A brief background...
My last BMW was an F30 335i sedan which was more of a German transportation appliance than the ultimate driving machine. I gave up on modern BMWs and got a 2017 GT350. Great to drive up in the mountains and actually quite comfortable given its performance levels...but limited ground clearance and overall size doesn't make it the most practical car to run errands with. Plus, it really isn't any fun if I'm not driving it.
So, I decided to get a great little runabout that would be engaging yet relatively inexpensive and hopefully appreciating. I'm preaching to the choir here but I couldn't find anything else that fit the bill like the E30. It really is the apex of quality, engineering, and simplicity. Cars may have gotten faster, safer, and more high tech but I'd argue they are not better than these masterpieces.
A 1989 325is coupe was my ideal year - late model bumpers but pre-airbag and the most desirable trim/body style. After a few months of BRZO searching I finally found a car a few weeks ago. It was in Northern California a few hundred miles north but turned out better than expected. Service records since new and almost everything worked in spite of the 264K miles on the clock. It made the 300+ mile drive home without a hitch and not a single warning light.
Much to my wife's chagrin I've spent most evenings and weekends in the garage since then. Car is pretty excellent mechanically but I've still got a long list of items to take care of.
Exterior:
Front lip spoiler is missing and a few clips need to be replaced
Broken driver's high beam lens - replacement en route
Minor crack in driver's fog light
rear bumber strip is cracked - replacement en route
a lot of little stone chips are rusting and neeed touch-up
antenna works but clicks at top of travel
hood shock shot - replacement en route
Wheel caps are missing which drives me bananas
It also came with a set of 15" BBS wheels that I'll probably sell
Had Bilsteins and Eibachs installed about 15 years ago. Sits way too low now and rides a little rough. Plan is to replace with Bilstein Sports and H&R sports to raise it up a little and improve ride.
Interior:
Dash has a couple minor cracks but I still want to find an uncracked replacement.
seats have no rips but all of the shocks need to be replaced
Nakamichi head unit isn't terrible but OEM look is preferred. Need to figure out a possible later model BMW head unit with aftermarket CD changer/BT kit.
Aftermarket cupholder is broken and janky to begin with. Will remove and try to patch/repair screw holes.
Haven't spent much time to figure it out, but cruise control likely not working
OBC date/time/temp works but don;t think trip functions do - need to research more.
infamous brake light check periodically comes on
flashlight missing (silly, but I can't ignore)
window switch circuit breaker is tattered. Dumb thing to spend $70 on new so hoping i'll find a nice used one.
Battery cover cracked. These are only $32 new so surprisingly affordable.
All in all, pretty minor stuff and other than the suspension basically all cosmetic. Great to join the rest of you knuckleheads and certainly appreciate the vast resources available.
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