[ziarunner]

Hello All-

Here is the deal. I have an 89 325i. The interior is flawless, rare two tone red and black leather, looks like a brand new car, carpet like new, dash perfect. Mechanically the car is perfect, I have put a lot of work into it and have replaced a ton of parts and am very meticulous about anything on it.

It has new brakes, new sport lowering springs and shocks.

Now, the car has 195,000 miles on it. However, I did install a new cylinder head 20k ago (timing belt was not changed soon enough )

Now for advice:
I want to repaint the car, add front and rear bumper covers, side skirts, like the ones sold on BavAuto.

The paint is bad and needs a whole new job, but is it worth it with so many miles? Like I said the car drives very well and is clean as a whistle, absolutely no problems now. I am E30 enthusiast but is it worth it to put 4-5k into a car with that many miles. Any others with similar experiences?

Thanks.

 

[jstam]

If you are totally rational, you can always say "it's not worth it" to do things to these cars...they're 20-25 years old, and you'll never recoup the cost. That being said, I keep investing in mine, doing the same stuff you just talked about. I don't think you need to spend $4-5k for paint and bodywork - I found a shop last year that did a very decent job for < 1/2 that. I'm sure others have creative ways or places to suggest.

If you like your e30 and want to keep it around, it's always good to restore stuff in my view. At 195k miles your e30 has a lot more road ahead, assuming there are no major rust problems, etc. These cars are durable if nothing else.

 

[ziarunner]

Thanks for the input. No, I live in NM so no rust problems, car is dry and very clean.

 

[_Ethrty-Andy_]

and when your M20 finally dies, thats not the end of the road either. you can always put a new engine into it

 

[Ryan...]

+1^^^^^^

Plus, you should be able to find a good paint job for way less than $4K.

 

[fcsteve]

rare 2 tone interior ? you mean re-upholstered ..


195k isnt THAT much. id repaint it if its as good as you claim.

 

[dlmpsy]

I guess it depends on how much the car is worth to you, I've had mine for about 15 years now (it's the only car I've never grown tired of driving). Every car is a money pit, if it gives you joy...go for it. Problems arise getting anywhere near the value of a real nice car if you get in a crash because it is so old, keep your receipts and check with your insurance company about the value of your car.

 

[Krumchev2]

like steve said 195k isnt that much. Reguardless of how old it is, it is a BMW and was built to last :thumbup:

 

[catso]

If you do alot of the prep work yourself, you should be able to do it for WAY less than $4000. Talk to a few shops. They can't be THAT busy right now. And what could you buy for $4000 that would be comparable?