Eagle

Came across some old KW V1 for E39, not sure if any use to you. They use factory mounts etc which i must of thrown away and require new front inserts (Koni and KYB do them maybe others)

Speculators and those who missed out on ownership when they were cheap.

The M70 came out in '87 to take on the 5.6L V8 S class offerings at the time. May of worked for few years but given the tech it hasn't aged very well. The Mercedes V12 is in a different league, makes sense given the objective was the blow BMW's flagship away. I agree with Mike, it should of had S70 but perhaps the RRP may of been too much.

Missed out on a facelift SL500 many years ago for just over 11k. Last one i saw wanted 40k but very tidy. No desire to own another E30 seems to be common with those ive talked to that owned and sold before the market went crazy.

Ive still got a manual rear sunshade with the parcel tray for template if you want for free. Missing one of the hooks though it looks like they are still ebay etc.

Yeah swapping a bit of pain but suppose it gives you some idea. Doing both set of rear arms is a good idea when you get new parts judging from your other thread. You need to remove the upper control arm anyway to remove the strut (easiest way imo)

I would be replacing the struts with Bilsteins etc at the same time if you are going to strip everything down. Seems like a lot of work to do just to keep on using the originals which are most pretty worn at this point. New mounts come that shim installed im fairly sure. The rear rubber shims and mounts hold up very well anyway. Ive never seen one that has any real wear compared to new, though i replace the mounts for piece of mind its all the front strut parts the usually fall to bits

Probably are from my pov knowing what a refreshed E39 feels like. The strut mount rubber can compress over time along with the strut dampening weakening which can lower you.

Are you still on the original struts?

Doubt many E34 M5's are going for 6 figures, possibly a 3.8 touring etc or some immaculate special edition maybe. 30-40k is what they appeared to be selling in previous few years.

Seen a couple of neglected\abused E34 540i's recently, both well over 300,000+ which is a testament to their stoutness under garbage owners.

Usually the ones with a massive list of whats been replaced and\or refreshed. Obviously it varies in degree of scale but i think most project cars threads on here are a good representation of what im referring to. Most aren't aiming for concours level but something that looks, drives and is more reliable than the average example.

High likely you are going to have to throw at least a couple of grand at anything you buy if you want to have it mechanically close to new. Only real enthusiasts with money to burn that tend to do this, while typically holding onto them for a long period.

Purchase price for 325i\328i 6 cyl manual and repairs id still go with the E36 myself, last BMW with glass headlights too. The E36 Ti is the closest BMW ive driven that felt like the E30.

Besides the pricing, E30 technology is quite old these days. Can be great from a cost and reliability standpoint, but for learning things the E36 is the far better car for your requirements.

Likely have to throw a few k at either to get them upto scratch. Cost wise the E46 would be far the better option. E90 not worth getting it for 323i imo.

Yeah pretty much why i bought one even though ill never fully sold on the their looks. Performance more than enough around town if in given their weight and reasonable output. Auto isnt too bad at all shifting wise once its had a fluid change and adaption reset.

E38 728i at Avondale pickapart if you can convince some one to remove

TBF the average equivalent civic isn't much (if any) better. My daily Ti a $30 a week car now after spending twice what ive paid for it on a thorough refresh. It's close enough to factory running and driving spec that its far more dependable than anything in the ~5k bracket that didn't have the equivalent work done on it (basically everything for sale)

+1 on PCV and hose but you should really do a smoke test. I usually do a MAF clean and a check of the plugs if you haven't already. Part no 2 and 17 are other leak locations which are hard to see without smoke. http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E36-Compact/Europe/318ti-M44/R-A/jun1997/browse/fuel_preparation_system/fuel_injection_system_injection_valve/ I find old\worn engine mounts in these contribute quite considerably to the feel of the lumpy\rough idle. If all parts are in good nick and working as intended the idle quality isnt bad enough to adjust timing imo.

I can at least read\modify all the main ones (DME,EGS,SRS,ABS) on my current 06\97 build 318Ti.

Just ditched some flogged out Monroes on the Ti for B4's also. Always good $ spent.

Never had an problems reading any M44 engine regardless of build date. Always used the usual 16>20 pin adapter with INPA, BM scanner 1.4 etc.

The driveshafts are likely different as the 330i uses a CV joint, im assuming the 325i diff input shaft can be swapped on the the 330i. Diff ratios may or may not be preferable also depending on requirements, so swapping the whole diff and axles maybe the better option if you dont want to take anything apart. Given you have a complete donor i can't see you needing anything as long as you know understand the coding side of the swap.

How full was the tank?.