Need an Opinion on a 87 E30

D

dpadgett

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#1
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Location
Lexington, SC
#1
I just started posting today on the Newbie Board. So if you want to look at what I posted there it will probably explain some of my present car buying situation.

Right now I am looking a 87' 325IS with 140,000 miles on it. The car is in excellent shape with a pristine interior. The owner will not back off of $3,500. The car is a manual shift. No mods have been performed on the car.

What would everyones opinion be? DEAL......OR NO DEAL!
 
E30m42cab

E30m42cab

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#2
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1,271
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5
Location
Toronto, Canada
#2
Sounds okay to me, but I'd have to see it. In Ontario, most of those E30's from the 80's are getting pretty rusty, but we have tonnes of salt on our roads for 5 months of the year. If the body is in good shape, and you like to work on your car, it's probably not a bad deal. Just make sure you check every single electrical part on the car. Make sure the wipers work in all settings, all the power windows work, the gas door locks, the antenna goes up and down, the sunroof seals properly. If you want to haggle the guy down, find stuff that's worn out, like the rear shocks (and or rear shock mounts... famously failing on E30's), or the tires. Check the rear subframe mounts, and see if they're worn out. There's probably lots of leverage to be found in that car... remember, it's almost 20 years old... and that's almost leverage enough to haggle down the price. Check your local auto trader magazine/paper, and look for similar prices.
The engine... if it's making a ticking noise, kinda like a deisel, the valves probably need adjusting, and if it smokes at all on start up, the valve seals might be toast. Ask the previous owner to prove when the timing belt was last changed... or when other work was done to it.
Do you have any pictures of it?
 
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