My E9 Options

posix

posix

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Hey all,

Have been actively looking at a few E9s and have narrowed down to 2 of them. Both of them are owned by forum users with a decent amount of history.

what are your thoughts?

First car:
https://imgur.com/a/Tqy94Xo

TLDR:
- location: NC
- original 3.0 with webers
- getrag 265 5 speed
- electronic ignition
- custom aluminum radiator
- 9 blad cooling fan
- lowered springs
- originally malaga, repainted Tundra some time ago.
- Has A/C but doesn't function

Second car:
https://imgur.com/a/ThmUPZD

TLDR:
- location: CA (close, but not super close to me 400ish miles from me)
- 3.5L carbed
- 5 speed
- newish a/c components (currently disconnected because of idle issue)
- lots of records from current owner and owner before him
- sunroof
- not super rusty haha
- has new windshield (not installed)
- has new dashwood (not installed)
 
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I think that first car's color is Turkis?

At any rate, both appear good, but you didn't give prices,so can't say if either is/was a deal or not.

Silver one rocker rust is a bit...worrisome. But seems more solid than that Turkis one.

Just be diligent on getting tons of pictures of known rust areas. Rocker cover removal would be nice. If spending >$40k on an e9 bucket, may worth flying out to check it out.
 
ALso, I'm a sucker for sunroof/AC cars, so if the price is right, the silver one may be decent to buy (at the right price...say...less than $25k).
 
It would help to know the asking price of the sold coupe and the unsold coupe. You can count on Chris' guarantee above. My guess, $40k.
 
Seller of the first car decided not to hold on a bit long (which i totally understand).

Seller of the second car is asking for $30k which I'm willing to pay because it meets my specs the most.
 
Coupes around $30k are going to look like this and need extensive restoration:

bringatrailer.com

No Reserve: 1973 BMW 3.0CS 4-Speed

Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 1973 BMW 3.0CS 4-Speed at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #33,782.
bringatrailer.com bringatrailer.com

Finding a matching number engine should be the last of your criteria. I agree about the seats on the Malaga coupe but it is a CSi. All coupes in this price range can hold unexpected surprises.
 
Looks like a fair deal if drivetrain and everything checked out on a legit PPI at $33K...I happen to like the Recaros...Interior will cost a bit, especially the wood...but it looks honest. Hope the chassis is as honest. Euro rust is as bad as North American rust. He also gets cash without a fee, which is how I would approach it...Best of luck.
 
$30k for the silver one, $35k for the Malaga one.

Hard to say. $5k could be used to remedy the rust I think on the Silver one, however, no good pictures of it underneath, so hard to say.

Ask the seller of the Polaris one to remove the rocker covers. If they look bad, negotiate lower than $30k.

CSI's command more money, but has no sunroof so depends what's important to you.

CSI: "a crease in front of the passenger front wheel arch, various paint chips and scratches, a crack in the driver’s taillight, and rust bubbles around the bottom of the driver’s door, left rear wheel arch, and base of the rear windshield. Rust repair was reportedly performed in the front floor pans in 2019. "

Sounds maybe as bad (or maybe even worse?) as the Polaris one.
 
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dont think csi is on the table anymore, do not think i can register it in california since it's grey market
 
The green one is NOT Turkis!
I would find the best/most expensive one that you are willing to buy. They are expensive to restore, both inside and outside. A 5 speed (OD on 5th) is a big plus. Lack of silly extra side lights as well. And stock, Euro bumpers too.
Good luck. How old are you?
 
teahead said:
pretty sure anything >25 years old you can register, regardless whether it sold in the USA when new or not.
Click to expand...


Being "Pretty sure" about registering a $100,000.00 car in a state that expressly prohibits it is not the road to success.

The state of California has lots of disaster lawsuits involving sellers of Gray market cars being sued by buyers who have discovered after the purchase of a disallowed vehicle that they can not drive it here.
 
the first question on the silver coupe - which 3.5L? there are 4 options -
m30 b34 US version (least desirable - low compression / low power),
m30 b34 euro version (highest compression most desirable),
m30 b35 (excellent option),
m90 (highly desirable)

the most prevalent choices are the US b34 or the b35. the b34 is fine if its been completely rebuilt with higher compression pistons, otherwise i would rather have a stock 3.0cs engine (3.0L). please pay attention to @sfdon's knowledge on the entire subject - its worth its weight in gold. do not be in a rush to buy a coupe, @hbchris and @pmansson are correct and this advice will save you money in the long run.
 
I would hit the pause button. Save your euros, squirrel away as many $$$s as you can. $30,000 is going to buy you a world of trouble and surprises that never end. Even a $50,000 coupe is going to need attention. Look and save at the same time. You may get lucky. The days of a doctor's widow, the original owner, selling a pristine 2800CS to a Community College teacher for $4,000. about 35 years ago are gone like the wind. I know, I am that Community College teacher.
 
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