Andrew's Sterlingsilber 90 325iS -> 318iS

[Andrew325is]

I was starting to miss my last E30 so I decided it was time for a new one. I can’t believe it has already been over 6 years since I sold my Zinno 88 325iS with the S54 swap. I love a red E30, but my 94 Defender 90 is red and I decided I don’t want 2 red cars. I started thinking about which other color I would like instead, and it was an easy choice. When I was in Seattle a while back I saw a Sterlingsilber 318iS and I fell in love with the color. So that’s the one I set out to find. Of course, it turns out that color isn’t all that common since it was offered only in 90 and 91 so I thought finding one would probably be a long shot. I posted on the forum on New Years Eve that I was looking for one and when I woke up in the morning I had a message from another forum member who had found one on Craigslist that had just been posted in the Atlanta area. He offered to go check it out for me as something fun to do, which was a super nice gesture. Based on his assessment, viewing the very detailed photos he took, and talking to the owner I decided to go ahead and purchase it without flying down there to see it myself. The previous owner was very nice to work with and the transaction went very smooth.

It’s due for a timing belt so I decided against driving it back to Oregon. The forum member who found it recommended an auto transport broker (Number 1 Auto Transport) so I called them and arranged shipping. They had a carrier ready to load it up the first day of my pickup window (4 Jan) and the trucker delivered it on Tuesday, the 8th. I was very impressed.







The previous owner told me he bought it from a member of the Air Force in Spokane, WA, which was in December of 2003. It was sold new at BMW Northwest in Tacoma. So now it has come back home to the PNW. :)

It’s all original and stock except for the wheels (I plan to get some Euroweaves), has fairly low miles for its age (164k), no rust (except for little specks where the paint is chipped that I need to touch up), and it seems to be fully optioned. It has heated sport seats, ski bag with rear armrest, and a map light rear view mirror. The build sheet is listed below.

I spent time yesterday and today cleaning it. I dissolved all the tar from the lower side panels with WD40, then I went over the whole car with a clay bar, and I waxed it. The paint is pretty good for being 29 years old. I’ll just need to get a new front spoiler and paint that and touch up the rock chips. Depending on how thick the paint is I think buffing it could remove all the light scratches.







The interior is in pretty good shape. The dash is crack-free, but the leather seats can use some help. I plan to reupholster them in black leather. The previous owner included an extra set of rear speakers in black, so I’ll just need the door cards. I don’t want to modify an original car too much, but I think changing to black will be okay.





Prod. Date 1990-02-21
Type 325I (USA)
Series E30 (3 Series)
Body Type LIM
Steering Left Hand Drive
Engine M20
Displacement 2.50
Power 125kw / 170hp
Drive HECK
Transmission Manual
Colour STERLINGSILBER METALLIC (244)
Upholstery (0292)

Comfort And Interior Equipment
S401A Liftupandslideback Sunroof Electric
S410A Window Lifts Electric Front
S464A Ski Bag
S481A Sports Seat
S494A Seat Heating Driverpassenger

Multimedia
S675A Rear Audio System

Driver Assistance And Lightning
S530A Air Conditioning
S540A Cruise Control
S551A Onboard Computer II With Remote Control
S562A Reading Light

Wheels And Drive
S209A Differential Lock 25
S226A Sports Suspension Settings
S240A Leather Steering Wheel
S281A BMW LA Wheel Chromeplatedround Spoke

Environment And Safety
S324A FRONT-UND HECKSPOILER
S841A AUSSENSPIN WAGFAU325IS SCH

Other Equipment
S925A VERSANDSCHUTZPAKET

[Jokester]

I know this car will be well taken care of, excited to see where this goes. Sub’d

[Andrew325is]

I know this car will be well taken care of, excited to see where this goes. Sub’d

Thanks. I’ll do my best. :)

Today I changed the oil in the engine, gearbox, and final drive. I used Liqui Moly 5w-30 in the engine. (Edit: Changed to Mobil 1 15W-50). I put Pentosin FFL4 in the gearbox, and Amsoil Severe Gear 75w-90 in the final drive because I already had that on hand.

[ATL_E30]

I was talking with Connor the other day and he told me how slick this ride was! Good to see it's gone to a good home. Can't wait to see the you transform it, I think the black interior will look really nice in this car.

Sub'd!

[connorb850]

Looks like the car was in good company for the ride across country!

Happy to hear you are going to keep it mostly stock. Any plans for suspension, though?

[wworm]

I personally love the grey interior. I think you should keep it (or sell it to me lol)

[e30austin]

Nice looking little car, Andrew. Have fun with your new project. Do you intend to keep this one relatively stock?

I would say leave the Silbergrau alone. Give everything a thorough detail and redye the front seats. It's a nice combination and it all looks to be pretty decent. The ski-pass rear seat is a nice option, too.

[Andrew325is]

Yeah, I plan to keep it stock. I'm tempted to eventually throw an M54b30 into it, but I'm not sure how that would affect its future value. I should probably keep the old engine and gearbox if I was going to do that, so I would need to wait until I have a good place to store those. Maybe the same for the interior. I should probably hang onto the old seat covers and door cards if I switch them out for black. The driver's bolster needs repair so it'll still need work whatever I do. I read dying the seats is a PITA, so I think getting new covers would be the most simple approach. Plaid seats would be awesome, but those would probably be hard to find. No rush on that I guess. :)

[Andrew325is]

I think I'll leave the suspension alone. It has Bilstein B4 shocks that look pretty recent.

[laidback93]

Wow! What a nice e30 example!

BTW - I reached out to the transport company you used for a quote. I need to get my e30 shipped down to Phoenix from Nor Cal.

[Andrew325is]

You know what I’m thinking now? :) Instead or changing the interior to black maybe I can get the silber uberkaro fabric. Since the seats are already grey leather I could do the centers so they’d be like the Evo 2.

Found the fabric here: http://www.atxautosport.com/bespoke-products.html
Anyone order from them or know another supplier?

[325e '87]

I’m an old fart and I actually prefer fabric seats. Warm in winter, cool in summer, and even the comfort seats keep you from sliding around.

Love my blue seats.

[Mahalaleel]

You found a gem! It's so clean.

No rust anywhere is a find.

[pazu]

Good lookin car !

[nando]

Looks clean. Has it been repainted? Sterling Silver didn't hold up all that well (80's paint formulas, especially metallic, weren't great). Either that or somebody was meticulous with the paint.