So it looks like I'll be picking up an E30 M3 for around $4200 (hopefully less), and it doesn't need a great deal of work. Brakes are shot all around, clutch is "okay," interior and exterior is in really good shape for the mileage (~120K). I've heard the crankshaft bearings (I think) go bad at like 80K miles, so that may need to be addressed. I've never driven one before, but from the short test drive, it felt okay but not crazy fast or anything. I didn't rev past 4500 rpm, and have no idea where the power really kicks in. I'm hoping this will be a track car for my dad, at least something better than the damn 2.0 liter GTi. Any suggestions as to what to fix/upgrade for track use?

 

Contact Warren **** - he has one prepped for track use.

 

Will do, thanks.

 

hi.

i don't own one, but my cousin does; an '88 that he races in J-stock with the BMW club.

its an awesome, awesome car to drive on track. the feel is unbelievable; it feels like a thoroughbred racecar, instead of a thrown together, clapped out econobox (that would be my H1 car!).

lots of things to check and upkeep. here are a few important ones:

- front control arms need frequent replacement if tracked (every 2 years or so).
- driveshaft "guibo" needs replacement frequently.
- tranny mounts fail
- wheel bearings, especially rear. upgrade to 535 style
- engine mounts fail
- cam chains and tensiors need replacement when tracked
- oil pan MUST be replace with a race baffled one
- intake manifold gaskets fail frequently
- exhaust gaskets will need replacement

those are some of the common items that i can think of. most of, if not all, had to be done on my cousin's car. it currently has 130k miles on it; still the orig clutch. all orig bottom end and bearings (no probs). has had the head freshened once...

great car. but not a cheap car. expect to pay some serious $$$ to keep it maintained, unless you are a good wrench...

have fun

 

go check out http://www.s14.net prob the best e30m3 web site around.
there awsome cars make all the hp at high rpms

 

What Todd said. AWESOME on track, expensive to maintain. M stands for money.

My wildest ride ever was in a J-stock E30 M3 with Mark O'dell at the wheel. 125 through the esses at VIR. Didn't even enter his mind that he should lift or brake for them.

And I'm thinking $4200 for an E30 M3 is a steal.

 

Ok, I'll keep all that in mind. As far as the labor, we can do all that ourselves, are parts nutty expensive and/or hard to find? And as for all of those things failing on your cousin's car, other than the 535 (what year by the way?) wheel bearings, are there any replacements available that maybe won't fail as quickly? And yes, $4200 (and as I said, hopefully less, we're trying to talk the guy down because of the brakes ) is a steal, this guy doesn't know what he has, and hasn't even advertised it. It's been parked at the house next to my grandmother's for like two years, and we just kept bugging the guy about it. Last weekend he gave in...

Edit: By the way, thanks for that website vodo, that's very helpful. And thanks all for the input, I appreciate it.

 

Thats a horrible deal. Run far, far away from it and send me his contact info so i can take care of this thing.

 

$4200 is an incredible price. Drop some cash in to it and make it run well, then try to sell it for $10k!

I love the car, coolest car on-track that i've ever been in, but if you don't have a good amount of cash to blow then you should look elsewhere.


Modified by JMU1337 at 9:59 AM 7/28/2003

 

Most likely it will wind up being sold in the not-too-distant future, but I'd like to get it out on the track at least once. If I can maybe convince my dad to spend money on it, but just a little at a time, he won't notice quite how much he spends...

 

Yes, 10K is a much more resonable price for those cars.

If you decide to pass on it (which you definietly should ) let me know, OK?

 

Hell yea, now were talking... E30 M3 is such a great car. I really want one!
Check out http://e30m3performance.com/ there is some good info on there. There is also http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/
Have fun with it.

 

Should be MM3 for Money and Maintenance 3 series. But you can't have more fun on the track for under 20K, and the car won't reveal it's true self until you get on the track. With 120K miles there are plenty of things to look into, see http://e30m3performance.com for details. I just put a $280 A/C bracket and $80 worth of bushings for the compressor on one of mine this morning

 

Zactly what Todd said. They can be a b!tch to maintain, but they're absolutely awesome on the track. Uber balanced car.

Good luck!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sscguy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">picking up an E30 M3 ... and it doesn't need a great deal of work. </TD></TR></TABLE>

No such thing. A trusted BMW mechanic said to me once, "They're all rats". Too many fragile pieces that need constant maintenance.

They are sexy, though. And the brakes kick ***. It's too bad that they're heavier than a 325is. Good luck!

