1990 325is


Current Modifications:

I converted my trusty 1990 325is back to a street car as a daily driver after I built my E30S52.  With the help of Ground Control, I was able to reuse much of the suspension set-up I had on the new E36 suspension.  As a daily driver, she is great and reliable.

Previous Modifications:


Current:
100,150 miles:
Replaced rear rotors and pads.  Replaced rear Tokico Illuminas with Bilstein Sports and Ground-Control race rear shock mounts with OEM shock mounts.  The car rides smoother and is less quiet with this set-up.  The Bilsteins are far superior to the Tokicos.

98,000 miles:
In the summer of 2004, I recharged the a/c but it leaked out my 2005.  The summer of 2005, I converted to Freeze12 and tried using a 'stop-leak' in hopes of closing up the system.  We won't know if it worked until 2006.

96,000 miles:
Replaced oil and filter with Mobil1 10w30 synthetic.



History:
I own a 1990 BMW 325is. The car may be 15 years old, but she drives like a dream. She only has 115,000 miles on her and is in great condition. When shopping for this car, I considered many others. All I knew is that I had to get a rear wheel drive car. I had a fantastic 1983 GTI that I did many modifications too. I autocrossed it a few times, but it never made it onto a big track. It was quick and fun, but limited by its front wheel drive. When searching for my next car, I concentrated on affordable rear wheel drive cars. Of those available, the germans made the best. I test drove a Nissan 240SX, but it lacked the power and available after-market parts. The after-market parts companies says a lot about the car you are going to buy. If there are a lot of companies out there developing high-performance parts, then you have yourself a winner. I also looked into some older Porsches, but they were still quite pricey and not a great car as a daily driver. Of the BMWs, I was eyeing the E30 M3s. They were built for the track and loved to be driven hard. Of the ones I saw, they had high miles and many were abused. Comparing horsepower, the stock M3 put out 195 while the stock 325is put out 167...not too far behind. And the silky smooth inline six purrs. In addition, any parts (and insurance) for an M3 are much more expensive than the 325is. I also looked at a few E36 325s, but for less than $20K back in 1996, they were high mileage cars. They have a bit more horsepower, but are heavier and not as sporty. I like the classic looks of the E30 with the clean lines and dual headlights.

After many months of searching, this car came up. I saw it in the paper and it was quite expensive for an E30. The kicker was the mileage...32K for a 6 year old car. The car was in Sacramento and I was in SF, so I met the seller halfway. When I first layed eyes on the car, I knew this was it. She had beautifully painted BBS rims and the car was in pristine condition. The previous owner, a teacher, had 2 other cars and 5 motorcycles which allowed the bimmer to rest and was only brought out on special occasions. I handed the guy some money on the spot to hold it for me. The next day, I was a bit sick for work (cough..cough) and after getting the money together, drove up to Sacramento. I arrainged to have a mechanic inspect the car in case I was missed anything. She passed with flying colors. I wrote him a check and she was mine. Since then, she was mofidied for track use and then converted back to a daily driver.

Links:
E30S52 Main
E30 S52 Build-up
E30S52 BMW 318i page1
E30S52 BMW 318i page2
E30S52 BMW M3 page
5-Lug Conversion
5-Lug Conversion Pics
E30 Suspension
E30 325is page

Ground Control Home Page
Zionsville Autosport Home Page

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