1983 Bmw 320is, 34k Original Miles, Clean Title, E21, Lsd, 5sp, Recaros, Ac,rare on 2040-cars

Overview:

1983 BMW 320is Sport Package 2 door WBAAG3300D9007946 Alpine White 5 speed standard transmission, Black cloth interior, European Delivery

34,181 Original Miles

Last year of e21

Sport Package (The sport package for North America included: Recaro seats, a rear anti-roll bar, a limited-slip differential, cross-spoke wheels, a larger-diameter front anti-roll bar, a 3-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a special front air dam)

L-4 1766CC engine

Sunroof

Air Conditioning

OEM Recaro Seats

Fog Lights

AM/FM Stereo Cassette

Sport Suspension

Front Deflector/Scoop

Paint matched wheels

Paint match mirrors

First Aid Kit, Hazard Warning Sign

Aftermarket Radar Detector (1983)

Purchased as a collector car in 2008 from the original owner, this iconic sport package car has many sought after options and is in impressive condition for its age.  It's almost like someone went back to 1986 and put the car in a time capsule.  There is an extensive collection of documentation and items that highlight the character of the car and tell its whole store.  Selling it instead of moving it cross country, but this is not a fire sale.  Not worth selling for less than the price listed above, we would rather keep it and continue to enjoy it. 

Overall condition:

Generally speaking the car is in good to great condition for its age and being unrestored.  The original owner took great care of the car from 1983 to 2008.  Since then the car has been stored, maintained, and driven less than 700 miles over the last 6 years. That said I will pick it apart from a collector stand point. I will list as many defects as I can find but that is not to say I might not miss something.  I've done my best to capture these in the photographs below.  To be clear the car is in exceptional condition with a handful of items that could use some light restorative work to maintain its condition.  It is mechanically sound, the body looks amazing, and the interior is very nice.

Physical condition: The car has never been in any accidents and has a clean title.  There has been no body work performed on the car.  The chrome trim does not show any noticeable signs of pitting or defects.  The metal on the bumpers has a dull finish and water spotting marks.  The rubber is generally soft/compliant for most of the cars seals and edges.  There are few areas where the stripping has begun to harden and or fade.  There is a mark/whitening on the passenger side rear accordion section about 2” by 2”.  The paint in generally clean/clear coat is in good condition.  There are a few trouble areas where paint has chipped to the primer.  This is most notable around the fuel door and a few spots on the roof.  No chips are larger than a pin head. The largest paint issues are on the passenger mirror where a scuff about 1.5” tall x 1.5” long occurred.  The second area of concern is an area on the top of the passenger side rear fender where the paint has a pitting of unknown origin, it has been like this since purchased in 2008.  There are other minor defects on the clear coat in the form of staining, some may be correctable.  The lighting and lenses are all clear of any visible defects.  The BMW badges are both worn/missing color.  There are no obvious problems on the undercarriage.  All of the wheels have some level of paint loss, the fronts are worse than the rears.  The window glass all appears to be in good condition with no noticeable defects. There is a small spot of rust on the passenger side of the front bumper inside the wheel well about the size of a nickel. 

Under the hood condition: I can find no leaks, drips or seepage from the engine, it starts, idles, and runs well.  The under hood fabric was replaced a few years ago.  All stickers are present, some are lifting.  The engine and peripherals are in sound mechanical condition.  The battery is newer and kept on a tender out of the car while in storage.  All fluids have been checked.  The original owner was adamant about using only AMSoil products for the life of the vehicle. Air filter looks new.  No exhaust leaks.  Car was heated to operating temperature; all systems appear to be working correctly.  The clutch was replaced last year.  The upper shock mounts show some cracking and may need to be replaced if the car is going to be driven.  An aftermarket power kill switch was installed to isolate the battery for storage.  According to service records the car had the OE air condition unit installed at a dealer after initial sale.  It has been serviced a few times over its life.  The clutch, master cylinder, and slave have also been serviced a couple of times.  The accessory belts have been done twice.  Tires have been replaced three times.  It has had multiple services for the fuel sender unit.  Presently the gauge works intermittently.  Most recently the clutch was replaced, the exhaust gasket was replaced, new brake shoes, new brake pads, and wheel cylinders along with normal fluid servicing. 

