The car:
1986 2-door 325E Auto. Maroon Metallic with pearl beige interior. 89,000 original miles.
From 1986 until 2002 (16 years) and 62,825 miles the car was in Palmdale, CA. The original owner then moved to Connecticut and brought the car with him. I learned from the shop that performed all the work on the car here locally that the original owner sold/transferred the car to his son in February of 2017 with 86,600 miles when he became too old to safely drive. The son sold it shortly after in March of 2017 to the owner I bought it off with an accurate 89,000 miles.
The car has impeccable maintenance records from 2002 until the present getting brakes, drive belts, timing belts, coolant flushes, new radiator hoses, regular oil changes, new exhaust from the cat back, cam seals replaced, main seal replaced, new cap/rotor/plugs and Beru wires. The shop told me they could provide me with over $8,000.00 in receipts for work done.
The Good:
- 2-doors
- Low miles
- Absolutely ZERO rust
- Crack free dash
- Perfect door panels. Not a bit of delamination.
- Perfect original bottle cap wheels
- New tires
- Manual sunroof works smooth as butter
- All tools present minus the allen wrench and window tool
- A mint rear parcel shelf
The not so good:
- The paint is faded. The car really deserves a proper all windows out, stripped of everything repaint. A cut and buff just won't be enough.
- The pearl beige interior. For me it seems too light. I'm thinking a darker brown like nutria or black may look less "old man" But, I'll live with it a bit.
- Comfort seats. I'd like sports as, IMHO,they are more comfortable and just look better.
- Auto transmission. A 5-speed swap is not a priority right now.
- No radio. I will source an original unit.
- Non working radio antenna
- Bottle cap wheels are not very sporty.
- Has a hunting idle. I'll start by cleaning the ICV and check the fittings going into the throttle body and go from there.
- No history of a transmission service. Easily rectified.
- Diving board bumpers but, that's only esthetically.
My biggest reservation on the car was the hunting idle but, I know this is a common E30 issue and can be sorted out with enough patience. The second is the pearl beige interior. I love the maroon color but, combined with the pearl beige interior it really does, imho, make it look as non sporty as you could make an E30 look which I understand the buyer of an automatic 325E back in 1986 was probably buying this car as the perfect car for him. The hardest thing is that the seats, door panels and every other piece is in perfect condition. I will be asking for opinions on what interior color goes well with the maroon. Black would probably be the easiest but, I was thinking a darker brown may look ok.
1986 2-door 325E Auto. Maroon Metallic with pearl beige interior. 89,000 original miles.
From 1986 until 2002 (16 years) and 62,825 miles the car was in Palmdale, CA. The original owner then moved to Connecticut and brought the car with him. I learned from the shop that performed all the work on the car here locally that the original owner sold/transferred the car to his son in February of 2017 with 86,600 miles when he became too old to safely drive. The son sold it shortly after in March of 2017 to the owner I bought it off with an accurate 89,000 miles.
The car has impeccable maintenance records from 2002 until the present getting brakes, drive belts, timing belts, coolant flushes, new radiator hoses, regular oil changes, new exhaust from the cat back, cam seals replaced, main seal replaced, new cap/rotor/plugs and Beru wires. The shop told me they could provide me with over $8,000.00 in receipts for work done.
The Good:
- 2-doors
- Low miles
- Absolutely ZERO rust
- Crack free dash
- Perfect door panels. Not a bit of delamination.
- Perfect original bottle cap wheels
- New tires
- Manual sunroof works smooth as butter
- All tools present minus the allen wrench and window tool
- A mint rear parcel shelf
The not so good:
- The paint is faded. The car really deserves a proper all windows out, stripped of everything repaint. A cut and buff just won't be enough.
- The pearl beige interior. For me it seems too light. I'm thinking a darker brown like nutria or black may look less "old man" But, I'll live with it a bit.
- Comfort seats. I'd like sports as, IMHO,they are more comfortable and just look better.
- Auto transmission. A 5-speed swap is not a priority right now.
- No radio. I will source an original unit.
- Non working radio antenna
- Bottle cap wheels are not very sporty.
- Has a hunting idle. I'll start by cleaning the ICV and check the fittings going into the throttle body and go from there.
- No history of a transmission service. Easily rectified.
- Diving board bumpers but, that's only esthetically.
My biggest reservation on the car was the hunting idle but, I know this is a common E30 issue and can be sorted out with enough patience. The second is the pearl beige interior. I love the maroon color but, combined with the pearl beige interior it really does, imho, make it look as non sporty as you could make an E30 look which I understand the buyer of an automatic 325E back in 1986 was probably buying this car as the perfect car for him. The hardest thing is that the seats, door panels and every other piece is in perfect condition. I will be asking for opinions on what interior color goes well with the maroon. Black would probably be the easiest but, I was thinking a darker brown may look ok.
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