325i Sport, not just a UK only "Bracknell special"

[TPS]

Floors & Arches, thats a good option to have.

[magpie]

Yawn.

[pacerpete]

Yawn.

Go away Mick. This thread is only for Sport types. Custodians of molested 4 pot scrap are not wanted !

[Cloggy Saint]

Just for the record, my humble touring is specced to a level most sport owners can only dream about

Snap ! Air,cruise,sports leather,alloy wishbones,OBC, floors,arches........

Not forgetting climate control and heated everything.

[magpie]

it's all about the Speshal Equipment !

[TPS]

An E30 is an E30, I appreciate them all from a 316 Lux to an M3 or B6 S, but as an investment, it's better to have a sport than an SE with an M-Tech body kit put on

+1

[The_Diddler]

An E30 is an E30, I appreciate them all from a 316 Lux to an M3 or B6 S, but as an investment, it's better to have a sport than an SE with an M-Tech body kit put on

+1

As an investment, really, well if its an investment you want, then you'd best lock up all the Sports and never drive them again, you wouldnt want to lose any money would you.

Behave yourself, jesus................................

[Demlotcrew]

A 325 Sport is NO different in any way to a similarly specced 325, with the exception of the black headlining.

Was the close ratio box and 3.91 lsd an option too?

[bss325i]

A 325 Sport is NO different in any way to a similarly specced 325, with the exception of the black headlining.

Was the close ratio box and 3.91 lsd an option too?

The 3.91 ratio diff was what 325i Tourings had and an LSD was available as an option on everything else that it wasn't standard on.

EDIT: a close ratio gearbox was optional on any RWD 325i.

[TPS]

What diff. did the Sports have? 3.91 as well?

[bss325i]

What diff. did the Sports have? 3.91 as well?

Tech 1, 3.64.

Tech 2, 3.91

[pacerpete]

A 325 Sport is NO different in any way to a similarly specced 325, with the exception of the black headlining.

Was the close ratio box and 3.91 lsd an option too?

The 3.91 ratio diff was what 325i Tourings had and an LSD was available as an option on everything else that it wasn't standard on.

EDIT: a close ratio gearbox was optional on any RWD 325i.

Indeed, my £200 white 325 quattroporte was ordered with a 'sports' close ratio box, no LSD though, alas

[Demlotcrew]

So if you spec a close ratio box on a 325i BMW automatically fitted a 3.91 or stuck with 3.64?

Just trying to figure out if there is any option that is not available on a base model 325i. Maybe a sport only colour?

[Kos]

Sport colours were not unique to sports

[Jim320i]

Sports were not unique

[Demlotcrew]

[bss325i]

So if you spec a close ratio box on a 325i BMW automatically fitted a 3.91 or stuck with 3.64?

Just trying to figure out if there is any option that is not available on a base model 325i. Maybe a sport only colour?

No the base car would retain its differential ratio even if close ratio box was fitted.

I had one on a high spec 325i cabrio and that retained the 3.73 diff. LSD might i add.

Black head lining was the only thing not on the options list that a sport had.

[bss325i]

No one is trying to say they are unique, just that they are interesting in their own right and were quite clearly promoted by BMW in various markets.

Strange how 325i sports get a bit hated on by this forum yet the e34 525i and 535i sports are loved an no one says they're a parts bin special. They only came about because of the success of the e30 version!

[Andyboy]

I had a gloss black C plate 325i about 10 years ago that I rescued from a car auction. It was a total stripper - no boxes ticked at all. Plastic wheel trips, struggle windows, the lot.
It went like a fucking rocket and a mate of Ste's (remember him?) bought it and turned it into a track slag. Such a lovely clean shell - I hope it's still around.

The 325i Sport is a special model in its own right. They put a lot of thought into how to spec it up with the bits that mattered. Unless you were a youth in the 80's you won't realise what a big deal it was to have a Sport. Any 325i was nice but these were really desirable. I nearly bought one in 1995 at Blackbushe auctions. I was buying a high mileage latish car for my Mum and there was a Dolphin grey 325i Sport Auto on a J plate. It had done a shade over 100'000 miles but was really clean and was direct from one of the banks. Iirc I went up to six grand (a grand over book) and gave up - it went to over seven. Madness.
In the event I bought her a K reg Audi 80 2.0E with 100'000 miles for about four grand. That was a bloody cheap car - it was absolutely mint and drove like new.

[AndyG]

I remember the sport sitting in the dealership when I bought my 325i. Regardless I plumped for an SE though with sport seats and 15" BBS, and a chrome finisher around the windows. The SE was chosen as the options it came with over the std 325 made it a better proposition considering everything at that time was an extra! So hopefully that answers Polsta's question.

At the time I wasn't too keen on the larger bodykit the sport came with and preferred the cleaner looking shape of the SE. Mind you like Andy says, they were superb cars then and demand seem to be quite high at the time. When I was sorting mine out, an older guy came in and was asking about all manner of options for 'his new' sport, and that's the first time I'd heard of Alpina because the salesman gave the guy details of the C2.