Interior condition: There are no rips in any of the upholstery; both OE Recaros are in good working order including the adjustable leg bolster.  Generally from a few feet the interior appears to be in good to great condition.  Minor stains along the center tunnel (looks like coffee), white marks on black vinyl (superficial), package tray carpet has faded and has a dried powered left, driver side rear speaker grill is cracked/damaged, sun visors have lost their shape and need to be rebuilt, cracking around vents on center stack, sun roof crank handle is missing knob, center dash vent has slight warp, driver side seat has some chipping to vinyl on outer bolster, driver side carpet has wear spot under gas pedal, front floor mats are worn, e-brake handle grip separating, radar detector loose in mount, minor de-lamination on center review mirror, some staining on headliner, especially on sunroof door where it has picked up dirt when opening/closing, threads in shift boot coming undone. Two aftermarket screws were used to secure the driver side dash under trim panel.

In the trunk: The trunk condition is virtually new, the tool kit, though missing a couple of items is believed to be complete as originally delivered.  The jack and lug wrench are in place along with the spare, spare cover, screw down cap, and trunk carpet.  The trunk has a couple areas of concern with regard to condition.  Under the carpet on both sides near major body seams there is the formation of minor rust spots, no blow through.  The passenger side has area of concern that is about 3 inches long and 0.5 inches wide.  There are more areas that are smaller and less severe that should be evaluated as well.  The trunk also contains the extras which are included with the car.  This included the original dealer option first aid kit, in new unused condition along with a safety triangle.  Three bottles of BMW fuel additive that have been in the trunk since the mid 1990’s according to the service records.  A car cover (ripped), full size paint matched spare, window screens, weighted trash can, key chains, misc. OE replacement parts in bags, all of the books, collection of maps, and a binder containing extensive records of the car.

Operating condition:

The car has been stored with the battery out on a tender.  We put it back in on January 7^th this year, performed some post storage checks which it passed with flying colors, the car started easily.  All of the lights, indicators, signals, stop lamps, etc. are in working order.  The car went easily into gear and drove out of the garage, did a lap around the neighborhood and got a bath.  The car idled and warmed up without issue and ran strong.  The engine was cycled off and on a few times and we checked over all the basic items but could find no mechanical issues.

All of the interior accessories appear to be in proper working order.  The only noticeable issue was the fuel gauge would go from reading to not reading, which has been a known problem throughout the cars life. The clutch engaged smooth and the car pulled away from a stop with ease.  There were no complaints/noises from the steering or suspension on the short drive. 

History:

The car was originally purchased by a TWA pilot (had a bumper sticker which was removed but there is still a mark on the rear bumper, photo included) in Delaware; it was originally licensed in Florida and believed to be a winter residence car for him.  Most of its miles were accumulated in its first few years and then declining to very few per year in the 1990’s and 2000’s.

I have composed a book containing all of the known/held records and documentation for the car, including many extras that document its European delivery and owners clippings, about 150 sleeve pages (many with multiple pages per sleeve). 

Here is an index of how the book reads:

1.       Documentation Included

a.       Clear two pocket sleeve

                                                              i.      BMW Service Guide Book

                                                            ii.      BMW Service Book

                                                          iii.      European Delivery Registration Card

                                                           iv.      Insurance Cards (almost complete from 83-present)

                                                             v.      Florida Vehicle Registration Cards (almost complete from 83-present)

b.      Canvas two pocket map sleeve (The maps appear to all be from the mid 1970’s)

