325 ix from the alps

Post Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:38 pm

Hi
name is steph living the alps (french side)
well here is my car as I bought it 6 months ago:
http://img481.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img13759in.jpg
http://img481.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img13778ac.jpg
http://img481.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img13739fj.jpg
it's a one that wasn't sold in uk, I think, a 325ix from 1987
2 door saloon
138000 km (about 86k miles)
full origin except the brakes (sports' disks and pads, stainless steel lines and high temp brake fluid) and full stainless exhaust (including sport headers)
right now I've removed its interior but that's gonna go back in next weekend as I dont really like it naked

Anyway for anyone that wonders what ix means it's just 4wd
continuous 37% front and 63% back with a viscous type lsd.

It's perfect for me in the alps where it snows a lot and/or the roads are wet and slippery

Post Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:45 pm

Nice one ,looks good.
I wonder why the uk never got them,or the deisel models.
What is the four wheel drive like in the snow ?? Have you ever got stuck ?

Welcome to the e30 zone btw !

andy

Post Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:51 pm

The IX was available in the UK....

The first batch were all LHD, then Birds (I think) did them with a RHD conversion. There are 2 325ix in Telford.

Post Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:51 pm

welcome,

i heard about these car but never seen 1!!!!

sounds and looks good..

Post Mon Mar 13, 2006 6:18 pm

Thanks all

buster wrote:What is the four wheel drive like in the snow ?? Have you ever got stuck ?

unbelievable on snow
how unbelievable? you ask, well obviously nothing replace a good drive but here is a very good example:
we have a ice/snow track in a town called flaine and the ix's got the track record

also numbers also speak for themselves:
it's not too heavy 1250kgs approx with about 55%(front)/45% distribution
it's rwd biaised with a very linear engine

now as for myself being stuck with it, well yes and it happened the weekend before last
bloody thing would not lose its tail so I said fcuk it and did not "countersteer" so I lost control and ended up on a snow mount on the side of the small road

wheels were waxing the ice and the car did not move
had to dig iced snow for 2 hours with my bare hands (remember I have absolutely nothing in the car) to get it out... I did not feel my fingers for the next 3 hours

If you ever wondered if I had the Flaine track record, well now you know it's not

Post Mon Mar 13, 2006 6:29 pm

Hi rhdix
Yes you're right, BMW didn't sell the 325ix model in the UK.
I have always wanted to drive one to see how it handled. There is one 325i near where I live and have been waiting to see the owner one day but also never have.
Glad to hear it handles well in the snow - I would never bother driving here in the snow in my 325i - partly rear wheel drive not too well suited - also some British drivers often just don't understand snow and ice.
I have often sat at my window in the snow and watched drivers crash into each other all day long...tut...tut...

regards
Toby

Post Mon Mar 13, 2006 6:44 pm

Drowningman wrote:Did they do an ix touring?

oh yes
the one round the corner from me is a touring

I wonder if it would be the best (controversial!) handling 3 seies with the extra weight over the rear wheels and 4wd. the extra weight in the touring often makes it seem like a better handling car than the saloon.

I'm just kidding really...
What does 'best' mean anyway??

Post Tue Mar 14, 2006 9:37 am

Drowningman wrote:Did they do an ix touring?

yes as Toby said
in fact the touring was quite a choice as people were buying this car as the safe familly car it is (I mean this is no racer). So a touring made sense