Buying a European BMW E30 - what to look for?

[DFW_IE]

Hello

Reposting this in the right forum- (I hope)


I would like a E30 for daily commuting. I live in northern Italy. My commute is about 20 miles per day, slow driving 30-80 kph through multiple small towns. Budget is around 4000-7000 €. I understand that it’s an older car and will need a little bit of love.

I know little about the E30 but have always wanted one. The European E30 seems to have many different engine potions - 316, 318, 320, 325. I only want an unleaded gasoline version.

My questions to you guys:
Is any one engine better than the others?

Is there an engine that I should definitely avoid?

Are any years better than other?

I like the 2 door or touring (wagon) E30s.

There’s a lot more 318 and 320 for sale. The 325 seems to be the most expensive. The car must have a manual transmission (not a problem over here).

I understand that these cars rust, that’s one thing that I know to look out for.

Anyone have any experience with these?
Thanks

[WPOZZZ]

A 318is is a really nice car to have, but the car to get is a 320is. That would be a baby M3.

[DFW_IE]

Good to know. I need to read up on those 320 engines. Thanks

[lgb240]

About 14 years ago I bought two E30's ...a 1989 325i Touring and a 1991 318is.

The Touring was my daily summer driver for 7 years. I then put it in storage, and didn't drive it again until last summer. The wagon was never imported to North America, so back then, the car was a unicorn and drew all sorts of attention...it still does all these years later as they are still very rare over here. The 325 chassis is a terrific platform. Motor is strong and moves the car around very well. Lots of aftermarket support for power and suspension mods. It's a great driving car. Still love driving it to this day. The 325 has a rubber timing belt, replacement every 80K km. Buy a complete kit that includes the water pump. It's easy, required maintenance. The 6 cylinder is pretty bullet proof with regular maintenance.
Buying a Touring.... you know about rust. It's a 30+ year old car. Buy the best one you can, and check for options you would want. Many were sold as base models with very little options (roll up windows, no A/C) Mine is rare with pretty much all the power options, including a glass sun roof.

The 318is was bought at the same time as the Touring to be used only for winter driving. The 318is 2 door chassis is just terrific. It's a nimble, tossable car that is a ton of fun to drive. The 4 cylinder is more than capable and loves to rev. It gives up about 40 HP to the 325, but, that doesn't matter. I drove it for 8 winters and it never let me down. Watch out for the cooling system...there's a plastic elbow under the intake manifold that gets brittle with age and multiple heat cycles. It's a big PITA to replace. Also watch the water pump. The cooling system can be a pain to bleed, but there's trciks around that. Just don't let the car run hot or you'll take out the head / head gasket....typical stuff.

I loved the 318, but replaced it with an e46 xi Touring with a 5 speed. The e46 is Unstopable in the winter with AWD, and, truth be told, is a much more modern platform than the e30 platform.

Either way, good luck with your search. Decent E30's are getting rare and expensive. Buy the best one you can afford / find. There's lots of support for parts and knowledge. Stay away from the overly modified ones. Do whatever mods you want to suite your driving style after you buy one.

[RWebb]

In the US, I'd look for Dinan parts on it. Not sure if there is a similar company in Italy. Since you say N. Italy, good luck with the virus!

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by lgb240

I loved the 318, but replaced it with an e46 xi Touring with a 5 speed. The e46 is Unstopable in the winter with AWD, and, truth be told, is a much more modern platform than the e30 platform.

Good luck finding an 325XiT in Europe...
They were rare when new and even rarer now..

I doubt anybody has ever seen one on our roads.
To be honest, I didn't even know AWD E46'es ever existed, must be a NA thing only

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by RWebb

In the US, I'd look for Dinan parts on it. Not sure if there is a similar company in Italy. Since you say N. Italy, good luck with the virus!

https://www.schmiedmann.com/cms/en/used-bmw-parts

They also ship to the US or anywhere else in the world and are VERY well stocked for most models

For regular maintenance parts we have various autoparts webshops that ship in europe.

[DFW_IE]

Thanks for all the tips. That site has some really nice cars. Nice blue touring - they really are nice wagons. The rear opening is a little strange due to those huge tail lights- but it’s not an issue for me.

I saw a really nice 1990 316i. The body looked really well-taken care of. Does anyone have first have knowledge of the 316i engine?

Thanks to all

[DFW_IE]

Originally Posted by RWebb

In the US, I'd look for Dinan parts on it. Not sure if there is a similar company in Italy. Since you say N. Italy, good luck with the virus!

Thanks. We are a little concerned about the virus. We’ll see how it goes.

[svandamme]

316i is really gutless.. are you going to drive it in the hills of northern italy?
wanna head in to the alps?

it barely does 180 kph it's a 1.5 it has very little torque.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Which part of Northern Italy, this could be quite close depending on where you are

Not an E30 but looks like fun to me

https://www.avto.net/Ads/details.asp?id=15038039&display=BMW%20serija%203:%20BMW%20E21%20318is

Please buy it before I do!

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Originally Posted by svandamme

Good luck finding an 325XiT in Europe...
They were rare when new and even rarer now..

I doubt anybody has ever seen one on our roads.
To be honest, I didn't even know AWD E46'es ever existed, must be a NA thing only

Do you mean like this one?

https://www.avto.net/Ads/details.asp?id=14523815&display=BMW%20serija%203:%20325%20ix%20avtomatic

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

Do you mean like this one?

https://www.avto.net/Ads/details.asp?id=14523815&display=BMW%20serija%203:%20325%20ix%20avtomatic

That's not a Touring now is it.
nor it it an E46

Still good find , even non touring AWD E46 or earlier is not something i've ever seen in the wild here in or near Belgium...

Keep in mind that 325's are already rare because of the displacement tax rape most Euro countries have (germany notable exception) , 320's are the common choice for those willing to pay a bit more tax for more power then most, but not yet needing to break out the vaseline.
And a lot of highway munchers simply got a Diesel instead, cheaper fuel, better milage, more reliable for loads of driving..

and AWD is but a subset of the already rare 325's... And Touring again , it's a very very rare combination around here.

The one you found might actually be a US import.. The VIN would tell

[DFW_IE]

Nice cars. That older BMW is nice but I prefer the e30. That other car reminds me of the 2002.

I am about 30 miles west of Milan. I don’t plan on doing much driving through the alps. Just wanted an e30 to drive back and forth to work. Reliability in terms of good engine design is more important to me. I’ve never been a fast driver. I understand that the smaller engines might be underpowered but I used to drive a 2cyl fiat 500 (17hp) so I’m not too concerned about being the fastest.


I have a great view of Monte Rosa and there is the fresh smell of manure all around. Haha.

[DFW_IE]

Looks like movement has been limited around here. Oh well