Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
As we start to finish up Wagon Week, let’s take a look at a car that’s been arriving on these shores at a solid clip now that many of them have reached 25 years old: the E30 Touring. But this Touring is a bit unique in that it is powered by the 2.4 liter turbo diesel engine. We featured this particular car earlier in the year and now it is back on offer, a perfect curiosity for oil burner BMW fan.
I was driving to San Francisco on the picturesque I-280 last week in my E28, and came upon a nice E30 325i touring. I’m sure it was easily overlooked by the rest of the drivers on the road, but I approached it excitedly, wondering what enthusiast was driving this rare (to us) longroof. The middle-aged woman driving was unassuming, but she got major points in my book for car choice whether she knew it or not. The E30 Touring is becoming much more common as the 25-year block is lifted, and we’re all better for it. They’re attractive and utilitarian cars that lift the mean coolness of roads everywhere. Today’s is a simple 318i and mileage isn’t listed, but the AC Schnitzer wheels are a nice touch and overall it appears very clean. The lister has a host of E30 wagons in pictures, meaning you’re buying them from someone who realizes how cool having one of these in the US is. The flipside is that he also knows how much people have paid for them recently, and is charging over twice what a non-Touring 318i would cost.
The BMW E30 3 series could be considered the German equivalent of the mid fifties small block V8 powered Chevrolet. A lot of them were produced, they have a strong enthusiast following and a large aftermarket scene allows owners a variety of ways to customize their ride. Case in point this 1989 325is brought to us from our reader Mark with fifteen52. This E30 has 150,000 miles on the clock, but has been maintained to a high standard. The suspension has been warmed over, brakes have been upgraded and the signature fifteen52 Tarmac alloys are included in the package. This car is on offer in Colorado and is ready to go for its next owner.
Unless you’re going to do an engine swap, it seems like part of the charm of the E30 is that their power never outdid the chassis. Even with the range-topping M3, people call it underpowered (right after they sacrifice their first born to the car gods in hopes they might get one). So, if it’s a great chassis with too little power, why not accept it and get a little flingable toy? That’s exactly what the 318is was, a great looking sports sedan with less power than my 1988 Toyota pickup (which are not exactly known for their gusto). So, when I saw a red 318is for sale at $6k, I thought “ooh, great deal on a fun E30!” While not too long ago $6k would have bought a lot of E30, that is clearly no longer the case.
Tread carefully, dear readers, for this ad is full of fail. Happy Friday!
Going to the track is like any other addiction; it has its highs and lows. You may start going with a stock car, but soon you’ll feel the need to modify the suspension, beef up with wheels and tires, throw on some racing brakes, strip the interior and all of that heavy stuff that slows you down like air conditioning, sound deadening, and seats. Then you drop a cage in and hit the track; all smiles, no doubt, but it’s been an expensive journey and your track weapon is really only good at fast laps for a small percentage of its existence; the rest of the time, it just sits or is exceptionally uncomfortable and inconvenient as a daily driver. Plus, modern cars have gotten so expensive and complicated, with enough computer aids that they can nearly lap themselves. What is an enthusiast to do, then? Well, you can look towards some perennial favorites that helped to establish the reputation of BMW; the M3. In this case, I have two examples that are set up to hit the track – a racer E30 and a street-drivable but track-biased E46. Which is your flavor?
