E30 m3: Did i make a good purchase? Help me out !

[costumenational]

Hi. I just bought my first car today. I have no mechanical knowledge, and only surfed around the web for a good deal of cars i wanted to buy, what to check for, and just general info. I was not expecting to make the purchase today, but as the price was low (in my noob opinion), I just made the purchase (impulsive...?maybe..). I was the first person to check the car out, and I would like to believe that if I hadn't bought it, I wouldn't have been able to buy it in the first place since others would have bought it (i think..?). I just wanted to let you guys know that although this is my first car, I do not intend to "thrash it" nor redline it at every stop light. I always liked the m3, and I wanted to buy a stylish daily driver that was also practical. Thus, I ended up with buying the m3; in other words, I may have some fun on weekend, but thats a secondary reason, not the primary purpose of purchasing this car. Enough talk, here are the pics and info about the car: http://bimmer.onlinewebshop.net/

How much should i have paid for this car? (everything was functional, radio, windows, even the sunroof, and the only problem i can think of was that the fan would make a bit of clanking noise which the seller said may cost $300 if i wished to fix it; also, the seller was a relative of the owner of the car, and was a mechanic). Do you think this would work as a daily driver? Would i have any problems with it? I'm not too sure of the timing chain, but he did tell me that he replaced the spark plugs, ignition wire, clutch and a bit more. (not sure about water pump either). Also, how should I maintain my car? (when & what to do as regular maintenance, what & when to look out for) What about preventing rusts? anyway to do that?

Sorry for asking so many questions but your help is very much appreciated. Thank you for reading the post !

[BMWCHICAGOM3]

great first car. nice first post.
Not sure if this was a wise choice living in Canada. The winter are not going to be nice on the E30 M3.

I hope you have extra cash cause once thing start going its going to cost you

[tman1299]

idk if thats a good starter car.....
go for a simpler e30 325i or something

[mmark.]

You may want to rethink your strategy.
You have probably bought a car with issues already, since it is old.
No mechanical Knowledge and an E30 M3 means you need a LOT of money and a good tech to keep the car running. Parts for these cars command heavy premium over other E30's and the prices just went up in price BIG TIME last summer.
You need to find a mentor and a daily driver.

An E36 M3 would be on average , cheaper to buy and cheaper to run, mech knowledge or not.
Good luck.

m

[VanBimmerhead]

First off congrats, the E30 M3 is a great car, first purchase or not. I was lucky enough to have one as my first purchase back in 97, I still have it... it has been my daily driver for 12 years. Yes the parts are pricey, but learn how to do the work yourself and you will be better off... think 3 times before you take it to a mechanic.

There are several issues that come with an m3 and the S14, Im at work though so I cant really go into it now. I trust that by the time I get back someone will have done that for me.

I have no idea what you paid or what condition its in cause the link doesnt work for me.

The E30 M3 is one of the most fun and addicting cars out there, dont let anyone tell you different

[DeM3n]

Congrats man. You've picked up a very nice car. That being said, I hope you're pockets are deep. With no mechanical knowledge, when sh*t hits the fan, its gonna be a pretty penny bro. It'd do my best to find locals with some mechanical knowledge to help when an issue arises. Good luck. NOW POST SOME PICS!

[sbblowz]

that link doesnt work but just curious how much did u get it for?

[DrLivingston]

First off congrats! As stated above /\/\ I can't see the pics either. You've had the car for a month , any updates? Pull those plugs and see what he put in there. I ask because I lived in RI for a few years and I had a few "cold starts" which fouled my plugs, so that's something to keep an eye on. The fan clicking I am trying to think what that may be. Bad mounts would be a direct correlation to a fan. Does it click louder under load? That could be the motor being on bad mounts. I hope you've at least had a BMW before or some performance car so you know what to listen for and look into. After driving her for a month , what is your feedback on the car?