Hey guys, I just joined and wanted to say hi. You'll see me here a lot since I'm looking to get and restore an E30 M3. I come from 11+ years of tuning VW/Audi and am no stranger to German car performance but I decided to give BMW a try because I think the E30 M3 is one of the best cars ever made! So yeah, I don't know much about them which is why I'm turning to you. What's a good year to get? Any problems I should look for? Thanks. :wave:

Dang, unfortunately all of our old threads about buying an E30 M3 are deleted, so I will give you some pointers.

Look here first: http://www.bimmers.com/m3/spotter/years.html It gives a complete guide to the year model break downs. There isn't a very big difference between the model years. Some people have differen't opinions about the differen't model years about which ones are better.
Some of the simple things: Early '88 cars had a fader radio, which is a pain in the butt to rewire for other radios. 88 through 89 had ellipsoid headlights. '90 through '91 had aluminum control arms compared to the steel control arms of the earlier cars. '90 and '91 also had airbag steering wheels, and sealed glass windows in the back. Differen't colors were given in that webpage.

When you look for an E30 M3, try to find one with a good history. See if you can get all of the records from the previous owner, and you don't want one that seems like it has been beaten up, or driven really hard. If it has high mileage (100k +) make sure the timing chain has been done, waterpump etc. Cars that have been beaten up are prone to have problems that will turn up later. Spend a lot of time with the car, drive it in all gears, test differen't speeds. Make sure it runs well too, without wierd noises.

Check for rust. Rust is a big no no. Check in the trunk, under the spare tire, under and around the battery well, around the taillights and that area. Also check the area under the windshield. Rust here can cost lots of money to get it fixed. Check under the cars and in corners and stuff.

Make sure everything works. Test everything out, cruise control, lights, windows, radio etc. You don't want any suprises when you do buy the car.

Above all, spend a lot of time with the car and the owner. Don't feel rushed, and if the owner seems to be rushing you, they may be trying to hide something. Ask about its past, if its been tracked and things like that. The previous owner of my car spent a whole day with his car and I.

This is all I can really think of on the top of my head. If you have any questions, ask here. You might also try to find a good mechanic to take the car to and have it inspected. One last thing, do a carfax (www.carfax.com). I almost bought a car with 200k + miles on it when the owner and odometer said it had 90K miles on it. This can save you lots of heartache down the road.

Good luck!

Wow! thanks for the detailed info...I really appreciate it :)

No problem! Ask if you need anything else!