New zoner

[Pete320is]

Hello everyone, thought I'd say hello and post a pic of my E30 for you all to see.

She's a 320is imported from Italy, a great car.



That's all for now! I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions in the future..

[Dominitry]

Welcome to the zone mate, the cars looking clean!!

[320Touring]

mmmmmmm

lovely car mate!!!

welcome to the zone

wait til Zayyan sees this

[Sjoerd320i]

A big welcome dude

very very nice car you got there

I think it's the only 320is on here at the moment?

[E30BeemerLad]

320 iS - splumph

did you import it or buy it here, how much did u have to pay if u don't mind me asking? PM me if you don't want to broadcast it.

Personally, I would seriously consider one of these ahead of M3

[dazleeds]

welcome to the zone mate and that sure ir a nice looking beemer Daz

[Pete320is]

Thanks for all the nice comments!!

Another pic..



I'll try and answer the questions..

I didn't import it myself, the guy who I bought it off did it himself. Drove it back and everything! I was actually going to sell it recently to buy an M3 but decided against it.

I don't mind saying how much I paid... Ԛ£4000. It sounds quite a lot but she has 99% full history, 69,000 miles currently and nothing wrong whatsoever (touch wood) She was featured in Total BMW last November and they said she was nice too!!

[dazleeds]

very nice
imho i would say a bit pricey but having said that if its as tidy and well serviced as you say then paying more for the right car will save loads in the long run very nice mate hope to see it in the flesh as i do all zone cars oneday Daz leeds

[Geeman]

I had a 320iS a few years back. I also paid Ԛ£4k for mine and was 100% rust free... the benefit of owning an import!

I'd definitely have another one... awesome machines. When they're on song, the change from 2nd to 3rd is an absolute dream!

Welcome to the Zone!!!

Giles.

[E30BeemerLad]

where 'bouts are you in the country Pete?

where was car originally then, Italy?

Looking at condition in the pics and given the price 325 sports go for, I think it was a good buy. Certainly quite exclusive!

[Pete320is]

Yeah, I did think Ԛ£4000 was a bit pricey but the guy wouldn't budge and I wanted the car!!

Geeman - 100% no rust is the same for mine too! And yes, that 2nd to 3rd is great Fantasic engine.

Beemerlad - yep, the car came from Italy originally, about 2 years ago I think. I'm based near Swindon, not far from the M4. I like the exclusivity and the fact that no-one knows what it is. Especially when much newer cars disappear in my rear-view mirror!

[Sjoerd320i]

320 iS - splumph

Personally, I would seriously consider one of these ahead of M3

yep! exactly

[dazleeds]

Yeah, I did think Ԛ£4000 was a bit pricey but the guy wouldn't budge and I wanted the car!!



if you love the car and it makes ya grin then its a bargain mate just enjoy it knowing that it should also depreciate slower due to its exclusivity factor

[Zayyan]

mmmmmmm

lovely car mate!!!

welcome to the zone

wait til Zayyan sees this

You're right

Ԛ£4k with 69,000 miles, faster and more economical than a Sport.....and 4-pot rightness

Almost forgot to say Pete.....welcome to the Zone

Who are you insured with by the way? Is it difficult to insure as nobody knows what it is?

[c76jon]

nice car my friend

enjoy her and welcome to the zone

john

[Pete320is]

Cheers Zayyan! I'm insured with Tesco at the moment believe it or not. I had several conversations with them about the type of car and even though they assured me that they were happy with my description, it still took some time before I finally got a certificate with 320is written on it instead of 320iSE! I was still dubious about whether they'd actually recognise the car in the event of a claim though. That was until an obviously unhappy and very suicidal deer stepped out in front of me, taking the bumper and grill etc with it. I got the damage repaired on the insurance and had to argue my case when the valuer blokey rang up and said "There's an m3 engine in this 320, you said it wasn't modifed.." Cue long and frustrating conversation. Got it sorted though, they agreed what the car was and I got my new bumper

[Zayyan]

If you're saying it costs the same to insure as a 320i SE.......I'm getting excited already, and I don't even have the money yet

[Nostrils]

Pete, I would be interested in knowing what your renewal from Tesco would be....one bitten and all that!

