Matthew's forever E30 my 86' 325es

[Matt341]

Hello Everyone!

First I want to show you my new E30. For me it was always going to be an early model. Thats what the E30 is to me diving board bumpers and all. If I had to make a list of my "Dream Spec" E30 it would be as follows:

Non-negotiables

Coupe Early Model
Must be ES or 87 IS from Factory ( I really wanted a true ES )
Manual from Factory
No Bronzitbeig
Not modded past point of no return (OEM+)
No engine swaps

First Pic I took of Penny right after the test drive.


I am not sure where to start and there is a lot for me I want to say. I really do feel that things find you in life sometimes and if you had told me at the start of 2026 I would own an E30 2 weeks before I turned 31 I would have laughed. Kinda cool IMO that I bought this E30 when I was 30. Everyone knows how obsessed I am with these old BMW's and any E30, E28, E34 etc that any of my family spots they send me a photo. My sister was in Amsterdam and she sent me this photo of a clean E30 Touring.


I took a deep sigh...... I really miss having an E30. I never would have sold my previous E30 "Anne" and even looking at photos makes me so nostalgic. But once I graduated I got a job over an hour away and refused to drive her into the ground. So I walked away and picked up a Volvo C30 6 speed! it was cool but it was not a BMW. I finally have "adult money" now and a garage! So the gears started to turn in my mind. I think it might be time for another money pit.... I mean old BMW.

Here is Anne at the vintage 2016. I have no idea what happened to her after I sold her and its quite a.... touchy subject. I am very proud of how I kept her clean and on the road. Learned a lot and I dailyed an E30 for 5 years straight snow and all. She will always be my first E30. I wish I would have taken some of the cool parts (euro grills, clock, mtech 1 wheel, radio etc) off her before I sold her!



So I get the text from my sister and open up Google and literally type in "BMW E30 for Sale" and this little GEM popped up. Lets talk about the important stuff. I know we all love the options list.

The Facts: Taken from https://www.mdecoder.com/ (if you know a better one let me know)

VIN	REDACTED
Prod. Date	1986-02-25
Service History
Type	325e
Series	E30 (E30 Series)
Body Type	Coupe
Steering	Left Hand Drive
Engine	M20
Displacement	2.7
Power	121hp
Drive	rwd
Colour	Schwarz 086
Upholstery	Schwarz 0203
Check mileage

Editions and packages

S704	M Sports suspension
S708	M Sports steering wheel leather

Comfort and interior equipment

S401	Lift-up-and-slide-back sunroof, electric
S410	Window lifts, electric, front
S481	Sports seat

Multimedia

S675	Rear passenger compartment audio system

Driver assistance and lightning

S530	Air conditioning
S540	Cruise control
S551	On-board computer II with remote control

Wheels and drive

S209	Differential lock 25% LETS GOOOOO
S210	Dynamic stability control
S286	BMW light alloy wheel BMW styling

Environment and safety

S300	Emergency spare wheel
S325	Rear spoiler
S841	Dummy-SALAPA

Other equipment

S086

black

Perfect a factory manual all original ES with ONE OWNER and ZERO Accidents. Completely untouched. This thing is a freaking time capsule. A local dealership called Bob Evans Classics had it in PA. It was an hour away from me. I mean literally the FIRST E30 I look at is my dream spec. I had to have it. So I drove down and gave it a test drive. Here are some photos from the listing and ones I took the day I looked at her. Needless to say I offered on the spot and negotiated in a set of 15' IX Basket Weaves! (Next post has more photos reached the limit)

[Matt341]

More photos from the day I bought her.


Love the way the hood opens :D


My dream interior SPORT SEATS!! With MTech 1, I just love the way it looks. Is that a......... uncracked dash! yes it is




Paint is night and day from my first E30 and I think BMWs just look... right in black (Schwarz).

[Matt341]

So like I said I drove an hour away and driving home in my daily 2021 Jetta R 6 Speed I could not take the smile off my face I just bought my forever car with no compromise and it was the first E30 I looked at, it was meant to be. To be clear though this E30 will need some work. Its a "garage find" and I don't know the full story but I do know its a one owner car and whoever had it before took good care of Penny. Shes going to be right with me. I am an OEM/OEM+ guy. This is a long term project car for me.

