E30 BMW anyone know much about them

[GSR_jake]

So I just sold my Integra today. I need to find a replacement. I was thinking about geting a E30 bmw 325i, 325is, 325ix. I have found a few here and there but they all seem to have a shit ton of miles on them.
If anyone has anything good or bad to say about them I would like to hear. I see them from time to time at shawano and they seem to do alright.

I have found several IX's the AWD version. dose anyone know if the all wheel drive systems on them are any good.

The 2 cars i am looking into is ethier a e30 or 240sx. I want something RWD. All i really want is to find something fun and reliable enough to get me back and forth to school.

[3ftcivic]

I know that E30's are super cool. So you should just go buy one, without hearing reviews.

[TomKat]

A 240SX is a fun as hell car to drive and are pretty reliable.

BMW. Expensive to fix. You should go on the FVSCC forum and ask Matt (teh potsy)what he thinks about the E30 ix.

[DirtyBird]

they can be expensive to repair if they were not taken care of in the first place, but they are dam good cars for the money and seem to last just as long as any honda or toyota. Leave it to German engineers huh. I prefeer the E36 BMWs myself.

[GSR_jake]

i like the way the e30 looks better then the e36, i also heard e30 are pretty easy to work on and e36 you need some special tools and what not.
They do seem to last long and for the most part most of them dont seem to be rusted out

[mpf_supra]

your in college, get something reliable. not something that's gonna break.

[Pointdsm]

Special tools? I would stay away from an e30, only because of the position your in. A lower miles e36 wouldn't be to bad if maintence has been performed. I would have to say though, that as a college student, running a reliable BMW is hard to do. The electrical systems are a nightmare(believe the hype), and the bushings and cooling systems suck.
I will say this, one in the spring I will park my e36 and drive the rx7, only to finally go over to BMW and do maintence on it.

[TurboE30ftw]

Any questions send me a PM. I have two of them. E30s are not expensive to fix, you just need to stay away from the stealerships. There are good used parts available for these cars if you know where to look. the iX is a little more special, and requires some more exclusive/expensive parts, so I would be a little more wary there, but the standard e30 is a solid buy in most cases. My turbo e30 before I stroked it had 256k on it, and the original crosshatch pattern in the cylinders was immaculate. The weakest part in these engines seem to be the rocker arms in the 12v straight 6ers. I can always go with to look if you need me to.

[EVILUTION]

^ That offer is priceless ... the guy knows his shit!

[TurboE30ftw]

^ That offer is priceless ... the guy knows his shit!

Haha, thx. Still gotta catch up to you some afternoon with the a4. Speaking of e30s, the back of my garage looks like one blew up :/

[austinj06]

Go Euro :)

[Ten2doyle102]

A 240SX is a fun as hell car to drive and are pretty reliable.

BMW. Expensive to fix. You should go on the FVSCC forum and ask Matt (teh potsy)what he thinks about the E30 ix.


There is a big difference between a IX and a Standard Rwd e30. This idea that BMWs are expensive is a load of crap. You want expensive....buy a subaru. In my e30, you can do a full head gasket set, timing belt, water pump, and what ever else you might want to change for less then $300 and all are quality parts. Try doing that with a subie, parts alone for a head gasket fix on my 2.5rs is over $600...

The reason that my IX is pricy is because the Front end is completely different. The strut tops are 250 for both sides and its just cause there are so few IXs out there so the specific parts are a fortune. Now if you look at a RWD e30, you can get strut tops for $60 for both. Its all how you look at it. Standard e30 prices versus the IX prices are about 1/3...

There is a ton of aftermarket support of the RWD platforms as well. Lots of options when it comes to suspensions, wheels, interior, exterior, etc. If you want to make power, do what turboe30ftw said and boost it! People have easily put down 300 hp from a stock m20. If you wanted to go even crazier, you could swap it out for a s52 (m3) motor or something too.

Fixing the cars is a piece of cake. I did my entire suspension install in one night. 15 mins and you can have the entire strut assembly off...its that easy. Pulling the head on a m20 takes less then 4 hours for someone who has done this alot. You seriously can't get any easier. I can honestly say that once you start working on a e30, you'll understand what I mean.

