BMW e30: My first love

The first BMW I ever owned was a 1989 e30 325is. It was a black two-door coupe with an in-line six engine producing 187hp. This body style ran from 1980 to 1994. BMW produced 2.3 million of these vehicles in a wide range of body configurations and, in my opinion, is one of the most beloved BMWs of all time. A full history of the e30 can be found on Nodum.org.

https://nodum.org/7-facts-about-bmw-e30-that-you-might-not-know-m3-pickup-video/)

I purchased it for just a mere $3500, and at the time, with just over 100,000 miles on it. The 325is was not known for raw power, but with the five-speed, it was undoubtedly one of my favorite cars to drive. For a car that was almost 20 years old, back then, it still handled phenomenally. Because of the standard handling setup was so good, many e30s have been modified for racing over the years and are one of the most popular vehicles for weekend racers. http://www.sigfest.com/history.php

I never considered making my e30 into a weekend race car, but I was talked into racing it during a charity event at one of the local race tracks a number of years ago. The lack of power was apparent in the straightaways, but in the corners, the e30 handled like a champ as you can see in the photo. I was able to keep up with the other vehicle (a modified Mustang), which was obviously set up for drag racing because once we got on the straightaway, he put a lot of distance between him and me. During the five-lap event, I was able to get the e30 up to 130 miles an hour. I could tell it could have gone faster, but I didn't want to push it because I had to drive it home that night.

Over the years, I modified several key items on the vehicle. The first was the stick shift. The standard shifter was too long and made shifting between gears to utilitarian for my liking. This happened because the actual stick shift shaft was too long. So, I installed a short shifter. With the shortened distance between the gears, it made for a much sportier ride. This modification can be done with a few simple tools in your driveway.

The second upgrade was to the headlights. The e30 was equipped with standard Hella headlights at the time, which I upgraded to Xenon lights. This made driving at night much easier because the amount of light produced by the Xeon was almost double over the factory lights. These kits cost about $200-$500 but are well worth the money. Here is a website showing you how to install them: http://e30.bmwdiy.info/xenon/index.html

The third upgrade I did before I sold the vehicle was purchasing a leather interior and ditching the cloth seats. I was fortunate that a local junkyard just happened to have a black interior that didn't break the bank. After I sold the e30, I turned around three years later and bought a second one, a 1987 325is, and owned it for more than a decade.

Here are some recommendations for anyone interested in purchasing a BMW e30. Body rust is an issue for these vehicles. Since most of these vehicles are over 30 years old, be sure to look the vehicle over thoroughly for any rust signs. Don't be afraid to get underneath the car. If you purchase it off a website, make sure the seller sends you a lot of photos of the undercarriage, trunk, and body panels. Take it from me; repairing rusted body panels can cost you thousands. Second, you want to be made aware of any leaks coming from the engine. Oil leaks could be something simple, such as replacing an oil pan gasket. But if the leak is coming from the engine's top, that could require a lot more work. These leaks should be pointed out to you by the seller, and make sure to ask about them if you spot one.

Also, be sure to ask if the seller has maintenance records that will come with the vehicle. I was lucky that both of my e30s came with a vehicle history and years of maintenance paperwork. You can easily obtain a vehicle history report with a service such as Carfax. https://www.carfax.com/ It is definitely worth a few dollars to run a vehicle history report before you purchase an e30. You want to ensure that the vehicle wasn't in any major accidents and that the title is clean and not a salvage title. A vehicle with a salvage title will not be insured for its full value, and any money you spend on it will be gone if you get in an accident. However, if you're planning on making your e30 into a weekend racer, a salvage title might be preferable as it would be cheaper to insure,. And typically, salvage title vehicles cost less.

Once you purchase your BMW, I would highly recommend joining your local BMW club. The BMW Car Club of America is nationwide, and once you are a member, you have access to discount parts, advice, and BMW events. https://www.bmwcca.org/

The last recombination would be to join Bimmerform.com https://www.bimmerforums.com/

These forms have lots of shared information from BMW owners, which can help you with everything from modifications and upgrades and help diagnose and fix your vehicle issues.

In next week's post, I will dive into BMW's legendary e24. Happy motoring.