E30 BMW Recycling

[Jims5543]

I cannot contain myself. So here it goes, maybe you guys can help me here.

My son owns a 1991 BMW 318is  which is a sport model with a 1.8 liter 4 cylinder engine, except his has a 3.0 liter engine swapped in from a 1995 M3. His 2800 lb car makes about 250 HP now.

Some asshat backed into his car in a Walmart parking lot, then left without a note, smashed his rear bumper, it needs to be replaced.

What we are finding is that it is really hard to find replacement used parts for these cars and when there is a car part out on a E30 forum it is like a feeding frenzy.

So, my idea is to start an online salvage / sales where we buy up Southeastern USA BMW E30's, take them apart and sell the parts.

I did a craigslist search 3 times now in the last 6 months and turned up many $700-$2000 E30's for sale, many with a lot of upgrades that will pay for themselves in parts.

So after a couple of out of line commercial spaces, I finally found one that is the right price, I am signing the lease tomorrow, then setting out to grab 1 or 2 BMW's next weekend to start taking apart. This space is stupid cheap and only slightly more than the storage unit I have, needless to say, I am moving out of the storage unit once I have the keys to this unit, especially since 60% of the storage unit is already parts for an E30.

This is going to be more of my sons gig more than mine.  I am putting up the $$ to get it started, the help where needed but the bulk of the work is in his hands.


So here is the dilema, what to call it, I wanted to call it E30 Dismantlers my son does not like the name and after some brain storming we came up with E30 Purgatory, not quite in Hell, not ready for Heaven.

Any suggestions?  Restoration E30 maybe?   ;D ;D ;D ;D



I will update this thread from time to time, especially in about 2 weeks when I add a E30 to my garage as well.   4.gif

[94touring]

I was all excited to say restoration e30 but then you beat me to it.   Dismantle30, e30 chop shop, e30 part out, operation e30, partmy30.

[94touring]

E30 recyclers

[Shrimps]

E30 Savages

[Tim]

E30 Recyclers, E30 Projects and Parts, Project E30....

Something that has a positive tone to it.  'Dismantlers' may not focus enough on the fact that you want to see the parts given new life in another car.

Tim

[Jims5543]

How about Bimmer Junkies? This way if we expand out to E36 or E46 we have it covered.

Plus the name implies two things.

[Mudhen]

How about Bimmer Junkies? This way if we expand out to E36 or E46 we have it covered.

Plus the name implies two things.

I like that!   4.gif

Assuming on your website you will eventually start selling new parts/aftermarket performance stuff, too - it all fits.

Seems like breaking cars is the new big thing.  I was looking on copart.com a couple years back for insurance totaled MINIs - thinking of picking something up as a racecar and it was impossible to get one without spending a fortune...even rolled cars were going for thousands of dollars.  Always guessed it was LKQ or other breakers snagging them for the parts.

And now with the 944 it seems like that's what everyone is doing.  Fixing them is too much money and even nice cars are pretty cheap, so why bother.  Eventually that will drive prices up I guess, once the glut of heaps dissipates.

[Jims5543]

If we stumble upon a nice example for a good deal (maybe mechanically messed up) we will keep it in one piece and do a motor swap.  It is Hugely common in the E30 world, while the stock engine in them is stout, the bigger newer, more powerful engines make perfect sense and they are very easy to get in there. The block is basically the same for many many generations of the car.

Even that V8 swapped M3 in the pictures thread is not a huge deal to do, it is actually pretty easy because the V8 is shorter than the straight 6 and makes for more room. My sons 3 Liter swap is packed in there. My 2.8 swap seems to have more room and I am not sure why yet since it is the same exact block with smaller bore.

[MtyMous]

I like Bimmer Junkies. Doesn't limit your market space or business scope. It's catchy and easy to remember. Also, it doesn't have the negative connotation that some of the other names have. Anything in a business title that is or sounds destructive will have a tendency to carry stigma. It's not the fault of the company. It's just human nature. The "we buy junk houses" people have tried to overcome a stigma of shady businessmen and back alley deals for years. People specifically avoid them when in reality they are quite brilliant in their business plan. Also, Bimmer Junkies lends itself to branding, and a person can be a Bimmer junkie as well. The company may deal in junk bimmers, but a website forum, stickers, t-shirts, etc. Make a cool sticker that the BMW guys want to put on their car, send out 1 free with every part, and boom... you have free advertising within your target audience and trade space.

Source: Business major who specified in supply chain and marketing. My wife is a marketing major and agrees with me on this. Hah

[Tim]

Also a business major, and also like Bimmer Junkies - for all the same reasons.

Catchy name!

(Make sure to send us all one of those fancy stickers!   71.gif)

Tim

[Jims5543]

And it begins... doing some construction over the next couple of weeks then we set out to grab a couple of cars.



I have been using the Mini to ferry odds and ends to the new space.

[Willie_B]

I have found good deals on craigslist under warehouse shelving. Steel shelving is smaller and stronger than just about anything you could build in wood. Something like the stuff in this ad. http://orlando.craigslist.org/bfd/4797205967.html

[MiniDave]

Willie B is right, in KC there is a major recycling center for this stuff and it goes for cheap....it's made for fork trucks to load  pallets, but you can buy wire mesh shelving for it too - the good news it's designed to hold a lot of weight, so putting motors and transmissions and so on on it is not problem.

Good luck with your venture.

Another vote for Bimmer Junkies....but......

I was going to suggest BMW Breakers for the natural alliteration, but that title doesn't convey what you'll be specializing in - the E-30 - neither does Bimmer Junkies  - so maybe E-30 Junkies or E-30 Bimmer Junkies?

[Willie_B]

I have found good deals on craigslist under warehouse shelving. Steel shelving is smaller and stronger than just about anything you could build in wood. Something like the stuff in this ad. http://orlando.craigslist.org/bfd/4797205967.html

I noticed while at Lowes that they have started selling this type of warehouse shelving in the store.