FS: 1987 325is E30 | 205,000 miles | Interlagos Blue | $5200 | Salt Lake City, UT
It is with a sad heart that I post my 1987 BMW 325is for sale. It has about 210k original miles on the chassis. I really, really want her to go to a good home and I thought I'd post the listing here first.
Her story can be seen here: Quik's E30
Price is $4,800.00 (The Mafia associate discount is $4,500.00) :)
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9d780670.jpg
Additional images can be seen on Photobucket at this link (A short caption is included on most photos):
Quik's E30 - Photos
If you have been waiting for the right E30 to come along, today is your lucky day. This is the car you want. I purchased this car in August of 2008. I have done a lot of maintenance on this car in order to keep it in very good condition. The bigger projects have been done by BMW shops. I tend to get more positive comments about my 26 year old car than my E46. It looks fantastic and drives great.
I absolutely adore this car. But, I don’t have the time and money to devote to it that I’d like. I want to focus my attention on my 330i.
I’ve only driven it about 7,000 miles per year. I have a clean title in hand. This listing is lengthy, but very detailed. I wanted to try and be as honest as possible and provide an accurate description of the car. My hope is that another BMW enthusiast will purchase this car and continue to take very good care of it.
This is the 325 “is” sport trim model:
Legendary BMW M20 straight six, 12 valve 2.5L engine
84mm bore 75mm stroke with a 8:8:1 compression ratio
171 BHP and 160 lb/ft @ 4300 RPM
Dry weight is around 2700 lbs
Integrated fog lights
Rear decklid spoiler
14” BBS cross-spoke “basketweave” wheels (painted gold, not Plasti-Dip)
Limited slip differential
Bolstered sport seats
Leather-wrapped three spoke steering wheel with M badging
Power windows/mirrors/central locking system
Engine: 9.0/10
The engine long block assembly (oil pan, short block, valve train and cylinder head) was replaced due to the failure of a timing belt component at 196,700 miles that severely crippled the original valve train and pistons. The part that failed was replaced with the updated part on the block that was installed (P/N 11 31 1 988 KIT at Bavarian Auto).
All major seals, gaskets and fluids were replaced on the used block when it was installed in this car. The used block was purchased from Harout’s BMW & MBZ in Southern California. It was professionally installed by my mechanic at Bimmer Motor Werks in Salt Lake City, UT. Unfortunately, like most M20's, the head gasket has a small leak in the front on the right side.
The cooling system was replaced in the summer of 2013 with the exception of the radiator. All of these components were transferred from my block to the used block that was put in my car. So, the cooling system is in great shape. A new timing belt kit, including the updated camshaft gear, was installed on the used block as well.
The ignition system was completely replaced two years ago with new wires, NGK spark plugs, BOSCH ignition coil, BOSCH distributor and BOSCH distributor cap. I believe in using OEM parts on my car; not the AutoZone generic variety. These components were installed on the used block with new spark plugs.
All the fluids, except the power steering fluid, have recently been flushed and refilled.
The A/C has been retrofitted with an R134A kit and had a new A/C condenser installed. The A/C was recharged in 2010. It blows very cold air in the summer. The heater works great as well. All four blower speeds function properly.
Before the 2013 cooling system refresh, the major cooling system components were replaced in 2009. The water pump failed in 2013 which prompted me to replace all the other cooling system components at that time as part of a “while you’re in there” repair. The only reason I didn’t give the engine a higher score is because the thermostat housing bolts have seized on the block and will require some attention to get it off when the time comes to replace it.
Transmission: 9.5/10
The transmission is in absolutely fantastic shape. My mechanic inspected the flywheel and clutch for signs of wear. The flywheel is in excellent shape and was removed and cleaned. The clutch still has about 60% life left in it. The transmission fluid is new and all the seals have been redone.
