SOLD
I've been bit by the track day bug with my 350z TT - no, I haven't "tracked" the e30 (drove it at Dunnville once and for a lapping session at Toronto Motorsports Park with 2 friends though, no wheel-to-wheel-racing - Dunnville and TMP are like a big autox course). Anyhow, in order to fund that, I think it might be wise if I sold my e30 :(
It started as a 1990 325is that I bought from a guy in Chicago. He was arguably MORE anal than I am, and had paperwork from the previous owner and receipts for EVERYTHING, even gas fill-ups. I trusted him and the car enough that I took a train out to Chicago and drove it back without any issues. When I bought it, the front fenders were pretty rusty and there were some surface spots on the rest of the car, but I was buying it for a mechanically solid car, not a pretty one.
Well, I soon fell in love with it and wanted something that looked as good as it drove. Some research and a lot of money later (lol), I had my body shop replace both fenders (cheaper/easier than fixing them), got a new trunk lid (again, cheaper than fixing some rust on the corner), grind/sand/weld/fix any other rusty spots properly and repainted the whole car - everything except under the hood, as I had planned to do an engine swap eventually and was going to sandblast + matte black it then, and didn't want to remove a perfectly good M20 just to have to put it back in.
While painting it, I had them install an Mtech2 front valence and Filip / Eurospeed's (maxbimmer) replica rear Mtech2 lip and e36-style skirts (more on why in a bit), euro bumper trim, smoked front turns and rear lights (from Mel @ AbrahamsMotorsports) and the Mtech2 rear wing. As to why I didn't get a full Mtech2 kit - I actually didn't care for how it "deletes" the black plastic bumper trims. On newer bimmers like the e39 540i for example, the higher / sport trims get black plastic instead of body color - and I liked the subtle contrast and distinction it gives. I wanted to keep the black side trim and thought it would look "unfinished" to remove it in the front and back. Obviously bodywork is subjective and highly opinionated (several people commented when I first posted pics that they didn't like the sideskirts - but hey, thats easy to change lol) but I tried to chose stuff with the history of the car and BMW in general in mind.
Mechanically, the car is SORTED and solid. Engine runs great, all I've had to do is oil / fluid changes and I replaced the oil pan gasket as it was very slowly dripping (I'd go through about 1/4-1/2 a quart every 3k and find occasional drips on the ground under the car). While that was apart I added one of 666fab's skidplates, as I remembered my first e30 experience - my best friend in college putting his Eta up on a curb and "joining the oil pan club" lol. I figured, relatively cheap insurance ;) It's got a year-old OEM (or OEM style? I think it's an ANSA?) that the PO put on right before I bought it. It's TOTALLY stock performance / engine wise. 100%. My friend Mike (MPD47, not sure if he's on here, or just BF.c or Max) once said "this is the strongest M20 I've driven" for whatever that's worth - namely, it runs perfectly.
I did a lot of maintenance stuff, and a lot of "while I'm at it, lets upgrade XYZ." - It had the "typical" 5-gal-or-less rusty tank, now it's got a brand new fuel tank, filler neck, hoses (PO did pump, filter etc). The suspension is the full SpecE30 stuff from Turner - Bilsteins (custom valved) with their spec rate H&Rs IIRC, Suspension Techniques sways with welded reinforcements, new mounts and bushings all around, while I was doing the rear subframe bushings I got the adjustable ones from BavAuto - I wanted to have control over Camber and Toe in back. We also added the Treehouse Racing CABs in front and Turner's fixed camber plates - the alignment is mint (set at -2.75 front camber -2.5 rear camber 1/16 toe-out each side in the front, 9-10 caster, neutral toe in the rear), its setup for street tires / autox - aggressive but no tire wear problems to date - and honestly, the suspension is MORE streetable than my buddy's EVO8 was stock ;) I've done several 6-7 hour road trips and never minded it then. The brakes were pretty good when I bought it but I like to AutoX and wanted some better stuff - so it's got new rotors, Axis Ultimate pads, SS lines (and I replaced one rear brake line that had some surface rust - we were concerned about it breaking when taking off the old rubber hoses), ATE fluid - tied off the stupid "warning" sensors. Wheels, I have FOUR SETS - 16x7 OZ SuperTurismos for summer with "meh" Sumitomo z-rated tires (tons of tread, but I'm just not a huge fan, but I bought them cuz for $58/corner, well, it was like cheap shipping insurance, and TireRack includes mounting for free vs $$$ Hunter RoadForce locally). 1 set of OEM Basketweaves, 2 sets of Bottlecaps - weaves have 1-season-old Hakkas, 1 set of caps has hakkas, the other, junky kumho all-seasons with one having a bubble - came with the car, so they go away with the car - I was gonna move the other snows to these and put R-comps on the Weaves anyway...
