I sort of stopped posting my buying experiences in another thread because....well, I forgot. But a few days ago my search for a(nother) new, and conveniently non-totalled, E30 came to an end when I found this one on Craigslist.
It's an '87 325ic, delphin on black as can be seen in the pics. I wasn't looking at verts, but I couldn't pass up the deal. 1 California owner since new, sweetheart of a Vietnamese lady in Mission Viejo. She bought it at Pacific BMW and now, 20 years later, it's come back home since I live just up the road from there. It's got 263K on the chassis, but in 1999 she blew up the motor (the temp gauge was pegged up a mountain pass, but she just KNEW she could make it home), and she couldn't bear to part with it so she had BMW install a new motor (to the tune of $6,000) making it...8 years old. Oil changes every 2,000 miles ever since. Garage kept its whole life, but it does have some chips, dings, and surface scratches (all of which will buff out great). Clearcoat's perfect and the thing is pretty damn straight. Drives super smooth, but does have some issues - tranny noise which will be covered in a different thread, sounds like a front right bearing is imminent, and it wouldn't pass smog for her.
Because of that last part, and because when I came to test drive it the clutch master cylinder had just been decapitated by a torn pedal box and I had to buy it without driving it, the price was....
$1,000. To which, may I add the obligatory: Bitches.
I already fixed the pedal box yesterday with a later style pedal set I had lying around, and installed a new slave and master while I was at it. Not too worried about smog - I could spend a LOT of money fixing it and still have gotten a great deal, or dump some Guaranteed to Pass in there and call it a day. Tires are spanking new and it drives smooth as can be. Timing belt needs to be done ASAP, which is great since it's been what, three weeks since I had to do the one on my wrecked car. Everything works. The top, not pictured, is 8 years old but looks like 8 days - it's in beautiful condition, including the rear window.
On to photos. This is before any cleaning, detailing, buffing, touchup, etc. Better/cooler photos to come when there's anything to show show besides a nice stock big-bumper cabrio:
Anyone know what that cover is for?
It's an '87 325ic, delphin on black as can be seen in the pics. I wasn't looking at verts, but I couldn't pass up the deal. 1 California owner since new, sweetheart of a Vietnamese lady in Mission Viejo. She bought it at Pacific BMW and now, 20 years later, it's come back home since I live just up the road from there. It's got 263K on the chassis, but in 1999 she blew up the motor (the temp gauge was pegged up a mountain pass, but she just KNEW she could make it home), and she couldn't bear to part with it so she had BMW install a new motor (to the tune of $6,000) making it...8 years old. Oil changes every 2,000 miles ever since. Garage kept its whole life, but it does have some chips, dings, and surface scratches (all of which will buff out great). Clearcoat's perfect and the thing is pretty damn straight. Drives super smooth, but does have some issues - tranny noise which will be covered in a different thread, sounds like a front right bearing is imminent, and it wouldn't pass smog for her.
Because of that last part, and because when I came to test drive it the clutch master cylinder had just been decapitated by a torn pedal box and I had to buy it without driving it, the price was....
$1,000. To which, may I add the obligatory: Bitches.
I already fixed the pedal box yesterday with a later style pedal set I had lying around, and installed a new slave and master while I was at it. Not too worried about smog - I could spend a LOT of money fixing it and still have gotten a great deal, or dump some Guaranteed to Pass in there and call it a day. Tires are spanking new and it drives smooth as can be. Timing belt needs to be done ASAP, which is great since it's been what, three weeks since I had to do the one on my wrecked car. Everything works. The top, not pictured, is 8 years old but looks like 8 days - it's in beautiful condition, including the rear window.
On to photos. This is before any cleaning, detailing, buffing, touchup, etc. Better/cooler photos to come when there's anything to show show besides a nice stock big-bumper cabrio:
Anyone know what that cover is for?
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