For me, the biggest problems with e30 are electrical stuff. The pwoer antennas fail, outside temp guage fails, just little annoying things is about all you have to worry about. Rust is another factor...but this is WISCONSIN!!! GRR!!!

Oh, and I noticed you asked if the AWD is good on the IXs....yeah its is very good. The only thing you have to watch out for is stripping the front splines on the t-case. That is easily prevented by installing a lengthend fron driveshaft. I can explain more of that later if you like.

IX's are expensive to fix, but in the end the cost is worth IMO. The car is amazing in the winter with a nice set of snow tires. I plowed thru snow drifts that were taller than the ground clearance of the car it just plowed thru it like it was nothing! So much fun there! :D

[Ten2doyle102]

Any questions send me a PM. I have two of them. E30s are not expensive to fix, you just need to stay away from the stealerships. There are good used parts available for these cars if you know where to look. the iX is a little more special, and requires some more exclusive/expensive parts, so I would be a little more wary there, but the standard e30 is a solid buy in most cases. My turbo e30 before I stroked it had 256k on it, and the original crosshatch pattern in the cylinders was immaculate. The weakest part in these engines seem to be the rocker arms in the 12v straight 6ers. I can always go with to look if you need me to.


All good info here too. I forgot to mention about the rocker arm. On a side note, I just pulled the head on my new IX with 228k on it and the cross hatching is all still there.... crazy!

Oh an something else that I like is the BMW did not use crappy material in the bolts. I have only busted one bolt on a e30 that I have worked on (which happens to be my new IX). My friend did a front suspension refresh on his Lego Outback and broke 7 bolts and had a seized front axle. One my 1995 civic, I busted 3-4 bolts in the suspension. 4 e30, not a single broken suspension bolt or engine bolt except this tiny little m10 that decided it wasn't going to cooperate....

[GSR_jake]

hey thanks both of you e30 guys alot really give me insight, what do u guys think of the 1991 318is, dose it have any balls. i see one forsale buy me. say in the future i keep an e30 i have for awhile and deside to turbo it. do people turbo the 318 or just the 325. the the 318i interest me bc it gets decently better gas milage with like only 30 less hp.

[TurboE30ftw]

The m42 4cyl in the 318 is a tank. Uses the timing chain so doesnt need the constant timing belt replacement. The m42 is a rev happy engine, and wouldnt be a bad choice to boost either.


I would suggest browsing www.e30tech.com also. Most questions you would have about e30s are discussed on there. Been on that site for 6 years now and have found it quite helpful.

[Ten2doyle102]

You can turbo the 318i motor (m42) but it requires ALOT of work. The motor is not really setup that great for boost since it on the higher side of the scale with compression ratios. its like 9.2 or higher....

The M42 is a great motor. Loves to live in the higher rpms. I had one and while it was not the fastest car in the world, it was still a blast to drive. Its like a little go kart!

Does it have balls....literally no, not literally....no. :D Its not gonna put you in your seat by any mean. If you want something that will do that, buy a 325i. The 318is gives you the best of both worlds though, decent gas mileage (it uses premium though) and more hp/torque than most 4 cyls out there.

[Ten2doyle102]

The m42 4cyl in the 318 is a tank. Uses the timing chain so doesnt need the constant timing belt replacement. The m42 is a rev happy engine, and wouldnt be a bad choice to boost either.


I would suggest browsing www.e30tech.com (http://www.e30tech.com) also. Most questions you would have about e30s are discussed on there. Been on that site for 6 years now and have found it quite helpful.


I haven't heard of any good points on m42 turbo cars. I was always told that they are too pricey to do. Almost to the point where you'd be better off just swapping a m20 and turboing that.

They are pretty strong motors though. I like the timing chain.

[devlish]

i know nothing about them.

i just know resetting the SERVICE INDICATOR in the german car i have now took longer to reset than it did to do the actual oil change itself!!! ha.

[Ten2doyle102]

i know nothing about them.

i just know resetting the SERVICE INDICATOR in the german car i have now took longer to reset than it did to do the actual oil change itself!!! ha.