Body & Paint: 9.0/10
The body is in great conditions with no dents, major door dings or large, noticeable scratches. The front bumper was experiencing some fade on the black plastic trim portion of the “diving board.” I applied a few coats of Plasti-Dip and it turned out pretty well.
When I purchased the car its original color was Delphin Gray (BMW paint code: 184 Delphin Dolphin Metallic Grey 51 91 1 907 211). But, the clear coat had completely failed. I decided that I wanted an E30 that stood out a little bit, especially with the gold BBS wheels, and I had it painted Interlagos Blue (BMW paint code: A30 Interlagos Blau Metallic) by a small, local shop (NOT MAACO).
The paint is in really good condition and looks fantastic after a wash and wax. There are swirl marks visible when the car is in direct sunlight. I always tried to wax the car in the fall before the winter driving season. I tried to spray down the entire car, including the undercarriage, on a regular basis to prevent salt buildup during winter driving.
There are a few paint chips in various locations (the biggest problem areas are included in the photos) on the body of the car which have been addressed with BMW paint and clear coat. The front bumper has suffered from normal signs of road rash. As such, it has paint nicks/chips on it.
Interior: 8.5/10
The interior of my car is clean and in really good condition overall. However, I only gave it 8.5 out of 10.0 due to the fact that there are a few minor issues that would need to be resolved in order to justify giving the interior a higher score.
I installed a Pioneer AM/FM/CD/Aux/iPod receiver. It has a standard 3.5mm audio jack on the front to plug in your audio device. Also, the stereo has a cable that allows you to plug in your iPod and run it through the deck. It is compatible with any Apple device with a 30-pin connection (not the Apple Lightning port). I currently have this cable in the glove box which runs to the rear of the deck. The speakers are nothing special, but sufficient.
I have never smoked in this car. The car does have somewhat of a faint “old car” smell, but I’ve been using new car scent air fresheners since I bought it. The carpet is clean with no major stains. There is one small stain in the back on a “C” pillar. Another small stain is visible on the roof of the car.
The front seats had a few small tears develop shortly after I purchased the car. I taped them up and then purchased Iggee custom fit seat covers. The seat covers are in very good shape. There is one small nick on the passenger seat cover. The seats slide smoothly on the rails and lock in place securely. New seat belt receivers were installed a few years ago.
One of the sun visors has developed a small crack. But it isn’t noticeable unless it is down. The dashboard has a few cracks in it. The floor mats should probably be replaced soon.
The shift knob was replaced about two years ago and is in great shape. A blue houndstooth custom shift boot was purchased from Fuzz Fabrics but hasn’t arrived yet. The parking brake functions well.
Many of the light bulbs are burnt out that light up the A/C|Heat indicator, blower speed, etc… in the center console and OBC. I have the bulb for the OBC but haven’t installed it yet. The dome light bulbs are also burnt out. I’ve replaced a few interior trim pieces here and there over the years.
The gas gauge can be a little temperamental at times. It generally gives an accurate readout of the amount of fuel in the tank. But, there may be times when it drops quite rapidly from ¾ to ½ tank. The low fuel warning light works properly.
The temperature gauge also may bounce around a little from time to time. I believe this is due to a faulty instrument cluster, not a problem with the engine running at an abnormal temperature.
The passenger side seat will not spring back up on its own if it is reclined. It could be the seat spring is broken or disconnected. It needs some assistance to be put up. Once it is back in the upright position, it remains securely in that position.
Suspension 7.0/10
The majority of the suspension components need some work. The tie rods should be replaced soon. The bushings on all four corners should be replaced soon. It might be time to replace the shocks as well. Then, an alignment would make this car an absolute joy to drive.
Etc…
The brake lining warning light is illuminated. The next project I had for this car was to replace all the brake rotors, pads, sensors and flush the brake fluid. As soon as that project is completed, this light should turn off.
I purchased new OEM (not slotted or cross-drilled) front and rear rotors (from Turner Motorsport), PAGID red brake pads, brake pad sensors, new bleed screws and new rotor screws. Those components and other various parts for this car will be included with the sale price.
