does this look like a facelift E30?

[waterprism 0]

Hey guys,

I'd like to get your opinion on something.

I'm looking to get an E30, post-87 facelift preferably. I saw an ad in a local classifieds and the guy says it's a late model 318i E30 and said so also when I phoned him. I've studied the picture he posted and I'm not a hundred percent convinced. The front especially - the bumper/front spoiler/valance area looks strange to me but I'm pretty new to E30s. To me, shouldn't the bottom of the front spoiler go down lower than this does? Post-facelift E30s have a, let's say, deeper front spoiler than this - they seem to end passed halfway down the front wheel. This appears to end just above halfway. Or am I totally wrong?

What do you think? Does this look like a post-87 facelift E30? The guy's pretty far away and there's left front axle and central locking TLC required, so I'd like to be sure this is what he says it is before I travel out there to take a look.

The picture is small so I've enlarged it in the attachment below.

Thanks,

waterprism

[Silver Fox 43]

Looks facelift to me? Low rear wheel arch, and deep rear bumper.

[Cale 36]

Facelift to me also because of the low rear wheel arch. Maybe the front spoiler is just missing the plastic lip.

[Nobimmer 694]

+1 looks facelift, cant really see the chrome but looks non existant.

[Mark 178]

Why don't you ask him to email you some more pics?

Has a tech 1 rear spoiler so could be a pre-facelift actually.

[waterprism 0]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate your thoughts. Yeah, I suppose something about this bimmer is playing on my mind. The one thing is, in his ad he put it's a '93 model which is obv impossible unless it's the cabby. This is South Africa so I gave him the benefit of the doubt that it was manufactured here late '91, early '92 and registered in '93. But that planted the first seed of doubt. The other thing is the front. To me, this is how a post-facelift front looks

(unless the lip is missing like Quailboy said) and this doesn't look like that. But then the rear wheel arch looks post-87, so it's a confusing one.

Yeah, Mark, I'd better see if I can get some shots of the front out of this guy.

Thanks, guys.

Edited July 19, 2009 by waterprism

[bravo 35]

It's clearly F/L. but probably missing the front plastic lip which is very common. It has plastic bumpers, lower rear arch, and black window surrounds, not chrome. Definitely facelift.

[waterprism 0]

It's clearly F/L. but probably missing the front plastic lip which is very common. It has plastic bumpers, lower rear arch, and black window surrounds, not chrome. Definitely facelift.

All right. Thanks, bravo.