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Not a BMW but the OG fast wagon so thought someone might appreciate it (just looked, performance is extraordinary for a mid-90's 1600kg wagon, 4.8s 0-100 🤯)

After about 18 months of failing to get an E30 out of my head, I managed to secure my affordable dream car. A 1989 (Built Sep 1988) M325i in Lachssilber. This is the exact colour and spec car that became etched in my brain 20 plus years ago when a well-off school friend's father had one in the mid-late 90s. Before I owned my E46 I had always assumed old BMWs were prohibitively expensive to maintain. Car popped up on Facebook, I got lucky and called the seller within 5 minutes of the post (was the 2nd caller) , built a bit of rapport and did the deal a few hours later. The previous owner is a great guy who has owned and loved it 20 years, although in the last 5 or so it's seen limited use so is in need of a bit of a birthday. I have to say however, for 33 years and 389km it is in good shape. In addition to all the standard M325i goodies it has a spicy Remus exhaust, Dobi / Koni suspension, 22mm and 16mm whiteline swaybars and a short shifter - things I would have done anyway. I still need to get under it and have a proper nosey, but have pulled together a to do list for the next 6 months: Maintenance Cambelt / Waterpump / Tensioner / Coolant / Drive belts Valve adjustment / Spark Plugs / Valve cover gasket Oil and filter / Gearbox and Diff Fluid / Fuel Filter / Air filter Rust treating for few small surface areas / clear sunroof drains / replace elephant drain Sort intermittent ABS light before my next WOF Fuel Lines / Vacuum Lines New tyres - 15" RE003 or 16" PS4 depending on wheel choice Steering coupler / Control Arms (with Powerflex offset M3 CABs) / Tierods Shocks / Springs / mounts - Will likely get a matched ST Suspension set - 50mm / 40mm with thicker rear spring pads for saggy butt Strut brace - I'm guessing a car this old and used could benefit? Engine mounts and transmission mounts Exterior DIY repaint mirror + rear window trims in meantime Full paint correction and detail Replace all faded / blacked out badges / decals with new OEM Exterior Trim refresh - front grills and kidneys / door handles / B pillar trims Euro plate Refurbish Basket weaves (or more likely get 16" Alpina / 16" Weaves reproduction wheels - undecided) Finish detailing engine bay and restore a few parts cosmetically Tackle rust gremlins - sunroof tray and few small bubbles in roof skin / boot and boot seal Respray roof / boot / drivers door and rear right quarter after rust work - other panels are excellent Interior Refurbish Mtech 1 380mm wheel inc new badges New plush floor mats Condor 'Shorty' Gear knob and Stitchboots shift and brake boots in Anthracite Uberkaro Bluetooth stereo in 'period correct' style - BMW Radios Reverse RDS customised with text / bluetooth / mic / pre-outs Refinish interior plastics and parcel tray / carpet Re-upholster full interior including door cards - Anthracite Uberkaro Re-foam and rebuild drivers seat with new shocks etc Needs odometer gears so will tart up the cluster while I'm in there Mtech 2 370mm wheel and restore that 2023 and Beyond RTABs / Diff carrier / Subframe bushes Shifter rebuild Beat on the M20 until it needs a rebuild and stroker 🤣 Looking forward to driving and improving this beauty!

You will love the rewards you reap from driving it and somehow the financial side won't matter that much

Its quite a handsome car really

Yeah, love the colour - the benefits of silver but with a little more depth / interest to it. Seats could benefit from a little more foam TBH, also a bit 'wobbly'. I don't think the wheel is original to the car - per the build sheet came with: 708 - M Technic Leather Sport Steering Wheel II So will probably refurb the leather on this one (have already ordered a fresh BMW badge and coloured trim piece) in the meantime and put that towards a refurbished 370mm MT2.

Sammo I think I just made an accident in my nether regions haha this thing is beautiful! Not much to do to get it up to good condition. The maintenance items are all very doable and very affordable I do recommend changing your rear trailing arm bushings and diff bushings also, also the front control arm replacements are cheap and well worth the money in terms of how much of an improvement they make having new balljoints and new front rear control arm bushings to boot! these are all things that will make it handle a lot better. With regards to the shocks and springs, the b8 kit coupled with Eibach springs are always a winner! Let me know if you need anything done dude, always happy to help! Also I would replace all your fuel lines whilst you're at it, the rubber would be brittle as at that age if it hasn't been done!

Those are not the right gasket for an ‘87 E30, for the pre-facelift it’s a large cut foam gasket shaped to fit around the mounting bolts. Different lights on FL so I think those are the seal for the later lights.

