1991 BMW 3-Series

Coupe

2.5L 2494CC 152Cu. In. l6 GAS SOHC Naturally Aspir

Manual

WBAAA1317MEC69620

Clear

GAS

You are bidding on a 1991 325i Coupe- one of the last and best of BMW's classic E30 line. This car has the desirable manual transmission, with a classy combination of black exterior and tan interior. 181,xxx miles. I hate to sell it, but my lifestyle and driving needs currently require something bigger. It has been a great, fun car to own. History: I bought the car in the summer of 2012 with roughly 167,000 miles on it from the second owner, who had had it for about 18 months. I purchased it on ebay, as a matter of fact- with no problems :). Anyway, this second owner was an enthusiast who found an unmolested, garaged-all-its-life e30, and brought it up to beautiful condition. His words: Unlike most E30s it had never been subjected to questionable modifications, hack stereo installations, or bargain basement repair attempts. In other words, it hadn’t been messed with. Here is his list of maintenance, which would have been performed within the last 3 1/2 years. (I’m including this list for your full information, but because I did not do it, I can’t provide receipts): Replaced the following…. •Timing belt, water pump, and tensioners •Front trailing arms and trailing arm bushings •Rear shock mounts •The sway bar mount points on the original front subframe had failed (common on these cars) so I replaced with a good used subframe with welded in reinforcements •Sway bar bushings •Engine mounts •Intake air boot •Tie rod ends •Pass side door seal (original had shrunk, leaving a gap) •Windshield washer "T" •Driver's side power window switch •All radiator / coolant hoses and lines Here is my list of maintenance performed in the last two years by professional mechanics (in addition to regular oil changes, of course): replaced steering rack replaced driveshaft flex disc recharged A/C and retrofitted a R-134A adapter. (no leaks found) new parking brake lever new battery (1 year ago)If desired, I can provide copies of all receipts for the work I had done. Mechanical: The engine is the original M20 and it performs flawlessly. The clutch feels solid with no slipping. I had the steering column replaced earlier this year as it was leaking fluid and the steering would get stiff and groan. It was a relatively substantial repair but the steering now feels consistently great. Passed California Smog Check two months ago. I’d have no qualms about driving this car anywhere. Exterior: The black and tan combo with chrome window trim is a real head-turner. I've just had it cleaned, waxed, and clay barred so it's looking fantastic and the finish is feeling nice and smooth. You can still see the faintest remnants of old bird droppings and/or sap markings if you look way too close, and there are a couple tiny scratches (see photos for the most visible ones). Overall, however, the visual impression is excellent. (By the way, please keep in mind that it's really shiny right now so there are lots of reflections in the photos that are not scratches or markings). Evidently the car was repainted the original black in the late 90s because it was starting to show its age, and not because of any accident damage. There is no evidence of rust that I’ve seen. The biggest flaws are a crack in the top of the rear bumper below the driver's taillight and a small white mark on the bumper corner (see pic). Also, the exterior nut on the radio antenna is missing. The wheels on there right now are original style bottlecaps with 185/65/14 winter tires, which I never changed because they came with the car and were in fine shape. The original dealer option sunroof wind blocker is not installed, but will also be included. Interior: The interior looks fantastic. The dash is flawless, with no cracks, as one often finds in these cars. The original “komfort” seats are in excellent physical condition, with no rips or tears. However, the drivers side seat does not currently want to fully fold forward (the passenger seat does just fine), and both seats are a little dicky to adjust. However, once you set them how you like you probably won’t need to mess with them again. The carpet is nice and clean, and I’ve just replaced the floor mats. The only flaws of note are a crease / crack in the original shift boot that you almost have to look for to find, and a small bit of glue residue on the rearview mirror. It’s in really nice shape and I’ve gotten lots of compliments- from friends, the dmv lady, mechanics, valet guys, etc. :) Electrical: Generally good, but there are several things to note: The A/C is blowing ice cold. Sometimes on very hot days with the A/C on I’ve experienced a squealing sound until I’ve driven the car for a little while (then it goes away). If I heard it, I'd turn off the A/C and try again in 5 mins. I don’t think it’s a big deal - It’s likely that the belt tension just needs adjusting. It has gotten cooler here lately so I can’t recreate it right now, and therefore haven’t bothered to try to fix it. Sunroof works perfectly. Cruise control is good too. The dash warning lights work as they should and none stay lit once the car is running. Of the overhead warning lights, the SRS light does flash for a minute and then stay on every time the car is started. The bmw specialist I took the car to assured me it wasn’t worth it to replace the airbag (plus, it could quite possibly be working fine) so I’ve learned to live with it. This light can be turned off if desired and I'll throw in the zymexx service light reset tool needed to do so (I never bothered). Also, occasionally, but rarely, the brake light warning light will go on, even though the brake lights are fine. The front defroster is fine but the rear defroster does not seem to warm up. I have not troubleshot this either, as I live in LA and have very little need for it. The gas gauge is a bit vague sometimes, but the warning light works perfectly so I haven’t worried about it too much. The temp gauge will also occasionally bounce around but the engine itself does not overheat. The odometer is fine and the trip counter functions properly as well (these are often broken on e30s). The one other thing to mention is that usually you cannot lock the car from outside the driver side door. I have gotten used to locking from either the trunk or the passenger door, so this hasn’t been a big deal for me. You can, however, unlock the car from either door just fine. Summary: This really is a sweet little car, and I'm going to miss it. While it's not perfect it's far nicer than most E30s you'll see on the market and has a ton of life left in it. I've tried to describe the car as accurately as possible including any flaws or issues that I know of; this may cost me money but I know I appreciate full disclosure on eBay ads and I think most agree. I’ve never sold a car on here, but I have sold some fairly expensive items (mostly audio related) and have always received perfect feedback. That said, this is a 23 year old car and is sold with no warranty expressed or implied. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer them. This is a no-reserve auction and I will be selling the car to the high bidder once it completes, so please don't ask me to end the auction early. Serious bidders only, please. A deposit of $500 will be required immediately upon the auction's close via paypal. The balance will be due upon pickup by certified check or money order only. Car is located in Los Angeles. Buyer is responsible for shipping, if necessary. The winning bidder is going to end up with a great little modern classic that you can use every day. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have. On Oct-25-14 at 12:49:14 PDT, seller added the following information: In answer to a question i got- Although it's a non-sport model it did come equipped with the LSD rear axle and the rear trunk spoiler. thanksOn Oct-27-14 at 16:16:16 PDT, seller added the following information: **NOTE- I've taken the car in to get the belts tightened up. There should be no more of the occasional squealing sound mentioned above. Also, since listing the car I had to unhook the battery, which caused my radio to prompt for the security code. I have the correct code, which I verified at a local bmw dealership, but it's not working for me. As specified, I left the radio on for an hour and tried again, but it still won't unlock it. The dealership had no other ideas. I will provide the card with codes to the winner but cannot promise it will work. Please keep this in mind when placing future bids. Thanks.