1991 BMW 325i

This is last model of the much vaunted 2nd generation BMW 3 series- known in the community as the E30. These cars were built between 1982 and 1994, overlapping its successor (E36) for a couple of years in the convertible trim. In high school, this was on the short list of cars I obsessed over. More because the other two I really wanted- the Ferrari 328 and Mercedes 560 SL seemed to far out of reach for mere mortals, but the BMW seemed doable if I met immediate success right after high school... I had big dreams. This is a really basic, small, fun car to drive- as are all E30s. It wasn't too heavy, it had a tight "European" suspension (in comparison- see my 'glide over railroad tracks on your couch'  89' Caprice Wagon), adequately powered, and really good seats. The hard part of recreating the experience of an E30 today is primarily weight, due to safety requirements- let alone modern comforts. When you add all that in, it takes a lot of power and advanced suspension dynamics to re-create what a simple small lightweight car can provide. Good thing these are fairly plentiful, but the good ones are starting to get hard to find, and prices are heading north. This car was a bit of a project when I acquired it in summer of 2018 and more that I usually bite off. It took a couple months of wrenching and chasing down trim pieces- but it cleaned up well. One interesting thing with old cars- you often want less options. The power convertible top on these are notoriously problematic and very expensive to repair. This one had a manual top- thankfully.

- 168 HP 

- 2.5L Inline Six

- Curb Weight 2,601 lbs

- 0-60 8.1 Seconds

- Top Speed of 135 MPH