islandhopper : 1991 BMW 325i (E30)

[islandhopper]

BMW E30









Engine:
- M20B25 (168hp/164ft-lb stock)
- Stage 1 Racing Dynamics ECU chip (91oct, +14hp, +12tq, 6500 RPM limit raised to 6900 RPM, Speed Limiter Removed, ...+3mpg )

Transmission:
- SWAPPED from Auto ZF 4HP22 to Getrag 260 5-Speed

Suspension:
- Original

Wheels:
- Classic BMW "Bottle-Caps"
- 3-piece Epsilon Southern Ways Mesh

Interior:
- All Original, Grey Vinyl, Black Dash

Exterior:
- Projector Headlights (Euro Smileys), OEM iS Lip, OEM Mud-Flaps, EDM Grilles, EDM Rear License Plate Garnish, Smoked Signals

Stereo:
- Alpine HU, OEM Premium Speaker Package

Future Plans:
- Ground Control Coilover Conversion Kit (HAVE)
- Bodywork & Paint
- Boost


















After a buff and wax..









The day i bought it..

[Junior Smurff]

Nice!!! The new daily??

[crazymikey]

Clean!!! What is it with everyone getting sweet new cars lately?

Too bad it's auto, but otherwise that's a nice little E30!

[islandhopper]

Nice!!! The new daily??

Werd.

Clean!!! What is it with everyone getting sweet new cars lately?

Too bad it's auto, but otherwise that's a nice little E30!

Right? Seems like a lot of people are jumping into bimmers lately. I've been hunting for an E30 for quite a while. So when i found this beauty, i jumped on it. I still can't believe i scored this gem for only $750. And everything works!

The automatic trans is actually pretty decent. I wanted a getrag 260 5-spd but, for the money, this automagic will do fine. It's such a nice cruiser. So smooth and silky but when you nail it and hit the kick down all 168 ponies get up and go!

A 5-speed swap is in the future...but for now im going to enjoy what i've got.

[crazymikey]

For that price you can live with the auto if the rest of the car is as clean as the photos show.

That's a sweet buy.

[kosheen1]

Nice nice nice! For the price and the condition the car seems to be... i would of bought it too :P

[RUGER 2.2L]

Congrats on the pick up Matt. Bit of a bummer that it is an auto but you really can't beat the price. I know quite a few people with E30's and they are awesome cars. One of my best buddies has an S52 swapped E30. I've driven it and it makes the CB feel like a toy lol.

[KpoweredCB7]

What a sweetie, and for 750 bones it's a steal!

[islandhopper]

For that price you can live with the auto if the rest of the car is as clean as the photos show.

That's a sweet buy.

Nice nice nice! For the price and the condition the car seems to be... i would of bought it too :P

Shitty cell pics are OK but don't tell the whole story. She was sitting for a while under some trees. So there was some algae and debris to clean up. Still haven't got it all yet but i intend to detail it at the shop when i get a chance. Interior is great. The dash-boards in the older bimmers are notorious for cracking to bits, but this one is 99% crack free. Has one minor line in a corner. Driver's seat has a rip, passenger and rear seats are nearly mint.

Battery was dead to start out with but after a jump and letting it run for a bit she was good to go. Still running the same battery, so the charging system is doing OK. Checked all the fluids with nothing major to report. Oil was recently changed before being "stored" under a tree. ATF needed about a 1/4 qt..so not too bad. Smelled a little burnt but not nearly as bad as i've smelled before. Still taking it easy on her till i figure everything out..

Worst part.. Right rear quarter panel has some damage/repair, also missing a body side molding. Really not too bad and easily fixed. Just a slight eyesore at the moment. I'll get pics up soon. Taken with a better camera.

Best part.. Fully loaded sound system! It's got a real nice Alpine deck with ipod jack and component speakers in the front with A-pillar tweeter pods and Bose Hi-Fi (OEM?) 6x9s in the rear. I haven't had a stereo in my CB since it got stolen a few months back. So going from nothing to this is kickass in words i can't describe. I need music. I've been using an ipod with earbuds but i hate it. All this needs now is a little amp/sub combo and it'll be tits.



I love this car. It is so nice in every way.

Congrats on the pick up Matt. Bit of a bummer that it is an auto but you really can't beat the price. I know quite a few people with E30's and they are awesome cars. One of my best buddies has an S52 swapped E30. I've driven it and it makes the CB feel like a toy lol.

Thanks dude. The auto is a draw-back in some ways but im starting to dig it. Right now i just need a comfy cruiser while i work on the CB. So ima rock the autotragic slushbox till i source a Getrag 260 (or 265), manual trans shift linkage and driveline and a low range diff. I already have the shifter ass'y and the pedals. Should be a fun project down the line.

My CB will still out corner this bimmer no problem. But the 325 is on original suspension. Although it could easily keep up, even with the 22yr old springs and struts. A testament to the excellent handling characteristics of the BMW. Once i begin to modify it, im sure it will surpass the Accord in almost every way...

What a sweetie, and for 750 bones it's a steal!

I know! I still can't believe it. What's cool, is the guy i bought it from lives in the same town as me and i saw him on his way to work (He walks or rides a bike...part of why he was selling the E30) and he flagged me down to tell me it was looking good after i cleaned it up and that he was happy that someone is driving it and enjoying it. Super cool guy. He had posted the ad for $1500 when i found it. A day later i saw it had been price dropped to $1200 and the ad now said "NEED TO SELL". So i went for it. Met up in the AM and had it in my name by Noon. He drove it from Georgia and had just recently transferred the title over to WA. So i took advantage of our states ''Gift" policy and asked him to gift it over to me. 'No problem' he says. BOOM! NO TAXES due at registration!

So yeah...i got lucky and scored a peach of a bimmer. I am a happy man.

[AAPOQ]

Dude that's fukin sweet!

[KpoweredCB7]

I know! I still can't believe it. What's cool, is the guy i bought it from lives in the same town as me and i saw him on his way to work (He walks or rides a bike...part of why he was selling the E30) and he flagged me down to tell me it was looking good after i cleaned it up and that he was happy that someone is driving it and enjoying it. Super cool guy. He had posted the ad for $1500 when i found it. A day later i saw it had been price dropped to $1200 and the ad now said "NEED TO SELL". So i went for it. Met up in the AM and had it in my name by Noon. He drove it from Georgia and had just recently transferred the title over to WA. So i took advantage of our states ''Gift" policy and asked him to gift it over to me. 'No problem' he says. BOOM! NO TAXES due at registration!

So yeah...i got lucky and scored a peach of a bimmer. I am a happy man.

Really cool story, that's a score however you look at it.

[mtnbikaah]

He drove it from Georgia and had just recently transferred the title over to WA. So i took advantage of our states ''Gift" policy and asked him to gift it over to me. 'No problem' he says. BOOM! NO TAXES due at registration!

So yeah...i got lucky and scored a peach of a bimmer. I am a happy man.

Peach, because Georgia.

[408cb7]

Nice BMW Matt, I've always wanted one of these but in black. I'm sure your gonna make it look great.

[islandhopper]

Been a while since i updated this...so here's a picture dump.









On a trip to Bend, OR..














After i swapped out the sealed beams for projector assemblies.

Full Morimoto 35w 4300k HID kit with heavy-duty harness and relays from Theretrofitsource.com. Bulbs still warming up so they look very blue. This was they first time they were fired up, they'll eventually burn into a solid 4.3k.

[KpoweredCB7]

really nice with the retrofit