Should I buy? Please help =]
 

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum and new to this model car. I came here to ask for some opinions on an e30 that I'm kinda looking at so please don't flame me.

I was searching for a "fun" car to drive that is a manual and can be used as my daily driver, but couldn't find anything in my price range that I liked. So my friend told me that I should look into an e30. I've been doing my homework on the car and found someone who is selling their 1987 325i verts (probably will get a hardtop later) for less than $2500. The car odometer stopped working at 187k miles and the owner believe it have around 189k miles. The car looks to be in really good condition from the picture that is shown but here at some info.

The Good:
`New Clutch(2weeks old)
`New brake pads and disks- 9 months ago
`New Water Pump
`New Interior
`No tears in the rear seat tops.
`New top
`New exhaust 9 months ago
`LSD
`325is airdam and rear spoiler


The Bad:
`Cracks in the dash, one and a half cracks along the passenger side.
`A couple dings and dents along the front end.
`Rust on the rear driver side arch. Small portion on tip of hood.
`Odo stopped working at about 187,000.
`A crack in the rear windshield.

I was wondering if this is a good deal or is there anything that I should be worried about. Please tell me what you think about this car. Should I get it or should I just continue to search around for another e30? I much appreciate this. Thank you ahead of time!

I wouldn't pay more than 1500 as there's no way to actually know the true mileage. I payed 2000 for my '87 325is that needed work similar to what your describing but that was 3 years ago. For comparison I just bought a '94 525i for 2200 2 weeks ago and it's in great shape with only a few little repairs needed (currently my daily driver). Sign of the times economy wise I guess. As far as the what your looking at you say the water pump was done, did that include the timing belt and tensioner? If not the job wasn't done right, possibly not at all. Minor dings and scuffs are to be expected, the rust however COULD be a problem. If it's just surface rust maybe not but you'll need to clean chassis grounds and such. How does the car handle? Drive straight, stops and stops square? Is the shifter tight and clutch "feel" right? Get under it look at the rubber on the rear CV joints is it intact? Does it have any weird vibrations? Look around the cooling system for signs of leakage, an overheat can warp the head. Clean title that matches the VIN all the usual blah blah blah. If its all in order and you like the car go for it, they're not hard to work on and parts are available from many places, one of these cars in good shape and properly maintained will go 300,000-500,000 miles and rarely break down. I have 2, both were daily drivers for years one of them 7 the other 2 and the later I didn't buy for use as a daily, it just happened that way and the car could still do it if needed.