1989 BMW 325is | FerrariChat

1989 BMW 325is

Discussion in 'Other Cars' started by Bruin, Jun 23, 2017.

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  1. Bruin

    Bruin Rookie

    Oct 31, 2016
    47
    Richmond, Virginia
    Full Name:
    Bruin R.
    #1 Bruin, Jun 23, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Selling my e30. Let me tell you a little bit about it.

    History:
    I bought the car about two and a half years ago. It was tired and was sporting an eta motor. No idea how the motor ended up in an IS. Since then i have been slowly bringing the car back to where it should be mechanically, which i will discuss further later in the ad. i have driven the car about 6,000 miles since i got it and the car has been dead reliable. It has never not started on the first few turns of the starter and pulls very well. I have no reason to believe this will be anything but the case going forward. this is not the prettiest, nor is it the most original IS, but it is incredibly solid mechanically.

    Exterior:
    The exterior leaves some to be desired. The car has definitely been resprayed at some point in its life. excluding the hood, there is no fading or chipping in the paint, it is just a bit dull. The hood has a crunch in the front left when facing the car, likely from a tree branch. The adjacent fender is without a dent which leads me to believe that it was replaced following whatever incident caused the crunch in the hood. Other than that, the exterior is solid. It is not a show car, but it is by no means ghetto looking.
    Interior:
    The interior of this car is pretty unique. I have never seen seats or door cards in this specific color combo. The seats, door cards, and headliner are all in mint condition. Unfortunately, the dash has many cracks, but the addition of a crack free dash would really make the interior look special. I also have a ZHP knob and the euro analogue clock in place of the 6 button OBC (clock is not functioning).

    Suspension:
    The suspension on this car feels great. I was told when i bought it that it is spec e30 setup, which turned out to be untrue, but it is similar. From what i understand, the car has eibach springs which are equivalent to h&r race, with bilstein shocks, and upgraded front and rear sway bars (unsure of brand but they are red). The ride quality is very tight. No funky noises over bumps and no worn out bushings.

    Engine, Trans, Diff, Accessories, etc.:
    -The motor is a b25 that has been entirely refreshed by Kevin FlimFlam Adolf at Flim Flam Speed. i should be able to find the receipt detailing all the work that was done, but do not presently have it at the time of writing this ad. He is entirely responsible for getting this car on the road. All gaskets have been replaced within 5k miles, along with a brand new 885 head with HD rockers. Timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, plug wires, distributor. The motor is bulletproof and is currently in a great state to be driven for tons of miles with just basic maintenance. Surprisingly, this car does not leak a drop of fluid.
    -The trans is stock and original to the car as far as i know. It has a z3 shifter and feels extremely tight. Very little play for a 28 year old gear box. Trans shifts easily into any gear with no crunching or ominous noises. A new sachs clutch kit was installed 1k miles ago, along with this went in a new CSB, and a new oil pan gasket
    -The diff is a 3.73 open. The previous owner had a track car which he stole the LSD from this car. putting back in an LSD hasn't yet been a priority for me.
    The car currently has a power steering delete, as the pump on my car was dead when i got it, so i decided to just go without it. I am by no means strong and have no trouble driving and parking anywhere, so putting back in PS was not a priority.
    -The car does not have any AC components. It did not work so i trashed it all to save weight.

    Issues with the car that i am going to try to address before sale:
    -I have not yet dealt with the brakes, they would benefit from being replaced with new pads and rotors, which i will likely do before the sale, so dont worry about this too much.
    -The tires on the basketweaves are ready to be replaced
    -The car has a muffler delete, which in my opinion sounds nice, but there are no pipes coming out the back, which looks a little weird.
    -The car does not currently have an inspection. This can be avoided by the future buyer if it is registered as an antique.
    -The Fuel tank leaks when it is filled more than half way. this is an issue i never found a solution to. perhaps it just needs a new filler hose? I dont drive long distance with the car, so i didn't mind this much. i can go about 120 miles on a half tank. (this will not be fixed prior to sale)
    -There is a tint on the windows

    Why i'm selling:
    I am looking for a car with more amenities. I love this car, but its not the most conducive to driving in comfort to and from college, etc. It's just time to move on to something newer.

    I hope i didn't scare too many of you away by listing so many negatives, but i want this ad to be as honest as possible. I am going to try to get pictures of the car taken tomorrow so you all can see what you're dealing with here. For now, i'm just going to put up the pictures i have on my phone.

