IS IT WORTH IT(PICS)

[dazleeds]

I'd bite his hand off, the leathers cracked because it's been sat in direct sunlight which has dried it out, shame but true

Yet the guy says it had a hardtop on all its life!









O/T
Mine should sell for £8k at this rate!

[goldenbrown]

Yes i drove it today it drove straight good breaks(straight on hard breaking)gearbox very tight, steering tight, the only thing I could find after a good half an hour is what sounds like a wheel bearing on left turns. The roof is new and fits tight apart from a small gap next to both rear hinges. Hard top like new, rear de-mister worked ok, exhaust is ok, front section is new. Steering wheel slightly off centre when moving.all electrics worked ok,doors shut ok. these are the things i looked for, anything i should look for?

[fuzzy]

i think id agree with steve on the leather,going by the photos it looks like its just the drivers seat thats damaged,which suggest wear and tear and a higher mileage to me,although if its got the full bmw service history to document the mileage then you cant really argue with that.if your happy with it and how it drives then thats all that counts

[goldenbrown]

all the seats look the same, the drivers seat looks no worse than the others, the cracking looks a little worse in the photos

[Kamran]

If it feels right go for it, when i viewed mine there were things that needed
tyding but as Simon said this is where the enjoyment is. As long as it's straight, got some history and you got a good feeling then why not. I did and have never looked back. My cab is manual and equally as rare and I had my leather refurbed and it looks the part now. Problem now is the paint been scratched on nearly every pannel by some vandal but I,m working on that at the mo. Ill be back!!!!!!!! Watch this space

[w17led]

Hi Goldenbrown, at that price its a very good price.

I just bought a motorsport cab in mauritius blue with white lotus leather and lokos the same as that, gonna get it reconolised.



However try gliptone leather cleaner top stuff!!!

if the roof works fine then i would say go buy it.

plus has a hardtop and that is worth a bit on its own

[goldenbrown]

Just been through the service history and it all seems to add up just need to know if it should have motorsport on the log book as it doesn't it only mentions it on the bill of sale when brand new.

[Bob_S]

I'd bite his hand off, the leathers cracked because it's been sat in direct sunlight which has dried it out, shame but true

Yet the guy says it had a hardtop on all its life!









O/T
Mine should sell for £8k at this rate!

strangely they are called windows steve? I dunno if your used to them yet?

[stevetigger]

To be sure check the Vin Plate!

[goldenbrown]

ok been back and had a look at the vin plate should it say motorsport?apart from the usual it does say 325i.

[bootyman]

You lot make me laugh. I cant believe people are getting upset over this The easiest thing to do is ring your local steeler and give them the number plate. They will tell you in seconds if it is a Msport or not. Besides it sounds like you've already fallen in love with it and you are finding a reason for all the doubts raised which is fair enough cause i've been there a few times myself Best thing is to find a decent mechanic and give him some change and let him go over the car good and proper. If he gives it a clean bill of health then buy it, if he says it needs 100 things to get it right then walk away and loo elsewhere.

I do agree though that even with sunlight, those seats look like they've been properly used, which will thorw doubts on the mileage, but seats can always be retrimmed at a later stage if the rest of the car is very good. Good luch what ever you end up doing anyway

[E30Mark]

Like I keep saying, all of the above is my opinion! Keep ya hair on Demlot



I still dont think its real.

Just a hunch, Also no rear wing

Not that I like the rear spoiler on a Convertible.

The motorsport's don't have a boot spoiler as standard....

[tonyppe]

The guy selling the car, seems a complete idiot.......FACT

lol funny stuff,

looking at them seats, are they actually damaged? or is it just sweat and dirt off a fat smelly bum?
may be it can just be cleaned? im no expert on seats, tho.

it fecks me off when the person selling the car claims to know it all, when you know for a fact that what they are saying is crap. if a wheel bearing has gone, i would point it out and tell him ur gona have to get it done, and the tracking, and knock some money off. hes bound to of paid less that what hes asking ay.

[brettski]

have you decided if your buying this or not mate if you are not could i have the number please cause im after one thanks!!

[steveoz32]

Certainly a nice car. The leather as mentioned looks very worn, in which case could only really point to it being a town car, hence the low mileage as well. Lots of small trips, lots of in and out of the seat. Other things may be equally as worn from many short journeys, but for 6k whats a 150 on getting a propper full on inspection done, it will save you in the long run, better to be absolutely sure. It could of course just be that the person who had it neglected the leather, in which case what else did they neglect?