Picking up the car with the Wife who took some photos of me. Let it be known I did wear my houndstooth shirt! (This was about 10 days after looking at her) needed someone to follow me home.




CHECK OUT what the dealership just got in. I was told it was a JDM Import E30 M3. my understanding is this car is for sale now (It may have sold)






The drive home those plates are from my old Volvo lol. I didn't want to wait.


Back at her forever home. My jetta looking jealous in the background.

[Matt341]

So its been a few weeks since I brought Penny back home. She was of course put right away into the garage. I said in a earlier post the dealership did not offer temp plates and I didn't want to wait so I drove her home and had to sit for a few weeks until I could get a DMV appointment and paperwork together.

So why is she called Penny I think all cars deserve a name and sometimes it takes a little but occasionally the universe tells you. I bought the car in PA specifically in Penndel so on the drive home the name "Penny" was a thought. Since she is an "e" I wanted her to have a name with at least one e in it. Then going through the E30 at home I find one single Penny in the center ash tray..... well if that isn't a sign I don't know what is. This Penny will never leave this E30 its her lucky charm. 1969 as well... nice.



Some other photos of the interior. I just love the E30 interior its a nice place to be and Sport Seats are worth the hype. Never thought I would have an Uncracked Dash.





Found a set of dirt cheap E46 mats on amazon $40! (She did not have mats when I picked her up) I am saving up for a full set of Coco Mats. They fit ok but again for $40 im happy. LMK If you guys want the link.


Additional "True ES verification" this is a rare car in all original form.

[Matt341]

As part of the sale of Penny I talked myself into a set of 15' IX Basketweaves (no center caps). Not going to lie for about 1 second I thought they might be Euroweaves but IX is second best. Listen I just do not care for bottlecaps they look right on 2002's but IMO the E30 just looks right with Weaves. Way down the line I think I want real built wheels as I have never had them. But for now these will do. Plus the tires on the bottlecaps were cracking and shot.


The before

My Dad and I putting them on. He is who got me into BMWs. My dad is a 5 series guy. Hes had a 95 525i and a 2001 540i M Sport 6 Speed. He is aggressively looking to get an E28 now that I have another E30.


The after listen for now thats the ride height but my no means will I be keeping this suspension stock this will be lowered.

[reelizmpro]

NIce pick up. Growing up with my 85 325e in the early 90's, I always lusted after the front cowcatcher airdam. It really transformed the front end. When I finally got one along with an M tech rear deck spoiler, I swear a guy with a 318i jumped out of his car and came running up to me repeatedly asking if I had an "iS." He was super giddy about my car. Being the top of the line, the 'S' models were very sought after and there was a big price difference. This post takes me back. Have fun with the build!

Here's a pic of my mom's 87 325eS and my 85 325e (bronzit) back in the day.

[Panici]

Looks like a fantastic car to start with, congratulations!
I'm a sucker for the eS and iS as well.

Subscribed to see how you get on with it!

[lukem23]

Did uou buy this is lancaster, PA?

[2mAn]

Congrats, I actually prefer the ES Cowcatcher > the IS. Cleaner look and even though mine is now a 2.7i I am hoping to keep it this way. Needed something lighter and wider than the Euroweaves, plus I hate cleaning them but they look so good with them.

What are the plans from here?

[Matt341]

Lovely E30s! On the Bronzit what is that rear apron? It works with Diving board bumpers?

Looks like a fantastic car to start with, congratulations!
I'm a sucker for the eS and iS as well.

Subscribed to see how you get on with it!

Thank you! So happy to be in a "true ES" going to keep this OEM+ expect regular updates!

Did uou buy this is lancaster, PA?

I bought this in Penndel PA

Congrats, I actually prefer the ES Cowcatcher > the IS. Cleaner look and even though mine is now a 2.7i I am hoping to keep it this way. Needed something lighter and wider than the Euroweaves, plus I hate cleaning them but they look so good with them.

What are the plans from here?

