engine and drivetrain My name is Jim...

[02for2]

My name is Jim... and I've become a bimmerholic...

Well, it has now turned into an all-out OCD!

Next week, I will be flying into Raleigh, NC to pick up my ‘new’ 1990 325is! To me, the modern variant of the 2002, it encompasses all the best of the old, while adding engineering advances and creature comforts not available in the earlier series.

This car is owned and much loved by a longtime BMW enthusiast and Racer of two 2002s. The car is well sorted and has been very tastefully upgraded with Eibach springs/bars, Bilsteins, M3 lollipops, urethane bushings, strut-tower brace, camber plates, IE rear shock mounts, braided SS brake lines, Hawk HPS pads, new timing belt, new oil pan gasket, belts, hoses, distributor cap, plugs, exhaust hangers & brackets, plus an “is” deep lip spoiler. It also comes with new tires, and best of all – NO RUST!

I’m looking forward to driving the car back and getting to bond with it over the 1300 mi. trip. I’ll relate my impressions once it’s safely back in it’s new homeport. Until then, enjoy the pics! 1990 BMW 325is

Cheers!

[RayC911]

Wow, clean!! If you like your 02, you'll love a well sorted e30.

[BobBreed]

Yes, Genova's e30...... Does it come with a Skidmark Racing Decal? If not, you got robbed.

Bob

[02for2]

Yes, it is Perry's car!

Perry has been great to work with through the process and I look forward to meeting him.

He's picking me up at the airport and as I understand it, we'll be seeing what Skidmark is all about too before I hit the open road! (maybe also get that elusive Skidmark Racing sticker you refer to)

I suspect Bob, that you know this car well and that hopefully I'll get a chance to meet you as well when I come into town. BTW, spoke w/ Steve (aka BLUNT) and he says he knows you guys and also that you're 'Good Guys'. That's a great endorsement and really helped ease the angst commonly associated with buying any used car from across the country!

Cheers!

[Jim_75Sahara]

Jim, I suspect yours cost a few $$ more than mine, but I got a lot of bang for my used-car buck. I bought an '87 325 eta off of CL in October. The p.o. is an aircraft mechanic, so he used his skills and his very high stds. to thoroughly refurbish the E30. His loss was my gain! It was in Indianapolis, so no expensive shipping was required.

Anyhow, enjoy your new toy. There are lots of us on the FAQ with at least one '02 and one E30. (i.e. a large subgroup)

The people you meet through the FAQ are 99.5% excellent people, so you should have no worries.

BTW: What is MSP??

JIM D.

[THE1ST3]

Minneapolis-St. Paul

[02for2]

@Jim_75Sahara - let's see some pics,

Actually, you'd be surprised. It's amazing to me that these cars are going for much less than a 5-7 y.o. high-mileage Honda.

There were many E30s produced. The trouble is finding a solid, no-stories example with the options, color and model you want, with known history, that hasn't been modded to death. Of the 25 or so I found available nationwide, many had issues (rust, delayed maintenance, worn interiors, etc.), were tired, had no history, tires and such which need replacing, or had a list of dubious, or unwanted mods.

My example has all the tasteful and well thought mods I would want to do myself, sounding like yours too. It was owned by a mature driver and enthusiast who clearly cared for the car and was a good caretaker.

Interestingly, in my case, I was the 2nd guy to offer to buy the car. The 1st buyer seemed to have some difficulties with lining up the money, but eventually came up with it - right at the deadline. But, the owner graciously directed me to an acquaintance in PA who had a similar 325is in similar condition which was casually for sale. Unfortunately, that owner just had a major issue with their DD and so had pulled the car off the market and were using it as their DD until they could get the other one sorted.

I continued to look and each example I saw would require that I put a significant amount of money into it to get it sorted. With this in mind, I went back to the owner and suggested that since this car needs nothing, it would be worth a premium to me - the money I'd save not having to sort it.

So, I asked the orig. owner if he wouldn't mind contacting his buyer and pass along an offer from me to buy the car from them at a profit - in other words immediately 'flip' the car. To both our surprise, the buyer, who hadn't even picked the car up, said Yes!

It's a little disconcerting that he's making a profit on a car he hasn't even picked up, and that the orig. owner isn't getting anything from the deal (though I'll try to find a way to reward him too), but that's how it shook out and I'm still getting the exact car I want and for less money than any of the others which are available once the 'sorting costs' are factored in.

Cheers!

PS - Absolutelyfrigginright about all the great and helpful members on this site! I'm on several other forums, but for quality of the membership, none compare!

[jgerock]

Me too!

I also like E30's and E36's - this color is nice (NM - NA).

[TTyMiller]

Jim, I had an e36 4 door in that color it is called Boston Green.

[rover1]

ther so rare they only made 55 billion of them over an 8 year period. WOW!

[02for2]

ther so rare they only made 55 billion of them over an 8 year period. WOW!

I think you need to recheck your math.

BMW produced 2,339,250 E30's Worldwide between the years 1982-1994 (US sales ceased in '91 - except the convertible) - not 55B.

Total US E30 sales (incl. the M3) for that same period were 378,140. Of these, the 325is (produced 1987-1990) accounted for approx. 20,000/yr. or a total of 80,000. In 1990, this figure is just over 8,000.

The auto industry assumes approximately 5.1% of cars are scrapped each year. Let's round this to 5% to make it easier. Rounded to 5%, this works out to about 40% of the vehicles have been lost by the 10 year mark. By the 20 year mark, you are down 60% of all produced. Now these figures can vary, but it's a good ballpark.

That would leave approx. 3,200 1990 325is US models remaining.

It's not that the E30 is especially rare. But the 1990 325is is more so and then when you look at the basketcases still out there, the Boy Racers, Track cars, etc., that doesn't leave a lot of solid, low mileage, unmolested cars left.

But, don't believe me, shop for them yourself and you'll see what I mean.

Cheers!

[Mike Self]

car to preserve my '02s from Ohio road salt--mine isn't nearly as pretty as Jim's but it runs just great. I bought it cheap in 2001 and have had to spend very little $$ on it since. Very dependable if a little battered and rusty.

I keep my eye out for a nicer one but they're few and far between in the rust belt.

Welcome to E30 ownership--a perfect pairing with an '02.

cheers

mike

[FarFromStock]

Congratulations Jim. Nice score!

[ahlem]

You may want to swap the spoiler for a regular i unit considering the failure rate in snowplow/pothole states. Blunt has them for a reasonable price. You can put the cool one back on to impress people as needed.

[02for2]

Good point... I'll keep that in mind!

Cheers!