SOTW: E21 BMW 316 / MX-5 sold
Shed goes back to its roots with the first 3-series - a car that defined an entire genre
The first 3-series - the E21 - was the epitome of this styling approach. And it worked, too. During the course of the first 3-series' production run between 1975 and 1983, BMW factories in Germany, South Africa and Egypt churned out more than 1.3-million E21s, making it the best-selling BMW in history.
As you'd expect in a small BMW saloon, the neutral handling, rear-wheel drive, faithful steering and light weight make the E21 a car with track-shed potential, especially if you can find one of the later, fuel injected six-cylinder models.
This 96,000-mile E21 316 isn't one of those, unfortunately. Being a 1982 model, it's one of the last of the line, which is a good thing, but that also means it gets the carburettor-fed 1.8-litre four-cylinder motor that originally started out in the 318.
The seller seems to have done his best to mildly spice up his 316, however. The original rear drum brakes have been replaced with discs, there are Spax coil springs and shocks all round.
The car also comes with a heap of spares, and the seller has apparently done plenty of work on it, including replacing the sills. It might not have the 'right' engine, and £1000 is pretty strong money, but E21s have suffered at the hands of the Barry Boys and so they're a pretty rare sight these days. Besides, those magic letters 'o', 'n' and 'o' are present, so we very much doubt you'd have to pay the full grand.
Advert is reproduced below:
1983 (sic) BMW 316 E21 For Sale, £1,000 ono
I have for sale here my 1982 E21 BMW. It is a 1.8 litre carbie motor with 96,000 miles on the clock.
I have owned her for over 3 years now and have conducted a lot of work with this car including the following:
Replaced both sills, front valance and foot wells
Converted rear brakes to disk brakes and replaced all brake hoses with braided lines.
Replaced front brake disks and pads.
Replaced controlling arms
Fitted spax coil springs and new shocks all round
Replaced carpet with new carpet
Swapped the original Stromberg carbie for a weber 32/36 downdraft carbie (original will come with the car if you want to swap it back).
New tyres (less than 1000 miles on them).
I also have a pile of spares with the car including tubular exhaust header, gaskets, spare head, twin carb set up and other bits and pieces I will include with the sale.
The car is taxed until December and MOTed till June 2010.
SOTW special update: MX-5 sold
Perhaps it's because we've had such a pleasant September, but our little blue Eunos has gone to a loving home barely a week after being on sale - and to the first chap who came to see it.
PH's resident classified guru SimonSaid picked our buyer up from the local train station in the glorious sunshine and, roof down, showed our man around the car. After a little haggling, we let it go for £1100 (we'd been asking £1250).
"I knew we were going to sell it as soon as he arrived. The sun was shining and I had the roof down - perfect MX-5 weather. It was the romance of the situation that sold it."
Perhaps we should get Simon to sell all our cars...
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 The PH effect: Before...
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That said, I don't think this will be a classic - just a good old car as it's missing those vital 2 cylinders.
Would love a 323i, those twin pipes do it for me!
True what people have said, they're not really classics in the same way, say, an E30 is.
But, they do have a good following, and are very rare sights on the roads, therefore, deserve a good amount of respect.
Well done SOTW
SOTW MX-5 special
Would love a 323i, those twin pipes do it for me!
True what people have said, they're not really classics in the same way, say, an E30 is.
But, they do have a good following, and are very rare sights on the roads, therefore, deserve a good amount of respect.
Well done SOTW
After buying an E30 325i Touring the day after a similar car was featured in SOTW, SWMBO would kill me if I go and buy that too...
What to do?! There is a space on the drive that could accommodate another 20+yr old BMW quite easily too. Only problem is I may have to sleep on the back seat...
After buying an E30 325i Touring the day after a similar car was featured in SOTW, SWMBO would kill me if I go and buy that too...
What to do?! There is a space on the drive that could accommodate another 20+yr old BMW quite easily too. Only problem is I may have to sleep on the back seat...
We spent just over £150 on bits in the end, including 6-months car tax, front brake pads, rust treatment for the sill, foglight, washes and some minor detailing bits. We also had a replacement for the missing bonnet badge sent in by a helpful PHer.
But the biggest value-booster was the service history. It wasn't with the car when we bought it, but the car's previous owner-but-one contacted us after seeing the article on PH and sent the history in to us by post! We also ended up finding out the car's interesting history, which helped increase its sale potential.
Add in a lot (LOT) of hours of polishing and detailing the thing inside and out, and eventually we nearly doubled the value of this unloved little car. It's gone to an enthusiastic new home in the West Country now, looking much nicer than when we found it, and with a few extra bob in the Shed kitty.
Next shed, please!
Its definately a classic and looks good but im not sure it has the 'fun factor'?
Maybe im being harsh?
He was kind enough to allow me to drive it, it's interesting, hard and rewarding to drive.
Weber carb was the best upgrade he has done, for something with 100bhp it doesn't half move (it only weighs 1000kg)
Trust me, worth every penny. I am not sure why you think it lacks the "fun" factor?
Just be very careful in the wet, that rear end snaps sideways a bit suddenly. Justs adds to the challenge and experience though in my opinion.
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