I agree 100% and it takes a true E30 nut to see the difference. When I had my last E30 87 325e I bought an IS cowcatcher then sold it since it was not right and learned the ES was different. As for my plans they are long term. I am thinking about this E30 in phases. But I will not be keeping it stock the aim is OEM+ so in short lowered and improved suspension, and down the line the 2.7i stroker. I like the idea of keeping the original engine but want the power and improved performance that comes with the 2.7i then ill have IMO the real "ES" from BMW.

[jp5Touring]

Congrats, Nice find and keep us posted on updates.

[Matt341]

A few updates!

I may in fact be stupid. Let me tell you about it. This photo below from my swapping to the Basketweaves has the clue in it. Ill keep it brief. Following the install of the weaves I could not drive the E30 as I had not received my plates. So around 2.5 weeks went buy. I started ordering parts for a mild interior trim refresh and an install of a Euro Clock I have had on my desk for the past 10 years reminding me I need another E30.

So plates come in and I go to take my Wife for a test drive and...... my E30 wont move. I am making this post after solving this but at the time it just felt like a stuck ebrake. It had all the symptoms and most importantly the Ebrake was on the way out. For it to work it had to be all the way up and still it barely held. It was on my list to fix. In my mind the car sitting for 2.5ish weeks the shoes on the ebrake failed or the cable was bad. Casing the rears to "lock up"



So I worked off that assumption. First I checked the cables. Since the ebrake only "worked" on the highest setting so perhaps the cables were so tight they needed to be replaced or readjusted. Its not hard to get to the cables.


Hmm... they look fine. I guess its somewhere else down the system.


This crusty ass eboot will not be part of my E30 any longer. This is NLA new so I found a nice newish one on Ebay and ordered the rest of the system for the ebrake from FCP Euro.

About a week later the parts arrived and I got to work. I went with the full "while your in there" as its never a bad idea to refresh parts on a 40 year old car. This is rotors, cables, shoes, brake pads, and all remaining odds and ends for the E30 ebrake refresh. Ive never done this job before but there are some nice guides on Youtube and I am mechanically inclined enough to figure it out. No better way to learn than just to get so deep there is no way out but to lock in.



Snapped a quick pic while I had her up.



Post to continue reached 5 image limit.

[Matt341]

It was a bit of challenge if im honest but learned a few things almost like a drum brake which I have never worked on before. Getting everything lined up was the hardest part. In the end I was successful



I did notice that my swaybar was connected via Bluetooth... so I fixed that asap.



passenger side I didn't forget the retaining clip don't worry.


My dad joined me to assist in setting/adjusting the ebrake and thankfully the cables looked quite healthy so we did not swap those out. We then lower the car and.................... shes still locked up. Damn.... what next??? I put it in R and give it some gas the rear wheels are spinning but the fronts are LOCKED UP no movement. Im thinking ts gotta be the front brakes most likely the calipers. They are old its been sitting perhaps they are seized. So we jack up the fronts and find that they are spinning brakes are working. Huh........ We put the 15s back on same issue. They it hits me like a train. The 15's are rubbing on the strut.


Artist rendition of the location of the rubbing. Damn welp I guess I need spacers to run these 15s. For those curious tires are 205/55/R15 direzza dz102's (came free with wheels)

[Matt341]

Lesson learned but I got a working ebrake out of it so ill call it a win. Now that shes up and running I have been taking her on small errend runs and making the list of things to address.

Installed the new lever and ebrake boot.


New on left. Old one was split and cracking. I was able to get his new.


New on left. On the old one you can see how worn out it was from being up all the way for a long time.


Nice and minty! Its the little stuff for me it adds up.



One of the things I have going for me is this interior is in pretty good shape. As the new steward I will keep it that way. So I applied Leather CPR to the front and back seats.


Cleaned up nicely IMO.

[Matt341]

Quick Pic I snapped just rocking the 14s while I sus out the E30 and order spacers or go another direction.




Alignment is def off and the tach is dead. So add that to the list.


My pop out window trim is loose? never heard of this but noted it on the way home.

Thats it for now. Ordering parts for the next round of fixes.