Jim has a lot more experience on the E30 M3 then I have.

Despite his and Donna's advice, I purchased an E30 M3 that was club
raced for two seasons by Ren Finley last January. I do agree that he
had spent
quite a bit on maintenance but took extremely good care of the car,
so much so that I think I can participate in a concours event
if I wanted to.

The car still has the original engine with 78K miles, and original
transmission, rear diff etc. The compression and leak down tests
performed on the car impressed my mechanic. The suspension setup on
the car is perfect, the control arms were new, and it had a turner
baffle.

I guess where I am going at here, is that if you are willing to care
for the car regularly, I think it is feasible to club race the car.
As far as engine rebuilds go, I budgeted 10K for that based on
Turner's 2.5L kit, although I know that would move me way out of J-
stock. Given regular oil changes, a baffle and careful checking of
oil, I think one may get longer mileage out of an E30 M3.

But if you buy one, make sure you buy one that has been well
maintained, if the person that ran the car got by on a cheap budget,
the car may be lacking a lot of deferred maintenance which is not a
good thing.

As far as driving goes, I also owned an E36 M3 during my ownership of
the E30 M3 and the E30 M3 is a a LOT more fun to drive than my E36 M3
which was completely setup for autocrossing (2nd place in GGC last
year in AA class on street tires).

Bora

ps. Remember to join the E30 M3 SIG, there you will find a lot more
info.

--- In trackaddicts@y..., jim_bassett <no_reply@y...> wrote:
> --- In trackaddicts@y..., dmdm3 <no_reply@y...> wrote:
> > Hi gang, I am considering buying an E30M3 for track use. I found
a
> > race prepped car in LA owned by friend's friend named Vladin.
He's
> > does club racing. He has a J Prepared red car. Supposedly got hit
> at
> > the last Willow Spring's race. Donna, were you there?
>
> No, but I was (first race in the black E30 M3). Vladin was there,
he &
> I ran similar lap times, see:
> http://www.bmwccaclubracing.com/Archives/2001%20Se
> ries/Results/01willow1.htm
> (My first time at the track).
>
> He was involved in that incident at that race, in the Sunday race. I
> don't recall how extensive the damage was, however.
>
> > What can one expect as far as common problems with the E30M3?
>
> Other than the siphon attached to your wallet? Seriously, the S14
> motor is VERY high-strung, and requires pretty nearly constant
> maintenance/upkeep. Also, rebuilds are horrendously expensive ($8K -
> $10K).
>
> Donna (and Mark D.) can give you some particulars, though.
>
> > Please educate me! Thanks.
>
> Short lesson: Unless you have deep pockets, race something else :-)
> Racing in and of itself will have it's own set of expenses,
regardless
> of what vehicle (racing is *much* harder on a car than drivers
> schools).
>
> What are you doing May 11 & 12? :-) Come on up to the CR at THill
and
> get a first-hand look at the goings on at a race.
>
> Jim