[bss325i]

When I was sorting mine out, an older guy came in and was asking about all manner of options for 'his new' sport, and that's the first time I'd heard of Alpina because the salesman gave the guy details of the C2.

Thats interesting. I wonder if he went down the C2 route with the sport as there several Sport based C2 2.7 made.

Impossible i know but it would be cool if we knew the reg of the car and if it survived.

I take it you bought your 325iSE new then? Still own it?

[AndyG]

I did, I was quite lucky to be able to do it and as such loved the car, ordered it in the July, had it delivered in the October. 1987.

I still have the bill of sale and a bit of info on it here somewhere, to the grand total of £17850.

Diamond black, 2 door SE, manual, 15" BBS, sport seats. It was an incredible experience driving this thing out of the dealership.

Thing is though I had to pay for things like the mudflaps, radio & speakers, the only thing that was std with it regards the stereo was the bloody aerial but the overall spec was good!

I had it for 4 years but it had to go to make way for a house just after I got married...............

The C2, well before I collected mine I went across to the dealers (Stephen James) to sign a few things and there outside was what I found out to be an Alpina, so maybe it was his or a demo brought over, but as to the reg I have no idea. I do remember it was in a dk grey of sorts but that's it I'm afraid.

[spook]

So the Sport sold more than the basic 325i eh?

That makes it a bit Pop, and not quite punk rock, glad i dont own one then.


Chris Martin probably bought one

[bss325i]

So the Sport sold more than the basic 325i eh?

That makes it a bit Pop, and not quite punk rock, glad i dont own one then.


Chris Martin probably bought one

Well yes and no.

The tech1 sport was pretty spartan and had manual windows, no sunroof, no PAS, basic clock etc where as the SE had electric windows, and roof and an OBC.

All of which were an option on the tech 1 sport.

What the tech 1 sport did have over the SE was more important standard spec like, LSD, close ratio box, 15" BBS, M tech steering wheel and the M technic body kit.

All of course optional on the SE.

Fast forward the the tech 2 sport and the fripperies like power windows and PAS were now standard but minor things like an OBC or a sunroof were still options on the sport, standard on the SE.

Again, the important spec like M tech suspension, 15" BBS, close ratio box, LSD and body kit were standard.

So, in reality, the Sport had the better spec out the box over an SE, unless you regard power windows a sun roof and an OBC more important.

[bss325i]

The sport was Hendrix, the SE was your idol Cliff Richard Chris!

[spook]

That's Sir Cliff to you mate,

[bss325i]

I've just realised you wrote," the sport sold more than the basic 325i".

For some reason I thought you meant the sport had less spec than the SE.

it's late!

[hennared323i]

I remember reading somewhere that the most cost effective upgrade to an 325i SE was to add the Mtech suspension package. It was somewhere around £100 for the springs/shocks if my memory serves correctly

[Chris_B86]

An E30 is an E30, I appreciate them all from a 316 Lux to an M3 or B6 S, but as an investment, it's better to have a sport than an SE with an M-Tech body kit put on

+1

As an investment, really, well if its an investment you want, then you'd best lock up all the Sports and never drive them again, you wouldnt want to lose any money would you.

Behave yourself, jesus................................

The fact is you can find a sport with 120k on or 200k on the clock, if the car has been looked after, the mileage actually doesn't affect the price that much, so no I don't need to lock my Sport up, I can drive it any time I want, and provided I stay on top of the maintenence, the likelyhood of me losing any money on my 'investment' is slim, in fact it's more likely to appreciate.

You've only got to look at the M3 'E30 LO' that has over 200k km on it to know mileage isn't the be all and end all of an E30's value

[pacerpete]

Mileage IS the be all and end all. Collectors, IE those who are willing to pay proper money for nice cars are not interested in high mileage cars, no matter how nice they are.

[snakebrain]

Mileage IS the be all and end all. Collectors, IE those who are willing to pay proper money for nice cars are not interested in high mileage cars, no matter how nice they are.

Absolutely. If you're going down that road, it's sub-20k miles with 1 owner and leather like a virgin's arsecheeks..

[The_Diddler]

Mileage IS the be all and end all. Collectors, IE those who are willing to pay proper money for nice cars are not interested in high mileage cars, no matter how nice they are.

This/\/\

if you have a low mileage Sport then best you stop driving it now, if you want to treat it as an investment.

Mileage is everything FACT..........................

I know of a really low mileage Tech 1 Sport in Lachs Silver with sub 20,000 miles that hasn't been the light of day for a good few years, and has done no more than 2 miles in all that time either.

They are just undriveable.

Guess what, bought as an investment and not to drive.

[Chris_B86]

When I say as an investment, I may have used the wrong term, but I know I'm not going to lose any money on my Sport, and it get's driven properly.

Maybe the term I should have used is a non depreciative asset.

A well looked after Sport is worth more and will always be more desirable than an equivalent SE...FACT

[Kedge]

Managed to update the Wiki page a little more;

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/index.php/325i_Sport

[Grrrmachine]

Nice badge Kedge