Because they heard it from someone else who took their BMW to the dealer, the majority of consumers believe BMWs are very expensive to maintain.
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cmac2012
In 2002, I acquired my first E30 from him. It had 214K, and his asking price of $3500 was approximately KBB at the time. I went for it because it was in excellent condition and I could see the service history. Every six months for what seemed like forever, he had taken it to an expensive indie garage. He handed me the receipts, and when I totalled up just the three years prior to him selling it, I found that it totaled about $6000.
There are now about 420 K on that automobile. Soon after I acquired it, I had to install a driveline and, while I was at it, a new clutch (5 spd). have four timing belt replacements. would definitely be manageable for you, but give the first one a lot of time and obtain a good manual or two, of course. I have both the Bentley and the Haynes; the former is preferable, but the latter is occasionally useful. During the 200+ K I’ve invested in it and completed all the labor, I’ve contributed roughly $11K in parts. Parts are still simple to locate at boneyards and are in fact more affordable than you might think.
My second E30, which was created two days earlier and contains 211 K, is quite similar to my first. Very good appearance, however it wasn’t kept up very well. The verdict is still out on whether it will really bite me in the behind. He described some secondhand BMWs as “maintenance free BMWs” and noted that they can be very expensive vehicles. I remember hearing this from the BMW dealer parts guy (I visit there very infrequently but for some things it’s easier).
Horn, nice job seeing the fan shroud, btw. I didn’t notice the missing shroud, but I did note the varied color in the fender v. doors. Possibly a negative omen.
It takes time and money to pay for a pre-sale inspection, but it can be money well spent. Either that, or look for one with a strong maintenance paper trail. Even one of them will probably sell for less than the $3400 I ultimately paid for mine because the KBB is no longer as high due to the older age.
Bodywork:
One area where repairs might be pricey is bodywork. Because of this, it’s important to carefully inspect a potential car before deciding what you’re ready to accept. You must select what flaws you can cope with because cars this old nearly always have some. You can buy touch-up paint to hide things like road rash and paint chips, which are not a big concern. Faded paint and blistered clearcoat are things to watch out for because they need to be repainted.
You should also give the automobile a thorough inspection on each side, looking for any significant dents or body modifications. For signs that the automobile isn’t straight, or at least part of the body panels are, look for irregular gaps between body panels side to side, around the bonnet, doors, trunk, etc.
Which BMW model do you own?
The true surprise lies here. The cost of maintenance will be pretty minimal if you own an ancient BMW that was popular back in the day, like an E30 3 Series, for instance. It’s not a sophisticated automobile, so there aren’t many electronics or speciality parts, and since it was a widely sold model, replacement parts are easy to get and labor costs aren’t too high.
However, if you have a brand-new BMW 7 Series, it will cost much more because its parts are more expensive and high-tech. It is also much more complex, which means there are more potential problems and you must rely on more expensive specialists to work on it.
Therefore, when commentators and YouTubers make generalizations about how expensive it is to sustain any business, they are merely selling you clickbait.
Of course, certain BMWs cost a lot to maintain because they are difficult to repair and unreliable, like the E65 BMW 7 Series, which is a complete nightmare. However, some vehicles, like an E46 BMW 3 Series or an E39 BMW 5 Series, are manageably simple and affordable to maintain when done correctly.
E30’s maintenance costs
This varies so much that it’s nearly difficult to predict. how clean is it? A poor-quality E30 probably costs more than a good one. On E30 forums, the majority of autos are trash.
Simple E30 maintenance is not too difficult. filters, oil changes, etc. Every 50k miles, a timing belt and waterpump are required, and every year or two, valve adjustments. It’s easy and inexpensive to fix brakes. The rest is standard automotive fare.
The issue arises when you begin to tweak items or replace parts “while I’m in there,” at which point the cost increases. My automobile hasn’t really needed anything more than the bare minimum, aside from minor repairs.
reliability of BMW
BMW is ranked 30th out of 32 automobile brands by RepairPal for its high maintenance expenses. Drivers of BMW vehicles visit the shop twice as frequently as the industry standard. Additionally, they are more likely to need a major repair.
BMW owners typically complain about the following issues, according to RepairPal:
- engine oil leaking
- failing to regulate windows
- failed blower motor resistor
Are E30 BMWs trustworthy?
After going over the fundamentals of the E30, let’s go on to discussing things to watch out for while buying one. The superb engineering of E30s is one of the main factors that attracts people to them in the first place. E30s are dependable, cozy, and simple to keep up on the whole.
A rare BMW E30 M3?
