I recently acquired a 1987 325e "barn find". Barn find might be a bit generous but it did sit in a barn, covered, over plastic, for 12 years. To be blunt, I'm trying to flip it as I already have 6 cars. I'm looking for advice as to whether the best route is to dump more money into it to make it an attractive car for a buyer going the stock restoration route, or to sell it more or less as-is to someone that would do a performance build... just fix a window regulator, give it a thorough cleaning and detailing, fix up the brakes and generally make it safe to drive.
I'm just not sure what a buyer would be looking for in a 325e. If it were to be a performance build, I would leave it mostly alone. No point in redoing the suspension if someone is just going to swap a Ground Control suspension in and put Delrin bushings everywhere. No point in going through the motor if it's most likely going to get an S52.
The good: It runs, has a manual trans, factory limited slip, NO BODY RUST! It's truly amazing. There is a dent/crease that looks PDR-able, and a small but deep scrape on the wheel arch that is not easily fixable, otherwise the body has no paint peeling, no rust even around the license plate lights and windshield cowl. The seats and interior are in very good shape with no tears, and the dash is not cracked!
The Bad: It's been sitting for 12 years and needs everything else mechanically.
Because the panels and paint are all original, it would make a nice stock restoration, but it could also be the base of a beautiful performance build. I just don't know what direction to take with it to maximize profit.
I'm just not sure what a buyer would be looking for in a 325e. If it were to be a performance build, I would leave it mostly alone. No point in redoing the suspension if someone is just going to swap a Ground Control suspension in and put Delrin bushings everywhere. No point in going through the motor if it's most likely going to get an S52.
The good: It runs, has a manual trans, factory limited slip, NO BODY RUST! It's truly amazing. There is a dent/crease that looks PDR-able, and a small but deep scrape on the wheel arch that is not easily fixable, otherwise the body has no paint peeling, no rust even around the license plate lights and windshield cowl. The seats and interior are in very good shape with no tears, and the dash is not cracked!
The Bad: It's been sitting for 12 years and needs everything else mechanically.
Because the panels and paint are all original, it would make a nice stock restoration, but it could also be the base of a beautiful performance build. I just don't know what direction to take with it to maximize profit.
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