1988 BMW 325is
**SOLD**
Clean, unmolested, all original paint and bodywork, runs and drives great, ready to go!
Lots of pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/christop...eat=directlink
It is getting hard to find a clean E30, especially a 325is, especially in the Northeast.
Please email or call me with any questions, I’d be happy to show it to you, take extra specific pictures, or just talk your ear off about it.
Chris Abbott – Tel: 508.566.6545 – Email: abbottcd@gmail.com
Located in southeastern PA between Philly and Reading
Asking $4500, open to reasonable offers.
Here's the book, all about the car:
History
I believe I’m the 3rd owner of this car, and have owned it since 2003, when it had 123,000 miles. It spent the first 10 years in the CT suburbs of New York, then moved up to Boston. I’ve brought it with me around MA, to NJ, and to PA. In the last seven years this has been everything from a seldom driven toy, an autocross car, a daily driver, road trip car, and even had a few trips to the track. It has been a fantastic car and done everything I have asked. Over the years I’ve replaced nearly all of the wear items in the car, sometimes more than once. I’ve tried to keep it in good condition and I think it shows. This car and I have been through a lot together, but it is time for us to part, as some life changes left the car in the garage, seldom driven, and it deserves a new owner.
Exterior
All of the bodywork and paint is original, no signs of any accident repair or any paint work. All of the paint matches perfectly, and still looks wonderful, and all original VIN tags are present. There are some small dents, scratches and stone chips as would be expected on an original 22 year old car, but nothing really remarkable, as you can see from the pictures. There is no rust to speak of, even in the jack and batter wells. I have NEVER had to deal with a stuck or rusty bolt on this car, it is as clean as you can find underneath for a northeast car. There was the beginnings of surface rust near the license plate lights, but I ground it off and covered it with POR15, and it is holding up perfectly.
Interior
Interior is all original and once of the nicer original E30 sport interiors you will find, ALL interior options and displays work, and the A/C blows cold. The sport seats are fully functional and all padding and the frames and adjusters are all in great condition. The leather is in overall very good condition, with some wear on the driver’s seat bolster as usual, but not nearly as bad as most E30s. It is not worn through at all, but the drivers seat does show more wear than the nearly perfect passenger and rear seats. I used leather conditioner and cleaner on them frequently, and have re-dyed the front seats twice over the years to keep them looking their best. The car has the rare OEM accessory center armrest with cupholder, which is one of the best mods I could have made.
The carpeting is in very good condition, with no significant wear and only a few minor stains. The headliner is in good condition, with some marks on the inner sunroof panel. Door panels are in excellent condition except for two small marks on the driver’s panel from hitting a snow brush that was in the back seat. I have the original floor mats and rubber mat for the driver’s side, which are all in fair condition.
I wanted to keep all of the options functional, so I’ve replaced the SI board batteries, the trip computer bulbs, the instrument light bulbs, and several fluid level sensors to keep the check panel clear. Even the speedo, odometer, trip meter, and cruise control all work perfectly.
The glove box latch broke, so I removed the lock area, and it still latches and is operational, but does not have the lock/handle part. There are 4 holes in the center console from when it had an 80’s-tastic cell phone installed. There are NO cracks in the dash.
Mechanical
Over the years I’ve replaced nearly everything there is to replace. I’ll try to remember most of it, but I have a 2” thick folder of receipts. I changed the oil every 5000 miles with Mobil 1 15/50, and the diff and tranny every 30k with Redline, brake fluid at least every year with ATE blue or gold. Every bolt I have removed was first coated with anti sieze or grease when being put back together, so there are NO seized bolts in this car.
The car runs very well, revs smoothly to redline, shifts, brakes and turns well, and is a blast to drive. I replaced the A/C compressor with a new R-134 unit and dryer from Pelican parts, and the A/C blows cold.
Work done on the car:
2010 – Brake master and all soft brake lines (all the original lines came loose with no rusted hard lines), rear subframe and trailing arm bushings with poly, rear wheel bearings, midpipe with catalytic converter, left outer tie rod.
2009 – Timing belt, water pump, valve adjustment, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, fuel filter, air filter, front pads and rotors, left front caliper, power steering pressure and return soft lines, accessory drive belts.