I didn't realise how few vehicles used that specific gearbox, I wonder if any of the variants (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_S6-37_transmission) are a direct fit? Regardless, I don't believe that a manual box is worth a 60%-80% premium over an equivalent slushbox... there's no way importers are paying that type of premium for a manual, they're just having a laugh when they land them here. Wheels are a matter of taste I suppose, I don't like those at all so wouldn't pay a premium for them. I've always thought the best bet on wheels is a throwaway set of 17's so you can eventually get the wheels (and probably tyres) you want. We all know that comparing prices internationally is a fallacy, people in the UK are starting to cotton on to Japanese imports and that will eventually start to suppress prices from their currently silly heights over there. Don't get me wrong, that's a tidy example but I don't even think an LCI is worth that, a PFL is worth less. 10-12k any day IMHO. But hey, if somebody asked me what I thought a manual e36 328i was worth I'd probably say "10k max if it's mint" and we know that doesn't seem to be the case any more... I think people are paying silly money for cars these days and it defies logic. I don't think my M3 is worth anything near what people are prepared to pay for them... which is why I'm wondering if I should just cash in, I could probably get for it today close to what I paid for it 20 years ago... crazy.

Very nice. Wheels are mint.

Nice. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/130i/listing/3378674969

Looking forward to putting some life back into my 325i, just need to finish the 320i first. Have learnt heaps on that, but have kept it stock. Hoping to get a bit more out of the B25!

Very nice! Some potential there for sure. These BMWs were really peak BMW. The glory days!

Very nice! Great that you found what you wanted, and great that another E30 is going to be given some love. Imho Lachs is one of the very best E30 colours but then I’m biased! The seats look well worn, but pretty solid, so can be sorted - not sure if that cloth can still be found, I know some of the classic BMW stuff is still around. Is your Tech I steering wheel original, I thought all the FL M-Sports had the Tech II wheel? If you do change it out you should get a good amount of $$$ back selling the Tech I. Looking forward to your updates, and seeing in the flesh at a future meet.

@m325i Ahhh yes - per your username! Will be semi-daily-ing - i.e. driving 2-3 times in week then otherwise for fun whenever I want - I work from home 70% of time now-days and rarely sit in traffic. Could go clear markers - cheap to see how it looks anyway. 370mm Mtech wheels seem to be in the $800 plus range, yeah, although once you add a boss kit not much difference to a Momo or Nardi. Without airbags, I'm thinking an Mtech 2 wheel looks like a nicer place to smash my face into than a exposed metal wheel haha

Sick. This is the one to have! As an ex 300km e30 daily driver, I'd suggest replace every rubber hose. Clear front and side markers? I've heard the Mtech steering wheels are very expensive. Why not a period Momo/Sparco ? Will you be daily-ing? Look forward to the updates

To further support my nomination I just bought an E30 with almost 400km

Yup, aside from the seats she’s doing well!

Looks very good for just under 400kms! Would never have guessed.

Seems like the M235is have held the value better than the M135i so I would say it doesn’t matter too much. The cons of the higher mileage one is bigger potential for new parts meaning more $ overall. The cons of the higher priced one is a potentially bigger loss. Either way, the people in the market for a M235i is very slim, even more so than the M135i so its tough either way. Comparatively I think the M135i’s have bottomed out in price already and might even trend upwards in coming years but I may be biased as I own one

So good, a little sewing machiney sometimes which I'll get used to, but theres an underpass not far from my house that sounds insane with the Remus screaming at 6500rpm

It was obviously meant to be, and perfect it needs some love, you ( and us) would get bored otherwise. How good is the engine noise!

Haha - Cheers! Still can't believe I found an M325i, even if she's due a little love.

I was drooling over the E46 but I’m also drooling over this. 🤤

I love the interior - this will clean up nicely, well done!

I use BMW coolant for The Purity.... and Penrite HPR5 because its the jam.

Nobody killed themselves , I suspect the wrecker spat out his XXXX when checked his google reviews in the morning though.

I don't condone hurt to anyone, but someone who profits from the misery of others deserves whatever karma deems appropriate. This is the sh!tt!est of business practices. Sadly, if the business has earned a reputation for this sort of thing (assuming it is run by an individual), it deserves to go bust.

Or perhaps one struggling guy buys an engine he expects to bolt into the family car and drive his family around, but finds he spent his savings on an anchor the wrecker wont replace, and then Swings and roundabouts, the wrecker had a shitty reputation before, now he better hope customers dont find them online before purchasing. Good rule of thumb tends to be dont be a prat, karmas a bitch.