LOL! Yeah... I just leave mine on... :D i tell you though, the little check panel e30's have above the rear view mirror is a really nice feature. Tells you if you have a burned out tail light, license plate light, head light, if your a quart low on oil, if your coolant level is low, etc. Thats really nice...

[TurboE30ftw]

m42 is more often supercharged than turbo'd. Just have to keep the boost low, stock engine + turbo at 5-6psi is fine. Biggest problem is lack of knock supression.

Oh and e30 loves engine swaps too.

[Ten2doyle102]

m42 is more often supercharged than turbo'd. Just have to keep the boost low, stock engine + turbo at 5-6psi is fine.


Ahhh, yes. The DASC kit. Too bad they down make them any more though... :( Bumped it from 134 hp to something like 200 hp.. That would be lots of fun on the track!

[highline_motorsports]

I have a white 2 dr 2002 330ci for sale right now, its a automatic with 95k on it!! Pm for more details!

[Ten2doyle102]

^^^^ I love that body style...but a 330ci + 2002 + 95k = too much for me! :( :( :(

ygpm anyway....

[highline_motorsports]

Its was a repo for my bank and we had to put a Alternator and intake boot and new belts on it!! My bank is looking to get around 11-12k for it I believe.
Very nice car and runs great!! If any one wants more info just lmk and I will see when the auction is starting on it.

MMMM!!
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj170/jessesgsx/BMW330CI.jpg
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj170/jessesgsx/-BMW330CI.jpg
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj170/jessesgsx/--BMW330CI.jpg

[GSR_jake]

The m42 4cyl in the 318 is a tank. Uses the timing chain so doesnt need the constant timing belt replacement. The m42 is a rev happy engine, and wouldnt be a bad choice to boost either.


I would suggest browsing www.e30tech.com also. Most questions you would have about e30s are discussed on there. Been on that site for 6 years now and have found it quite helpful.

alright gives me more insight on what to look for, i guess depends what i find for a good deal to tell wether i get a 318 or 325

and highline thats a bit out of my budget

[highline_motorsports]

^^ No problem I just thought I would through it out there!!

[krazyk]

^^ No problem I just thought I would through it out there!!

that BMW had the original loan paperwork in the glovebox when we had it...
that dude paid like 24k if i remember right over a 4 year peroid, not including the last year because i dont know when he stopped paying before they repo'd...

why the hell would u spend all that money+ insurance costs then let the bank take that shit..
fucking sad if you ask me..

That BMW is pretty clean though.. only minor maitnence issues that needed to be addressed, im guessing the bank had you do them also
edit: not to mention that car was in florida all its life so rust is pretty much non exsistant on it

[highline_motorsports]

^^ You are correct my friend!! And Jen from the bank just picked it up and said that it will be up for auction on the 27'th of this month!! And they are going to start it with no reserve at $9400.00!!! Not a bad deal at all.

[Ten2doyle102]

Not a bad deal at all! Too high for me though... :(

[GSR_jake]

so E30 guys Im going to test drive a 325is tomorrow im meeting him at his brothers shop so i can look at it on a lift, is there something things i should keep an eye for, and certain problematic areas, any particular place rust develops on them

[Ten2doyle102]

Well since you have a lift, that will be nice! The biggest problem areas in these car for rust is in the foot wells, right in the corners. From underneath, youll see what looks like a square cup that is welded to the bottom of the car. Inspect the area for any rust that might be forming. Heres a thread from e30tech.com to help

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75631&highlight=floor+pan+rust

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71026&highlight=battery+tray+rust

The other thing to look for in the trunk. The battery is on the right side and on occansion water can get down underneath it. It will start to rust and eventually you'll get a hole. You can also see that from the outside if you look at rear valance area.

Otherwise, just give the car a really good look over. Check ball joint, wheel bearings, motor and trans mounts, driveshaft coupling, shifter bushings, control arm bushings etc etc etc for any wear and such.

If you want, post some pics of the car and we can tell more from those. If I had time tomorrow, I would shoot over there and look at it with you!

[Ten2doyle102]

Did you get to go check out that car? How was it?

[05Saab]

He got it......thread here http://www.cwscc.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=3755

[Ten2doyle102]

Thanks...i missed that one