Buying an E21
Although
the six-cilinder models are by far more popular, all
E21's are lots of fun to drive and reliable cars. There are no model-specific
points of attention, everything mentioned below
applies to all E21's, even the Baur convertibles.
I
don't want to give a complete 'how to buy a car' manual, I just want to point
out the E21-specific points of attention or weak points. At the end of the page
some links where to find E21's.
Type
Check
if the car was originally of the type it now is. I've seen several cars become
323i's, but not always with the uprated suspension
and brakes.
For
the engine type check and to check if the car is a known lemon visit:
Write
me for more details on your car, please
include the last 7 digits of your car’s VIN#.
Engine
Check
for oil leaks, rattles or a rough sounding engine. Check for blue smoke when
firing her up and when letting go of the accelerator at high revs. This
indicates that at least the valve seals need to be replaced.
The
six-cylinder engines have a high risk of a cracked cylinder head, only a short
period of overheating can cause this. The cylinder head gaskets of the
4-cylinder engines are known to be weak.
For
all models, check the timing belt or chain thoroughly. I just saw a 320/6 that
had been running on its factory timing belt for 20 years, and without the
tension spring. And its not the first I've seen this
way and this owner was very lucky the belt held on for such a long time.
Rust
Bottom,
shock towers, wheel arches and inside fenders are rust-sensitive.
Rough
life
Except
for smoking and bad sounding cars, a car that has had a rough life can be
recognised by rust or cracks in the B-post, mostly at the underside of the
window. This is the place that suffers a lot at rough rides.
Addresses
for finding the E21 of your dreams
The
My own little marketplace on my
forum
Mobile.DE: Search the
largest automotive database of Germany