Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Wagons. We love them here at GCFSB and with each passing year, a few more models become available to US customers that weren’t sold in this market originally. This 325i Touring is prime in the crosshairs of vintage Bimmer enthusiasts and a few have made their way over to these shores already. This Lachsilber 325i Touring with BBS basketweaves has been recently imported and is ready to be picked up by its next owner down in sunny Florida.
In an era where successive generations of vehicles get larger and heavier, lightweight specials crop up occasionally to cater to the purist. Porsche has a penchant for lightweight specials, such as the 911 GT3RS and various Club Sport models that have peppered the lineup throughout the years. BMW has been hip to this lightweight game as well, and saw the potential shortly after the introduction of the E36 M3 in the US market. The Lightweight (LTW) was a 1995 homologation special model that saw the deletion of luxuries such as air conditioning, a radio, some sound deadening material, leather trim and the sunroof. Aluminum skinned doors, sport suspension and a revised rear axle ratio gave the Lightweight an edge over the standard M3. A little over 100 of these LTW models were offered to US customers and are highly prized by Bimmer fans today. This M3 LTW for sale in Florida is unlike many in that it has a good amount of miles under its belt.
Every time I go out on the web and browse around for a BMW E36 M3 sedan, the selection is usually a bit underwhelming. A lot of these four-door M cars were automatic and while it certainly doesn’t make it a terrible car, it does nothing to sate the appetite of the enthusiast. There’s also a lot of higher mileage examples out there which can potentially scare off the novice M car buyer. This M3 sedan, however, is a 5-speed manual and even with 125k under its belt, still looks the business.
These days, the E30 BMW M3 is one hot commodity amongst track day enthusiasts and collectors. This trend began even before the last M3 rolled off the assembly line this year. It’s hard to find a good one these days for under $20,000, but if you are willing to invest some time and money, there are plenty of well used and otherwise derelict examples out there in need of some TLC. There is one E30 M3 variant that did not make it to the US: the convertible.
With only 783 units produced, this was one of the more rare M cars, but a rather curious one. I’ve been well aware of this model since its debut but much like the E36 M3 Cabriolet, it never captivated me. If you’re going for all out performance, common knowledge dictates you would want a solid roof. But given the near classic status of these early M3s, maybe it’s time to give the convertible version its fair shake. And this particular one for sale in Northern Italy is now legal for US importation.
The same neighbor that I’ve written about pampering a sweet, sweet 1996 911 Turbo daily drives an E46 Touring that I covet. Even as just a plain 325i, it is simply attractive and seems to be a great mix of entertaining and useful. While his rare drives in the 911 must be a revelation, the ability to have fun every day in a great wagon must be nice. Thought automatic, today’s 325xi adds all-wheel drive to create even more versatility. With just 54k miles, this could make a great DD for years to come.