Month: July 2016

E30 M3 NLA Rare Parts For Sale

Hello internet friends and E30 community! I am putting all of my E30 M3 parts up for sale this weekend and this post will serve as a preview of the parts I’m clearing out. As you can imagine, this collection has taken many years to get together and was initially intended for an E30 M3 conversion on a standard E30 body. I’m focusing my efforts on collecting more interesting things now, like digital Pokemon. 

Rare Hartge E30 Parts

Hartge was a third party tuning company founded in Germany in the early 1970’s. They modified new BMW models for customers, much like Alpina, Racing Dynamics and AC Schnitzer. One of the earliest Hartge models was the H23 based on the euro 323i which was produced from 1983 to 1985 in Germany. They modified the engine with custom forged pistons that yielded a high compression ratio of 10:1 along with a new camshaft, exhaust and chip tuning. To top off all of the engine work, it was finished with a custom cast valve cover. Very few Hartge and Alpina cars were produced, and as a result the vintage tuning parts are now very sought after. 

1991 E34 M5 in Alpine S38 3.6L

We have seen this 1991 M5 for sale for the last few months, and it is in beautiful condition considering it’s high mileage. This M is one of the last of the hand built cars coming out of Germany and has seen 245,000 miles. The car has a long list of repairs, though some areas still need attention. 

Cheap E30 M3 Project Car

Searching for an E30 M3 in 2016 is no easy task. The classic German car bubble has been inflating since 2010 and has yet to lose any momentum. The days of ratty $10,000 range E30 M3 finds are long gone, now just old legends that we will reminisce about for years to come. These days, even a heavily road worn M3 can command big dollars. That brings us to today’s eBay find, a 1988 model with 325,000 hard earned miles. 

Pristine 1991 318is in Alpineweiss

The E30 318is is commonly referred to as the poor man’s M3. It shares some traits with the M3 including a 4 cylinder engine, near perfect 50-50 weight distribution and a thrilling driving experience. While it’s 1.8 liter M42 engine boasts a modest 138 horsepower compared to the M3’s 197 horsepower, it is still a fun little drive.

Rust Free 1988 325ix 5 Speed Coupe

Finding a rust free E30 325ix these days can be extremely challenging, considering they were designed for traversing snow, ice and salt covered roads. The best region to buy any vintage car is obviously in the South or West, far away from any frozen precipitation. Today’s 325ix find brings us to Costa Mesa, California. Listed on Craigslist for $6,000 this iX boasts a desirable 5 speed manual transmission and a rust free sun baked body. Always choose faded paint and a dry body over gloss and rust. 

E30 Maintenance Tips

Keeping your E30 in good running order doesn’t have to be costly. If you’re a BMW enthusiast, chances are you’re also a DIY enthusiast. Let’s be honest, not many people can afford to run to their indie mechanic every time they need a repair on a car that’s over twenty years old. For example, something as simple as a clutch slave cylinder replacement can cost nearly $400 with parts, labor and tax at a local garage. This is something the weekend mechanic can repair in a few hours with around $60 in parts.