This car was autocrossed twice at Miller Motorsports Park. That was in 2010, prior to all the major services being performed.
A handful of service records were included in the sale when I bought the car. I’ve documented everything that I’ve had done to the car starting in 2008. That information can be found at the bottom of this listing. The car is 27 years old. I have done my best to describe what I know about this car, but other components may break or fail without warning. As such, this vehicle is sold in “as is” condition with no guarantees or warranties, either expressed or implied, for the vehicle.
NADA provides the following price points for this car:
Low $3,550
Average $5,150
High $7,450
Contact Information:
Price is $4,500.00
For more information or if you have any questions please shoot me a PM.
The car is located about 20 minutes from the Salt Lake City International airport in Bountiful, UT 84010.
In summary...
The Good:
The engine is in fantastic shape.
Five speed manual transmission shifts smoothly and the clutch and flywheel are in very good condition.
The body is very clean and the paint is in great condition, no clear coat failure.
The front seats have Iggee custom fit synthetic leather seats covers.
New headlights were installed in 2011.
OBC works properly.
Tires have plenty of tread on them.
The two rear speakers were replaced three years ago.
A new Bentley repair manual will be included.
One main key and one valet key will be included.
The BBS center cap removal tool, factory jack and lug nut wrench are included.
The overhead warning system functions properly. When the coolant light or oil light have illuminated in the past, I did need to top off the necessary fluid.
With the cruise control at 70 mph I get about 27-28 MPG. With the around town mileage added, the average MPG is right around 25. After the odometer started to act up, I based the MPG on the OBC and took off one MPG from whatever the OBC was reading. Fuel up history can be seen here: Quik's E30 Fuel-up History
Service History Highlights:
Remanufactured alternator installed| 12/2008 – 164,000 miles
Pioneer stereo with auxiliary mp3 jack and full iPod integration capability installed | 6/2009 – 167,500 miles
New fuel filter, fuel pump and auxiliary fuel pump installed | 9/2009 – 169,521 miles
2 new front seat belt receivers installed | 12/2009 – 172,000 miles
New battery installed | 2/2010 – 172,250 miles
New A/C condenser & A/C recharge | 5/2010 – 173,500 miles
New muffler pipe assembly | 9/2010 – 176,726 miles
New throttle body and gasket | 4/2011 – 183,200 miles
New BOSCH spark plugs, wires, idle control valve installed | 5/2011 – 183,268 miles
New BOSCH ignition coil | 10/2011 – 184,700 miles
New BOSCH distributor cap and rotor | 4/2012 – 187,636 miles
Brake fluid (ATE Super Blue) flush | 9/2012 – 189,394 miles
Differential fluid (Redline Synthetic 75W-90) flush | 6/2013 – 194,197 miles
New water pump, timing belt kit, thermostat housing, thermostat housing cover gasket, plug, upper and lower radiator hose, cooling hose, A/C belt, power steering belt, alternator belt, coolant expansion tank,
coolant flush | 7/2013 – 194,482 miles
New fuel line from fuel filter to fuel rail installed | 4/2014 – 196,054 miles
Used long block installed, all major gaskets/seals, oil change, new spark plugs, see details below | 7/2014 – 196,689 miles
The Bad:
I’m going to be completely honest and disclose everything about this car that I would want to know about if I were looking to purchase a 27 year old E30. Most of these items have no bearing on the performance of the car.
The coolant tends to disappear very, very slowly; I believe the radiator needs to be replaced.
There is a slow oil leak. I usually put about 1 extra quart of oil between oil changes.
However, all the new gaskets and seals should greatly reduce the leaking that was taking place.
The odometer gear is wearing out. The odometer only registers about half of the miles the car now travels. It began to work intermittently with 185,000 miles on the clock. I would guess that even though the odometer now displays just under 197,000 miles, the actually mileage on the chassis is closer to about 210,000 miles.
