325i to 325is conversion

[Hooffenstein HD]

We also had the "John Player Special" 323i cars which were similar specs to an iS , but with m-tech 1 kit, were black with gold mesh wheels & gold JPS livery and recaros from the factory. Only 150 built - haven't seen one in a long time now.

I think they had pfeba kits but a cool car they definitely were. Can't beat that black and gold.

They also had the sister car, the E30 323i Motorsport with the M stripes and M badges. Heard mention of a hot cam fitted to the JPS/Motorsport E30 323i but pretty hard to confirm.

If you run the VIN on these cars you won't find anything special as they were bought from BMW and hotted up by Frank Gardner's team.

[lukeADE335i]

There are other rare trim packs round the world - in Australia we had the 325iS similar to the UK market 325i sport, but unfortunately not with the SA market 2.7 evo engine.

We also had the "John Player Special" 323i cars which were similar specs to an iS , but with m-tech 1 kit, were black with gold mesh wheels & gold JPS livery and recaros from the factory. Only 150 built - haven't seen one in a long time now.

The e21 came with a couple of special editions down here too - a JPS 323i similar to the e30 and a 323i Motorsport - which had factory M badges (?!) and livery, Motorsport front and rear spoilers, CR box, LSD and recaros. They only came in white with the M stripes. A friend of mine had one of these, again only 150 built for BMW Australia.

[korn]

the great thing about the e30; is that properly restored/modded cars bring top dollar. More so than an average (is)... You are gonna do: suspension/steering/bushings at a minimum on any car. So a late model car is likely your best value if you are gonna build to an IS.

[mr2peak]

who the fuck cares just add what ever u want to the car and be happy with it , it aint no e30 m3 and there are many different versions of the m3 do they arent even that rear , get out and drive!

OP cares, as per his first post..

[francogt1]

who the fuck cares just add what ever u want to the car and be happy with it , it aint no e30 m3 and there are many different versions of the m3 do they arent even that rear , get out and drive!

[mr2peak]

They already are collector cars. The current size of the E30 community guarantees them a place among enthusiasts for a long time to come.

Hello,
So a friend of mine is looking to sell his 325i but I have always wanted a 325is, I am wondering if I put all 325is parts on this car is it then a 325is or does the vin say that it is a 325i? What is there on the car that I cannot change to make it a 325is? The problem is that I care more about the rarity of the car than the performance.

Thank you and sorry for the dumb question
-Ben

If you care more about the rarity, then don't buy it. M3's aren't even the rarest E30's! 318ic convertibles are quite rare, around 4,000 produced for the USA compared to 80,000 325ic cars. IX's are rarer than that. Any north american MTech car is rarer still. A 318is would be a great choice for future collectability, relative rarity, and a fun nicely balanced car with tons of potential.

Want the rarest of all? Track down a Canadian MTech 2 vert in black with a manual transmission :) There's 2 in the USA, 4 in Canada, and 1 MIA.

[nando]

2? it's 4 generations back. almost 5..

EDIT: Duh. you were talking about the e30 vs the 2002. :p

[jayamasaki79]

I agree they are not in this time yet "collectible" but...desirable, yes. Just look back at its 2 genertions back behicle. Given, its not a 3 seires, but the 67 - 76 bmw 1600,1602 and 2002 are getting up there in price. Non Ti & Tii versions on these cars are fetching a decent price from project cars to prestines show queens. The Ti Tii versions of these are rare, and expensive.
E30's will soon enough become a little bit more rare, a bit more desirable, and surely collectible. Time will tell.

[ELVA164]

I will agree it may happen, but I steadfastly maintain it's not worth it.

[Stanley Rockafella]

Just because you don't understand it, it doesn't mean it's not happening.

:thankyou:


As many have already pointed out, the M3 e30 is far out of the price range of many looking for a collectible car. As a result the focus will go to those that are closest to the M3 in terms of sportiness, and the e30 325is falls directly in line (in the NA market at least) after the e30 M3.

Combine that with the number of them that are being tracked, thrashed, R3v'd and generally fall in disrepair and neglect by those who drive them like they stole 'em, you have something that will inevitably rise in value as the number of those available decreases.

[jaywood]

Yet, m tech 1 steering wheels are now selling above $100 for clean ones, tweeter pods are approaching $100 a pair, map light mirrors as well, premium speakers. 13 button OBC conversions go for a pretty penny. The front and rear spoilers almost every car on this forum has, weaves,etc. Nice sport seats are going for several hundred dollars. There has been increasing demand for these parts but only so many 325iS. So yeah I would pay a premium for a factory iS with all of it's parts intact. $500-1000 maybe depending on condition but that number will go up as finding all these parts gets more expensive. I've been going to junkyards for years and can't remember the last time I saw a 325iS and if there was one it would have been raped fast. Most of the time it's an early car, a base model or convertible and i'm in LA where E30's were once a dime a dozen so the writing is on the wall. Not that the iS will reach M3 proportions but they also said the same thing about the M3 many years ago. "There's too many of them.""Too slow to ever fetch big money." "Not that much different from a 325iS." Yet, the few parts that are unique to the m3 go for CRAZY money. As these cars get older, any high trim level car that's complete will be sought after and fetch a premium. Just like the guy who paid $23k for the low mileage 318iS. Just because you don't understand it, it doesn't mean it's not happening.

Paying $500-$1000 extra for an iS isn't paying a "premium" and I would have no problem paying that.

Paying $23k for a 318iS is "premium."

[reelizmpro]

The fascination with iS is something I don't understand. iS parts are too easy to come by. Paying a premium for an 'S' on the trunk is nonsense.

Yet, m tech 1 steering wheels are now selling above $100 for clean ones, tweeter pods are approaching $100 a pair, map light mirrors as well, premium speakers. 13 button OBC conversions go for a pretty penny. The front and rear spoilers almost every car on this forum has, weaves,etc. Nice sport seats are going for several hundred dollars. There has been increasing demand for these parts but only so many 325iS. So yeah I would pay a premium for a factory iS with all of it's parts intact. $500-1000 maybe depending on condition but that number will go up as finding all these parts gets more expensive. I've been going to junkyards for years and can't remember the last time I saw a 325iS and if there was one it would have been raped fast. Most of the time it's an early car, a base model or convertible and i'm in LA where E30's were once a dime a dozen so the writing is on the wall. Not that the iS will reach M3 proportions but they also said the same thing about the M3 many years ago. "There's too many of them.""Too slow to ever fetch big money." "Not that much different from a 325iS." Yet, the few parts that are unique to the m3 go for CRAZY money. As these cars get older, any high trim level car that's complete will be sought after and fetch a premium. Just like the guy who paid $23k for the low mileage 318iS. Just because you don't understand it, it doesn't mean it's not happening.

[TobyB]

There's a ton of nonsense in the automotive world, and it's been going on a long time.

20 years ago, I watched a Mouse-Tang turn into a Boss Mouse-Tang by the addition
of some brackets, tabs, a bit of faked paint and stickers,

and the value of it doubled.

Real value? Hell, no. Cash in the faker's pocket? Spent just like real money, that cash did.

Personally, I don't get it either. But that's me.

t

[jaywood]

The fascination with iS is something I don't understand. iS parts are too easy to come by. Paying a premium for an 'S' on the trunk is nonsense.

[nando]

Most tercels are worth about $0, so significantly more is still basically nothing...