E30 325i Rag-Top

Yeah, for the car to be that far gone with only 62,000 miles travelled is hard to believe. Can only think it was parked up for some time out in the elements.

Meanwhile over in 'Murica https://www.ebay.com/itm/265302278248 Rusty as hell M3, great big gaping holes in many places - plus probably a few more that will be hiding under carpets and in the firewall probably. Big crease in the sill one side that would need a proper pull if not replacement parts.. Engine would probably need a full strip down and re-build... It's a less desirable USA spec (weird side lights and no dog-leg gearbox) and it's already over US$30k, sob, sob. That's over NZ$42,200, plus shipping, etc. Looks like the lotto is my only hope now..

I can't specifically remember this post as there are a number removed from the For Sale section on a very regular basis. You are correct, non-BMW posts are fine provided all the other rules are met. For a TradeMe link both a photo in the Bimmersport post, and a price in the post are still required - just putting a link to TradeMe is not acceptable. Also, it should be for a TradeMe item that has an Asking Price or a "Buy Now" if it is an auction then there is no defined price and that is not a "For Sale" and should be in the TradeMe Discussion Forum. As per the For Sale Section Rules - "All threads that dont adhere to these rules WILL be removed without warning or explanation". It is not possible to contact every member and what needs to be done for it to be included, there is not enough time in the day. It would have been removed for a reason, posting exactly the same thing again would get the same result. If the post meets all the requirements of the For Sale section then happy days. I have only just seen your original post which is why there has been no response up until now, it is not a case of silence being acceptance. It would be spotted quicker if you message and Admin or Modertor directly rather than putting up an open post.

I can understand your reaction, but as quite a few on here have suggested they would have jumped on it at that price, and the fact it has gone already shows it was priced probably below market value. IF that was a genuine M325i and not just a 325i coupe plus bodykit and most of the M-Sports bits were present - the bodykit obviously was, and no terminal rust, that would have been good buying and a really cool rolling restoration type project. The chrome wheels and purple paint, whilst not ideal, would not be a show stopper for many. Note to Self: Try spending more time in the garage with your actual cars rather than looking at other possible projects on the net... Repeat after me: I do NOT need another E30 project..

sh*t, good job I didn't see that then, or I would probably now have THREE project cars going nowhere...

In terms of bang for buck you are spot on, the better power and torque of common repowers would give you a much better return than putting an M20 into it. The downside would be that for an M325i the key to a high value car would be how collectible it is, and with a non-original engine the appeal for a collector would fall right off. So it depends on what you are looking to achieve, a cool street M325i or a garage queen investment to make the big $$$. Just out of interest what was being asked for it on bookface it had gone before I got chance to look? Was it just a rolling shell or whole car less the engine.

Yup, the F20 wheels work pretty well on the E87 fitment and clearance wise, caveat: if you are running standard brakes and suspension. Styling wise they work well together imho as well.

Two questions.. 1. When do you think you'll have it finished and tested? 2. When can I borrow it...?? Awesome work, can't beat a bit of kiwi cleverness.

Try dealing with UK institutions, in trying to sort my Nans estate one company sent not one but 14 seperate cheques, all in seperate envelopes, from the UK to NZ.

The blue painted callipers are the M Sport brake option 2NH, unless this was added as an option the brakes would be the standard single piston sliding affair that is only coated not painted. Iirc NZ New F30/31 M Sports included the 2NH brakes, however most other markets the brakes had to be added on top of the M Sport package.

Nice video, any of the older members recognise any of the cars and/or drivers?

^^This. Plus it's a lot safer to adjust your position whilst going along, as i sometimes have to make adjustment for what I am wearing / how i am driving.

Yeah there are more of the 320d version around, my first BMW drive car was one of those in the grey - awesome car! And I probably don’t want to ask where you got the image from the Product Library from… 😱🏴‍☠️

There were originally 24 of the 335d Edition Sport brought into NZ, haven’t checked how many are still live. So, relatively rare but not a total unicorn. Imports harder to spot as the details rarely include info like the “Edition Sport”. Correct, all the NZ cars were leather, only a few had Xenons, most didn’t, and none had the HK audio.

Yes you can run an engine on a stand, but it’s not for the faint hearted. Probably need a flywheel and starter to crank it over though! And how much it would tell you about the condition of the engine is debatable. Probably find out just as much with a leak down test and a camera into the cylinders / pull the rocker cover off. Yes, easy enough to get another ECU and harness with the EWS disabled to run it rather than the expense of a Link or similar.

If it’s the car in the photos then that’s a coupe, with only the two doors, which makes a big difference to the value. From what I have seen of the pricing on E30s (see the thread in TradeMe discussion on E30 prices) the coupes are much more desirable than the 4-door sedan / saloon models. As such I would say that a Facelift manual coupe with a few issues is well worth $6k in today’s market. If you have the ability to fix those issues yourself you could end up with a car worth quite a bit more with little extra spend. Ok, a 316i is not the most desired engine but swapping another engine into a rust free shell is a lot easier than sorting a rusty 325i imho. If the car has been sitting for a while the brake rotors probably have a lot of surface rust which will make them work poorly. A clean of the surface and a bleed of the fluid might be all that is needed! If you have the time and space for a little project car then go for it! E30 for life!!

Some E30 gold from those Guten Herren at BMW Classic...

Spent hours looking in one of my parts cupboards for some pre-FL bumper mounts I was sure were in there. Found one, only to realise it’s not suitable for what I wanted to use it. Then, just as I finished checking the last box, the cupboard fought back and threw a whole shelf load of glass bits over me! Lost one rear quarter window but luckily the rest survived. Repaired the shelf, put the glass back and swept up the broken bits. What a waste of time, luckily there is plenty of that available at the moment.

If it’s for insurance doesn’t it need to be a proper valuation from a dealer or specialist? There’s a few people on here tracking E30 prices and M325i in particular, that will give you a good idea but not sure an insurance company will accept that.

Maybe if it was a NOS standard production shell, but not a “new” Gp.A. Shell like the one pictured. There’s a used one for sale In Auckland for twice that.

I was referring to the speed, efficiency and wastage rates of the manufacturing processes rather than the materials.

You mean re-cycling? Or even up-cycling in the case Leaf batteries, Up-cycling! It has already got to the point where re-cycling the old batteries has become viable, even in Aussie there’s a company. There was some news about a Kiwi start up getting involved here as well. Whilst the raw materials may increase in price, this is offset by the manufacturing costs dropping due to the refinement of the processes and increased economies of scale in the production.

I think I understand your point, and I believe it would be a fairly major component that would have to be added to the repair bill like any other damaged items. However, in the case of the electric batteries, due to their location in the vehicles I would say the level of damage required to affect the battery packs would mean that would be a small part of the overall problems and cost.

It’s one of the big fears of electric vehicles - what if I run out of range? When will the batteries decay? How much will they cost to replace? Will it catch fire? Does it use 5G? Will it give me COVID? Some of these are valid, and are to be expected when people are faced with something that is different to their usual experiences. Unfortunately there are some, including media, who like to sensationalise things and feed these fears. Leading to the more obscure ones coming up and gaining traction.

A definition, or even a value, for “uneconomical” would be a starting point..? I would be using a similar definition as the insurance company along the lines of “beyond economical repair”. Will it be the same as an oil change in a petrol car.. no. The cost of replacement will vary from vehicle to vehicle as access to the modules varies and is not a simple process. I personally am quite concerned about the day that an unqualified mechanic, or worse diy-er, decides to rip into an EV (BMW or otherwise) and finds out the punch packed by the batteries is a lot greater than normal 12v car batteries.