E30 BMW experts, I need some advice

"TheBaron2112" (TheBaron2112) 02/19/2015 at 22:48 • Filed to: None

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A friend of mine just got in touch with me. He's looking at a 1987 BMW 325i convertible just about like this one. He's interested, and he wants me to go check it out with him.

Problem is, I know nothing about Bimmers. So I'm reaching out to you guys.
If we go to look at this car, I want to know some of the common trouble items to look for, some questions to ask to dig into what might go wrong next, and generally get some basic knowledge of the E30 325i.

Here's what I know.

Car has 217,000 on it. The last service it had (recently) covered the following:
Valve cover gasket replacement (why? No idea. My guess is a leak, or maybe they need to do this to adjust the valves? I don't know.)
Replaced return cooling hose
Plugs/Wires/Distributor
Oil filter housing rebuild
Intake boot replacement
A/T Trans Output Shaft seal replacement
V-belt replacement
oil change
Odometer gear replacement

So the odo gear replacement tells me that it has more than the 217k on the clock. Like I said about the valve cover gasket, maybe it was just to adjust the valves. I have no idea. The rest seems routine to me. But I don't know.

Seller is asking $3500 for this car. It looks great from the pictures, but I don't know about the mechanics aside from what I've listed here.

So I don't know what else to look for. Can you opponauts help me out?

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > TheBaron2112 02/19/2015 at 22:52

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timing belt is the first thing he should do unless you're 100% it was done recently, its an interference engine. I need to do mine and am actually sitting here agonizing over ordering parts or just letting my shop do it. Valve cover gasket was probably adjustment.

TheBaron2112 > itranthelasttimeiparkedit 02/19/2015 at 22:54

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Thanks. I didn't see the timing belt on there. Any worry that this engine has 217k+ on it?

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > TheBaron2112 02/19/2015 at 22:56

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I'm no expert, but I can think of very few 30 y/o cars with 217k miles on them worth $3500. The fact that it is a convertible scares me even more, because that's the added risk both of leaking, which I would imagine it will, as well as getting it up and down. That seems like a risk to me, and at $3500, I wouldn't give it a second look. Keep in mind that I have no experience with old BMWs.

Steve in Manhattan > TheBaron2112 02/19/2015 at 22:59

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No particular BMW knowledge here, but it's a near 30-year-old German car. The usual Car Guys advice - your buddy should take it to a BMW mechanic that he chooses and have him go through every inch of the car before he buys it . My guess, based on nothing more than intuition, is that it's worth 2 grand at most and might need at least that in repairs.

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > TheBaron2112 02/19/2015 at 23:01

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my understanding is that they run forever if you maintain them and keep feeding them timing belts. Do you know if its really 217k if it had the odometer gears done?

Mine has been an experience, $1000 and it had a bunch of random shit wrong. I am slowly working my way through it all. Refreshed the entire front suspension, including the strut mounts. replaced the headlights, coolant and washer sensors, bought the hood latch cable (too lazy to replace honestly, you can pop the hood with a long flathead in <2secs), repaired seat sliders, replaced the parts to get the glove box to close, oil change, bunch of random stuff.

Funktheduck > TheBaron2112 02/19/2015 at 23:12

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Timing belt has been said but I'll say it again. Timing belt.

JGrabowMSt > TheBaron2112 02/19/2015 at 23:23

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Asking price is too high for that mileage. If it were an iX model, different story.

Also, timing belt, replace other coolant (why they only did one is beyond me), trans fluid and as long as its mostly rust free, should be good to go. E30s are very reliable and can take a beating, as long as it wasnt abused or wrecked, drive it until the wheels fall off.

TheBaron2112 > itranthelasttimeiparkedit 02/19/2015 at 23:38

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The odo gear was replaced, and since I owned a 944 that means it stopped working at some point and there was drive time not being recorded on the odometer. So I think it has more. Maybe not appreciably more, but more.

No suspension work has been done, as far as my friend knows.

gmctavish needs more space > TheBaron2112 02/20/2015 at 01:31

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The valve cover gaskets always leak, that's probably why it was replaced. If a valve adjustment has been done, you'll know because you won't hear anything from the valves. Most M20s sound like sewing machines because the valves aren't adjusted as often as they should be, so most people think they're supposed to sound like that. And what other people said, T-belt should be done, common things to look for are how much of a Christmas tree the check panel is, generally a good indicator of how cheaply it's been serviced.

Edit: If it has the ZF auto, don't rev it in neutral, I'm told that's what kills them

TheBaron2112 > gmctavish needs more space 02/20/2015 at 08:58

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it does have an auto. Would there be another type aside from the ZF?

gmctavish needs more space > TheBaron2112 02/20/2015 at 10:24

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I don't think so, it should have the ZF 4HP22. Also worth noting, if it does have noisy valves its not a big deal, it may not be running as great as new, but it'll still keep going just fine

BLCKSTRM > TheBaron2112 02/20/2015 at 12:04

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Wow, learned something here. I'm surprised BMW used a timing belt before the E36. I just figured they were always chains.

A timing belt killed my old school Mazda MX-6 GT at around 145k. I bought it at 120k and just assumed it had already been done. Yes, it had the super awesome oscillating vents.

Never assume the PO took care of stuff like that. Because they didn't or they'd have told you.

rabidpenguin > TheBaron2112 02/20/2015 at 13:07

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I own and currently DD an '87 Triple black drop top. The valve cover gasket gets replaced when the valves are adjusted every 20K or so. All E30s are notorious for the odometer gears turning into a hard jelly and then failing, rendering the odometer inoperable. The question is how long the car was driven before the gears were replaced. The only weird maintenance item is the A/T output shaft seal. Minimum you have to drop the drive shaft and exhaust(probably the transmission too) to replace that $10 seal.

As has been stated, timing belts are a must. If it goes all sorts of valves will start hitting each other and that can get pricey.

$3500 is probably a decent price but it really all depends on the condition of the top. E30 tops are too expensive, but installing them is a real pain in the ass. When it is done wrong, they leak. If the top has to be replaced you are looking at atleast another $1K for a quality top and proper installation.

rabidpenguin > rabidpenguin 02/20/2015 at 13:47

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I should say the tops AREN'T TOO EXPENSIVE. Sorry.