Newbie thinking of buying E30

[zeptozorro]

Howdy,

I'm thinking of buying an E30 (probably in the '87 to '90 age range).

Is the E30 suspension pretty tight when in good shape? I test drove an '89 this morning and it felt really soft. It had an annoying lean when changing lanes or cornering. Maybe that's a sign for new shocks/struts, or maybe the car is just a comfort mobile.

Thoughts? And thanks in advance

 

[Big Daddy]

Depends on the e30, the "is" models have a sportier ride, but suspension componets are not too expensive for any of them. They should not lean.

 

[Doughnut]

no car should "lean"
And by "lean" do you mean when you turn it sags into the turn? thats new shocks for sure.
e30's are nice cars, be prepared to spend abit of money when you first purchace it though, chances are you'll be up for timing belt replacement.

good luck, welcome to the board

 

[zeptozorro]

The car I drove would roll from side to side pretty bad if you shake the steering wheel left and right, as opposed to just a little motion as you whip it from one lane to another.

As for under the hood, while the goal is to only spend what is needed to get the car up to speed, I'm prepared to drop a little coin to get a car that won't blow up in 2K miles I used to be a Honda man, but I'm bored of ricing it.

 

[E30m42cab]

Suspension (shocks) should be easy enough to tackle, especially the rear, and will tighten up the ride right away. Any E30 that you buy now-a-days is going to need a fair bit of looking after. Timing belt, coolant flush, new hoses and belts, and it'll probably need a valve adjustment.