Odometer broke shortly before I bought the car but the seller had repair receipts to prove it was a recent failure and the car didn't, in fact, have much higher miles. The odometer failure is very common on all E30 BMW's because the plastic gears waste away in time. I fixed it myself for about $30, ordering the gears from a guy in Spain who sells them online. Otherwise, its about $200 to have it done.
The tail light seals also dry with age and allow water to enter the trunk during the rain. Easy fix.
Though not technically a break down, I replaced the fender and drivers door due to a fender bender by the previous owner. It was VERY easy to do, surprisingly. I even had to change out the door locks and take the front bumper off. The car is very well built and simple to work on for repairs.
The original paint is faded.
This was the ultimate driving machine in the 80's and it still does well today. It is the "IS" model so it has the sports suspension and sport seats with bigger bolsters to hold you in while going around corners.
The leather seats are actually "full leather" and not just leather-faced seats you find on many cars today.
Great solid feel to all switchgear and excellent steering feel and feedback.
The car is not fast by today's standards but it is extremely light by those same standards. So, with 168 horsepower, its able to entertain with peppy performance. The car can be upgraded with suspension modifications but the engine and power is difficult to improve upon. Typical modifications to the intake, exhaust and such do not work. You can install a chip for a modest gain. I suppose you could increase the engine capacity through a rebuild or turbocharge or supercharge but those modifications cost a lot and its not widely done and there are not a lot of vendors out there selling such products.
It's a great sporty everyday car that gets about 17 mpg average or 24mpg highway only. Its very reliable and a good commuter car; visibility is AMAZING! Its like you are surrounded by glass with no real blind spots.
These cars can be purchased for very little money and offer great value. I plan on updating the suspension and paint on mine and using it for an inexpensive track car.
I wish like hell he'd share the info on where he got those gears for the odometer. There's probably over 50,000 people that would like that info.
I am the original poster. Try http://www.odometergears.com/bmw.html
for the odometer gears. I got mine from a guy who sold them on Ebay in Spain, but don't have any contact information on him now. The above link will lead you to a solution.
Now, to update my story on the 325is. It's been to the track once and I loved it. I thought I'd miss the power of my Porsche, but now I think I'll leave that car at home on most trips to the track. The BMW is much slower, but no less fun. I installed H&R race springs and Bilstein Sport shocks and it's made a HUGE difference in handling. It's about 2 inches lower and a little firmer, but not too bad, even for a daily commute. Well, that's if you like a sporty ride.
I painted it with Rustoleum using the "roller technique" and it turned out pretty nice. Not perfect, but I think it looks better than the badly faded original paint. It's probably MAACO or Earl Sheib quality, not bad for about $80 of materials and 40 hours of work. I still have a few more hours to put in to fix a few spots, but hey, it's a project car.
The clutch throw-out bearing just went out on it; it's making a noise. I could probably continue to drive it like that for a few thousand miles, but I'm going to the track soon so I'll have to get it fixed. I looked at doing the clutch job myself, but due to the location of some of the transmission bolts, it's not an easy job. I am thinking it will cost $1,000-1,200 parts and labor.
I got a set racing tires and spare wheels to put on it for the track this year. I can't wait.
This really is a great car to drive, track, and work on.
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