1989 E30 BMW 325is - ONE OWNER. ORIGINAL, BMWCCA CONCOURS WINNING CA/AZ CAR

Description

Well,they said it would never happen but here it is. If you're looking for an E30 you can drive every dayand take to your local Car Show, BMWCCA Concours events or just Cars & Coffee get togethers, keep reading.

Up for sale is a very original, one owner, Zinnoberrot/Black 1989 E30 325is. Always garaged and serviced more frequently than BMW's recommended maintenance schedule. This car was featured in Bimmer Magazine's "The 'is' Mystique" article in the January 2013 issue and is a two-time first place concours winner at Legends of the Autobahn, the BMW CCA Concours held during the Monterey Classic Car Week.

Ownership History

I am a 33 year BMW CCA member and have been a custodian for many classic BMWs over the years including an E21 320is, E24 633csi, E30 M3, E36 M3 & E39 M5 (with a few Porsches & Audis in between). All all have been shown at BMW CCA events. Purchased new in 1990 at Peter Pan BMW in San Mateo, California (Peter Pan license plate frame, original CA plate available), this one-owner car has been continuously garaged and is being sold with a clear Arizona title. Complete service records, all books, manuals, keys, build sheet and BMW Classic Certificate.

Equipment

Attributes of this 325is include; 4-wheel ABS disk brakes, limited slip differential, 15” Style 5 alloy wheels, leather seats, rear window defroster, air conditioning, power steering, power brakes, power windows, power door locks, power exterior mirrors (manual folding), cruise control, AM/FM stereo cassette, power antenna, 6-disk CD changer, fog lights and a power sunroof.

The E30 325is model included several M-tech items not available on the standard 325i including a sports suspension, BMW sports seats (Recaro), M-Tech leather wrapped steering wheel, air dam & rear spoiler. Additionally, numerous 325i options were standard on the 325is. The 1989 325 model was also the fist year with integrated, european-style bumpers (as opposed to the diving board look of pre-89 models).

Exterior

The car has never been machine washed and is a Zymol œposter-child€ having only seen their cleaners and waxes (applied by hand). The first place concours awards at Legends of Autobahn in 2013 and 2015 were both in the clean car category (interior & exterior). The body and paint are in exceptional condition with all VIN tags and showing 80% original paint (front air dam, left front QP & hood resprayed). Rust free, no dents. Ther are several small rock chip touch ups on the forward facing panels and front air-dam. The car was in a minor, low-speed encounter with another BMW (sliding sands here in the desert) which resulted in a small ding in the left front QP. The dent was pulled out and repaired with preservation in mind and the repair is truly undetectable. The hood & front valance were resprayed at the same time to address rock chips. Note that this event occurred priorto both first place concours wins at Legends of the Autobahn. Pictures are included in the photo gallery below and repair receipts are available. The only rust I've ever found on the car was by accident. I periodically remove the rear spoiler for waxing and discovered one of the bolt holes for the spoiler had some corrosion around it. It was professionally removed & treated with POR. Again, the receipt is available.

Interior

The black leather interior is exceptional with the original OEM Anthracite and new OEM black floor mats (E30 Anthracite are NLA). The dashboard is crack-free thanks to Xymol's Vinyl protectant. All equipment works correctly including gauges, alarms and power accessories (windows, sunroof, door locks, mirrors), all on-board computer functions and check control system. All lights work, a random few pixels are out on the trip computer display but they do not hamper legibility. The headliner is immaculate. It has the original slide bar BMW premium stereo with an OEM CD Changer in the trunk, all functional except the left rear channel is not working. I swapped the rear speakers and they are both fine so the problem is either the head unit or the trunk mounted amplifier.

