I went outside the fold... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

davestlouis · #1 07-03-2006, 09:06 AM

I just won a 1981 BMW 320 E21 body car on ebay last night. It's about 90 miles from here, paid $250. The car has rusty floors in the back, so I'll see the extent of the rust, it may be a fixer, it may become a parts car. At any rate, it's bright red, tan vinyl interior, manual trans, steel wheels, not sure about a sunroof, don't really care at this price point.

davestlouis · #2 07-03-2006, 09:07 AM

And it's all alabbasi's fault

Mark DiSilvestro · #3 07-03-2006, 06:47 PM

Pretty solid but basic and few frills for a BMW. Watch out for rust in fatal locations, like the strut towers. Note, that for emissions reasons, the '81 320i actually only had a 1.8 engine, not 2.0 as on the early 320i, so many consider these cars overweight and underpowered. Plastic controls and flaps for heat/AC tend to break with age and the CSI injection unit location under the intake manifold also makes FI and starter repairs a bear on these cars.

Happy Motoring, Mark

davestlouis · #4 07-03-2006, 08:34 PM

I really don't have a burning need for the car, but if I can make a daily driver out of it, great, the fuel economy must be better than what I'm getting out of my V8-powered M-B's.

Jim B. · #5 07-04-2006, 04:35 AM

Yes, it will do a lot better than a big Mercedes on gas, but I wouldn't invest much more in it than gas, or else with big repairs made on it, your overall cost per mile to run it could equal or surpass the big W126.

Cost of fuel is only ONE aspect of running the car.

I once bought a WELL used 1986 Chevy Cavalier wagon at an abandoned cars auction and after the little things, a power steering pump, brakes, a tune up, couple of tires, getting keys cut and so on, before I knew it I had $600 into my $300 purchase. That car looked SOOO bad, I NEVER lost arguments about right of way when I drove it.

Trouble is with us guys we want our rides in good condition. You got yours cheap, try to keep it from being a subtle money pit. First big trouble, walk away or part it out. If you can get it to go for 6 months or a year, you are ahead of the game.

Parts are NOT cheap for BMW cars!!

Wodnek · #6 07-04-2006, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

Y
Parts are NOT cheap for BMW cars!!

This isn't entirely true.
Their are good support groups just like this for the e-28 for example. And a large amount of discount parts available just like for the 123 series MB. Plus for expensive parts like the $75 O2 sensor, you can modify the wiring of a 90 mustang o2 sensor that costs $18. Lots of tips like this are available.

I do agree about MB having much greater build quality throughout though.

davestlouis · #7 07-04-2006, 09:23 AM

I already have several cars that are slowly bleeding me dry, specifically my W116's. I have no issue with dropping SOME money to make a car safe and roadworthy, but I don't try to chase perfection. These are 20+ year old cars, after all. I really enjoy looking at other people's show cars, but none of mine will ever get there. As long as mine function well and look good enough that my neighbors don't call the city, I'm good to go. Right now, all of mine are at least good 20-foot cars. They are each one color, most are shiny, all have matching wheels and tires, I keep them clean. I try to do incremental improvements and try to stay ahead of the rust and decay.

300SDog · #8 07-04-2006, 03:44 PM

And correct me if I'm wrong, but didnt you walk away from $350 190c that would out-economize the 320i for both efficiency and ease of maintenance? I think the best way to look at 20+yr old vehicles is where they will be heading in another 6 yrs. Pontoon Mercs have recently doubled in value, hard to believe w110 fintails with 4cyl gasoline engines wont go the same way...... dunno about the 320i, but sounds like an excellent beater you can drive into the ground with no regrets.

Otherwise with all the cheap cars I've ever owned (hardly ever spent more than $1G for an old MB) have always calculated about $1,800 per year in maintenance operating costs for parts, wheel allignment, and professional stuff i caint handle. Even fixing alot of what breaks and wears out myself, that seems about the minimum amount it takes to keep practically any car on the road impeccably maintained from mechanical perspective, nevermind bodywork and cosmetics.

davestlouis · #9 07-04-2006, 06:02 PM

As I recall it was a $350 200D? finnie with too much rust for my comfort level, and hadn't been started since 1980? or so. It was just more than I felt comfortable with. The other thing you have to factor into the equation is that I have an iffy driving record, so I'm on high-risk insurance, and the 17 year old is not a great driver either, so full coverage on newer cars gets VERY expensive for my household. It costs almost $200/month just to insure the kiddo, with full coverage on the cars, and any that I can drop the comp and collision off saves me lots of $$.

davestlouis · #10 07-09-2006, 07:25 PM

Well, the trunk floor and rear strut towers were a rusty mess, so I pulled all the parts I could ever want off the 320i and called a company to pick up the carcass. They tow abandoned and unwanted cars for free as long as there is a key and a title. I went out and bought a 1984 BMW E28 528e today as consolation...178xxx miles, 5 speed, balticblau with blue vinyl, A/C blows cold, sunroof doesn't work, clean little car that would benefit from fresh paint. The low-revving eat engine feels weird to me in a BMW, but while it has only 121 HP, it is rated at 170 lb's of torque so it gets around fairly well. It is nowhere as solid as a MB, but we'll see how it does.

300SDog · #11 07-09-2006, 08:13 PM

The 528e...... with the notorious one of a kind "rev limitter" built into the distributor/ignition system that puts an unwelcome ceiling on rpm's that keeps the car in lug-mode instead of being able to drive it like a sports car? Gotta be a way to git around that apparatus.

davestlouis · #12 07-09-2006, 10:06 PM

The whole thing is set up for LOW Rpm's...that engine had a redline @5000 in 325e's, 4750 in the 528e. I gotta say, it doesn't feel eager to rev, can't imagine why you would want to do it. A "normal" BMW straight six just wants to rev like crazy, this one doesn't feel/sound like it's interested. I'm told that the rev limiter cuts off the fun in a very obtrusive fashion, but since it was not my car when I drove it, didn't want to try it. I'm a big fan of torque...high RPM's feel to me like I'm abusing the machine. To be frank, there is nothing like the locomotive torque of a big unstressed V8...no substitute for cubic inches, as they say!

Mark DiSilvestro · #13 07-10-2006, 02:10 AM

While many purists don't consider the 528e a sports-sedan, performance is acceptable with the 5-speed. The small six in the large engine compartment and the fact that the hood opens in the 'normal' manner, compared to other contemporary BMWs, makes most underhood repairs relatively easy. Gas mileage is supposed to be pretty decent on this model too. The fact that the AC still works is a big plus. Timing belt changes are required at 4 year/60,000 mile intervals, so if there are no current service records with the car, you might want to go ahead and replace the timing belt anyway.
Also check the valve clearances, as neglect of valve adjustments and oil changes can lead to excessive camshaft/rocker wear on high mileage 'ETA' engines, sometimes breaking a rocker arm (they're aluminum). Replacing a rocker arm on these engines requires pulling the cylinder head!

Happy Motoring, Mark

t walgamuth · #14 07-10-2006, 07:40 AM

and the internal parts are all different, so just removing some rev limiting device wont work. if you could you would just blow it up cause it isnt made to take high rpm.

tom w

Mark DiSilvestro · #15 07-10-2006, 09:07 AM

There's an idle control module above the glovebox, but no external rev. limiter. That's built into the ECU.

Happy Motoring, Mark