    As the ad states, i'm looking for 6k for the car. I am not interested in trades, and i would prefer to not travel long distance.
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  2. eswilly

    eswilly Karting

    Jan 16, 2015
    62
    BMW chat?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  3. Bruin

    Bruin Rookie

    Oct 31, 2016
    47
    Richmond, Virginia
    Full Name:
    Bruin R.
    Until i can afford an F-car, BMW>Ferrari!!
     
  4. eswilly

    eswilly Karting

    Jan 16, 2015
    62


    Bahahahah.
    Well, I love your car!!!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  5. Bruin

    Bruin Rookie

    Oct 31, 2016
    47
    Richmond, Virginia
    Full Name:
    Bruin R.
    Well lucky for you its for sale! Thank you for the kind words.
     
  6. southnc

    southnc Formula 3

    Dec 25, 2013
    1,765
    Charlotte, NC
    Full Name:
    Adam
    I used to own a triple-black 87 325IS. These were the first 3-series BMWs to have the EURO engine, instead of the listless eta engine models.

    One of the most enjoyable cars I ever owned. Same generation as the coveted E30 M3.
     
  7. blkdiablo33

    blkdiablo33 F1 Rookie

    Jul 12, 2004
    4,351
    very nice i havean 89 325 is, also all stock i had it restored ,compared to m3 values these are bargains and has great performance.
     
  8. Bruin

    Bruin Rookie

    Oct 31, 2016
    47
    Richmond, Virginia
    Full Name:
    Bruin R.
    They are great value! So far it is the most direct driving experience i have had. I would love to drive a ferrari of the same vintage to compare
     
  9. MarkJ

    MarkJ Formula Junior

    Sep 10, 2006
    729
    NW Arkansas
    Full Name:
    Mark Jones
    I recently sold my 89 BMW 325i with only 96K on the clock. Mine was completely refurbished mechanically. They are very reliable cars, which is not the case with all BMWs. I absolutely loved to drive mine. It was a very eager car; always willing to please. It seemed to beg to be driven hard. I think the E30s are currently one of the great undervalued cars. They have a very low cost to fun ratio.
     
  10. Bruin

    Bruin Rookie

    Oct 31, 2016
    47
    Richmond, Virginia
    Full Name:
    Bruin R.
    #10 Bruin, Jul 2, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  11. tantumaude

    tantumaude Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 3, 2016
    929
    Burlington, Canada
    Full Name:
    Mat
    Had an '88 as my first car. Best car I ever owned. Cloth sport seats are very rare, and the ZHP knob is the best mod to any BMW.

    Fuel tank leaking is an easy fix, look it up on r3vlimited.
    GLWS!
     
  12. kiesan

    kiesan Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 21, 2003
    1,454
    Seattle
    Full Name:
    Kie Robertson
    The prose in this ad has me all turned around.

    op where can one learn to speak like this? Let me guess... Bruin Richardson the 3rd is an attorney?

    I keed I keed !

    nice car glws
     
  13. Bruin

    Bruin Rookie

    Oct 31, 2016
    47
    Richmond, Virginia
    Full Name:
    Bruin R.
    Henrico County Public Schools, and yes, III is an attorney, sherlock holmes
     
  14. anunakki

    anunakki Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 8, 2005
    72,498
    Las Vegas Nevada
    Full Name:
    Jerry
    I had an early 90s 325si stick. Amazingly fun car for its time.

    Good luck with sale.
     
  15. Bruin

    Bruin Rookie

    Oct 31, 2016
    47
    Richmond, Virginia
    Full Name:
    Bruin R.
    They are truly great to drive. Thanks for the kind words!
     
  16. F456M

    F456M F1 Rookie

    Jan 8, 2010
    3,665
    Oslo
    Full Name:
    Erik
    It's a bit hard to say, but my E46 M3 is lore enjoyable to run than my 550 Maranello in many situations. BMW have always done a GREAT job with the 3-series. Had a E21 320 carbed inline six too. 1980 model. I loved that car so much. Also had a 3,0 Si (the M5 of the seventies) and "the shark" a 1984 635 csi. In daily life, a fresh in-line six cylinder with great performance and impressive milage is exactly WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. I ran the 550 as a daily driver for a few months too, and it is a pain. On vacation through Germany on the other hand..... Olala... E30s in good original condition is climbing quickly in price here. A E30 325i convertible here in Norway is impossible to fin under 10 grand! Good luck with the sale!!!
     

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