1986 E30 325i Saloon

[e28525e]

I bought this, yesterday. I've owned well over 30 BMW's and have never had an E30, so thought I best get hold of one before they get too dear. Saloons still seem to be a relative bargain compared to the coupes with bits of plastic nailed to them. This is good, as I've always been a saloon man!

It was definitely an impulse viewing/purchase - I took a friend with me, for company, and ended up fighting the clock with regards to getting insurance cover and transferring the money because I realised it made sense to collect it there and then.

it's in excellent condition and benefits from having been powerflexed throughout, along with new brakes and suspension. It's also been undersealed with Dinitrol/Waxoyl. The engine has been fully serviced with new ignition and cooling parts. The paint is in great condition, it has obviously had various bits and bobs but its all of reasonable quality - it would benefit from a full paint correction so it is uniformed.

There is a vibration through the car when above 50mph which I believe to be a prop CB or guibo, so will get these ordered and I'll fit them when I bolt an LSD in (my friend has one that he says I can have).

The first job was to give it a clean and then stonechip the sills and rear bumper, in order to return it back to factory (the car seems to have been colour-coded over the years - I believe the spoiler and mirror bases would also have been black).

I'm hoping to change the steering rack for an E36/E46 item as the original is very slow and this was mentioned in pretty much any period road test.

Anyhow, have some pics.

Edited by e28525e on Sunday 17th April 19:56

[JeremyH5]

Oh I say! That looks very tidy. I drove one in period when they first came out and loved the sound of that engine and the handling.

How much? And how many miles on it?

For reference I bought a 1996 323i E36 auto with 36k miles on for £4k last year. Sounds similar, but very different.

(Edit for year)

[Panamax]

I had one identical to that. Astounding performance in their day, albeit the enthusiasm of the back to overtake the front required a certain amount of vigilance, particularly on wet roads.

[e28525e]

JeremyH5 said:

Oh I say! That looks very tidy. I drove one in period when they first came out and loved the sound of that engine and the handling.

How much? And how many miles on it?

For reference I bought a 1996 323i E36 auto with 36k miles on for £4k last year. Sounds similar, but very different.

(Edit for year)

Yes, the engine sounds brilliant! It has 129k miles on it. I paid £12495, private seller. That e36 was a bargain! I paid £3500 for my 60k E36 325i manual saloon, just over a year ago.

Edited by e28525e on Sunday 17th April 20:45

[e28525e]

Panamax said:

I had one identical to that. Astounding performance in their day, albeit the enthusiasm of the back to overtake the front required a certain amount of vigilance, particularly on wet roads.

They still feel pretty sprightly, the 1180kg curbweight certainly helps! I jumped out of my 550i and into this and didn't feel disappointed.

[JeremyH5]

e28525e said:

JeremyH5 said:

Oh I say! That looks very tidy. I drove one in period when they first came out and loved the sound of that engine and the handling.

How much? And how many miles on it?

For reference I bought a 1996 323i E36 auto with 36k miles on for £4k last year. Sounds similar, but very different.

(Edit for year)

Yes, the engine sounds brilliant! It has 129k miles on it. I paid £2495, private seller. That e36 was a bargain! I paid £3500 for my 60k E36 325i manual saloon, just over a year ago.

Yours was a good deal too! Actually, mine wasn’t quite such a bargain as it was 46k miles, bigging my deal up there

[e28525e]

JeremyH5 said:

Yours was a good deal too! Actually, mine wasn’t quite such a bargain as it was 46k miles, bigging my deal up there

And I meant £12,495! Balls!

We're not doing very well, this evening..

[JeremyH5]

e28525e said:

JeremyH5 said:

Yours was a good deal too! Actually, mine wasn’t quite such a bargain as it was 46k miles, bigging my deal up there

And I meant £12,495! Balls!

We're not doing very well, this evening..

Oh dear!

I wonder if you’d like to get the three cars together for a comparison and photo opportunity at some point? I’d like it.

[fttm]

Wonderful cars , especially manuals . Common fault to be looked at on these is the sun roof drains inside the A pillar , make sure they're clear otherwise will rot from the inside .

[outnumbered]

Very nice, I'd love an E30 if I had room in the garage.

[helix402]

Looks good. The E30 Coupe doesn’t exist. The Americans decided to call the 2 door saloon a Coupe.

[helix402]

Looks good. The E30 Coupe doesn’t exist. The Americans decided to call the 2 door saloon a Coupe.

[Polly Grigora]

Stunning car, love the E30 325, have driven many of these as fast as my heart would let me and enjoyed them very much

The 325 is a great engine, all other smaller engine E30s disappointed after screaming around in 325s

This topic has brought back some great memories

Check the A Post door loom plugs and sockets, easiest method for removal is to pull the rubber boots off them as the clips are then revealed, squeeze the clips inwards and gently lever the plugs out or and pull on the wires to help easing them out. If plugs won't split with reasonable force, pin corrosion is holding them together - brute force is then the only way to split them

Once plugs are proven to be good or made good, fit rubber boots over plugs before pushing them home

Anyway, lovely car, wish I owned one, good for you, well done

Enjoy

[e28525e]

fttm said:

Wonderful cars , especially manuals . Common fault to be looked at on these is the sun roof drains inside the A pillar , make sure they're clear otherwise will rot from the inside .

Thanks! Yes, the sunroof and all its workings seem to be in great condition. I will check the drains with an air line or some wire - I am used to this with all the e34/e24's etc. Sunroofs are a pain..

[e28525e]

JeremyH5 said:

Oh dear!

I wonder if you’d like to get the three cars together for a comparison and photo opportunity at some point? I’d like it.

Of course - you are a fair way away in Notts, though!

[e28525e]

Polly Grigora said:

Stunning car, love the E30 325, have driven many of these as fast as my heart would let me and enjoyed them very much

The 325 is a great engine, all other smaller engine E30s disappointed after screaming around in 325s

This topic has brought back some great memories

Check the A Post door loom plugs and sockets, easiest method for removal is to pull the rubber boots off them as the clips are then revealed, squeeze the clips inwards and gently lever the plugs out or and pull on the wires to help easing them out. If plugs won't split with reasonable force, pin corrosion is holding them together - brute force is then the only way to split them

Once plugs are proven to be good or made good, fit rubber boots over plugs before pushing them home

Anyway, lovely car, wish I owned one, good for you, well done

Enjoy

Thanks - I need to have a look at this actually, as the electric window can be a little temperamental depending on the door position..

[s m]

e28525e said:

Panamax said:

I had one identical to that. Astounding performance in their day, albeit the enthusiasm of the back to overtake the front required a certain amount of vigilance, particularly on wet roads.

They still feel pretty sprightly, the 1180kg curbweight certainly helps! I jumped out of my 550i and into this and didn't feel disappointed.

Pretty much GT86 performance with a nicer noise

Enjoyed mine apart from the oh-so-slow steering - even the M3 wasn’t much quicker

Nowadays a z3/E46 rack gives you much faster response if you like a bit of spirited driving

[brettski]

Dan at BM Conversions offers a quicker steering rack conversion.

[tobinen]

It looks to be 1988-89 model as it's the facelift. I am fairly sure 1986 was pre-facelift

[Pflanzgarten]

Dad had a similar vintage (G plate) 320i in black, we loved that thing and it felt especially cultured after a series of Cavalier company cars.