E30 fanatics (am I automatically considered one for using alphanumerical platform codes?) love digging deep for special editions and casually name-dropping things like “Sport Evo,” “Cecotto,” and “M-Tech 1” or even “M-Tech 2!” Today’s right-hand drive Sport Edition is a new one for me and was available in Europe, Japan, Australia, and South Africa. If you like shifting out of “Park” with your left hand and enjoy constantly wondering where the double yellow lines are, this special-edition 325i could be yours for just a bit more than a standard E30. That’s right: as bonus feature, it has a rebuilt Sport slushbox! The 325i Sport’s autotragic was way before its time, incorporating BMW’s now-ubiquitous and seemingly-endless shifting options in the form of 3 settings – choose your adventure! Redlining the M20 isn’t just for clutch-capable teenage hoons anymore, Americans! With moderate mileage and the subdued Delphin Grey, you can confuse children in a car that appears to have no driver while appearing to enthusiasts like just another dude in an E30 with a mediocre bodykit and some rust bubbles.
Author: Nate
Though personally invested, I’m still skeptical of the recent prices we’ve seen E28 M5s being listed for. It seems like reasonable examples were going for high teens just a few months ago, yet all of a sudden it seems any clean sub-150k mile example is going for over $30k. Today’s example is one of the rare Canadian models with the all-black interior, which is a fun idea but much less appealing (to my eyes at least) than the tan interiors present on the other 99%. It has just 124k miles and appears to be in good working order, but it’s not like the shockingly clean examples we’ve featured recently. It’s lived through 4 owners and the maintenance history is disappointingly lacking. The E28 community seems to express a collective “meh” when black-interior cars are brought up, but some like the color and rarity. Have E28 M5 prices really gone up 100% over the last year?
Click for details: 1988 BMW E28 M5 on eBay
3 CommentsThe last few months I’ve found myself examining all manner of Vanagons, from aged DoKas to pristine GoWesty Syncro Westfalias, but today’s 7-passenger Syncro is an interesting case. Aesthetically, it’s not all that, with some ill-fitting wheels and lackluster paint. Inside, the non-camping setup is contrary to my intended use. However, the Syncro 4WD is an awesome option box that usually comes with a huge price tag. It’s covered well under 100k miles, and has my favorite of all Vanagon grills, the South African quad-light setup. The asking price is a mere fraction of what most Syncros go for, making this all-terrain Vanagon a pretty decent deal and a solid starting point for the intrepid adventurer.
Click for details: 1987 Volkswagen Vanagon Syncro on eBay
1 CommentWe (along with every BMW enthusiast site) go through so many iterations of E30s, but if you could finally go out and get one, how would you want yours? The answers are as diverse as coffee preferences. Sure, the starting point is energetic and standard, but there are a million ways to take it.
Personally, with the E30 M3 boat sailed, I think I’d want to get a little crazy with an engine-swapped example. While the E28 M5’s S38 is a dream, the E36’s S52 is among the most popular choices and readily available (as well as significantly cheaper to maintain). Today’s 325i has some issues that will make it continue to be a project, but the heavy lifting has been done to make it a true hoonmobile. A PPI has been done, which is more than many of the passed-on projects we see here can offer. Once the to-dos get sorted, it’s a good-looking E30 that is ready to be made great.
Click for details: 1989 BMW 325i on eBay
Comments closedSeveral Karmann Ghias are still kicking around my area in various states of care. One looks like it’s been daily driven since the early 70s, missing a few pieces of trim but still perfectly functional with no noticeable rust. One is almost entirely patina, like a rat rod but not trying so hard. The last is the rarest to see but still out there, perfectly clean, curvaceous, and complete.
Today’s beautiful Castilian Yellow example is on the latter end of the spectrum thanks to covering just under 50k miles in 47 years. The tan and chrome suit these cars well, and it’s hard to believe that the original paint can shine like this. The interior similarly looks perfectly vintage but hardly used. The wooden luggage rack is a cute look, but not for everyone. Ghias are beautiful and desirable cars, headturners for even the uninitiated and easy to maintain and modify thanks to their Beetle roots. If you’re collecting with an eye on resale value, a low-mileage original is the way to go.