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Here's where it starts to get fun. When I got it home, I started putting together my goals for the car as well as going through the history and documentation to see what the car is (and what it isn't! more to come on that).
As for the car's spec, here's what I ended up bringing home:
1989 BMW M3 Zinnoberrot/Natur
203k miles
Clean title, no accidents.
Partial repaint on pass. side due to being keyed
Tons of maintenance and new parts
Evo II front chin spoiler
Evo III door sills
OEM Euro grills
Sparco strut brace
H&R Sport springs/Bilstien sport shocks
2.5L rebuild completed ~12k miles ago by a shop in Portland, OR.
11:1 compression JE forged pistons
Bigger valves 40mm intake and 36mm exhaust
Portmatched head and throttle body flow
Balance and blueprinted block
Grp A headgasket
Aluminum flywheel
Sachs sport clutch
20231030_112009 by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr
First priority was getting rid of the 18" Rotiform wheels. I made a deal with a fellow r3ver and secured a set of e28 M5 wheels. They're almost identical to the 16" e30 M3 Sport Evolution wheels but with a slightly more aggressive offset and look right at home on an e30 M3.
Since this is a 2.5 car, I decided right away I wanted some Sport Evo accents on this car. Starting with painting the centers of my new wheels Nogaro silver.
Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr
Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr
Once this task was complete, I had them mounted on Toyo Proxes in the factory-spec 225/45R16. This is a tough size and there aren't many choices but so far I've been happy with the Toyos. Unfortunately since the 18s were a taller overall diameter, putting the correct size wheel/tire made the wheel gap from the H&R Sports that much more pronounced. I didn't like the overly cushy feel of the Sports, so suspension moved further up on my to-do list.
Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr
Next up was exhaust. This car already had a catless resonated center section but the factory silencer was simply too quiet - I like a little exhaust note to go with my ITB intake sound! I had been really happy with the Rogue Engineering Diablo exhaust I mounted on the M3 cabrio replica, so I ordered another for this car. It's got a nice deep tone without any rasp or drone. Not the greatest pic but I like the dual walled tips:
Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr
It was about this time that I started digging a little further into the car's history, and found some VERY interesting details about the engine rebuild.
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IronJoe's back in an e30... 1989 M3!
After four years without a gasoline-powered vehicle, I'm back in an e30!
IMG_2364 by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr
Oldschool r3v'ers may remember my Henna M3, which was taken out by a distracted driver in late 2015:
iPhone 4 Final Backup 860 by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr
Then, I took the guts from that car and re-shelled them into a cabrio chassis, complete with OEM steel bodywork conversion to replicate the E30 M3 cabriolet:
43115108392_1b31ec602d_o by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr
I then sold this car on BaT in 2019 to fund the purchase of a 1980 BMW M1 that never came to fruition. So I bought a Tesla Model 3 Performance (groans from audience). My work-life had changed a lot and I was commuting 3+ hours a day, the autopilot and free charging at work made the choice very attractive.
Tesla_Performance by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr
Like 2mAn, I cannot possibly leave well enough alone so the car eventually got suspension, Supergloss Mamba Green metallic vinyl wrap, carbon front splitter/rear spoiler, and Fikse wheels.
Edit_P3140151 by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr
When the Panini hit in 2020 I was sent home from work and am now a 100% remote worker, so I don't have a commute and basically just drive around town. Mid-2022 I decided to entertain the idea of getting back into an e30. I found a local Mtech1 in rough shape that would have been a great project, but it ultimately fell through my grasp. For a good reason, it would turn out.
Being honest with myself, I really wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than another e30 M3. My Henna car was the best car I've ever owned and I missed the drive so much. So, I started watching the market closely with intent. When the market started to soften in 2023, I knew I had one last chance to jump back in before these were all untouchable at my level of funds.
Enter: the ugliest eBay '89 M3.
110070253 by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr
Listed on eBay for $65,000. I took one look at this car and hated it. A "regular" red after I had owned Henna red? Couldn't do it. The wheels were horrible, ill-fitting, and gaudy. I hate Tan interior. Oh, and it had "10k on a rebuild" listed with absolutely zero additional information. It had only one thing going for it, it was local-ish (Oregon).
After months of seeing very average cars go RNM on BaT, shells going for $20-30k, private party listings for driver-quality M3s with tons of miles listed for six figures, I kept coming back to this ugly eBay '89. I watched it listed time and time again and fail to hit the reserve, and the Buy It Now price kept dropping. When it dropped to $50k I made the call.
I went to see the car and got a chance to look at the owner's paperwork. My heart skipped a beat when I read that this was a fully built 2.5L S14 with serious top end work, aluminum flywheel, and lots of other little goodies. Simply put, the owner didn't know what he had. I drove it and couldn't believe how hard it pulled for an S14 - it felt more like a mini S50! Could I... learn to love this car?
IMG_2123 by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr
I kept my poker face and we struck a deal. I could afford the car, but not the sales tax I owed once I got back to WA which was going to be another $5,000. So I went home and for the second time in my life, I sold everything that wasn't bolted down to afford an e30 m3.
Once the check cleared I took an Amtrak train down to Oregon on a Friday afternoon and drove the car home. The tach was inop, the too-wide rear wheels scraped EVERYWHERE, and the clutch was unbelievably stiff. Other than that, everything on the car "worked" but I couldn't wait to get it home and make it my own.
20231030_111855 by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr
Last edited by IronJoe; 01-18-2024, 03:50 PM.
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