Before that it starts to blend together, so I’ll go front to back and try to remember what I’ve done. Radiator, ALL coolant hoses, A/C compressor/dryer/pressure switch, hood strut, injectors cleaned. Gaskets: valve cover, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, oil pan, oil cooler sender, oil cap. Lower control arms with ball joints, O2 sensor twice, Clutch master and slave cylinders, fuel pump, fuel and main relays, driveshaft center bearing and guibo. Of course brake pads and rotors and wear sensors have been done, and I’m sure I’m missing some things.
Every once in a while it starts hard or sputters off the line, but I haven’t been able to find anything wrong with it, and it runs great when driving.
Mods
Mods have really been limited to upgrading parts as they needed to be replaced. It has Koni Sport adjustable shocks, H&R sport springs, Ireland Engineering stainless exhaust (Quiet and very well made), M3 front control arm bushings, and all poly bushings in the rear including the upper shock mounts. The upper front strut hats are the BMW alternate part to give more negative camber (1.89 degrees both sides). The original head unit has been replaced with an aftermarket CD player. The amber section of the tail lamps has been painted clear red and matches the rest of the tail lamps well. That’s it, this really is an unmolested car.
Needs
The car isn’t perfect, though close. Here is what the new owner might choose to do
-The left foglamp needs to be replaced, it has a crack and blown bulb. The transmission seeps fluid. I top it off once in a while and it works fine. Sometimes after a hard rain and when facing downhill, some water will come in the trunk, so I just sponge it out – I replaced the seal and tail light seals but it may need to have a bead of silicone put under the seal. The shifter bushings have some play in them, but not bad compared to most.
Extras
The car will come with 2 sets of wheels and tires, the bottlecaps pictures with 205/60/14 Yokohama AVS ES100s, and a set of basketweaves with 3 of the 4 centercaps, with 195/65/14 Michelin X-Ice, which won’t last much longer.
I also will include a few spares such as track pads, spare AFMs, extra BMW coolant, and a few other odds and ends. I also have a Turner Confirti chip available separately, as well as a 2nd set of basketweaves with dead tires.
**SOLD**
Clean, unmolested, all original paint and bodywork, runs and drives great, ready to go!
Lots of pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/christop...eat=directlink
It is getting hard to find a clean E30, especially a 325is, especially in the Northeast.
Please email or call me with any questions, I’d be happy to show it to you, take extra specific pictures, or just talk your ear off about it.
Chris Abbott – Tel: 508.566.6545 – Email: abbottcd@gmail.com
Located in southeastern PA between Philly and Reading
Asking $4500, open to reasonable offers.
Here's the book, all about the car:
History
I believe I’m the 3rd owner of this car, and have owned it since 2003, when it had 123,000 miles. It spent the first 10 years in the CT suburbs of New York, then moved up to Boston. I’ve brought it with me around MA, to NJ, and to PA. In the last seven years this has been everything from a seldom driven toy, an autocross car, a daily driver, road trip car, and even had a few trips to the track. It has been a fantastic car and done everything I have asked. Over the years I’ve replaced nearly all of the wear items in the car, sometimes more than once. I’ve tried to keep it in good condition and I think it shows. This car and I have been through a lot together, but it is time for us to part, as some life changes left the car in the garage, seldom driven, and it deserves a new owner.
Exterior
All of the bodywork and paint is original, no signs of any accident repair or any paint work. All of the paint matches perfectly, and still looks wonderful, and all original VIN tags are present. There are some small dents, scratches and stone chips as would be expected on an original 22 year old car, but nothing really remarkable, as you can see from the pictures. There is no rust to speak of, even in the jack and batter wells. I have NEVER had to deal with a stuck or rusty bolt on this car, it is as clean as you can find underneath for a northeast car. There was the beginnings of surface rust near the license plate lights, but I ground it off and covered it with POR15, and it is holding up perfectly.
