This is such a fun car, urns heads everywhere it goes! It's an ultra-clean E30 that's always been babied. It hasn't been a daily driver since the 90's, iving in the third garage bay and only coming out for really nice days. Almost every time I drive it I get thumbs-ups from other drivers, nd people roll down their windows to chat at stop lights, hich is really fun. It's like driving a piece of history, specially when you're blasting some Biggie or Michael Jackson.
The greatest hits:- It's the beautiful Dauphin Gray color, aint is in amazing shape- Reconditioned leather interior, ome wrinkles and the usual wear but nice dark black- Upgraded Blaupunkt head unit with bluetooth and a custom subwoofer box with 2 10" Rockford Fosgate subs and a 400 watt RF amp. Maintains tons of trunk space (can still fit three golf bags back there!) but adds some welcome bass- Convertible top is in mint condition (except for slightly cloudy plastic window)- Really sweet factory E30 stealth radar detector mounted under dash, eally unique if not so functional anymore (no laser obvi).- Leather bra- BMWCCA roundel in the grille (I love this but you could obviously remove it)- 14" spoke wheels (the ones you want for this year)- Sport steering wheel (not M, ut not the hideous airbag wheel some E30s have)- This thing is CLEAN. It feels almost brand new at times, rives beautifully and is an awesome piece of history
Maintenance:- New timing belt, hermostat, ounts, he whole big E30 maintenance package was performed in late 2013 and only has 2k miles or so since then- All new Bilstein HD shocks and new bushings in all four corners, tock ride height but a much tighter ride- Replaced both control arms as part of suspension upgrade- New rotors and brake pads front and rear, rilled rotors in the front- Replaced lots of little bits like new antenna, lastic covers in engine bay, abin lights, ood and trunk struts, ixed small cracks in plastic, ll kinds of stuff. I have receipts for all of it which I'll include with the maintenance history.
HistoryI'm the fourth owner, nd the third to own the car as a second or third car. Originally purchased in Connecticuit and daily-driven until 65k or so miles, as sold to an older man who kept it at his beach house. He sold it to his buddy who also kept it at his beach house in CT until they sold the house, nd I purchased it from him.
Carfax shows the title as having a NAM or "not actual mileage" title that was issued in CT around the 60k mileage mark. It's unclear exactly why, y mechanic speculated that it could have been a clerical error or paperwork snafu (owner didn't know mileage at the RMV counter or something). The car's condition and mechanical condition is testament to the mileage being correct (or within a few miles if it indeed was a mechanical issue with the odometer).
The "collectors" who have owned the car (myself included) have documented pretty much every little scrap of maintenance, o included you'll find a hefty manilla folder with all the receipts, stimates and descriptions of work.
Things I'd want to know if I was buying it:- Convertible top seals:it seals up tight everywhere but a tiny spot in the corners of the drivers and passenger's windows. It's actually so symmetrical that it seems like it's supposed to be this way (i've never seen a brand new one, bviously). This is only an issue if you drive the car in a torrential downpour, nd even then it'll hold for 20 minutes or so. It doesn't leak in the usual E30 spot which is near the latch, t's a tiny dribble in the left front (never the right for some reason). I've never had a pro look at it but it might be simple to fix with a tiny piece of rubber stripping, ut I only drive it on nice days so it's really not an issue. Don't take it through automatic car washes.
- There's a tiny shimmy between 55mph and 65mph. The car is smooth everywhere else and corners well, specially with the new Bilsteins. But for some reason when you get to about 55 you'll feel a little vibration in the steering wheel. It goes away once you get to 65 though, o idea what the cause is. I drive it mostly around town between 20mph and 40mph, o I forget about this sometimes. If you're commuting an hour to work on the freeway each day, his car is probably not for you.
- The brake lining indicator wiring appears to be busted, ven though the brake overhaul put in new sensors and all that the light will occasionally come on. See gauge cluster picture. Apparently the E30 electrical system can get pretty crazy, ut this one's gremlins seem to be localized to the brake wear indicator. Not worth ferreting out in my opinion.
- The BMW tool kit is there under the trunk, ut the tools are rusty. I think some water got in the trunk at some point in the vehicle's history (not on my watch) and it rusted the screwdriver and stuff. I've checked the weather stripping on the trunk and adjusted the latch pressure so it's nice and tight, ut the original maintenance kit isn't much to look at inside. Plastic is in good shape and you could just buy new tools for it.
What it comes with:- Entire maintenance history- Two keys- Detailed E30 Technical Manuals- Assorted extra plastic bits like plastic fasteners, crews, hings like that- Car cover