More than that though, how on earth did you get Tesco to insure a LHD car - They wouldnt touch my M3!

[Pete320is]

Yep!! I was trying places like Adrian Flux to start with and getting quotes of around Ԛ£750. Tesco quoted Ԛ£575 or something very close. And I have 6 points for speeding as well. Bargain.

After I was absolutely sure they would recognise it as a 320is, I accepted their quote! And now I know they'll definitely pay out if anything really bad happens becasue of the experience I mentioned above.

[Pete320is]

Phil - yeah, maybe the renewal won't be quite as nice. Hadn't thought of that..

They didn't seem to mind that it was LHD though

[TOURINGDADDY]

A big welcome to the Zone you'll love it ere

[Zayyan]

What's the age difference between Pete and Phil though I'm wondering. Maybe Pete's favoured if he's older?

Apologies if that's cheeky

[Geeman]

Pete... mine was originally insured with Tesco... as a 320iSE - crazy! Then I went to Liverpool Victoria (where I still am 3 years later) who were equally as understanding, but insured it as a 320iS at last!

Even though they are only a 2-litre, the still pack 190bhp as standard which isn't that far off a standard M3. Stick a chip in there and you're on to a winner!

I'll say it again... great cars!

Giles.

[Pete320is]

That's good to know, I will definitely bear them in mind when Tesco tries to sting me for the renewal!

As for the chip.. I'll be asking questions about this soon! I'd like to see what is possible to do to my car but that's for another discussion...

Cheers all

[nav786]

lovely motor mate, all this talk of it being expensiv is crap. i would pay that anyday. its the same as sport money and this is rarer. top motor mate

[Geeman]

320iS's DO fetch more than a Sport, due to 2 facts: Rarity value and the condition.

The fact that it has an M3 engine (more or less), box, diff and rack are all plus points. The outstanding condition of the bodywork on the majority of these cars is a major bonus when buying this kind of E30. You would never find an E30 that's lived in the UK all it's life to be in as good a condition as most of these imported cars.

Pete... where did you get yours? Was it a private sale, or was it from a dealer? I bought mine from German Cars, Wayne Howlett in Norfolk.

Giles.

[e30geezer]

Hello everyone, thought I'd say hello and post a pic of my E30 for you all to see.

She's a 320is imported from Italy, a great car.



That's all for now! I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions in the future..

fantastic car + welcome to the zone

[LOOPYLEE1965]

car mate and welcome to the zone

[Geeman]

Is it on 14" rims as well...? Mine was from standard. Wierd that they were spec'd up like that. I would have thought that they'd come with 15's...

[johnono]

good buy fella! 4g aint peanuts but they are v.rare so the price on sale (if u sell ) wont let u down.

well done on such a sweet find, keep her in good nick though

[Pete320is]

Again, thanks everyone for the comments! Geeman - it was a private sale, I saw the car on the BMW car club website. It is on 14s at the moment but I plan to upgrade the wheels along with the brakes and suspension over the next few months. Nothing too drastic, I want it to look the same in terms of ride height etc but the brakes are scary (i.e. cr@p) and they will be replaced with a big brake kit soon.
And I will try my hardest to keep her in good nick!! She gets a clean every weekend and regular services too so she should do ok. I'm one of those people who tend to replace things if I have the slightest doubt about them!

[MrBMW78]

I am fairly new to the zone too...
But ill still welcome you to the biggest baddest e30 site.

Mrbmw78

[japcarkiller]

that is one lush motor.i'd trade my 325's in in a second for a 320iS.

oh yes welcome to the zone.
there aint a problem the zone can't fix.

[Pete320is]

Cheers matey!

[moonraker]

MrBMW78, those are really, really great pictures. Simple but very evocative. Esp. the 2 bottom ones: the seats and steering wheel from this angle (captures the unique BMW driving environment beautifully) and the gleaming side of the car in perspective. Well done!