Interior
Interior is all original and once of the nicer original E30 sport interiors you will find, ALL interior options and displays work, and the A/C blows cold. The sport seats are fully functional and all padding and the frames and adjusters are all in great condition. The leather is in overall very good condition, with some wear on the driver’s seat bolster as usual, but not nearly as bad as most E30s. It is not worn through at all, but the drivers seat does show more wear than the nearly perfect passenger and rear seats. I used leather conditioner and cleaner on them frequently, and have re-dyed the front seats twice over the years to keep them looking their best. The car has the rare OEM accessory center armrest with cupholder, which is one of the best mods I could have made.
The carpeting is in very good condition, with no significant wear and only a few minor stains. The headliner is in good condition, with some marks on the inner sunroof panel. Door panels are in excellent condition except for two small marks on the driver’s panel from hitting a snow brush that was in the back seat. I have the original floor mats and rubber mat for the driver’s side, which are all in fair condition.
I wanted to keep all of the options functional, so I’ve replaced the SI board batteries, the trip computer bulbs, the instrument light bulbs, and several fluid level sensors to keep the check panel clear. Even the speedo, odometer, trip meter, and cruise control all work perfectly.
The glove box latch broke, so I removed the lock area, and it still latches and is operational, but does not have the lock/handle part. There are 4 holes in the center console from when it had an 80’s-tastic cell phone installed. There are NO cracks in the dash.
Mechanical
Over the years I’ve replaced nearly everything there is to replace. I’ll try to remember most of it, but I have a 2” thick folder of receipts. I changed the oil every 5000 miles with Mobil 1 15/50, and the diff and tranny every 30k with Redline, brake fluid at least every year with ATE blue or gold. Every bolt I have removed was first coated with anti sieze or grease when being put back together, so there are NO seized bolts in this car.
The car runs very well, revs smoothly to redline, shifts, brakes and turns well, and is a blast to drive. I replaced the A/C compressor with a new R-134 unit and dryer from Pelican parts, and the A/C blows cold.
Work done on the car:
2010 – Brake master and all soft brake lines (all the original lines came loose with no rusted hard lines), rear subframe and trailing arm bushings with poly, rear wheel bearings, midpipe with catalytic converter, left outer tie rod.
2009 – Timing belt, water pump, valve adjustment, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, fuel filter, air filter, front pads and rotors, left front caliper, power steering pressure and return soft lines, accessory drive belts.
Before that it starts to blend together, so I’ll go front to back and try to remember what I’ve done. Radiator, ALL coolant hoses, A/C compressor/dryer/pressure switch, hood strut, injectors cleaned. Gaskets: valve cover, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, oil pan, oil cooler sender, oil cap. Lower control arms with ball joints, O2 sensor twice, Clutch master and slave cylinders, fuel pump, fuel and main relays, driveshaft center bearing and guibo. Of course brake pads and rotors and wear sensors have been done, and I’m sure I’m missing some things.
Every once in a while it starts hard or sputters off the line, but I haven’t been able to find anything wrong with it, and it runs great when driving.
Mods
Mods have really been limited to upgrading parts as they needed to be replaced. It has Koni Sport adjustable shocks, H&R sport springs, Ireland Engineering stainless exhaust (Quiet and very well made), M3 front control arm bushings, and all poly bushings in the rear including the upper shock mounts. The upper front strut hats are the BMW alternate part to give more negative camber (1.89 degrees both sides). The original head unit has been replaced with an aftermarket CD player. The amber section of the tail lamps has been painted clear red and matches the rest of the tail lamps well. That’s it, this really is an unmolested car.
Needs
The car isn’t perfect, though close. Here is what the new owner might choose to do
-The left foglamp needs to be replaced, it has a crack and blown bulb. The transmission seeps fluid. I top it off once in a while and it works fine. Sometimes after a hard rain and when facing downhill, some water will come in the trunk, so I just sponge it out – I replaced the seal and tail light seals but it may need to have a bead of silicone put under the seal. The shifter bushings have some play in them, but not bad compared to most.
Extras
The car will come with 2 sets of wheels and tires, the bottlecaps pictures with 205/60/14 Yokohama AVS ES100s, and a set of basketweaves with 3 of the 4 centercaps, with 195/65/14 Michelin X-Ice, which won’t last much longer.
I also will include a few spares such as track pads, spare AFMs, extra BMW coolant, and a few other odds and ends. I also have a Turner Confirti chip available separately, as well as a 2nd set of basketweaves with dead tires.
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