About ZRG Classics
A reference for people who own, or are thinking about owning, an older BMW or Porsche: what breaks, what it costs to fix, and how to do the work yourself.
Who's behind it
I'm Zach, a young enthusiast and a small independent mechanic in the Pacific Northwest, and these cars are what I work on. I've owned two E30s, an E36, an E46 Touring, and a Porsche 944, and I've had my hands on nearly every other car on this site.
Right now my own garage holds a slicktop E46 Touring with a manual, sport suspension, and sport seats, parked next to an 80 Series Land Cruiser.
What keeps me coming back is how they were built. They come from a stretch when BMW and Porsche engineered cars to be driven hard and repaired rather than replaced: honest mechanicals, real steering feel, and build quality you notice every time you shut the door. They're also old enough now that the knowledge to keep them running is scattered across forum threads, out-of-print manuals, and the memories of people who've done the job before.
ZRG Classics is my attempt to put it all in one place, written the way I'd explain a job to a friend in the shop: what's actually wrong, what it's going to cost, and how to fix it properly the first time.
Why "ZRG"
The name comes from zurückgeben, German for "to give back," "to return," or "to restore." That's the whole idea. A good restoration gives a car back what time and neglect took out of it: steering that talks to you again, a smooth idle, doors that close with that solid, expensive thunk.
Sometimes that means putting a car back exactly the way it left the factory. More often, for me, it means OEM+. The car stays honest and original in spirit, but it gets the benefit of everything owners and engineers have learned since: better bushings, cooling parts that don't crack, and the fixes the factory figured out too late. The goal is a car that looks and feels like it just rolled off the line, and drives better than it did new.
What you'll find here
Every car on the site gets the same treatment: the problems it's known for and what they cost to fix, step-by-step guides for the common jobs, torque specs, where to buy parts, and a buyer's guide with a printable inspection checklist. If you own one, My Garage will track its maintenance and restoration for you.
Where the information comes from
Workshop manuals, parts catalogs, owner forums, and specialist shops. Each issue lists its sources, and the torque tables say where their numbers came from. Repair costs and prices are rough US ranges that move with the market, so treat them as a starting point for a budget, not a quote.
None of this replaces your workshop manual or a good specialist. If something here disagrees with the manual for your exact car, trust the manual and tell me so I can fix it.
Corrections
These cars have a lot of variations, and owners know them better than anyone. If you spot a wrong part number, a torque value that doesn't match your manual, or a problem I've missed, send it through the form below and I'll update the page.
Not affiliated
ZRG Classics is an independent site. It isn't affiliated with or endorsed by BMW AG or Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. Model names are used only to identify the cars.
Get in touch
Corrections, questions, a car you'd like to see covered, or a guide you want to contribute.