help me feel better letting this m42 get away

[PartsCar]

Hi all,

I was in the process of purchasing another 318is over the weekend.
I took a look at this great condition car of 130k mi in excellent interior and exterior shape.

I took a look at the motor bay and saw dried oil near the valve cover bolts. and looked below it I saw fresh oil beneath it in the area highlighted in the picture below.

* this is not the motor in question-btw

Its been a while since I've owned a m42 but it looked like the oil was sitting on a rail in that area.

on warm start up, the motor had trouble finding idle for a second but was steady. Idle temps would creep up and go back down once in motion.

Unfortunately I didnt think to check the fan clutch or oil cap.

Is this a common area for oil to leak if the valve cover gasket is bad, or could it be something much worse that i should feel good for stepping away from.

[dude8383]

I would confirm exactly where the oil is coming from...if its just the valve cover gasket thats a 10min job and I wouldn't be worried. The car might be having some idling problems due to that but also maybe your vacuum lines are needing some attention.

Check for any cracked or cracking hoses around the intake manifold.

[PartsCar]

yes im sure the idle issue could be just a vacuum problem with the hoses. I couldnt really tell where the oil was coming from.

here is a picture of the REAL motor in question. Of course the seller posted a view of the motor the best angle...



also, anybody know what rear strut brace this is?

[dude8383]

Looks like a mason bar

So you haven't actually seen this car in person yet?

[PartsCar]

I've seen it. to make a long story short. he was asking 3500 i offered 2700 and i ended up walking away.

*mod please move this. I think I will still try to get this car, but this probably needs to be in the Buying Guide section.

[B318M42W]

why is there a rubber mallet in the engine???

[PartsCar]

yeah i was wondering that when I checked out the car as well. Apparently that thing had been in there since the picture and until I took a look at it last weekend. I mentioned it, and the owner took it out and didn't really explain why it was there to begin with. I've left tools in the motor bay once or twice, but never a rubber mallet resting on the throttle cable.

[jscribble]

Vibration damper. That's high tech redneckery.

I'd buy it, just haggle like mad.

[dude8383]

I've seen it. to make a long story short. he was asking 3500 i offered 2700 and i ended up walking away.

*mod please move this. I think I will still try to get this car, but this probably needs to be in the Buying Guide section.

I guess this could go *here*

[PartsCar]

I guess this could go *here*

Thanks. I was about to pull the trigger on this one, but the weirdest thing. The owner wanted to meet up for the initial showing of the car. Meaning it seemed like he had no intention of selling me the car.

I made my offer and had to talk to my gf about it. and as i was doing so he grabbed his kid and hopped back in the car and said, "Ok you think about it and let me know" and left.

So after listening to my gf trying to convince me not to take the car and take my dad's beaten jeep grand cherokee, this gave the owner to think he doesnt want to sell me his car. I called him back to take the car. but never called me back. He reposted the car again on CL. My friend (ad salesman by trade) told me to wait it out for a week.

[longtallsally]

I am ULTRA ruthless on used cars as I've had my share of "issues" to work out from DSPOs (dips@#$ previous owners).

That said, my thoughts are that you made a fair offer- if not high, and subsequently a wise decision.  This person doesn't seem interested in selling the car to you based on their actions. My specific fears are:

- I'd be a little afraid if someone showed up in a car with a rubber mallet in the engine bay like it was.  Worse still, that there was no explanation.  I thought you just went and saw the car like that, not that he actually DROVE it like that.  :confused:

- The utterly worthless rear strut bar and lack of one in front tells me that he "has a buddy" who had some pipe laying around and said, "yo, I can make you a baller strut brace yo, fo yo ride, yo" and proceeded to install that abomination.

When I see no rhyme or reason to a "modification" and no process for its implementation, that tells me the owner has no clue what they are doing and are haphazardly going about putting crap on their car.  Therefore, the maintenance is haphazard- if done at all- and probably done using crap parts and poor procedure.

In other words, he was more interested in the horsepower gains of the rubber mallet mod and electrical conduit rear strut bar thingy then resolving the oil leak in the bay or inconsistent engine temp or stumbling idle.

So that tells me, that the dude probably pounded on the poor car figuring he would just save for his S50 swap yo, and in the mean time worked on more important mods like the closet bar rear strut brace.

Bottom line, this is yet another example of someone who bought a car and did not have the time, tools, or patience to make- or keep- it correct.

Keep looking or keep low ball offering- especially if it needs to be a reliable DD for you.