The power steering suction and return lines have a slow leak.
The compartments in the trunk behind the rear wheels tend to get a small amount of water in them if the car is driven in the rain.
The tool kit is rusty and incomplete.
The spare tire is on a full-size BBS basket weave wheel, but there is curb damage and it isn’t painted gold to match the rest of the set. The tire is the same one that was on the wheel when I bought the car.
The front driver’s side center wheel cap has a small bend in it that prevents it from sitting flush on the wheel.
The fog lights have some cracks. They function fine, but cosmetically they look a little rough.
At times there is a slight problem starting a cold engine. It takes a few seconds for the car to start. After it starts, the engine purrs. I don’t think it is a problem with the starter because it only happens once in a while.
The driver’s side locking mechanism is wearing out. I usually lock/unlock the car from the passenger’s side or use the trunk keyhole.
The windshield washer spout on the driver side is partially clogged.
Due to the worn out bushings, the rear tires do not match the front Bridgestones Potenzas RE960AS.
Every once in a while an indicator for the “License Plate Light” or “Brake Light” on the overhead warning system illuminates. I have no idea why. All the light bulbs on the exterior of this car work properly.
The rear defroster could use a tune up.
This car has been driven in the snow. I always tried to wash it, which included spraying down the undercarriage, when a warm sunny day would roll around in the winter.
The Ugly:
The bushings on the rear axle are wearing out and need to be replaced. This isn’t a repair that needs to be done as soon as possible, but definitely before installing new tires.
It was part of my long term plan to get new bushings on all four corners when I replaced the suspension components. In the mean time I purchased a set of cheap tires with a high treadwear rating.
The sunroof has trouble closing all the way. I haven’t used it for about a year due to this problem. The seal on the sunroof is great. No water leaks in.
The thermostat housing bolts are seized in the head. It will require some extra attention to get them out when the time comes to replace the thermostat.
Service Records:
DATE MILEAGE SERVICE PRICE
04/26/96 121,598 Replace Distributor Cap and Rotor $126.29
09/09/96 126,406 Replace Water pump $115.00
02/12/97 131,516 Spark Plugs, Oil Change $118.74
01/25/99 152,049 Used Transmission Installed, Bearings Replaced $1,337.05
22/2/99 152,433 Replace Right Lower Control Arm, Bushing, and Center Link, Wishbone Rt, 7 Rubber Mtg Set, Wheel Alignment $469.16
08/30/06 157,602 100 Point Inspection, Fuel Filter, Rear Shocks, 3 Belts, Pulley, Wiper Blades, Front Pads, Rotors, AC Retrofit Kit R134A, P/S Flush, DOT4, Antifreeze, Timing Belt, Drive Belts, Oil Change, P/S Hoses $2,473.30
11/08/06 157,864 P/S Check, Pulley, Lock, V-Belt $366.14
08/23/08 162,928 Oil Change (full synthetic), Safety Inspection $45.00
12/30/08 164,000 Re-manufactured Alternator Installed, oil changed (full synthetic) $494.25
01/31/08 164,400 Replaced Air Filter $12.00
06/20/08 167,300 Oil Change (full synthetic Mobil 1 10W-30) $40.00
06/26/09 167,500 New Pioneer Stereo w/ 4 year warranty $208.00
07/01/09 167,600 Front Right Ball Bearing and Alignment $350.00
09/24/09 169,349 State Safety Inspection $17.00