Part of why I bought the car was the interior. The dash is perfect, no cracks. The Cardinal leather seats are pretty nice - the fronts are kinda "meh" - I'd say like 7-8 out of 10, there's a rip on the passenger's side bolster and they're worn, headrests are perfect lol. The back is more like 9 out of 10, and the sides / door cards are great. I had the "typical" e30 rusty floor problems, had that professionally fixed / welded / undercoated and bought brand new carpets - black, molded to OEM fit (from Pelican) and had them installed by a local high-end interior shop, they cleaned and dried (for a week, inside!) my factory carpets and re-used them for the padding. Same guys who installed the black german-cloth headliner that Kevin / The Artisan (Creative Options) sewed for me - it looks GREAT imo. Kev's gonna be sad when he sees this, as I've been talking with him about doing some custom Recaros (and the center of the rears) with some :snky: new Mtech cloth he found - who knows, at the right price maybe I'll do that before turning it over, or you can always get in touch with him, he does fantastic work! Only "issue" is the passenger's door doesn't centeral-lock, just unlocks... grr
The only other stuff I've done is installed an Eclipse CD-7000 (Amber illumination, rather subtle and matches the car nicely), Focal PolyKevlar fronts (rears aren't hooked up, they work fine but meh, rears kill imaging) and a JL 12W6v2 in a sealed box in the spare tire-well. Custom false-floor in the trunk with storage under it and easy access to the battery - lets you put plenty of stuff in there, you might want to buy a grille for the sub if you do, I never do more than the occasional grocery trip where everything fits behind the seats anyway. The battery in the car was old/dying and didn't fit in the tie-downs so I had a custom aluminum box and tie down made (and it's bolted through the factory parts) and bought an Optima Red-top.
I'm probably forgetting some stuff, so feel free to ask questions (PM is probably best). I've put over 20k into the car between buying it, parts, labor, paint, audio etc. EVERYTHING has been done with quality, longevity and heritage in mind, I don't cut corners, I don't skimp. I'm not saying that to brag at all, it's just hard to convey over the internet that this was done "right" - pretty much, it's been a cost-no-object-do-it-right-once project the whole way. I learned ages ago that buying cheaper stuff and re-buyign when you realize you wanted better is a waste and foolish, and have tried to apply that with this car. The thing is, I don't think I could cage it and make it a racer car, its just too nice - and my Z already has a cage and honey-bunches-of-race-parts so I'll probably stick to DEs in that until I want to go "real" racing, then I'll de-turbo it and go to T2 or maybe sell it and get a Spec Miata or E30 / E36 M3. Such is life...
SOLD
Other items of note: I have new / OEM Shadowline trim to be included (not yet installed - cost me $500 from BMW). I will probably be removing the Audison amps as those cost me almost 3k (not included in the estimated 20k I've spent) - I will put in something good like used JL or Zapco, but unless someone's willing to offer a bit more, they don't go with the car. Lets see, I don't have the OEM toolset (missing when I bought it), it's got a new heater core (PO did it), AC doesn't work (might just need a refill, never tried / cared as it was coming out for the swap). While the carpet was out we Dynamatted some of the floor to cut down road noise - minimal weight increase, if you wanted a racer you could remove it but if you are looking at this car, you probably want a great street car that will hold its own for DEs and AutoXs anyway ;)
For those who I've seen post in the past "I hate when people build nice cars and then turn right around and sell them" - well, lets just say, I hate it too, I hate losing more than half my money, I hate the idea of giving up my e30 - BUT I hate the idea of not doing track days more, and I'm not made of money.
Pics below...
