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946 search results for "bmw e30"

1990 BMW 325i M-Tech II

Right out of the gate I have to say there are a few things that I really don’t care for on this car. The M badge on the trunk is obnoxious, I do not like the current marketing gimmick of slapping the “fastest letter in the world” all over BMW models and it’s even tackier on a classic E30. I don’t know if the seller thinks it is a clever or what but with these classics I believe that only an M engine justifies an M badge. Also, AC Schnitzer wheels have never been my thing, not even as a winter set. In my opinion chubby little wheels are not a good look on any car but especially here. An E30 needs OEM basket weaves or some generation of M3 wheel to maintain the classic look. However those are both personal cosmetic dislikes, both easily remedied, so I find it easy to look past them and see the potential in this example of a unique E30.

After all, there is a whole lot to like here. The Recaro cloth seats look immaculate and I can tell you from personal experience that they’re very, very comfortable. The M-Tech II wheel is one of my favorite BMW wheels of all time, great thickness, perfectly cut out thumb rests and visually pleasing unlike the monster airbag wheels that followed. The M-Tech II tiller does come in two different sizes, 365mm and 385mm respectively. I’ve only gotten my hands on the smaller of the two but I can’t imagine the larger one being a better option. The seller doesn’t note which wheel he put in so that’s something I’d want to find out early on. Outside the car looks pretty darn clean for living up in the great white north. Again I’d need more information as far as the car’s life story is concerned but overall it looks like it has lived on easy street. Of course looks can be deceiving, especially with these cars so serious homework would have to be done to determine if this car is worth your time. As you’ll see in the gallery at the bottom of the page, the dash is cracked so that’s something that’ll need attention rather quickly and there’s also no A/C, a deal breaker for a Southern California resident like myself. However if you don’t need cold air on your face and couldn’t care less about a visible fault line in front of your eyes all the time, then perhaps this E30 is for you.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1990 BMW 325i M-Tech II on Kijiji

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1989 BMW 320i Touring

Hot on the heels of wagon week, we have another great little E30 Touring that was brought to Virginia from Germany (probably by an armed services member) a while back. In addition to the great looks of the original 3-series longroof, you get a dog cage, buttons in German, and that 80s cloth interior that reminds me so much of my childhood. Bidding is hot but significantly lower than most clean E30s out there as I write this. It seems like the allure and rarity of these wagons is starting to wane, bringing them to a much wider audience and taking them back to their original status as an entertaining, useful, and affordable daily driver.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 BMW 320i Touring on eBay

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1998 BMW M3 Convertible

Need a little bit more space than the 2002 BMW M Roadster we featured yesterday but still lust after some al fresco ///M Motoring? Here’s a good compromise, then. While the M3 Convertible was nothing new when the E36 debuted, the US market was never privy to the E30 M3 Convertible. With the 1998 model year, sun worshippers got their wish with this car we see here for sale in North Carolina. Hardcore enthusiasts tend to take these open-roofed M3s a bit less seriously than their coupe and sedan counterparts, given their added weight and decreased rigidity. At least this car is equipped with the 5-speed manual which will help you make the most of this package.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1998 BMW M3 Convertible on eBay

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1976 BMW 320i Euro-Spec

With the longtime popularity of the 2002 model and the more recent rise of the E30 models as popular tuning and collector platforms, it’s really amazing that the E21 continues to be generally ignored. The ingredients are all there; classic, rear drive platform, small sedan versatility, Paul Bracq design – they’re really perfectly placed as a small coupe with design elements from both the big brother 5 and 6 series. Sure, shipped to the U.S. they were a bit of a wet noodle, with low horsepower and heavier weight than the ’02s they replaced – which, themselves by the end of the run had lost a bit of the original magic. On top of that, as with the end of the run ’02s and all U.S. bound BMWs until 1988 they carried the heavier “diving board” bumpers. Some aren’t bothered by them, but I don’t think anyone will claim that the 5 m.p.h. DOT-mandated bumpers compliment the original designs of Mr. Bracq particularly well. But, as with all European models from this time, seeing a ROW-spec model is always a treat.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1976 BMW 320i on eBay

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Tuner Tuesday: 1989 BMW M3 Dinan 5.7 V10

The Great Schism was a time of religious crisis for Europe; between 1378 and 1417, there were two Popes. In the early 1300s, a French-born Pope moved the head of the church from Rome to Avignon in France. This was significant for many reasons; Rome had been the spiritual home of the aptly named Roman Catholic Church since the establishment of the 5 main churches by the first Council of Nicea under Roman Emperor Constantine; the first Christian Roman Emperor and the one mostly responsible for converting Europe to Christianity. There are many more stories wrapped up in the ensuing 1,000 years of religious history, but ultimately let’s just say it was a pretty big deal to move the Chair of St. Peter. Ultimately this period, sometimes known as the period of Babylonian Captivity (itself a reference to the actual Babylonians capturing and enslaving the Jewish population about 500 years before Christ was born, if you’re into that sort of thing), resulted in a poor reputation for the Papacy and the Church, as corruption ran rampant through the higher positions in religion. So, in an attempt to correct things, in 1378 the new Pope tried to undo this by returning to Rome. This, of course, pissed the French off. So, they simply claimed they had their own Pope. And since this was during the Hundred Years War, this ultimately split Europe into religious waring factions, each aligned with a different Pope. Not to be outdone, the trading city of Pisa (yes, that leaning tower one…) also briefly claimed they also had their own Pope. Though it ultimately was resolved in 1417 by Church-wide decree that the true Pope was indeed back in Rome, it was the beginning of the end of the omnipotence of the Catholic Church in Christianity, which 100 years later would experience the Protestant Reformation, completing the religious divide of Europe.

Where am I going with this? I think the same divide exists between automobile enthusiasts; two camps, both of whom see their way of expressing enthusiasm as the right way. And, in general, at least one camp doesn’t like how the other camp does things. Ten years ago no one would probably have blinked an eye at someone modifying an E30 M3; however, ten years ago E30 M3s were still effectively throw-away performance economy cars to most people. So that someone hacked one up and threw a Dinan-stroked 5.7 liter V10 and 6-speed into one wouldn’t have raised eyebrows until they were the darling in the marketplace:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 BMW M3 on eBay

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