Mark 178 Report post Posted May 6, 2010 1987 SA325i - Buy sight unseen from chap in Cambridge. - Take for inspection post-purchase - Find out that odo has been altered - Cam is worn and head needs rebuild - Rear shock mounts needed doing - Gearbox has slow leak - Bill is $3500 - Thermostat craps itself - Fuel pump craps itself - Two weeks later in-tank lifter pump craps itself - Fast forward to a few weeks back and diff needs rebuild - Rear subframe bushes are shot - Rear wheel has flatspot - Steering rack needs replacing before next WOF - Heater works intermittently - Starting to find rust here and there Still... it's the most fun car I've ever owned or driven. Don't regret the purchase at all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1rotty 40 Report post Posted May 6, 2010 (edited) 1990 325 Schnitzer. Bought 2 yrs ago @ 172ks Roadtripped from ChCh to Hastings Cambelt,waterpump etc done last month @ 180ks. Apart from that-nothing. But I have spent a sh**load on upgrades lol Edit-to be fair it was owned for 9 of the previous 10 yrs by a beemer tech Edited May 6, 2010 by 1rotty Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
e30plz 1 Report post Posted May 6, 2010 I haven't had any problems with my E30, if that's any help. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2078 Report post Posted May 6, 2010 ^ Don't take that I mean't to imply it was anything to do with you Dan, I guess I am a perfectionist and when you go hunting for things, things don't always work the same as when you started It is now worthy of being something special in its current guise, just wait and see It is all just a hobby anyway, abeit a frustrating one. I feel a lot better after reading some of these, the car is so close to being finished, but with any project it is the little things that you seem to spend the most time on. Cheers guys Sell it and build yourself an E30 series car. Most fun you could ever have in an E30. And less things to go wrong. As you rip them all out. Still road regd too remember. So much fun! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huff3r 347 Report post Posted May 6, 2010 Sell it and build yourself an E30 series car. Most fun you could ever have in an E30. And less things to go wrong. As you rip them all out. Still road regd too remember. So much fun! This. Until you come across an annoying, impossible to find vacuum leak that leaves the car hunting until it is just past half-way on the temp guage!!! (and yes I've tried replacing the hoses on the ICV) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Forrest 35 Report post Posted May 6, 2010 (edited) Sell it and build yourself an E30 series car. Most fun you could ever have in an E30. And less things to go wrong. As you rip them all out. Still road regd too remember. So much fun! Haha nah, this one will get a cage and become dedicated race car in a couple years and a M5x/S5x, then I will come play in the open class need to graduate first and earn some moolah before that though. Can see it now, S54 powered Alpina C1 Replica...mwhahahahahaha. Edited May 6, 2010 by Hellpina Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike 1 Report post Posted May 6, 2010 (edited) reading some of these mishaps and with a little know how they arent that bad at all. try getting into E39's, the few minor things that have gone wrong with or needed replacing cost as much as most of the long e30 lists. and I have owned both. e30's are cheap, a bit of work but cheap none the less. cant wait till I can justify owning another one. seriously, enjoy them while you have them. Edited May 6, 2010 by Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2078 Report post Posted May 6, 2010 Haha nah, this one will get a cage and become dedicated race car in a couple years and a M5x/S5x, then I will come play in the open class need to graduate first and earn some moolah before that though. Can see it now, S54 powered Alpina C1 Replica...mwhahahahahaha. Until then. Sell it and get a 320 racecar. They are affordible. The open class is not. Hence why I don't have a E21 500hp Turbo beast. Or just get some 320 running gear for it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huff3r 347 Report post Posted May 6, 2010 Until then. Sell it and get a 320 racecar. They are affordible. The open class is not. Hence why I don't have a E21 500hp Turbo beast. Or just get some 320 running gear for it. I hav a motor in my garage you could use ... may need piston rings first though Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Simon* Report post Posted May 6, 2010 My worst experience was with a '99 3.8 VT Commodore. Came back from the overseas flush with $$$ wanting a big modern car for my endless commuting in Auckland. Bought the thing from Moyes and settled in with it. Was