I've been bit by the track day bug with my 350z TT - no, I haven't "tracked" the e30 (drove it at Dunnville once and for a lapping session at Toronto Motorsports Park with 2 friends though, no wheel-to-wheel-racing - Dunnville and TMP are like a big autox course). Anyhow, in order to fund that, I think it might be wise if I sold my e30 :(
It started as a 1990 325is that I bought from a guy in Chicago. He was arguably MORE anal than I am, and had paperwork from the previous owner and receipts for EVERYTHING, even gas fill-ups. I trusted him and the car enough that I took a train out to Chicago and drove it back without any issues. When I bought it, the front fenders were pretty rusty and there were some surface spots on the rest of the car, but I was buying it for a mechanically solid car, not a pretty one.
Well, I soon fell in love with it and wanted something that looked as good as it drove. Some research and a lot of money later (lol), I had my body shop replace both fenders (cheaper/easier than fixing them), got a new trunk lid (again, cheaper than fixing some rust on the corner), grind/sand/weld/fix any other rusty spots properly and repainted the whole car - everything except under the hood, as I had planned to do an engine swap eventually and was going to sandblast + matte black it then, and didn't want to remove a perfectly good M20 just to have to put it back in.
While painting it, I had them install an Mtech2 front valence and Filip / Eurospeed's (maxbimmer) replica rear Mtech2 lip and e36-style skirts (more on why in a bit), euro bumper trim, smoked front turns and rear lights (from Mel @ AbrahamsMotorsports) and the Mtech2 rear wing. As to why I didn't get a full Mtech2 kit - I actually didn't care for how it "deletes" the black plastic bumper trims. On newer bimmers like the e39 540i for example, the higher / sport trims get black plastic instead of body color - and I liked the subtle contrast and distinction it gives. I wanted to keep the black side trim and thought it would look "unfinished" to remove it in the front and back. Obviously bodywork is subjective and highly opinionated (several people commented when I first posted pics that they didn't like the sideskirts - but hey, thats easy to change lol) but I tried to chose stuff with the history of the car and BMW in general in mind.
Mechanically, the car is SORTED and solid. Engine runs great, all I've had to do is oil / fluid changes and I replaced the oil pan gasket as it was very slowly dripping (I'd go through about 1/4-1/2 a quart every 3k and find occasional drips on the ground under the car). While that was apart I added one of 666fab's skidplates, as I remembered my first e30 experience - my best friend in college putting his Eta up on a curb and "joining the oil pan club" lol. I figured, relatively cheap insurance ;) It's got a year-old OEM (or OEM style? I think it's an ANSA?) that the PO put on right before I bought it. It's TOTALLY stock performance / engine wise. 100%. My friend Mike (MPD47, not sure if he's on here, or just BF.c or Max) once said "this is the strongest M20 I've driven" for whatever that's worth - namely, it runs perfectly.
I did a lot of maintenance stuff, and a lot of "while I'm at it, lets upgrade XYZ." - It had the "typical" 5-gal-or-less rusty tank, now it's got a brand new fuel tank, filler neck, hoses (PO did pump, filter etc). The suspension is the full SpecE30 stuff from Turner - Bilsteins (custom valved) with their spec rate H&Rs IIRC, Suspension Techniques sways with welded reinforcements, new mounts and bushings all around, while I was doing the rear subframe bushings I got the adjustable ones from BavAuto - I wanted to have control over Camber and Toe in back. We also added the Treehouse Racing CABs in front and Turner's fixed camber plates - the alignment is mint (set at -2.75 front camber -2.5 rear camber 1/16 toe-out each side in the front, 9-10 caster, neutral toe in the rear), its setup for street tires / autox - aggressive but no tire wear problems to date - and honestly, the suspension is MORE streetable than my buddy's EVO8 was stock ;) I've done several 6-7 hour road trips and never minded it then. The brakes were pretty good when I bought it but I like to AutoX and wanted some better stuff - so it's got new rotors, Axis Ultimate pads, SS lines (and I replaced one rear brake line that had some surface rust - we were concerned about it breaking when taking off the old rubber hoses), ATE fluid - tied off the stupid "warning" sensors. Wheels, I have FOUR SETS - 16x7 OZ SuperTurismos for summer with "meh" Sumitomo z-rated tires (tons of tread, but I'm just not a huge fan, but I bought them cuz for $58/corner, well, it was like cheap shipping insurance, and TireRack includes mounting for free vs $$$ Hunter RoadForce locally). 1 set of OEM Basketweaves, 2 sets of Bottlecaps - weaves have 1-season-old Hakkas, 1 set of caps has hakkas, the other, junky kumho all-seasons with one having a bubble - came with the car, so they go away with the car - I was gonna move the other snows to these and put R-comps on the Weaves anyway...
