1990 BMW E30 325is Wagon, right-hand drive, Sterling Silver, 2.5 M20 inline-six engine, close-ratio 5-speed manual, 3.91 diff. & 17" wheels.
I’ve bought this low-mileage 3-Series wagon last summer, after looking for a long time for a well-preserved car in this color combo & with a 5-speed manual. It had just been imported from England under our 25-year rule.
As a young adult living in Germany, this was always my dream car. Now that I’m in my mid-50’s …I decided to get the best one I could get my hands on, and then enhance it a bit to my liking. The car was already in really great condition when I got it. It had been well taken care off, as there are not many of these wagons around in un-molested mechanical & solid-body conditions.
It also only took me a couple of days to get used to the right-hand drive position …and then, it simply became second nature.
The following list are the improvements that I’ve made to the car, during the past year:
Full Service, incl. synthetic oil & filter, cap & rotor, valve adjustment, professional fuel injector cleaning, K&N air filter, Redline Synthetic clutch fluid change, brake fluid change, fuel filter, coolant flush, drive belts, upgraded UUC-Front Control Arm Bushings, Tie-Rod End.
Recent Timing Belt Service, by previous owner.
M5 Organic Clutch & UUC Motorwerks Lightweight Flywheel ($1000 w/o install)
EVO-3 Ultimate Short Shifter ($500 w/o install). The UUC Motorwerks shifter is the #1 shifter.
Full new OE-Exhaust. ($600)
New Starter Motor. Old one was a bit noisy.
All new Brakes, incl. cross-drilled& slotted rotors, stainless brake lines & new pads. ($900 w/o install)
H&R OE Sport Springs w/new spring pads.
New Tires + Alignment ($600)
Strut Brace by Bavarian Autosport
M-Tech Alcantara Steering Wheel (ordered from Germany) ($450)
Leather M-shift boot, shift knob & hand brake handle ($250)
3-pod instrument cluster in center console (Oil Pressure, Oil Temp & Volt Meter) – professionally installed. ($800 incl. install)
New quality Sound System – Kenwood Head Unit w/hands-free Bluetooth & iPhone Interface. 4 new Focal speakers. $900
Alarm System w/keyless remote entry (2 remotes) $500
Top-of-the-line Whispbar S5 Roof Rack w/WB200 bike carrier. ($750)
All service was done at a top-rated BMW Shop in Kirkland, WA.
I have service receipts for over $7K, not incl. the above listed parts/items!
The car actually didn’t need that much, when I bought it …but I wanted it to be mechanically close to perfect as possible.
Inside the car is in excellent condition! The leather seats are in great condition with folding rear seats. Headliner & carpets are in great order with no rips or tears. Analog clock & all switch gear is working and in good condition, incl. electric front windows & electric sun roof.
It does not have factory air conditioning, which is the norm on the European cars, from that era. A retrofit is obviously possible, with so many parted-out E30’s in junkyards, stateside.
Outside, the silver paint has been repainted. The paint is good, but not perfect, with a decent shine. The usual problem spots, i.e. rear wheel arches, strut towers, windshield scuttle, tailgate, floors & doors are all looking terrific. Front smiley head lights are fitted with city lights & head light wash wipesystem, although it is not working at present. Usually a good strip down & clean will fix them. Head lights and fog lights are crack free,
This wagon runs really great. The engine runs smooth &performs top and is pulling strong. The lightweight flywheel made a big difference in how easily it revs-up. Gear change is direct, and the new brakes stop the carnicely, with great pedal feel. The steering & suspension is razer-sharp, but smooth and composed at the same time. This car drives & handles beautifully. Super fun to drive.
This is one of several cars that I own, and was not my daily driver. It was a weekend fun car and I only ended-up putting a couple of thousand miles on it, in the past year. Originally, I was going to hold-on to it for a long time, hence all the improvements I made and the rarity of it, …but I made a deal w/my wife to thin the herd, and this little gem has to go, now.
The car has a clear WA-state title, and it would be the same to title this car in your own state, as it would with any US-titled car, howeverbeinga European model it is not fitted with acatalytic converters, so you may need to check rules for smog test in your own state, before bidding.
Feel free to come-by for a test drive and inspection!
I can send you addtl photos as well.
Iwill also assist w/shipping.