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There are rare classic automobiles and then there are the really rare ones. With only 25 examples produced solely for the UK market, the Roberto Ravaglia edition E30 M3 is the most rare of all E30 M3s (BMW classifies the 480 Cecotto editions and 25 Ravaglia editions together, therefore the plaque reading 74/505). Only 16 of the 25 were made in Misano red, which is considered the model’s defining color. By winning nearly all of the races they contested, Johnny Cecotto and Roberto Ravaglia established the E30 M3 the most successful touring vehicle of all time and ensured the M3’s unquestionable legendary position. BMW created the M3 Cecotto and M3 Ravaglia as two limited edition versions as a tribute to their idols. The only E30 M3 made expressly for the UK, the Ravaglia is distinguishable by its limited paint colors (either Misano red or Nogaro silver), unusual wheels, body color painted rocker cover and plenum, and, of course, special edition plaque. It is unclear how many of the original 25 are still in existence, and even more critically, how many have the kind of provenance and history that today’s prices make crucial for any potential owner. This gorgeous M3 Ravaglia is one of them. The homologation special EVO II created towards the end of the chassis run is essentially a rarer variant of the Ravaglia and Cecotto cars.
Due to its near-perfect provenance, this excellent E30 M3 Ravaglia was delivered as a brand-new vehicle to Bolton BMW in September 1989. In its 28 years, the automobile has only traveled 53,500 miles with 4 keepers; the most recent owner, our customer, has had the vehicle since 1994 after purchasing it as an authorized used BMW from Vines in Horsham (which no longer exists as a branch). In his 23 years of ownership, this man has only driven 14,500 miles; he keeps the car in a heated garage and only uses it sometimes on dry days.
Munich Legends has had the good fortune to care for E30 M3s for well over 20 years, and we are renowned across the automotive industry for our knowledge of these incredible vehicles. Our technical team thoroughly and meticulously examined this exquisite Ravaglia, and they are really pleased with what they found. The Misano red paintwork is in exceptional shape, has a deep, lustrous shine, and is quite original. It is also corrosion free, sturdy, and mechanically perfect. With a beautiful patina on the leather and barely any evidence that the car has traveled 53,000 kilometers in its 28 years, the interior is pristine. It’s all precisely how it should be.
With a fresh inspection, two services, a MOT, a pre-delivery check, and four new tires, this exceptional M3 Ravaglia will be handed over to its new owner.
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How durable are BMW E30 cars?
The E30 is an excellent option if you want a classic automobile for the weekends or a daily driver for getting to work or school. These vehicles can easily surpass 250,000 miles on an original engine if you purchase a decent example and maintain it.
What is so unique about the BMW E30?
The car had everything, despite being considerably smaller than most of its luxury competitors. One of the few things that many people think is ageless is its boxy wedge form, which was a recurring motif throughout the automotive industry in the 1980s. It had the typical explosion of buttons, as is typical of most cars from this era, but aside from that, the interior was pure class, with only quality materials being used.
Why is the BMW M3 E30 so well-liked?
Because it was produced in a small quantity to meet DTM homologation criteria, it was built primarily for track use.
BMW almost by accident discovered the ideal recipe for the ultimate road-going performance vehicle. By the 1990s, it had transformed from a mere marketing tool for them in a racing series into one of their “bread and butter” vehicles.
How much does an E30 cost?
The average price of a BMW E30 is $9,791, however that figure includes all variants, including the 318i, M3, and grey-market Touring versions. The real query is how much do the 318s, 325s, and M3s cost.
- The typical price of a BMW E30 M3 is $50,249
- A BMW E30 4-cylinder 318i typically costs around $4,900.
- A BMW E30 6-cylinder 325i typically costs around $6,500.
Is the BMW E30 quick?
This video of the world’s fastest automobile on ice is coming to you from?…rsunda, Sweden, and holy moly, this ride can FLY. The Buldre Racing Team set a world record while competing in Swedish Speed Week in March 2019 with a BMW E30 M3 that had been modified and installed with a Toyota 2JZ engine that produces an astonishing 1,300 horsepower.
It’s surprising that no ice was melted while recording this video considering that the BMW E30 reached a top speed of 215.5 mph and an average speed of 212 mph. In fact, the Buldre Racing Team smashed a record for ice speed that they had previously set, with the previous record being in an Audi B5 S4 Avant, averaging 202 MPH.
Now, doing this on a flat surface would be one thing, but the driver must have ice coursing through him to drive the BMW that quickly on merely ice. I doubt that I’ve ever exceeded 50 mph when driving on ice, let alone 200 mph, especially with specialized tires.
As you can expect, Buldre has accomplished some pretty amazing things over the years. This video shows them pushing the Audi past the 200-mile mark.
Oh, and you are aware that they have visited the Nurburgring a few times. See one of their drivers complete a circuit of the renowned German track in a 750-horsepower Audi RS2.
And here is some more video of them playing around in the snow, just for fun.
Wow. It doesn’t seem like that horrible of a gig, tricking out cars and then driving those cars very, really fast. The unknown