tan interior. 216,000 miles.
The story is that this person bought it from the original owner for their teenage son, however his grades dropped and the kid never got a chance to drive it. He did spend considerable time with it in the driveway and had an aftermarket stereo installed. Long story short, he ran the battery down and ran it out of gas (been cold here in Tennessee) keeping the heat running. So the car has been sitting still for a couple of months. Has new tires, brakes and calipers and the owner says it needs absolutely nothing but gas and a battery.
So I set up an appointment to check the car over (it was raining that day so I couldnt do much) and the owner had to work. So he left the key in the ignition for me and trusted me to test drive it. A gesture of goodwill and trust it seems. I brought 4 gallons of gas and a strong jump box with me.
Now the problem:After pouring it in and hooking up the box I turned on the key, heard the fuel pump come to life the starter spun freely but it would never fire off. I tried repeatedly for 4- 5 mins, in 20 -30 second bursts till the jump box drained. I did notice that the gas hand barely moved, staying on the low end of the reserve, and the car is on the slightest of inclines.
E30's that arent ragged out are extremely hard to find here in rural Tennessee. The asking price of $2250 (might be able to get it for $2K) is within my budget and the car looks fabulous. The owner was surprised it didnt start when I talked with him on the phone. Due to tornados in the area the past few weeks he just doesn't have the time to check into it.
My question: Does this sound like a minor, stupid little something (maybe needs more gas, etc.) and I should snap the car up or should I keep looking as I have religiously in the papers, ebay, auto trader, cars.com, forums, etc. for another nice car in my budget (which is exceedingly hard)? I've done a few searches on cars not starting and there have been a wide range of causes and frankly has me confused enough to ask the forum for help.
I apologize for writing a book but I figured the more info I could give, the better it would be for some sympathetic souls to help. Any light the wisdom of the forum could shed would be appreciated. Below are a few pics of the car.
God Bless,
Chris
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a65/lowgrooves/SANY0384.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a65/lowgrooves/SANY0378.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a65/lowgrooves/SANY0380.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a65/lowgrooves/SANY0383.jpg)
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looks like a very clean brilliantrot!
i would try again with more fuel.
also, if the owner ran out, the pump might have collected all the crap on the bottom of the tank and you could have a clogged filter.
a 17 years old car has to run often in order to stay alive. i'm sure once you'll get it started everything will be alright
good luck, and hope to see your on the forum later
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Thank you for the reply! So something relatively minor then. Hmmmm....I have half the mind to offer $1800 in current non-running condition. Might work, might not.
Let's say worse case scenario and more gas doesnt fire it up. Pass on it or bring it home and tinker with it? Slight gamble there.
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I believe that car should have basketweeves (?) not bottle caps for rims and the front spoiler lip is missing.The antenna looks to be not working .It should be down when the car is off .
When you say the "the starter spun freely " do you mean the motor didn't turn over like when the starter doesn't engage the flywheel.
With that many miles if it wasn't maintained then you'll be putting money in.
Ask for Maintenance records .If your good at doing your own work then that car has definite possibilities .
good luck
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The engine turned over as well, no problems there. With the aftermarket stereo a novice might simply have not wired the antenna to move it up and down There is a 10 inch sub in a box in the trunk. I've tried to get maintenance records but this owner didnt get them from the previous female owner. I agree that I think the car should of had basketweaves.
I have mechanical abilities but zero BMW experience so please forgive my ignorance here. There are quite a few assumptions here. Very well maintained interior can "sometimes" be an indicator of a well maintained car. I try to look for little things as clues. The trunk area is clean and well maintained and the engine compartment isnt "overly clean" like something was being hidden. This stuff might not add up to a hill of beans but may be good indicators. I figure that at 216k that the profile gasket has already failed by now and been replaced.
The current owner, who is a truck driver, said that he saw the car for sale in south Georgia somewhere, bought it and said it drove flawlessly on the 300+ mile trip to West TN, Everything works. The guy bought it for his kid to drive in high school and I imagine with him being a truck driver and gone all week he would want something in as good of shape as possible. But the kid never got it because of his grades dropping like a rock.
Please...more comments. This is extremely helpful.
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Well, If your buying it as a project car ( not a daily driver) then these cars can be very rewarding .They are easy to work on and are fun to drive .You must remember that they are 17 years old and things wear out .I don't drive mine every day (winter nap time right now) but look forward to it when I do.
Your right about the profile gasket .
There is also a ton of info on this forum with many people that can take these cars apart and put them back together in their sleep.
I personally think the price is a little high but if you can't find anything else in your area then maybe it's a good deal.
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It would be used as a weekend car because I have a company work car (Crown Vic Police Interceptor:D ). But I would like something very reliable. So you dont see them as daily driver worthy?
Pricewise Ive seen these cars everywhere else for $3500ish so I didnt think the price was that bad. Maybe Im wrong? Educate me.
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I would not pay more than $500-800 for a non-running car. Although the engine may turn over, you have little idea what kind of condition the valve train/timing gear is in. These areas are a weak point and with 216k miles you could be in store for some expensive work.
I like the fact that it spent time in Georgia. If it lived most of its life there chances are it is rust free.
Mine makes a great daily driver, although I only have a 1.5 mile drive to work. I drive it much more often than my other car, a 1990 Miata.
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:(
I'm starting to get scared off of this car which sucks because it took me 8 months to find a semi- local 2 door E30 that
a: wasn't an 325 eta automatic
b: didnt have copious amounts of rust
c: didnt have a TRASHED interior.
This one is rust free and has a 95% perfect interior but I'm really getting bummed here.
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:(
I'm starting to get scared off of this car which sucks because it took me 8 months to find a semi- local 2 door E30 that
a: wasn't an 325 eta automatic
b: didnt have copious amounts of rust
c: didnt have a TRASHED interior.
This one is rust free and has a 95% perfect interior but I'm really getting bummed here.
As it is with most things in life, craigslist is your friend :)
http://knoxville.craigslist.org/car/569731853.html
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That's a nice car, thanks for pointing it out. A little far for me though as Knoxville is almost 400 miles away. I check the Memphis (100 mi) and Nashville (160 mi) Craigslist listings several times a day though.