 

e30 m3's are amazing cars. Have you ever read up on their design and history? I almost picked one up, but got scared away by a few things. From what I've seen, replacement parts from the factory are much, much cheaper than honda parts. Aftermarket on the other hand is pretty expensive, especially motor stuff.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 743 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">e30 m3's are amazing cars. Have you ever read up on their design and history? </TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm not sure if you're referring to me or the original poster, but I'll respond anyways The history and stigma is indeed impressive. However, being very performance and budget minded, I am not a big fan of the M3. What really separates the M3 from a regular 3-series?

1. A really neat motor. No doubt about that. But the street motor's performance is nothing to write home about. It does pull nicely from 6k up.

2. Aero advantages. Again, no question there. I would argue, however, that this doesn't matter much in reguar production based car racing. Where is does, the aftermarket can help non-M cars.

3. Brakes, as mentioned. Aftermarket eclipses stock M3 brakes, however.

4. *Minor* suspension differences (LCAs, LCA bushings, springs, shocks, rollbar attach points). Pickup points are (as far as I know) the same. For a track car with popular bolt-ons, there is no difference between an M3 and other 3-series.

5. Weight. The M3 is not the "type R" of the 3-series. It's heavier. All that extra glass and fender flares costs weight. And they all had sunroofs and A/C.

True, there are a few other differences (steering rack, etc), but nothing, IMO, to justfy the "mystique" to performance enthusiasts. And yes, I have driven all the different E30 3-series cars in all kinds of conditions.

Then again, I'm not much of a Ferarri enthusiast, either. Gimme a race prepped ZO6 and a buch of spare cash instead. Maybe I have no soul

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 743 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">From what I've seen, replacement parts from the factory are much, much cheaper than honda parts. Aftermarket on the other hand is pretty expensive, especially motor stuff.</TD></TR></TABLE>

In my experience of replacing busted stuff on a 325is for 4 years, 95% of the regular replacement parts for the non-M cars are cheaper than for Hondas. 50% of the stuff for an M3 will be cheaper. The other 50% has NO DAMN business being so freaking expensive. I have seen M vs. non-M differences of 5-10x the price, especially engine bits. It's scary.

 

Whatever you say Whitney! I have seen your website dedicated to your 325is and I have never seen anything like it! Especially the maintenance log. If you ever want to sell your car, that website is going to seriously help you out. I would definitely pay some substantial $$ to get records like that!

Edit: Whitney, how much $ would it take with aftermarket parts to get the 325, for example, up to par with the M3 motor?

 

I couldn't imagine the performance difference being that far off between the two...just that one has more torque and one's got more top end HP.

 

I have no idea, as I've had some trouble finding the exact specs of the car, but I'd imagine the 4-cylinder M engine weighs a bit less than the 325's 6-cylinder. Is it such a small difference that it doesn't account for the added weight of the sunroof and fender flare metal? Not criticizing, just asking, as I truly have no idea.

 

http://www.s14.net/specplus/comparisons.html some specs there and lots of other great info. there friggen awsome cars engines were made to be raced. sometimes im sorry i never got one but ill take my non m e30 s50 swap anyday

 

So the R is quoted at 2600 lbs on Cars.com's spec sheet (though I don't know how accurate that is), and S14.net quotes the E30 M3 at 2725 lbs, which is just a 125 lb difference. I'm assuming if you ripped out the sound deadening and swapped out the heavy seats it'd be pretty close. 0-60 seems to be sorta close, with the R having a bit of an upper hand. So is the weight difference, though not too large, the biggest difference between these two as far as speed is concerned?

Meanwhile, how about a Group A 2.5L swap? 0-60 in 4.3, 330hp at 8500rpm, 215 ft/lbs at 7500rpm...that's more Rrrrr-like... Of course, I'm sure below like 5000 rpms it would be completely gutless, but who cares? I'll just keep it above that all the time...4500 rpm idle? Psht

 

i was infinitely close to purchasing an E30 for cheap and doing a rebuild on the engine. according to various E30 people i talked to, the S14 is an entirely different beast that requires more than just your average 3 series mechanic to do a rebuild on. i think i priced out a rebuilt at like 6 grand with no bottom end parts and little labor cost.

iirc a new set of valves are like $800.

 

Holy Shhhhugar, $800 for valves? Looks like a rebuilt S14 isn't in the picture...

 

About 3k in parts if you reuse the pistons and valves.

Warren