comfy and convenient for the motorway and I was doing over 500km a week in it. After about a year started having trans problems. Namely a lame torque converter. Mech warranty wouldn't cover it Took it to a local place specialising in Foldens and got a quote to sort it. Accepted and gave them the car. They took it out, rebuilt the trans, sorted a few other things needing addressing and gave it back. Car ran good as gold for about a week, then the noises started Took it back, they took the trans out, found the cause and fixed it. Another 2 weeks go by then more bad noises. Repeat above cycle. This time it seems all good. Almost a month went by and me and the missus were off to Taupo for a weekend with friends. Just out of Matamata the thing goes into limp mode. 3rd gear only and no reverse. Found the local AA man and got it towed to their lockup. Rang my trans guy and he arranged to have it trucked back up. We rent a shitbox for the weekend This time they swap the bloody autobox with one out of a wrecked low mileage VX. Cool, you think! A month goes by and what do you know, trans problems! Turns out things were about to go ping in the new box anyway! Torque converter stopped locking up and by this stage I had absolutely nothing nice to say about GM Holden and especially the chev based automatic transmissions! So they swapped this one out with yet another box. Remember, at this stage I had only paid the original quoted amount, this was all the workshop standing by their workmanship. To their enduring credit they looked after me very well, apart from the Black and Pink Mazda 2 loan car that they made me take, giggling as I drove away in it! They were a top bunch of blokes and bent over backwards for me. I had a lot of sympathy for them as, as far as I was concerned they only had an inferior product to work with in the Holden. Needless to say I popped down there the odd Friday and dropped them off a couple of dozen piss. Finally the VT had returned to some semblance of reliability - personally I was afraid of the thing! So I put it on the market! In the meantime one of my good mates had let me drive his M635CSi and another workmate bought a 635 too. I test drove a few Beamers and promptly ruined myself for anything Ameri-Ozzie manufactured ever again Tried to find a way to justify the E39 M-Sport 540 I'd driven but I just couldn't. After driving an an E34 B10 I splashed out 3 grand on an E34 535iA with about 250k on the clock. It was awesome and I was sold! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Forrest 35 Report post Posted May 7, 2010 (edited) @ Dan, I vowed myself to never buy another E30 unless it was a real M3 or a gen. Alpina B6 after this one, a huge claim I know and hopefully I don't eat my words. Want to get a bit of practice doing the intermarques in this car before branching out, how many university students do you know in the race series that are paying their own way??? Edited May 7, 2010 by Hellpina Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pureboiracer 0 Report post Posted May 7, 2010 +1 for race series.... in a couple of years i will.... lol nath atleast your bonnets still intact... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huff3r 347 Report post Posted May 7, 2010 +1 for race series.... in a couple of years i will.... lol nath atleast your bonnets still intact... +2 Hopefully 2 seasons time for me haha. Although im sooo bloody close to getting there!!! What happened to whos bonnet????? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wom 0 Report post Posted May 7, 2010 3 times in the last year we have used my girlfriend's car to go up to see my mum 1st time ... 2 days before we were due to leave, someone rear-ended her and caused a 4 car pile up (which included a very new 5 series) 2nd time ... day before we were supposed to leave, a bus changes lanes while we are along side it (we were right by where the driver sits) and it rams us and fast forward to today ... we're due to go to see mum in Taupo tomorrow, and what-do-ya-know, I just got a text saying that some lady has just rear-ended her (I guess I better go put gas in my car lol) my car has a bit of a wedding curse 1st wedding I went to in it, it overheats on the way (thankfully almost right outside a gas station) 2nd wedding, I skid on snow and smash up the front left hand corner 3rd wedding, overheats again, but again I was just around the corner from a gas station, so I guess I have some luck haha I never take my car to weddings now lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pureboiracer 0 Report post Posted May 7, 2010 +2 Hopefully 2 seasons time for me haha. Although im sooo bloody close to getting there!!! What happened to whos bonnet????? dont ask..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