Part of why I bought the car was the interior. The dash is perfect, no cracks. The Cardinal leather seats are pretty nice - the fronts are kinda "meh" - I'd say like 7-8 out of 10, there's a rip on the passenger's side bolster and they're worn, headrests are perfect lol. The back is more like 9 out of 10, and the sides / door cards are great. I had the "typical" e30 rusty floor problems, had that professionally fixed / welded / undercoated and bought brand new carpets - black, molded to OEM fit (from Pelican) and had them installed by a local high-end interior shop, they cleaned and dried (for a week, inside!) my factory carpets and re-used them for the padding. Same guys who installed the black german-cloth headliner that Kevin / The Artisan (Creative Options) sewed for me - it looks GREAT imo. Kev's gonna be sad when he sees this, as I've been talking with him about doing some custom Recaros (and the center of the rears) with some :snky: new Mtech cloth he found - who knows, at the right price maybe I'll do that before turning it over, or you can always get in touch with him, he does fantastic work! Only "issue" is the passenger's door doesn't centeral-lock, just unlocks... grr
The only other stuff I've done is installed an Eclipse CD-7000 (Amber illumination, rather subtle and matches the car nicely), Focal PolyKevlar fronts (rears aren't hooked up, they work fine but meh, rears kill imaging) and a JL 12W6v2 in a sealed box in the spare tire-well. Custom false-floor in the trunk with storage under it and easy access to the battery - lets you put plenty of stuff in there, you might want to buy a grille for the sub if you do, I never do more than the occasional grocery trip where everything fits behind the seats anyway. The battery in the car was old/dying and didn't fit in the tie-downs so I had a custom aluminum box and tie down made (and it's bolted through the factory parts) and bought an Optima Red-top.
I'm probably forgetting some stuff, so feel free to ask questions (PM is probably best). I've put over 20k into the car between buying it, parts, labor, paint, audio etc. EVERYTHING has been done with quality, longevity and heritage in mind, I don't cut corners, I don't skimp. I'm not saying that to brag at all, it's just hard to convey over the internet that this was done "right" - pretty much, it's been a cost-no-object-do-it-right-once project the whole way. I learned ages ago that buying cheaper stuff and re-buyign when you realize you wanted better is a waste and foolish, and have tried to apply that with this car. The thing is, I don't think I could cage it and make it a racer car, its just too nice - and my Z already has a cage and honey-bunches-of-race-parts so I'll probably stick to DEs in that until I want to go "real" racing, then I'll de-turbo it and go to T2 or maybe sell it and get a Spec Miata or E30 / E36 M3. Such is life...
SOLD
Other items of note: I have new / OEM Shadowline trim to be included (not yet installed - cost me $500 from BMW). I will probably be removing the Audison amps as those cost me almost 3k (not included in the estimated 20k I've spent) - I will put in something good like used JL or Zapco, but unless someone's willing to offer a bit more, they don't go with the car. Lets see, I don't have the OEM toolset (missing when I bought it), it's got a new heater core (PO did it), AC doesn't work (might just need a refill, never tried / cared as it was coming out for the swap). While the carpet was out we Dynamatted some of the floor to cut down road noise - minimal weight increase, if you wanted a racer you could remove it but if you are looking at this car, you probably want a great street car that will hold its own for DEs and AutoXs anyway ;)
For those who I've seen post in the past "I hate when people build nice cars and then turn right around and sell them" - well, lets just say, I hate it too, I hate losing more than half my money, I hate the idea of giving up my e30 - BUT I hate the idea of not doing track days more, and I'm not made of money.
Pics below...
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