1990 BMW 325i
E30/Coupe/5 Speed/Red Ext./Black Int./Engine Rebuild 10k Miles Ago -
Total Mileage 175,000 Miles
Located in Easton, MD & Owned By a BMW Enthusiast & BMWCCA Member
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Welcome to my webpage on the sale of my project & love - my E30 1990 BMW 325i. I purchased this vehicle late in May of 2005 & had it shipped from Florida to me in early June of 2005. The car was purchased in a non-running condition with 165,000 miles on her, and I have spend many hours giving this car the care and love which it needed. It was purchased so that I could build a daily driver/track car to use in addition to my 1997 318ti.
Upon purchasing the car, I brought her home and set about finding why the car would not run. After a short inspection and removal of the valve cover, I found that the timing belt had broken on the engine. At this point, I decided that we needed to remove the engine from the car and thoroughly clean the engine bay along with rebuilding the engine. After removing the engine head, I took the engine to Bay Motorworks, my local independent mechanic whom has helped me care for my 318ti properly for many years. After removing the oil pan and studying the bottom of the engine, it was determined that the bottom of the engine was in fine shape, and the head needed to be rebuilt. I purchased a used head online, and then took it to the machine shop to go through before installing it in the car. They did a complete valve job & resurfaced the head. Before re-installing the engine, we completely painted the engine block & parts for a super clean engine bay. While working through the engine, I decided that it made sense to put in a new starter motor & alternator at the time. I also purchased the M striped valve cover and intake manifold to dress up the engine once it was reinstalled in the car. The engine was rebuilt to factory specs and all known failure parts were replaced with new (thermostat, water pump, timing belt & tensioner, and new Nissens brand radiator). I have this all broken down further in the Excel spreadsheet on this page.
We rebuilt the engine and reinstalled it in the car, at the same time working on the rest of the vehicle. I decided to thoroughly clean the interior & removed all seats in the process. Both front seatbacks on the original seats were broken (not an uncommon problem in E30's) and I decided while searching for OEM replacement seats that it would make sense to get some quality aftermarket seats. I purchased a pair of Sparco Monza seats (black with red mesh inserts) and all associated hardware and installed it in the car. I also decided that I should put in a good stereo system, so I put in a Nakamichi CD-300 with Nakamichi 5 ¼ inch speakers all around. I installed new wiring & new electric antenna mast, to replace the original unit. Embroidered Bavarian Autosport floormats, Motorsport stripe shift boot/red striped brake boot, and a double folding cup holder round out the interior.
Once I had the engine back in the car and running well, it was time to focus on the other items needing attention. I decided that instead of repainting the original 14" bottlecap wheels, I would purchase a new set of rims and go up to 15 inch wheels from the Tire Rack with Yokohama AVS ES 100 tires. Full size spare tire was found to be dry rotted, so I had a new tire put on the spare wheel, figuring that when I need the spare most, it would fail (Murphy's Law). I also decided that it would make sense to go through the original suspension, so I had Bay Motorworks install H&R Springs with a 1.25" drop & Koni adjustable shocks/struts all around. Once the suspension was tight and the car handled well, it was time to upgrade the brakes. I installed the Turner Motor Sports cross drilled brake rotors and upgraded Axxis Ultimate brake pads front and rear.
Overall this car is in excellent mechanical shape, Brilliant Red paint is great from a 5 foot stance (there are a few nicks, paint chips & minor scratches in a few spots along with a few small dings as seen in the last photos, and passenger side mirror has peeling clear coat), and there are a few very small rust spots. I think that the passenger side of the car (door) was involved with a MINOR accident - I tell you this as I feel that people need to be honest, and I was not told about this when I purchased the car. Interior is a 9 out of 10 with a dash crack being the only interior item which I have not yet addressed. Cruise control is the only other item coming to mind which I have not taken the time to figure out why it is not holding a speed. Other than that, the car has really had a ton of new parts installed and many systems have been gone over. Air conditioning is even blowing cold air!
Why am I selling the car? I am selling the car as I am not really driving her much. When I bought the car, I thought that the driving experience would be much different than my 318ti, but after owning this car for a few years, I realize that both cars are very close in feel. The 318ti does have rear suspension from the E30 cars, and there is only a 30 horsepower difference.
I have all records of work that I have done/had done to the car since I have owned her. Also included with the sale are the original 14" bottlecap wheels, original head off of engine (which will need work if it is to be used again), original stock springs, original valve cover & intake manifolds, and other spare parts. I have included the Carfax on this car when I purchased her in 2005 on this site for your review. Additionally, I am happy to have the car inspected.
Asking $7,000 -Offer. Do yourself a favor (and save yourself money!) and purchase an E30 which has been restored, not one in need of lots of work! It is a costly endeavor to restore an E30 properly, as I have come to find out with over $11,000 invested in this car, not counting original purchase price. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I am happy to answer any questions. Car is located in Easton, Maryland.
Brett Starke
Easton, Maryland 21601
wbstarke@hotmail.com
Office: 410-226-5000
Mobile: 410-829-2342