[dude8383]

I am ULTRA ruthless on used cars as I've had my share of "issues" to work out from DSPOs (dips@#$ previous owners).

That said, my thoughts are that you made a fair offer- if not high, and subsequently a wise decision.  This person doesn't seem interested in selling the car to you based on their actions. My specific fears are:

- I'd be a little afraid if someone showed up in a car with a rubber mallet in the engine bay like it was.  Worse still, that there was no explanation.  I thought you just went and saw the car like that, not that he actually DROVE it like that.  :confused:

- The utterly worthless rear strut bar and lack of one in front tells me that he "has a buddy" who had some pipe laying around and said, "yo, I can make you a baller strut brace yo, fo yo ride, yo" and proceeded to install that abomination.

When I see no rhyme or reason to a "modification" and no process for its implementation, that tells me the owner has no clue what they are doing and are haphazardly going about putting crap on their car.  Therefore, the maintenance is haphazard- if done at all- and probably done using crap parts and poor procedure.

In other words, he was more interested in the horsepower gains of the rubber mallet mod and electrical conduit rear strut bar thingy then resolving the oil leak in the bay or inconsistent engine temp or stumbling idle.

So that tells me, that the dude probably pounded on the poor car figuring he would just save for his S50 swap yo, and in the mean time worked on more important mods like the closet bar rear strut brace.

Bottom line, this is yet another example of someone who bought a car and did not have the time, tools, or patience to make- or keep- it correct.

Keep looking or keep low ball offering- especially if it needs to be a reliable DD for you.

Not to shit on your parade or anything...but that rear strut bar is legit. I agree that the other things you've mentioned show that the owner neglected the car but the bar is definitely not a "closet hanger"

http://www.masonengineering.net/Subpages/E30.htm

Looks like he has the one piece bar.

http://www.masonengineering.net/images/E30rearAlFe.gif

[longtallsally]

Well I'm not going to debate the validity or functionality of the rear "brace," be it from a quality organization or not (IMO, there are much bigger fish to fry in an E30 chassis and I'm not convinced that anyone outside a DTM driver at the limit on the track will notice a differnce), but the fact remains that there is no rhyme or reason to this "mod".  Sorry to hijack.

Getting off topic, dude, what car are you in?  I've gotta believe that with your fuely reading sig deal, that it is a 325?  It looks really slick, btw.

[PartsCar]

Thanks for the input longtallsally. I know I offered too high. Unfortunately I have a weakness for e30s and got a little gitty like a school girl. Although meeting this guy in person, he seemed like a genuine guy (I'm too trusting). Late 30s - early 40s Argentinian guy who brought his son. His post on CL doesnt make him seem like a typical e30 hooner, yo. No mention of it being an "e30" and labled as "318 is". I think that was his strategy. His LinkedIn boasts of "exceptional product marketing communicator style, strong negotiation skills". He's been trying to sell this car since May and reposted his ad twice since I looked at it.

I noticed that the temp dial had the temp numbers on it, I've never seen that before on any of my or my friend's collection of e30s.

Anyways, if I were to get the car, I would sell the rear strut brace to make up for some money needed to spend on tires. I agree with your opinion on upper strut braces. Been there done that, a long time ago.

This car needs to be my dd for 50mi/day. So some of the leaks and quirks, (although I have experience wrenching on m42 or s50) wouldnt bother me so much but the nagging from the woman is what would kill me. Time on the car is not time spent with her... but that's something else.

some more pics.

[longtallsally]

Right on.  I wouldn't trust this guy as far as I could throw him.  If he is that old and purports himself in such a manner, then he stole the car for cheap from someone and now is trying to double his money and is very far from an enthusiast.  He did his research and is asking what an acceptable year and model of car like this should sell for and is asking a bit over that, but doesn't realize the car's misgivings are more expensive than he realized upon his purchase.

Based on this and the new pics; $2k tops  No foglights, no basketweaves (the correct wheel for this car), needs tires, no clue about the temp gauge which could mean a myriad of things, and questionable paint.  If the AC is dead that is another big one.  Also, with the mileage, I bet that the timing equipment has never been done which it would be due for shortly if not right away.  All that adds up to his asking price minus paint.

For reference, I paid $3k for mine and it was in much better condition and I've still put another $3k in it and am far from done.  Another point of reference is a pretty darn nice one for sale right now on this forum for just under $7k which really is a very nice example and given the difficulty in finding a decent one and how much it costs to make them correct, I'd say it's a good deal.