E30 325i Rag-Top

Time for the yearly TLC for the ‘vert whilst the weather is not so flash On this year’s list a bit of panel and paint for a few bits and pieces - bonnet (to remove the dent in he middle where it fell on the battery charger 🤬), boot, high stop lamp and the Tech I spoiler insert. Also pulled the rear bumper off to give it a good clean and check behind it. Had a bit of a panic when I saw what I thought was some serious rust in the bottom left corner of the boot when I took the bumper off. Turned out to be rust from something that had been stored in there and got wet, stuck in some waxy gunk. Came off when I gave it a vigorous clean and picked at it with a plastic scraper - phew! Also found a Travis CD stuck in the boot when I took the stacker out..

Wow, that’s really original. The light interior is not to my taste, but would make sense on warm sunny days.

Could be something has gone off the boil - injectors, turbos, fuel pump pressure. However, I would give the car a nice long hot run (not just cruising down the motorway) with a dose of injector cleaner in the tank, to give everything a good clear out. Probably do filters first -air cleaner and fuel fuel being the key two. See what it’s like after than then if no improvement, start checking things like the injectors and turbos.

Whilst it is quite un-BMW to change anything once it has been defined, I think that is the case here. I think both options 311 and 333 have been re-purposed over time. In this instance it is the option code 333 that is the most interesting. From looking at VIN decodes on older BMWs previously I think that code 333 used to be the “M Packet” or “M Sport Package” option which is key to the authenticity of a “genuine” M325i or M-Sport car. This has now been changed to code 337 for current M-Sport cars. The other point of interest is the anthracite headliner, which isn’t listed seperately (option code 775) and so has been included as part of a “packet” option that is a number of options grouped together.

@Driftitsounds great in theory, and I’ve heard of similar in other countries, but who is to decide if your car is “a pile of junk” or not? Could be very open to interpretation and mis-use. For personal reasons I would love a vintage/classic status for WoF in NZ, but the 6 months isn’t that much of a hassle and for $60 its good to get someone else* to have a look over the car. * - disclaimer, as long as you can get a good WoF inspector who understands older cars and doesn’t dream stuff up.

Interesting car. To those ITK it looks kinda weird with the Tech II front and rear bumpers on a PFL. Most non-BMW rivet counters probably wouldn’t think anything of it though. Something weird going on with the VIN decode though - three sets of wheels on one car..??

The seals on top of the bumper are the “normal” M3 3-piece seals not Evo3, and there aren’t any bonnet to guard seals fitted in those photos? Plenty wrong to make it perfect - the non-dogleg box (Jap Spec), aftermarket wheels and non-black rocker cover are the big ones for me. But overall presents pretty well for a lightly refreshed M3, how much M3 do you get for $125k these days? Market has definitely slowed recently, not a lot of spare change in the economy for playthings like week-end classics right now so could take a while to find a new home.

You would need to define which series of 320i you have, E30, E36, E46, E90…

There is a post count for For Sale threads to stop spammers and others just coming onto the forum to sell their stuff, I believe it is mentioned in the For Sale rules post.

Halcome is a hell of a long way from Cambridge though, is that the right fella? Lots of usernames similar to Beemer, etc.

Far fewer 1Ms built and it managed to get a cult status at the same time, both of which kept up the bottom of the price curve. Lots more M2s built, pre-LCI, LCI, Competition and CS. And now a new generation in production. Great little cars but never going to have the same economics as the 1M. As to how low they will go, always a great crystal ball gazing question, at this point in time my prediction would be there is still fair way to go down, especially for those at the bottom of the desirability list.

Too late by the time it’s on TradeMe you will have too many others chasing it to get a bargain, and whoever brought it in would be looking to make a buck. Best bet would be to look on the Aussie salvage auctions, some are “trade” only but you should be able to get in easily enough. Quite a few cars seem to get written off for Not much damage over there which can be repaired here.

Not received any message about deleted posts. Who did you send it to?

There seems to be a few F87 M2s come out of Aussie, as insurance write-offs - I know you said not one of those - but the Aussie ones seem to get written off very easily so the damage isn’t overly bad and can be fixed without too much trouble (if you know what you are doing or have a tame panel beater).

Parts pricing continues to amaze me as well, if you would like some dashboard with your cracks…

Or a plug in hybrid would be good, commute on electric and longer week-end drives on the ICE.

Much bigger market for those products with E30s due to the significantly higher production volumes. Easier to build a business case when there is greater sales potential.

Not yesterday they weren’t, both heading south in the morning then back in the early arvo, light traffic both times. So many drivers not aware in RH lane it was beyond annoying, some eventually pulled over to the left but there were still a few that had to be passed on the left. You’re still correct about AKL motorways though, maybe these were JAFAs that had got lost (couldn’t get off motorway??) and ended up in Waikato?

Love a Herald, had lots of fun in & working on many a Herald, Vitesse, Spitfire & GT6. Is yours a proper convertible? Seen a few saloons with the bolt on roof removed and a weird style soft top.

A day of garage admin today, lots of tidying and sorting to clear some room to put the convertible to sleep for the winter and work on the race car. Even cleared out the most inaccessable cupboard and got a whole heap more stuff in there - even found two crates of home brew in there that I had forgotten about. And it’s still drinkable, score!

Check cv joints for play and wheel bearings. Driveshaft centre hanger, guibo.. In fact, f**k it Nick, pull the whole thing apart 😆

Ain’t that the truth.

@C-130 Hercules what type of racing is he going to be doing? Many series require safety gear over and above the suit boots and helmet. MSNZ mandate fire proof undies for most series, and HANS is needed by many (a good idea tbh). This is another big cost to racing having all the safety gear (don’t forget the 5kg fire extinguisher for the pits, 1kg in the car, etc) it’s a big investment up front to try something you might not get along with. My gear has been sitting in the wardrobe in-used for a long time, happy to lend out my HANS which will fit any suitable helmet. Or any other stuff he might need (probs not the undies though..).

Good point, I think it is more an issue for the major centres, Akl, Welly and CHCH. And on the open roads / regions when those centres export their drivers during long week-ends and holidays.