Whats this e30 worth? 1987 325is

[pelotudo]

some say the 87 was an epic year.
ellipsoids, and diving boards, no air bag, and a very strong design.

i prefer the plastic bumpers, and esp the rear apron types, but the 87, and 88s are still on my top pix for years.

there are minor differences in the water hoses, and other stuff on them, and thats why the 87,88 are special.

well, ensure the t.b. is good, and enjoy it.

its worth 3k or up, but so many other e30s are sooo cheap, its almost easy to talk the price down, especially since we can always compare the price of a 2001 750i to be about 5k... makes owners think the e30 is too old...(which it is, but its like wine, which is a secret i guess)

thanks for the info

can you elaborate more on the ellipsoids and the advantages of the 87?

from the look of the headlights they look like the standard 9006. i say this b/c the low beams dont have the projector circle in the middle im used to seeing on the e36 ellipsoids. do all of the 87s come with whats referred to as an ellipsoid headlight, that uses h1/h4 bulbs? ill be seeing the car again saturday so i can check the bulbs myself

also is the non airbag that desirable? ive always wanted the later in my e36s (side door + both front)

and whats the difference on the water hoses and structure of the 87 vs the others?

thanks again
jonathan

[idanity]

some say the 87 was an epic year.
ellipsoids, and diving boards, no air bag, and a very strong design.

i prefer the plastic bumpers, and esp the rear apron types, but the 87, and 88s are still on my top pix for years.

there are minor differences in the water hoses, and other stuff on them, and thats why the 87,88 are special.

well, ensure the t.b. is good, and enjoy it.

its worth 3k or up, but so many other e30s are sooo cheap, its almost easy to talk the price down, especially since we can always compare the price of a 2001 750i to be about 5k... makes owners think the e30 is too old...(which it is, but its like wine, which is a secret i guess)

[idanity]

some say the 87 was an epic year.
ellipsoids, and diving boards, no air bag, and a very strong design.

i prefer the plastic bumpers, and esp the rear apron types, but the 87, and 88s are still on my top pix for years.

there are minor differences in the water hoses, and other stuff on them, and thats why the 87,88 are special.

well, ensure the t.b. is good, and enjoy it.

its worth 3k or up, but so many other e30s are sooo cheap, its almost easy to talk the price down, especially since we can always compare the price of a 2001 750i to be about 5k... makes owners think the e30 is too old...(which it is, but its like wine, which is a secret i guess)

[StereoInstaller1]

If I am selling it, $3500.

If I am buying it $1200.

[hank_bukowski]

i giveu liek 300

[pelotudo]

its in florida. ive looked at and driven it thx though guys.

talked with the lot owner. hes going to be fixing the windshield wiper motor (broken gear) tomorrow along with lubing the blower motor.

the oil light/level sensor ill have to handle myself, along with the cruise control but other than that it sounds like ill be picking it up in the next couple of days.

[barry]

Sounds like a winner buy it.

[txtorquemade]

Thanks guys.

Opinions on pricing seem to be all over the road, ranging anywhere from 1500 to 3500 like you guys mentioned.

The paint appears original on the car and I checked all the spots I knew for rust and couldn't find any (rear rockers behind wheels, under the car, tail light, trunk, around trim, front fender behind wheels) other than the little bubble I mentioned.

The car is very close to where you are txtorque. The seller (dealer) called this morning and offered the split the difference (a couple hundred $$$) from where I was yesterday and what he could get down to. I told him that if he could get the wipers working we could move along today so Ill see what he comes up with.

Where are you..and the car? You having it shipped or what?

Need someone (me) to check it out first?

Let me know!!

Mark

[RedTRex]

Looks like it's time for a timing belt again. Oil light (OBC) is for oil level - if level good, sensor bad. 3k ish seems fair......

[quikveedb2]

i say go for it, the owner not having the maintenance records is definitely to your advantage, pricing-wise, so long as you're willing to take the risk. low-ball the shit out of him & see where you get.

[pelotudo]

UPDATE:

Talked to the previous owner today (whose registration from 3 years ago just happened to be suck on the backside of the owners manual) and got quite a bit of information the car. This owner was the 2nd owner of the vehicle and owned it from 2006-2007.

Car came from a doctor/wife in Chicago. Car was garaged winter, driven summer car. The car was kept immaculate minus a scratch on one of the fenders. Being perfectionists the PO said they had the whole fender redone/replaced to fix the scratch. Doctors wife drove the car until hitting something in the road that ended up puncturing the tranny and destroyed it. 2nd owner bought the car sight unseen and had it shipped to FL.

2nd owner had BMW shop owner friend who had a tranny from a wrecked e30. He had the wrecked tranny rebuilt and installed it in the car along with a new clutch and all associated pieces at 105k.

Between 105k-125k when he sold the car (3 years ago) he performed the following:
Timing Belt
Front & Rear Crank Seals
Guibo
Tires
Water pump
Radiator
Thermostat

Couple other things but he couldn't remember. He sold the car in 2007 for $3500 to a guy locally. At that time he offered the complete service records (from 1986 until 2007, completely documented) to the new owner and the new owner told him he wasn't interested in those and told him to throw them away. For whatever reason he and I for that matter have no clue.

He delivered the car to the new owner with a car cover (now missing), E30 bentley manuel and everything working.

So it looks like over the last 3 years 50k has been put on the car and the little problems have arisen. For some reason the owner after him wasn't interested in records whatsoever however did keep it in good condition minus not fixing the small stuff.

[pelotudo]

Thanks guys.

Opinions on pricing seem to be all over the road, ranging anywhere from 1500 to 3500 like you guys mentioned.

The paint appears original on the car and I checked all the spots I knew for rust and couldn't find any (rear rockers behind wheels, under the car, tail light, trunk, around trim, front fender behind wheels) other than the little bubble I mentioned.

The car is very close to where you are txtorque. The seller (dealer) called this morning and offered the split the difference (a couple hundred $$$) from where I was yesterday and what he could get down to. I told him that if he could get the wipers working we could move along today so Ill see what he comes up with.

[txtorquemade]

2500.00 in Dallas, Tx.

Well, thats what I'd offer. It is clean. The issues seem pretty manageable. Added to maintainence... have ya a clean 4k machine.

[recall]

Be wary of the rust, there's always more under what you can see. Be sure to check the usual rust spots (license lights, side rails, rocker panels), as I have a feeling you could find more there. It's not impossible to fix, of course, just a pain and something you should consider -- this really depends on where you are, northern US this could be great! :) Is the paint original?

From the picture you posted, it looks clean and would be a good starting base, just don't overpay as some of those repairs could be time consuming (blower motor, electrical problems). Around 3k seems fair from what you posted, give or take 500. Less if you're CA, PNW, maybe more if you're bumfuck nowhere or American else die cities.

[woodisgood]

Maybe sell it at 3.5k... buying more like 2-2.5k.