MI: E30 325e sedan, 5 speed

Only $775. Says it has an "electrical problem" that the owner can't diagnose. Seems like a good deal, but can't see from the photos if there is any rust. Probably is, it's Michigan.

http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/2982113680.html

(not mine, so don't judge me)

I just went to look at this car this evening with Tom Spangler. I guess they just re-listed after I left.

Walking up to it, it looked great, checking the body, it looks even better. Check the rocker panels and I'm quaking with excitment, it's a rust free E30. The interior is trashed, as in the remains of the drivers seat needs a bio hazard warning. The dash wasn't cracked, it was falling to bits, at least 5 of them. The seat belt buckles were falling to bits and varios bits of trim were just falling off. I could live with that for a track car though.

More looking underneath and the exhaust is held on with coat hanger wire and the remains of the park brake cable is waiving in the air.

All that I could have lived with. I had $500 in my pocket ready to haggle.

But... . . . Then we pop the hood I can put 3-4 fingers through the shock tower into the engine bay on the RHS, plus behind that it's very crusty too. Plus the frame rail has at the least a lot of surface rust. On the LHS it's not quite so bad, but I could have pushed a finger through with ease. Down in the fender wells there is more evidence of rust forming.

If it was a 2 door, 325is with LSD and later bumpers it might have been worth $500, but I had to sadly pass. It's such a shame as I was really happy until I popped the hood.

Ade speaketh the truth. Whoever buys that car had better be very handy with a welder.

Lesson: just because it loks clean in pics, doesn't mean it is.

That's too bad. Par for the course amongst cars I've been looking at lately unfortunately.

Might be worth parting out if you can get it cheap enough...

Ian F wrote: Might be worth parting out if you can get it cheap enough...

We thought of that, it might have been if it was an 'is' but not an 'e'

Ian F wrote: Might be worth parting out if you can get it cheap enough...

Yeah, we had that conversation driving away. What's worth saving? A non-running eta engine? An open diff? Certainly there's nothing usable in the interior. Yes, there are some body parts that could be saved, the hood, doors, and fenders are all pretty good, as is the trunk lid. And the tranny, though Ade said the linkage felt very loose. But how much is that stuff all worth?

Plus the labor to pull it apart, sell the bits (E30 people make VW people look 'spendy') and then dispose of the remains? Yeah... hard to say... "Cheap" would probably have to be damn close to "free"...

I spoke to this seller a couple times and from the way it sounded the interior was "taken apart". Sounds like age and someone sleeping in it took it apart. She also seemed pretty set of the price.

Glad I didn't drive 2 hours to look at it.

They were a nice couple, I don't think they are trying to rip anyone off or anything. But I didn't get the impression that they were car people at all. Apparently they bought the car for their "idiot nephew" and were stuck with it when it died.

I think if they are firm on that price they'll be stuck with it for a while.

IMO this one looks a lot more worthwhile: http://flint.craigslist.org/cto/2993543167.html

LSD, lots of newer parts, and at least it's had some care and work done recently. Hard to tell on the body, but it's cheaper than the other car, too.

^^^^
Strange collection of pictures and the Illinois plates in MI are odd.
Edit: after re-reading I see that he may have bought the car in IL and blew it up while driving it back. From there he never transferred the title to himself and still has an IL title.
If you want to register it, be sure you have what you need to get it done (via IL.)

Tom_Spangler wrote: IMO this one looks a lot more worthwhile: http://flint.craigslist.org/cto/2993543167.html LSD, lots of newer parts, and at least it's had some care and work done recently. Hard to tell on the body, but it's cheaper than the other car, too.

That one looks like it has SpecE30 potential, but as noted - hard to tell from the pictures. Sounds like if you showed up with a trailer and $500 he'd sell.