I’ve featured some nice examples of the 325is recently, ranging from an extremely low-mile ’87 to a subtly modified M-Tech ’87, to a slammed ’89 ready for a feature in European Car. All of those cars were severely lacking in one important category: Brown. The 71k-mile ’87 was beige, which is close but no cigar. This ’90 325is was originally silver, but a previous owner made the outstanding choice to make it a nice, chocolatey brown. It’s the highest mileage we’ve seen in a while, with something like 206k miles on the chassis but being blessed with a rebuild and plenty of other new parts. It comes with absolutely classic Ronal Turbos and other nice bits like a Z3 steering rack (2.7 turns lock to lock instead of 3.5 should surprise your E30-driving buds) and a reupholstered interior. As you might expect of a double-century car, it could use a little love, but small things like fixing a cracked bumper, touching up some rock chips, and putting center caps in the Turbos would make a world of difference. Bidding is low for this high-mileage E30, but potential is high.
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Let’s say you want to buy a 1980s BMW M car. Great! You have style, class and enthusiasts everywhere will applaud your discerning taste. You don’t just want to pose, you want race-track bred performance and build quality second only to Mercedes. Great! Now, look at the market. Shit! You missed the bandwagon by about 2 years. Not to worry, though – German Cars For Sale Blog is full of budget advice today! If you want the best affordable 1980s BMW M product, you just are looking in the wrong decade. You need to consider the 1990s E34 M5, and today we’ve got what should be two more affordable versions of the more affordable version of what you want. So, do either of these high mile heros have what it takes to make your 80s M dreams come true? Cue the theme to The A-Team and let’s take a look:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 BMW M5 on eBay
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All of the 325is I’ve featured recently are in good shape for the mileage, which ranged from well-traveled to marathoner. Today’s a special day, with a low-mileage example of the E30 that is in (a distant) second place for most desirable behind the M3 unicorn. This bronzitbeige coupe with a 5-speed has 71k miles, a good half or third of the other recent 325is auctions. It wears the 1987-specific cowcatcher front spoiler, one of the more aggressive stock valences in this generation of BMWs, and while the aftermarket Fittipaldi 5-spokes aren’t anachronous or awful, they’re not more attractive than the stock rims. The crack-prone black interior looks solid and serviceable and the seats aren’t ripped, but I expected it to be a little more pristine considering the mileage. Just based on how many years it could have left in it compared to the high-mile examples, it could be enjoyed for years and still sold (likely at a premium) as a lower-mileage example. The seller knows that, and is asking at the top end of the non-M3 market to this point.
Click for details: 1987 BMW 325is on eBay
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Here’s a fun market check as the E28 M5’s ascent follows the E30 M3 north. There isn’t a ton of history listed on this M5 other than it was owned by a BMW dealer who spared no expense keeping it nice. After just 93k miles, that care shows. Every electrical item is said to work perfectly, while the few aftermarket choices appear well-chosen. The suspension has been redone with Koni, while an interesting brake upgrade helps slow the fastest sedan in the world (in 1988). E34 brakes appear in the back, which is a common choice, but the owner has managed to get Porsche units up front with drilled rotors. There aren’t any big power upgrades, choosing to let the S38 do its best while making it an overall better-handling car. All of this adds up to an E28 M5 that is very nice but not perfect or all-original.
Click for details: 1988 BMW M5 on eBay
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Alright, folks, it’s Thursday. We’re almost to Friday, and it’s time to start thinking about weekend fun. I love taking the M5 out for a weekend cruise, but I’ve always wanted to try out rallying. It has typically seemed cost-prohibitive, as most autosports do, but today we have a kickass, fully-prepped E30 rally car that looks ripe for the picking.
From the inside out, what started as a lowly 325e has been converted to a serious race machine. The S52 swap doubles the horsepower of the original eta engine, while the suspension has been redone with ix and Bilstein parts. The interior is full rally spec, with an approved cage, seats, and a giant e-brake handle just like Ken Block. Outside, an ix-style M-Tech kit supplements the raised suspension while a FINA-tribute sticker job makes it look like the all-business machine that it is. The custom skid plate that goes back to cover the transmission both looks awesome and is extremely useful – pretty much the general theme of this dirt-tosser. There are clearly tons of regulations that I’m ill-equipped to comment on, but it sounds like the seller knows his stuff and assures us it’s ready to go racing.
It would surely be a lot to dive into and the future investments will be serious, but a no-reserve auction means you could at least get behind the wheel for a really good deal.
Click for details: 1985 BMW 325 Rally on eBay
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