What's what in the 325 space

[FarthingsCat]

Hi all, on the 325 convertible is there a more desirable model / year? Is it is simple as Crome v non Crome?

Sorry for such a basic question.

Gary

[bss325i]

A mororsport convertible is higher specced, some were available M only colours and a generally worth more. Very limited numbers also.

[Cloggy Saint]

There's the Motorsport model that has extended leather and an inflated price tag.

[RetroAde]

The Motorsport is the holy grail of 325i cabs and prices reflect its holy grailness. Other than that it's down to taste and what's available.

If you're on the hunt for one the one to buy is the one with the best shell you can find. Everything else can be changed easily enough to build the car you want.

[FarthingsCat]

Thanks for replies, I have seen a couple of motor sports in the 13k price range and plenty of non motor sport ones between 5-10k.... Another than motor sport is there any particular model / year to look for?

Gary

[FarthingsCat]

Here's a couple I have been looking at
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C620179#


http://www.jamespaul.co.uk/bmw-325i-con ... ey-4984824

And a forum member has been in contact with me re the possible sale of a nice white 325 although sill need addressing

Antsy thoughts
Gary

[ross_jsy]

There is also the m3 cab, although why someone would want one is beyond me. Give me a 6 pot auto if I had to get a cab any day.

They both look very nice, the second one especially. £10k could potentially be a bit on the steep side but it is well optioned and well turned out

[FarthingsCat]

Not really looking for a brutal m3, more a summer cruiser!

10k does seem expensive and only 3k away from the motor sport available at classic heroes but both looked nice to me.

Just need to weigh up some options and go and have a look.

Gary

[beautymeanswheels]

The motorsport has been up for a while with Classic heroes I think? Would've thought that so;d pretty quick given that it is up for sale at a specialist and is a desirable car. Maybe it just isn't as good as the price it's up for.
Motorsports have gone up seriously over the past 2 years. I remember talking to someone selling a mint calypso red with lower miles and low owners, lotus interior etc with all the history and he got around £8k for it.

[daimlerman]

Red car looks to have every option except a power roof....also has a low milage but £10k seems an aweful lot of money.
Blue car looks tidy,but has cover twice the distance and appears to be with a private seller.Still very much top money,though.

Suprising to see cabbie's at those sort of prices,five years back £2k would have bought the blue one!

In general,I would suggest to the OP that he avoids cars with power roofs,unless they are working perfectly.
They are neither easy or cheap to make work perfectly,a wander through Tech Help will produce plenty of threads asking how to fix the things.

[ianev]

only spend big £ if you have a garage and are going to use it in the dry. get a good shell 325 for less money and tidy it up with yr spare cash.

there are plenty about, so take your time.

[aimlessrock]

325 is the model everyone everyone seeks, but don't dismiss a 320 cabby..the 2 litre lump is very smooth and ideal for a cabby in my view.

[RetroAde]

Both cars are overpriced in my opinion, however if I were selling I'd try my luck high especially as it's mid summer.

The private sale, looks all good on ad, if all rings true and it's not hiding rot under the carpets etc £5k tops, seen similar for as low as £3.5k.

The dealer car looks amazing in terms of spec. If he's giving you a warranty then £8k with low mileage and history from a specialist dealer is about right. He knows he's got a good car, so will try to justify the 10k, but despite what he'll no doubt say it isn't the only low mileage E30 out there and no dealer wants an expensive cabriolet sat on his lot in the autumn. If it's still there come September I bet you'll be able to do a deal.

If you're going to spend £10k there's a lot of sense in searching out a private sale in need of some tlc. Avoid rotten shells and estate drift hero specials and look for originality and history. There's a lot of cars in the £2k - £4k bracket that are probably better long term bets than some of the rougher dealer sold cars priced around the £7k mark, and buying at this level would give you a huge budget to sort the car over the winter. This is the route I went down, finding £10k for a weekend car was never going to happen, so I done a deal on a private sale 2 owner car with loads of history and totally original. Advertised at £2.5k, shook hands quite a bit lower. Yes it's needed a bit of work, but it's a solid old beast and has been no trouble at all and even after all the jobs I've done still owes me less than half what you're looking to pay for a similar car.

[Gert_8]

Cabbies with a fully working electric roof came at a premium price.

[macas]

So are them the standard clocks on that red one?..they look like the chrome ring type?.

[Strugs]

Blue one has been for sale for a while now..

Red one looks very tidy and good spec, as others have said.. Also, note from the ad the reg number - if that comes with the car that's likely to worth £700-£1000 (maybe more) by itself?

There are those that baulk at the prices of 325 cabbies now but I keep a close eye out (it's in my interests!) and £8-£10k for a 'perfect one' (if there is such a thing) needing nothing seems to be about the going rate, with cheaper ones (£5k or less) apparently selling reasonably quickly. Motorsports are obviously more.

My car is not really intended to be an investment per se but I wouldn't have spent getting on for £6k on it (that includes a bare-metal respray, in case anyone wonders where that money has gone!) unless I considered I would get most if not all of that back when it comes time to sell..

[FarthingsCat]

Thanks for all your replies, I don't mind paying a little over the odds as I am buying to keep and enjoy. I don't imagine the values of these cars going down so if I fall on hard times hopefully it will remain a scalable asset!

I will continue to search for the right car, just need a little more time to log and look at a few.

Appreciate the advise so far

Thanks
Gary

[Sonatine]

I looked at the blue one online before buying my one. Looking at the ad now, I think he has reduced its selling price - from memory at least. I think it looks a good one and there is every chance he will take a sensible offer. But as others have said, it's overpriced as it stands.

[Strugs]

Thanks for all your replies, I don't mind paying a little over the odds as I am buying to keep and enjoy. I don't imagine the values of these cars going down so if I fall on hard times hopefully it will remain a scalable asset!

I will continue to search for the right car, just need a little more time to log and look at a few.

Appreciate the advise so far

Thanks
Gary

Whereabouts are you in the world?

[B7]

So are them the standard clocks on that red one?..they look like the chrome ring type?.

Also being an 87, it would not have had a tech 2 steering wheel. The colour matched mirrors are not correct (either for the year OR in the way they've been done) and along with the alpinas, my moneys on that it didn't come with the Jimmy Hill front spoiler either

It's a well specced car mind. In addition to whats also been mentioned, it's also missing Cruise Control.

[FarthingsCat]

Whereabouts are you in the world?

I am in Norwich, lovely city, but location means 100 mile plus journey to look at most cars available!

Gary