09/29/09 169,521 Timing Belt Kit, Cam Shaft Seal, Crankshaft Seal, Cam Guide O-ring, Water Pump w/ Metal Impeller, 3x V-belts, Cooling Hose, 2x Radiator Hoses, Antifreeze, Thermostat, Heater Hose, Fuel Filter, Bosch Fuel Pump, Aux. Fuel Pump $2,063.46
12/29/09 172,000 2 Seat Belt Receivers, Rubber Shift Boot $152.75
02/13/10 172,250 New Battery, New Terminal Protectors $102.61
05/01/10 173,000 Oil Change (Castrol EDGE Synthetic), New Air Box and Air Filter, Replaced Sun Visors, Replaced Rear Speakers, $150.00
05/03/10 173,500 A/C Condenser Replaced and A/C Recharge $530.00
09/09/10 176,726 Replace Muffler Pipe Assembly, State Inspection $484.86
10/28/10 177,500 Change Oil (Mobil 1 10W-30), Bosch Oil Filter (3421), Replace Windshield Wipers (Bosch) $58.00
11/23/10 179,000 Alignment, Replace Left Rear Bearing $297.58
12/01/10 179,884 Four (4) 195/60R14 Bridgestone Potenza RE960 All-Season Tires $495.26
04/08/11 183,200 Replace Throttle Body and Gasket $151.25
05/20/11 183,268 Replace Spark Plugs, Wires, Idle Control Valve and Air Filter, headlight knob (NGK Spark Plugs, ignition wire set, BavAuto knob, valve and Mann filter) $247.05
09/17/11 184,250 Oil Change (Mann filter, 4.5 quarts BMW 5W-30 Full Synthetic (ESC tuning service kit) $45.00
09/29/11 184,600 Muffler Gasket (steel donut gasket, crush style gasket, New bolts and nuts, center muffler hanger, labor) $127.39
10/07/11 184,700 New front side marker, new rear side marker, bulb, gasket, new ignition coil, used window control $125.00
10/11/11 184,800 Lucas Oil Fuel System Treatment, MAF Cleaner $11.98
02/24/12 186,241 Used Air Flow Sensor ('90 325is, 171k) $50.00
04/14/12 187,636 New Tail Roundel, New Power Steering Fluid, New Dist Cap and Rotor, New Mann Air Filter, Washer Nozzle, Bottle Cap $157.15
04/21/12 187,844 New Valve Cover Gasket, Oil Change (Bosch Filter Mobil 1 5W-30 High Mileage Oil) $44.41
09/15/12 189,394 Flush Brake Fluid - ATE Super Blue / Fuel System Cleaner $22.00
09/21/12 189,440 State Safety Inspection / Parking Brake Adjustment $44.09
10/20/12 190,024 Oil Change (Castrol Edge 5W-30, Mann oil filter, Mann air filter) Gummi Pledge $62.96
02/25/13 192,215 New Expansion Tank Cap $14.61
04/20/13 193,487 Oil Change (5qts BMW 5W-30, Mann oil Filter, top off coolant) $45.70
06/21/13 194,197 Flush and fill Differential Fluid. Redline synthetic 75W-90. (2 quarts) $29.90
07/16/13 194,482 Water Pump, Timing Belt Kit, Spring, Thermostat Housing, Thermostat Housing Cover Gasket, Plug, Upper & Lower Radiator Hose, Cooling Hose, AC Belt, P/S Belt, Alt Belt, Coolant Expansion Tank, Coolant $1,303.55
08/14/13 195,220 Two (2) tires, Barum Bravuris 2 195/60 R14. Note-Bushings are bad on rear axle $189.62
04/25/14 196,054 Replaced cracked fuel line $115.00
07/09/14 196,689 Install used long block. New components: throttle body gasket, water pump gasket, thermostat O-ring, crankshaft seal, pulley balance shaft, timing cover gasket, intake manifold gasket, exhaust manifold gasket, exhaust flange gasket, breather hose, heater return gasket, valve cover gasket, rocket shaft plug, oil pan gasket, spark plugs, pilot bearing, flywheel bolts, pressure plate bolts, clutch pivot pin, output shaft seal, shift rod seal, release arm spring, input shaft seal, drive shaft flex joint, oil filter, oil change, coolant flush, transmission fluid flush, timing belt kit with updated crankshaft gear $2707.42
