1986 BMW 3 Series 325 ES from North America - Comments

Minor issues due to lack of home maintainence.

Please don't be jealous, but I only paid 500.00 for the car and it is straight.

Jealous of a 500 dollar BMW. Are you having a laugh. So, even if you got it cheap, how much did you save on its current book value. Laughable!

You really need to follow up with an update in another year or so.

Tell us what you had to do to it.

Then we'll really know if we should be jealous or not.

I have this exact car. And I too love it. it has been hard for me however to find performance parts for it. I have a flowmaster exhaust on it (which makes it sound like an m3), eibach lowering springs and a k and n airfilter. But that is pretty much it. Mine has about 170,000 miles on it and still running strong. I'm glad to see that other people's es's are running well with even more miles than mine.

I just bought a 1986 325es 5 speed with a short shift kit, with 168,000 miles on it, that's the only mod done to the car. Paid $700. Bought an E30 M3 suspension for it, conversion to 5-lug, bigger brakes, stainless steel brake lines (off a car that was converted to a "real" race car). Runs great, and I plan on making it my daily driver. 17" BBS wheels are ready to go on as soon as the suspension is installed. AC works good, everything is as it should be. The paint is faded due to sun! New paint soon.

Here's a follow up to my 5OO dollar BMW. It is now 6 months later and the car has about 196000 on it. The center bearing for the driveshaft went, 35.00 part bought on line, 100.00 labor. I replaced the timing belt, 150.00 with labor as a precautionary measure, and I needed to replace the fuel rail because I screwed it up putting in a new pressure regulator. So, I would have to say, when one considers that if I had been making even minimum car payments, in 6 months, I would have paid 1200.00. I've put about 400.00 into the car, so I would have to say, that I'm still having quite a laugh. Also, there is a great community of BMW owners out there on the web who will always help. I suggest the Bimmerfest website for free technical info, and BavAuto. com and a place called, Strictly German. com for new and used parts. Plus, of course, EBAY, if one can stand their spoof emails. And, who cares about a Blue Book value? Evidently, that individual has never driven a Bimmer. I suggest that person buy all the Howlin' Wolf and Sun Records one can find, getting one's self a BMW with about 100000 plus miles on it, and finding out what it means to love having to drive your car... any where!

He really is having a laugh. I don't know about the rest of you, but the $800 he saved off of blue book for a perfectly good, extremely fun car is no small deal to me. he got a fun and sporty 325es when for the money he should have gotten an oil leak ridden ford tempo. Laugh it up, man!

I have had my 325 for seven years now. Purchase price was 1200 bucks at 95,000 miles. It now has 165,000 miles and has had about 4 grand of work done (New air flow system, new exhaust system, wiper motor and a new window. The car made the treck from NYC to Arizona and back twice as well as rippin in and out of Manhattan for two years. Its still going strong and aside from a faded paint job (No thanks to Tempe, AZ sunshine) has no problems. The tape deck is mint and the speakers still spit out tunes. Its diffuclt not to be in love with this machine.