Engine/Transmission

The 2.5L 168 hp 6 cylinder M20B25 runs well with no issues or drama. It does not drop any fluid, does not burn any significant oil (< 1 qt/5000 mi.) and has has no deferred maintenance (see complete service records link below). The clutch and throwout bearing was replaced at 100K and the bearing has been rattling a little at idle (more noticeable when the A/C compressor is running). Reportedly, this is typical for the mileage. The timing belt was replaced about 10K miles/4 years ago so it's due on time but the car has been driven regularly. I would replace it at thenextservice. The A/C was completely rebuilt in June of 2011. The system was recharged in April of 2015 during which time a small leak was noted at the compressor & dryer. It is now March 2016 and the A/C is still blowing cold in the 100+ degree desert heat. A leaking steering rack was upgraded to an E36 M3 quick ratio rack. These E36 M3 racks are increasingly difficult to find but I was able to locate one and had it rebuilt by a ZF specialist. Transmission shift bushings were replaced with OEM and it shifts as-new.

Wheels/Tires/Suspension

Instead of refinishing the 14"€ BBS wheels to address some curb rash, I located a set of 15" 4 lug BBS Style 5 alloys on eBay Germany. These +1 wheels were not sold in the US (in 2006, they are now) so I had them shipped and refinished in the OEM silver. They look absolutely perfect on the car. After I had them mounted, the German seller located one more wheel for a spare, so the car actually has 5 - with new 205/55/15 Nitto Extrem Performance tires (~10K miles). The car also received a set of H&R Sports & Bilstein Sports with new shock mounts, the identical setup I used for my E30 M3.

Preservation

A new OEM windshield, battery, OEM floor mats, new seat covers (including driver's seat cushion pad, driver's & passenger seat adjustment shocks), front OEM seat belt receptacles, Brembo rotors/Metalmaster pads, antenna mast and OBC light completed to concourse quality.With the exception of Bilstein Sport shocks and H&R Sport springs, there are no after-market parts on this car. All parts down to the most recent electric window switch are OEM.The result is a very solid, original E30 325is that you can drive around town and run with stock E30 M3s all day long (I feel qualified to say this since I owned both simultaneously, and sold the M3). I would not hesitate to get in this car, at any time, and drive it anywhere.Thatsaid, I will offer to deliver this car anywhere in theContinental US for expenses.

Accessories included are an all-weather car cover and 2-piece Colgan bra.

Pre-purchase inspections are welcomed and encouraged.

Please contact me for any further information.

The car will be in CA on 6/27 inpreparation for BMW's 100th anniversary celebration and Octoberfest this August.

Maintenance Highlights (mileage 06/2016 = 154.5K)

See the "service history" link below for a complete maintenance history spreadsheet.

• 12/2010 @ 143.5K - Nitto 205/55X15 tires

• 12/2010 @ 144.5K - remove UUC short shift => OEM with new shift bushings

• 04/2011 @ 145.2K - timing belt, water pump, coolant flush

• 06/2011 @ 145.3K - replace A/C compressor, dryer, expansion valve

• 03/2012 @ 145.7K - BMW Inspection II, air & fuel filters, spark plugs, valve adjustment

• 11/2013 @ 147.7K - Replace driver seat shocks & seat cushion

• 07/2014 @ 148.0K - Inspection I, throttle body gasket, coolant hoses, temp sensor

• 09/2012 @ 150.0K - replace windshieldOEM

• 09/2014 @ 150.7K - replace battery

• 09/2014 @ 150.7K - replace control arm bushings, power steering hose

• 04/2015 @ 151.2K - recharge A/C

• 04/2015 @ 152.7K - Inspection I

• 12/2015 @ 154.5K - replace driver power window switch

• 01/2016 @ 154.5K - replace battery box, rear marker lights

• 02/2016 @ 154.5K - replace passenger seat shocks

Links:

Bimmer Magazine - http://www.bimmer-mag.com/issues/113/articles/the-is-mystique#.VsIYIsf_viQ

Complete Maintenance History - https://www.thesaylors.net/FIles_files/325isServiceHistory.pdf

Autocheck Report - https://www.thesaylors.net/FIles_files/Autocheck.pdf

Photo Gallery- https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNHXE6CeOZD6l3pdXCWOetM_cUwaAaGjXcnn0Bw4QwcUqsMga78XSbt5Htxs7mg-A?key=eVl1c2Nrc1UzTFBsRVVyZ0wweWVLdWxpT040cEhB