Thursday, October 28, 2010

Hello Cookie, The 1989 318i

This is the story of how I found and bought my first E30. For those of you looking to buy a used car, this should give you some tips on what to look out for.

Searching far and wide...

The obvious starting point is the internet. From searching on the big car trading websites such as eBay, Trading Post and Car Sales, I noticed 2 things:

1. Cars are generally cheaper in NSW than in QLD.
2. BMW E30's in QLD are mostly Auto's and the Manual ones for sale are mostly in other states.

In May 2010, I drove from Brisbane to Sydney in search of a Manual BMW E30.


Budget and criteria...

I had a very tight budget - I was only prepared to spend about $3000 at the absolute most and was hoping to spend closer to $2000.

Of course with a car that's 20+ years old, it will be just that! It's not going to be in perfect condition and I had to be prepared to make a few compromises. I had the following criteria:
  • Low mileage (not more than 200,000km).
  • Manual transmission.
  • Very minor or NO accident history - I want the chassis to be completely straight.
  • Little or NO rust.
  • Roadworthy and easy to register - it was going to be my only car and needs to be fit to be a daily driver.
  • Mechanically good - with no major concerns.
  • Interior in reasonably tidy condition with all the electrics working.
Those of you who are E30 enthusiasts would be thinking "yeah keep dreaming".

With a bit of divine intervention, I managed to find my Alpine White '89 318i 2-Door Sedan.

After getting it inspected by Pedro, the Fast and Furious Mobile Mechanic. I got it from a car dealer at a very reasonable price - $2800 Drive-away. So I traded in my old car and happily drove it back to Brisbane.


What kind of condition was it in?

Service History: It had the service log book stamped for every single service from when it was brand new and it had all been done by BMW. A very nice bonus indeed.

Mileage & First Impressions: 185,000km that's well under an average of 10,000kms per year!

Sunroof: As with all sunroofs, this one had gotten rusty at one point and had been repaired using body filler at the right-rear corner. It seals fine but could use some sanding and shaping to get it more symmetrical with the other side.

Engine: It's an Australian 318i which has a single-cam belt-driven M40B18 motor hooked up to a Getrag 240 5-speed gearbox. I didn't do a compression test but it was running smooth and the exhaust was clean. It looked a bit oil stained around the sump but for a car this age, you can't be too fussy about that. After having had it for the last 5 months I've noticed 2 very minor issues. The engine is seeping oil. After de-greasing the engine bay, it starts to get a little stained around the oil sump after about 10,000km. I have to top up about 1L of oil after about 3000km.  It's not very urgent as there hasn't been any stains or drips on the ground where I park the car. I might even leave it until when I have to do the timing belt at 210,000km. Coolant was a nice rich and bright green colour and was topped right up. The radiator and hoses all looked to be in fairly good condition too.

Gearbox & Transmission: The differential is in top condition - doesn't make any noise and locks up when it's supposed to. Gear shifts are all smooth and only a very slight notchiness when going into 4th but it's nothing to be concerned about. The gear shifter itself does feel a little sloppy and could use some new bushings. I do plan on installing a short shifter, so I'll put in new bushes then. Underneath I could notice some wetness around the gearbox drain plug which looks, smells and feels like oil. Hopefully its just a worn out drain plug which isn't sealing properly. It's a very tiny amount of oil and it doesn't leave any stains or drips where the car is parked.

Clutch: The clutch pedal contact point seems to be rather high and this could be a combination of the clutch being rather worn and the pedal needing to be adjusted. The clutch is, no doubt, old and used but the good thing is it's not at all slipping. It bites and bites well. When looking at the 3 pedals fully extended, the clutch pedal sits about 1-2cm's higher than the brake pedal and this is what leads me to believe that part of the problem can be solved by readjusting the pedal. I noticed a very soft rattle when the car is in neutral and the clutch pedal is fully released which goes away when the pedal is pressed. I suspect it could be a lay-shaft bearing. It's not an urgent repair but can be looked at when the clutch is replaced.

Suspension & Steering: Older cars are generally built a lot sturdier and stiffer than modern cars. The philosophy at the time was to make them that way to withstand crashes. However, crash safety research has shown that by making the car softer and more flexible, it does a better job of protecting the passengers inside. Kind of like how running into a wall with a soft pillow is less painful than with a block of wood. The suspension and ride feels a lot stiffer than what I'm used to. There is a lot less body roll in tight and fast turns and the dampers do their job well (the car doesn't feel squishy and bouncy). The bushings (as with all old cars) do need replacing. They aren't worn to the point of being dangerous but I do think some fresh polyurethane bushings will make the car feel a lot crisper and responsive to steering inputs. The power steering fluid looked very dirty. It was a cloudy maroon colour instead of being a transparent cherry red (fresh ATF), so I'd be looking at changing it.

Interior & Electrics: The first thing I noticed was the driver's heelpad had been chewed through and the driver seat had a few tears in it. The dashboard had cracks (very common problem for E30's) and the gearshift boot had a small tear. All of these, have easy fixes. A new gearshift boot, is a 10-minute idiot-proof job. Get a new vinyl heelpad and glue it over the torn one. Torn seat upholstery? Seat covers! Dash board cracks? Some black adhesive resin to fill the cracks, some sandpaper and polish to level it all out, and to top it off, a dash mat! The alarm system doesn't work and has been completely de-activated. That's not a worry because I'll be getting a viper system installed anyway.

Exterior: The body was overall straight and there seems to be no signs of any major accident damage or repairs. The driver's door needs to be re-aligned as it doesn't seem to sit perfectly flush with the B-pillar when closed. As expected there are some minor dings and dents from careless shopping cart incidents, etc. The front bumper lip has one broken clip possibly from scraping over a parking curb but this should only cost about $2 or so to replace. Two of the side rubber trim pieces look a bit cracked and I'd like to replace them. Rust... there were small spots of surface rust around the boot lid edges, door edges and door jams. As they're only surface rust, just some rust converter, touch-up paint should fix it up. The last thing on the to-do list would be a clay, polish and buff to get the paint back to showroom looks.

A Suitable Name: I had to give the car a name... so being a white car with bits of black trim I named it "Cookie" as it sort of reminds of cookies & cream cheesecake!


 Acknowledgements:


Aunty Heather: My lovely mum away from home. She's kept me out of trouble for the entire time I've been in Australia. She was gracious enough to accompany me to Sydney and helped arrange accommodation for us in Sydney. She kept me awake during the long overnight drive to Sydney and on the drive back to Brisbane.

Asher & Irene: These guys are just so lovely. At really short notice, they didn't just let us stay with them. They welcomed us, pampered us, spoiled us! Such wonderful hospitality is very rare.

Fast & Furious Mobile Mechanic: Owned and operated by Pedro. He's an up-front and honest guy who went out of his way to come help me out. He loves cars (performance cars to be more precise) and is definitely the guy to call if you need a trustworthy mobile mechanic around Sydney.
Phone: 0401 556 567

Merrylands Autos: Big thanks to Frank and David. These guys are a family owned and run used car business who have a passion for what they do. They have two yards on that are just up the road from eachother on Woodville Rd at Merrylands/Granville, NSW.
www.merrylandsautos.com.au