How much of a money pit would this be???

1987 325i -- $500

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/1921255333.html

I know its part of the trinity, but is this too much of a basket case for a first bimmer? Am I looking at timing belt, bushings and cooling system first?

In reply to mrwillie:

It seems like a decent deal as long as it runs like he says it does. The timing belt and water pump is super easy to do on that car and the parts ane not to expensive.

I bought a 1990 for a little more then that a few years back, and had to do all three things you mentioned.

I want to say the timing belt and water pump together was less the $100.00.

You can find used seats pretty easy. I paid 100.00 for a perfect interior at the U-pull it yard in Daytona.

I miss that car I should have kept it a little longer...

I sold it for 3000 pretty quickly when I was done with it...

I paid $1000 for my Spec E30 donor and it looked only slightly better than that. You can't find those (especially with a 5 speed) for under a grand that run. Perfect race or track toy donor.

Daily driver? Yeah, timing belt right away. Cooling systems on them aren't the most durable so you may need a radiator. Driveshaft guibo, suspension bushings and maybe control arms (no replacing the ball joints, at least not cost effectively). Lowered springs and bigger sway bars make them really come alive. Make sure the cat converter is solid if you have emissions testing; they are expensive. These are easy to work on and if you price the parts on Pelican you'll see just how affordable E30s can be compared to most. All the interior bits and outside trim you may need are junkyard or internet shopping things. Miles don't matter much to these if given any casual maintenance. We race those engines with that kind of mileage with very few failures. Check the rear diff for a tag, may be LSD equipped.

This was gone by the time I got online today. Thanks for the info. The mileage scared me on this one, but I guess I shouldn't have been.

Thanks.