From what you have said it sounds good, but you have to wonder why someone PX'd it in loosing a few k instead of selling it privately as it is sought after. I would never chop something like that into a garage with that low mileage, no way. I'm guessing it was a PX? If he's not a propper forecort garage and it is some 'viewing by apointment' guy trading from his house, then he must have picked it up cheap outright from a private seller.

Which ever you choose, it is a nice rare car, and worst case all things can be fixed! And you'll have a nice car, best case, it's mint (albeit the seats) and provide you years of fun

Good luck!

[Geoff]

Oh it makes me laugh!! I didnt realise we had sooo many sceptics amongst us. Personally, i fully believe that that is a genuine 325i with the Motorsport Option Package added to it. Because at the end of the day, that is what it is, an optional package.

The seats are correct IMO as the stitching is horizontal instead of standard sports seats where the stripes are vertical. It has all the stiched consol etc etc. Big deal if it has no OBC. Retro fit it!!

And as for the seats, and their condition, do what i did and cant reccommend highly enough and SPRAY them. Not just any old paint but a colour matched plastic paint designed for leather seats. You would have those seats in mint condition in no time.

Here are a couple of pics of mine. Not taken at the best of times i.e evening and so the flash doesnt portray the colours perfectly but you get the idea.







So all i'll say is GO AND BUY IT YOU WONT REGRET IT.

If you want info on the paint PM me.

[Geoff]

Oh and i'll be doing the drivers seart and doorcards/centre consol in due course. It looks grubby at the mo i know!

[goldenbrown]

Ok i have been back and had a really good look.The exhaust manifold had a leak and the wheel bearings were noisy, the dealer has put two new bearings in and fixed the exhaust apparently one of the studs had broken and the garage drilled the old stud out without taking the manifold off! It is due a cambelt,time not miles. he will not do this but has told me it will cost £220,on driving i have noticed that the tappits are very noisy(are they hydraulic?)I also noticed that the power is not smooth all the way through the range,nice but not smooth these are the things that concern me i know the car is 15 years old but six grand is six grand!I have been to bmw for a history check and thay can verify the mileage.

[Simon13]

if the tappets are not set correctly then this can have a surprising effect on the power delivery!

for that price on the cambelt i'd want the belt and tensioner done plus the alternator and powersteering belt changed too.

My main concern with it would be panels gaps are good and as little rust as poss. The rest of the car is alot easier to sort out!

When can we see some pictures in the photo section?!

[goldenbrown]

It will be sooner rather than later.looks like i have the two front seats sorted, and while I was in the BMW dealer I found out about parts(availability).The seats will cost £274 for the base £402 for the backs, order only, as for the body its faultless.

[gareth]

in my opinion, with cars of this sort of age the condition is more important than the mileage. i've owned a lot of old cars (mostly 60's and 70's fords) and the mileage rarely means much after 10-15 years. if it's been loved then this will show. one owner who doesn't understand that leather needs looking after can cause that damage but if the service history all looks pukka and the car is in good fettle then you have all you need sorted.

the main things to look for are rust and crash damage. the rest is bolt on parts and with the zone to help you, most things can be done by a total novice.

if i were you, i'd find a local garage who is familiar with BMW's and pay them to have a real go over it. 6K is a lot of money if there's something badly wrong (write off etc) but from the pics it looks like the car as a whole is in good condition and any problems you have are insignificant compared to the hassle you'll have finding a better one!

regarding the seller, most car dealers really don't know shite about cars, they've just got "the gift of the gab" and tell you what you want to hear in order to hook you. ignore EVERYTHING the seller says and check the facts yourself.

if i had the money, i'd buy it.

[Cabrio]

Hi

If you have not taken advice and checked it at the dealer with the chassis number..you can contact the BMW Car club there was an article recently about the Motorsport cabs and specs...the Convertible register are building a database of all the Motorsport cabs of the different years and colours to confirm chassis runs etc

Good luck...it looks right from what you say...will not say on V5 or VIN plate...will say on original sale note..no boot spoiler etc

Only sure way is to check last 7 digits of chassis number and then you know if you have a rare car...and check previous mots and service book re mileage..good luck