An illustrated story of my tatty 320 Touring

[andrew_baran]

In March I picked up my beatiful 1990 BMW 320i Touring. My Dad and I drove all the way from Essex to Cornwall, then back to Essex (600 mile round trip) to bring the beast home.



So she was an eBay purchase. Bargains. She's done 150k and has a 2 litre straight 6. I swear I nearly did a sex wee when I drove her off the guy's drive, that engine sounds SO good!!
The bodywork on the whole is tatty. Lacquer is missing everywhere - worst of all is the bonnet (see photos), but it appears there's less rust than my (now cubed) Escort, which is 10 years younger than the BM!




Interior is shabby too. Gear gaitor is mashed, drivers seat cover was fubared, and the radio was the original (shit) tape deck. But it felt comfy, and strangely homely.





I brimmed her tank in Devon and absolutely shat my pants when it all started dripping out the bottom again! After about 50 miles it had stopped (I think) so it might have been some sort of overfill system? Or just a hole in the top of the tank! Either way I am too poor to ever fill it to the top again!



Some pictures of the other "ratty features"

[andrew_baran]

After we made it home, I took her for an MOT. She failed miserably. The fails were:

Disks and pads - inefficiency and excessive pitting (all round)
Exhaust Mount Loose
Both front ball joints (whole new lower arms required)
Both rear Drum plates - Excessive corrosion
Handbrake inefficiency (due to drum plates and brakes)
Both front wishbone rear bushes.
O/S ARB drop link
Handbrake cable - Excessive corrosion
R O/S coil spring broken

Advisories:
C/V boot
Exhaust - corrosion
Headlight aim

It took nearly 3 months of earning and breaking things to get her back on the road, and I payed more in parts than I originally paid for the whole car!
She spent a lot of the time looking like this:



Eventually I earnt my ticket.

I did have some BBS Mahles I was going to fit, but I ended up selling them, being the poor student I am.
So tried and tested BBS it is.





And that is how she sits today. Personally I love the old looking paintwork, and don't intend on changing much apart from a spot of lowering to sort out the negative rake!

Big shout to Baz666 too for my unripped comfort interior too!

[schnaarf]

Good work! Is it lazur blue? I've got about 8 doors if you ever need them..

Mind me asking how much your insurance is? I've just finished uni and the best quote I can get for my 2.5 touring is 1k, 400 more than it was 2 years ago

[andrew_baran]

Yeah it's Laser Blue. This year I paid £900 TPF+T. I'm 20 and have one year NCB and have both my parents as named drivers. It was about 1.2k for a 325, which is why I chose the 320.

[TouringTash]

just to cheer you guys up a bit on car insurance costs, I'm 38, passed test in 89, no points and live in a very low crime area. cost £870 full comp as I spent a few years in the US so my NCB dissapears, even though I had 8 years NCB before I left and can proove 3 years in the states.


gonna do what another zoner suggested, wait till I'm in my 60's then go right up the ar$e of a Veyron, should get my moneys worth then.

[parkin10]

i`m 40 insured my touring on classic insurcance with all the bells on recovery`legal cover and so on for 300 quid