Ownership Verified: My "RRRAPDC" - Ringmeet-rental-replacement-and-parts-donor-car!

thomas

Grouchy Beemer Owner
STAFF MEMBER
Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Messages
6,210
Location
Freiburg - DE, or Texas when possible
Car(s)
E39 M5, '94 Cadillac Fleetwood, '21 Focus Wagon
Upon request by several people at ringmeet, I will make a thread for my latest purchase, although it will be gone soon anyway. Then again, that doesn't really differ from publics posts, just that I know it'll be gone soon ;).



So.. with Ringmeet 2014 approaching and the list of things I will have to stuff into the car growing, I was not sure I can or want to cram everything in my 1-series. And with the background of never having brought the same car to Ringmeet twice, I figured I should rent something wagony. But 2 weeks before Ringmeet I accidentally a 1990 E30 318i Touring. The condition is as bad as the price was low, the only job it hat was to bring me to the Ring and back. Depending on a first check on a lift, I gave it a 5% chance of being kept and restored. That chance was down to 0% a day after I got it and hat it on a lift. Welp.

The facts:
- 181kkm
- rust on all doors, the trunklid as worse as it gets, rockerpanels rather bad, and the metal on the left rearend can be remodeled by hand
- engine runs, but noticably tells you to replace the conrod-bearings rather sooner than later
- options are basically non-existant
- radio doesn't work, installation is a mess
- steeringrack leaking
- car was parked for over a year until it was moved 40km, as the owner moved too -> tires rather unbalanced, also 14 years old
- car has T?V until the end of September 2014
- price in this condition: 300 EUR
- installed battery was dead, he offered to throw in a working one and add a set of 14" BMW Edition Kreuzspeichen for another 50 EUR, which I agreed to

Final price of purchase: 350 EUR for the car with a working battery and a spare set of BMW alloys with 3yr old winter tires on them.


I checked the car out and bought it on a sunday, did the registration and pickup the following monday, and had the oil changed (25 EUR including Oil and Filter) at a local garage on tuesday. I put about 150km on it and had some E30-freaks look at it (of whom one said the engine likely won't make another 100km without new bearings), where the somewhat broken ignition cable got properly insulated, then parked it until Ringmeet. In the meantime I also replaced the wipers, as the installed ones were torn. And well, the car did not only make another 100km, it made a total of 750km during Ringmeet without giving me any troubles, just had to refill ATF for the power steering. Engine still sounds rather bad, the exhaust is still hanging on for dear life without the rubber hangers, its missing a bunch of parts and others got replaced with broken ones, but it still runs. Its parked outside now, still full of Ringmeet-crap, and will probably be deregistered within the next days and moved only one more kilometer, to the junkyard. The owner there, as I found out recently E30-Fan himself, is already aware and expecting it, and said I'll get at least 100 EUR, depending on the daily scrap price.

Parts that found a new home:

nicjasno:
- lightswitch
- trunk dampers
- rear wiper motor
- rear washer pump
- rear left door sill
- handbrake handle
- front washerfluid cap

Thujalvi:
- foglight switch
- a window crank (I assume, its gone and nicjason doesn't need it :D ) nvm, found it on the floor :D

MXM:
- audio-fader incl. plug/cable

Matt2000:
- aftermarket 3rd brakelight


And some local E30-guys want one headlight and the door panels. Someone showed interest in the rear bumper, but he's quite far away and that'd also reduce the money I get from the junkyard, so I probably won't bother. But I have yet to see about that. While still considering rebuilding it, I also accidentally got 2 15" Kreuzspeichen in good condition from ebay for a whopping 25 EUR, but they are ET41 and for the 325ix only. Anyway, I won't have any problem selling those for the same or even more than I paid, as the ix-ones are somewhat rare. I am also aiming to get at least 100 EUR for the set of 14" wheels with winter tires. All in all I am expecting to pay about as much as I would have for 5-6 days of a proper rental, if I am lucky its less.

And now the picdump, after I got it and from the lift a day later with comments. More pics can be found in the Ringmeet-photothread probably.















































Things found to be broken on the lift:
- rubber exhaust hangers busted, exhaust itself quite rusty
- rear left corner totally gone and crumpling away
- both production outlets upfront close to gone, may withstand a T?Vers screwdriver, may not (had one look at it and he was not sure)
- diff and gearbox oiling
- steeringbox leaking as already noticed
- differential bushing busted
- front dampers shot and leaking
- controll arm bushings 2/4 shot (inner left and outer right one)













 
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This car is terrible!
 
Damnit, I need to spread more ringmeet billboards before reminding thomas to do a proof pic again. :D
 
I found myself asking why you bought this today, I forgot that it was an alternative to a rental.

Personally I think this should be mandatory for all people who would either rent or borrow a car to bring to the Ringmeet, imagine the variety of crap we could end up with to keep us entertained (and supply us with lots of spare parts).
 
And for shits and giggles I just put it on mobile.de - for 500 EUR :p

Maybe some exporting dealer is going to bite and will "lowball" me for 250, which I'd happily take ;)
 
I got a potential buyer coming tomorrow all the way from N?rnberg. Trying to avoid someone being really disappointed and pissed, I had him call and told him about the rust on the rear left (T?V-mandatory fix) and the front prod outlets (seem still viable, but borderline, according to t?v). Also about the engine noise (which btw after that milage done with it is more likely to just be the hydraulic valve lifters) and the shot front shocks and bushings.. I also told him the steeringbox is leaking... Fuck, I even told him that if nobody buys it I have no pain to scrap it as it is... he still wants to come. So tomorrow around noon he intends to be here, calling around 9am before he leaves (to ensure its not sold yet).

Considering I put it up for 500eur and the inevitable disappointment when he gets here, I may throw in the original alloys with (ok) winter tires and just go down in price, in order to still get rid of it and give it a chance to stay on the road a bit longer ;). And I may still end up evening out (minus registration, tax and insurance for the few weeks I had it ofc).
 
And for shits and giggles I just put it on mobile.de - for 500 EUR :p

Maybe some exporting dealer is going to bite and will "lowball" me for 250, which I'd happily take ;)

That's sub-$500 at that point, isn't it?

YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO. MURICA NEEDS YOU. MURICA NEEDS THIS CAR. FOR GREAT LEMONS JUSTICE!
 
Yes, the price of the vehicle with 300eur equals 400usd, and even with the extra wheels its just 460ish. And if everything goes to plan, some export dealer will be here in just a few minutes and take it away for already agreed on 250 EUR (330usd). I shall report back :D
 
And its gone. Granted, not for 250 but for 200 EUR, but the engine sounded rather bad today and I didn't even mention that beforehand to this shady export guy ;). But thats still twice what the yunkyard would pay, so fuck it :D.

I also still got the set of 14" original BMW Edition wheels with wintertires on them. Once those are sold I will have a number what that whole deal cost me ;).

2014-08-23_19.22.50.jpg
 
So where is it going? Africa, Russia, the middle east? :p
 
I'm going to say this while the topic is still somewhat relevant: Say no to LeMons E30's! Classic BMW's of increasingly decent condition are being sacrificed on the altar of junk, and it needs to stop.

That is all.






Also I took a couple of small plastic trim retainers from the boot along with the fog light switch.
 
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