1982 Bmw E21 320i 5 Speed. One Of The Best Out There. on 2040-cars

1982 BMW 320i
Original and Exceptional

Hello,

Up for auction is my 1982 BMW 320i.   Check out the big gallery of pictures and the video.



Video:  Youtube Link Here


A much larger gallery of photos is here:  Flickr Photo Gallery - 44 Pics



Do you know how most E21s are really feeling their age?  Rusting - history of poor maintenance - A history as an urban aspirational vehicle or worse?

This isn’t one of those.  This car is a gem.  I’m a BMW guy, and I’ve owned something like 8 E21s over my lifetime.  This is the nicest by far, and I’ve owned it for over a decade.  It’s a little time machine, with a few small faults that I’ll detail later.  In general, if you want an E21, you want this one.  I’ve taken super care of it over those 10 years (and it’s much nicer now with the tasteful upgrades below than when I bought it).  It turns heads today, and will continue to do so for years to come.  It’s set up for spirited driving, and delivers that in spades.

I’m sad to see it go, but it just occurred to me that I’ve been driving an E21 of one sort or another as my daily driver since 1990.  No matter how much I love these cars (and I’ve owned 323s, Baurs, etc.), it’s just time to find room in my life for something different.  I recently sold off my 323i Baur and my 320/6 Baur.  This is the last car to go, and the hardest to part with.  My reserve is modest - call it less than I have into the seats, center console and exhaust.   

The good:  

- This car has never been modified.  No cuts in the package shelf for big speakers, etc.

- The car has E21 Recaros recovered in German vinyl by Aardvarc Racing (www.2002parts.com).  This was about a $2000 project all in.

- Bilstein shocks all around

- Clutch was replaced less than 1000 miles ago.

- ANSA exhaust (3-4 years old)

- Alpina wood wheel (This cost me a fortune)

- Manual-cranking sunroof is smooth and tight - no leaks.  Regularly cleaned the drains.

- The center console is rock sold and like new.  If you’ve owned these cars - especially US spec cars with the AC in the center console, you know how the clips that hold the facia to the console eventually snap and the console becomes wobbly.  It was getting there, and then someone did me the courtesy of smashing in the console at the airport a few years ago to take my radio.  I must have purchased about 4 crappy center consoles before I found what may be the last set of NOS console sides and facia.  It’s beautiful.

- I replaced the heater control panel and heater control valve a while ago.

- New shifter boot (and surround) and leather knob

- Just had full service and oil.  PA inspection through September 2015.

- No one really buys these cars on the sound system - I get that - but what’s in there is now perfect for this car.  Again, if you know these cars, you know the funny angle that the radio mounts.  As such, it never particularly gets along with CD players which aren’t designed to spin at that angle.  I ended up buying a Sony deck that has an MP3 player built into the faceplate.  No spinning or moving parts.  I replaced all of the stock speakers with the best speakers I could find in the original size.  While most people cut up the package shelf to put in 6x9s to get more bass, I put an Infinity subwoofer in the trunk.  The trick part of this is that I didn’t want to modify the car, so the subwoofer is mounted onto a panel that just sits on the trunk floor.  If you don’t like it - take it out and there’s no evidence of it.  With it on, however, the car just sounds fantastic.  All of the work was done by Goodman Autosound - the top guys in my area.

- All maintenance done by Tillson Motorcars.  Look ‘em up.


The less-than-perfect:

- 2 small dash cracks (pictured).  These only extend from the defroster vents to the windscreen .

- The A/C doesn’t work.  I’ll spare you my favorite eBay line of “It probably just needs a recharge”.  It’s been disconnected ever since I bought the car.  I’ve never looked into making it go.  These AC units were sort of bolted onto the North American cars, and never really worked well.

- There are two VERY slight places were the paint is bubbling.  They are in the last two pictures.  They are both directly under the rear taillights.  It’s a simple fix.  All of these cars get a little squirrely here.  This is very mild.

- My wife decided to drive the car to work a few years ago and rear-ended someone.  I hesitate to put this under ‘bad’, because the end result after repairs was a new NOS bumper, valence and grille.  It was repaired to a better standard than new, and my wife and I are on speaking terms again.

- The trim around the front and rear windscreens is starting to darken.  This happens to all of them.

- In taking the pictures today, I noticed it could use new Roundels (the BMW emblems on the hood and trunk).  This is the cheapest and most satisfying repair that one can do.

- The ‘M’ emblem on the front grille is from an M3 I once loved.  I couldn’t bear to part with it.  You can take it or leave it.  It just clips on.

- There are two tiny dents (one on the hood, one on the roof) where fruit falling from my tree left little marks.  Both are very small - well within Dent Wizard territory



I’ve bought and sold over a dozen cars on eBay.  Check my feedback and bid with confidence.  The car is in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA.  

I will help you pick up the car and drive it home or ship it.  To be clear - I won’t arrange your shipping, but I will cooperate with your shippers to load the car.  Just make sure that they’re comfortable loading it at a residence.

Winning bidder to pay a $500 deposit via Paypal within 24 hours of the auction ending.  I need the balance in cash or a cash-like form before I release the car.

This is a car with which you will be very very happy.