325es

[minicoop900]

agreed, seen many a m20 with broken timing belts, such a sad way to go.

[Kohote]

Depends on how much you like e30s and how much time and money you are willing to spend. The extra torque of the etas is awesome tho.

Personally I would try to talk down the price a little more and then go for it. Especially if it has no rust. I am pretty sure you guys don't have to worry about rust in texas so the car should last forever.

Get rid of that body kit. Do some basic tune up stuff. 5 speed conversion. Drop. Suspension etc...

[Maverix]

If I do buy it, i'll definitely look into doing a tranny conversion. How much would it cost for parts alone?

Is there anything else I should do?

I personally don't mind the body kit. I can live with it. But the rims are going without a doubt. I'll even tape myself pouring lighter fluid over it and lighting it on fire.

[cooljess76]

Daaaang! You guys really know your stuff! I think my buddy Stephen027 has a 325es. It might be a 325e, I can't remember right now.

@Maverix, you're the man! But I still like to give you a hard time now and then

[BimmerBum]

Originally Posted by Maverix

If I do buy it, i'll definitely look into doing a tranny conversion. How much would it cost for parts alone?

Is there anything else I should do?

I personally don't mind the body kit. I can live with it. But the rims are going without a doubt. I'll even tape myself pouring lighter fluid over it and lighting it on fire.

You need to be ready... this car will nickel and dime you to death.

For a 5 speed swap... you need:

Pedals
Driveshaft
Transmission
Shifter linkage
shifter boots
differential
Clutch
Clutch master
Clutch slave
Clutch line
Flywheel
Pilot shaft bearing
Transmission mounts and possibly cross member

You also have to wire the back up lights to function.

Way back I did a 5 speed swap on a E30 I had. I would not do it again unless it was the prefect car. Beat up E30 manuals are a dime a dozen, don't build one, buy one.

E30's are also notorious for having cluster issues.

[Maverix]

Originally Posted by cooljess76

@Maverix, you're the man! But I still like to give you a hard time now and then

Thanks. I really don't blame you. We all live in different states. So we all have different tastes.

Originally Posted by BimmerBum

You need to be ready... this car will nickel and dime you to death.

For a 5 speed swap... you need:

Pedals
Driveshaft
Transmission
Shifter linkage
shifter boots
differential
Clutch
Clutch master
Clutch slave
Clutch line
Flywheel
Pilot shaft bearing
Transmission mounts and possibly cross member

You also have to wire the back up lights to function.

Way back I did a 5 speed swap on a E30 I had. I would not do it again unless it was the prefect car. Beat up E30 manuals are a dime a dozen, don't build one, buy one.

E30's are also notorious for having cluster issues.

Couldn't I source the parts from a 320is? The same friend who's selling the es also has, what seems like a part car, a is.

[minicoop900]

ooh yes, trannys have a-packs that fail
and the service interval boards are definitly pitas.

i grew up learning how to fix e30s they really are very simple.
i moved up from e30s to e34s then e32s then e46s then e39's, e38's and then everything else except 03 and up are pretty much the same.

[BimmerBum]

Originally Posted by Maverix

Couldn't I source the parts from a 320is? The same friend who's selling the es also has, what seems like a part car, a is.

Unless the 320is is a euro grey market car it is an E21... an E21 4 cylinder no less. Off the top of my head... nothing but the tranny mounts you could use. The E21 US 320is tranny does not bolt up to an M20 as I recall and the E21 diff does not fit the E30.

[minicoop900]

according to etk they did make an m20 320 but i have a feeling it was euro only, i have euro and us etk.

ive never seen a 6 cyl 320 in the us.

edit: reffering to e21s in all of above

[BimmerBum]

Originally Posted by minicoop900

ive never seen a 6 cyl 320 in the us.

Most of the 6 cylinder E21's that made it to the US were 323's. Cool cars, dual exhaust, rear disk brakes, euro bumpers... and an M20. In other markets there was a 320 6 cylinder, but not the US and the 323 really should not have been here either.

[minicoop900]

whoa! sounds sweet, my dream is a 3.0si with a stroker m6 engine in it

i have the 3.0
i have the m6 engine
now i just need the $$$ haha

the 3.0 needs a full restore and honestly, their so rare now i probably would restore it to exact factory specs.

[Maverix]

Hmph, I guess I'll pass up this offer. I feel bad though. I'll keep looking around.

[Stephen027]

Originally Posted by cooljess76

Daaaang! You guys really know your stuff! I think my buddy Stephen027 has a 325es. It might be a 325e, I can't remember right now.

@Maverix, you're the man! But I still like to give you a hard time now and then

I figure ill jump in here... Uh.. they did indeed make a 325es...

they are getting rare ish but if its not a good car dont worry about it. In fact, one of the things that makes it rare is the large airdam, which is gone. If you do get this, that kit has to go.

My car is an early model 325e, but doesnt look it anymore:
Here she is, under construction at the moment


AND

if you do get one

TIMING BELT
then RECHECK it

Then lower it, and throw in a chip.. They do wonders for etas.

a 3.25 diff also helps them..

And i think someone already mentioned the 2.7i


In an nutshell, 1200 isnt a crazy deal, but its fairly cheap... if for the most part its in good shape.. Go for it

[Stephen027]

And listen to bimmerbum.. hes right on the money

And eventually check out r3vlimited.com.. but not till after you ditch those wheels and kit

[cooljess76]

5spd e30's can be found for cheap all over around here. I'll make you a deal Mav, buy me a 1 way plane ticket home, gas, food, lodging for 3 days, any mechanical expenses along the way and I'll drive one of these out there for ya

http://ventura.craigslist.org/cto/956433625.html
http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/cto/953843824.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/cto/961302329.html

And my favorite:

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/ctd/953369641.html