                                                              i.      Indiana Toll Roads

                                                            ii.      Indiana

                                                          iii.      Rockford, IL

                                                           iv.      Eastern United States

                                                             v.      Wisconsin

                                                           vi.      Chicago

                                                         vii.      Chicago Street Map

                                                       viii.      Wisconsin

                                                           ix.      Illinois

c.       320i Owner’s Handbook

d.      Book of Records

                                                              i.      Opening section

1.       11 photographs

                                                            ii.      European Delivery Section

1.       European Delivery Worksheet

a.       Model: 320i                        Price: $10,730

b.      Options S package           Price: $2,410

c.       First Aid Kit/Hazard Warning Sign            Price: $40

d.      Body Color: White

e.      Upholstery: Black Cloth

f.        Delivery: Munich

2.       BMW 1983 Model Year European Delivery Prices

3.       1982 European Delivery Program

4.       Customer copy of order confirmation from BMW Germany to BMW USA

5.       European Delivery Purchase Order

a.       Approx. Date Car To Be Returned to U.S.A.: Feb 20

b.      Delivery Place Requested: Munich

c.       9% Discount

d.      U.S. Port of Entry EWR

e.      Model: 1983 320i

f.        Model Code 833i

g.       Exterior Color: Alpine White

h.      Color code 146

i.        Metallic Paint: No

j.        Upholstery Type: Cloth

k.       Option Equipment: S Pkg.

l.        First Aid Kit, Hazard Warning Sign & Fuel Filler Adapter: 835

m.    Dealer Name

                                                                                                                                      i.      The Nelke Motor Company

6.       General Conditions for Automobile Insurance

7.       BMW AG

a.       Model: BMW 320i-US

b.      Serial No. WBAAG3300D9007946

c.       Color: alpine white

d.      Purchase Order No. 83-565

e.      Extras: First Aid Kit, Hazard Warning Triangle, 1 Fuel Filler Adapter, cassette stereo radio

8.       Memo of BMW rebate

9.       Brauerei Gasthof Landmehrbrau Hotel Receipt

10.   Sheraton Hotel Receipt and American Express Record

11.   Freude am Fahren folder

12.   E.H. Harams-USA, Inc     Nathan Wein, Customhouse Broker description of goods form (white)

13.   E.H. Harams-USA, Inc     Nathan Wein, Customhouse Broker description of goods form (yellow)

14.   Memo of BMW Invoice

15.   E.H. Harams-USA, Inc.    Nathan Wein, Customhouse Broker Preliminary Notice of Claim

16.   Department of the Treasury U.S. Customs Informal Entry

17.   Deutschland Internationaler Kraftfahrzeugverkehr stamp book and European registration cards

18.   Official Drop-Off Points and Catalytic Converter Replacement

19.   Certificate of Replacement of Catalytic Converter

20.   Personal Money Order to E.H Harms

21.   Westlake Import Motors Inc. Work Order for replacement radio

22.   Westlake Import Motors Inc. Receipt for replacement radio

23.   Receipt of registered mail sent to BMW of North America

24.   Letter from Nelke Motors

25.   Collier County Tax Collector Letter

26.   BMW of North America Response letter to claim on damaged radio

27.   State of Florida Vehicle Registration

                                                          iii.      US Delivery and Service Records

1.       AMS Oil Card

2.       Westlake Import Motors, Inc. dealer installed options

a.       Fog lights

b.      Front end scoop

c.       Radio

3.       Westlake Import Motors, Inc. Receipt

4.       Westdeutsche Landesbank check stub

5.       BMW of North America, Inc. letter of reimbursement

6.       Letter of Subrogation

7.       A&L Motor Sales Receipt for BMW mats and oil filter

8.       Laurel motors, Inc. Recept for installation of BMW factory air conditioning

9.       Valley Werks Oil Change

10.   Westlake Import Motors, Inc. sun visor repair

11.   Valley Werks Install Radar detector

12.   Peter Leven Pontiac-BMW repair broken power feed wire

13.   Germain Toyota-BMW work order: Valve adjust, electrical diagnostic, brake fluid

14.   Germain Toyota-BMW work order: Replace clutch slave

15.   Germain Toyota-BMW work order: Fuel sender service

16.   Germain Toyota-BMW work order: Rough start

17.   Germain Toyota-BMW work order: R+R fuel pressure accumulator

18.   Germain Toyota-BMW receipt: fuel filter and water inlet pipe rings

19.   Germain Toyota-BMW work order: service AC, brake flush, oil change, front suspension noise

20.   Germain Toyota-BMW receipt: handle

21.   Napa: wiper blades

22.   Germain Toyota-BMW receipt: knob

23.   Germain Toyota-BMW work order: R+R clutch master, steering noise

24.   Photo copy of battery receipt

25.   George’s Auto Air: AC check

26.   Firestone: rotate and balance tires

27.   Germain Toyota-BMW work order: alternator bushings, new belts, old belts (still) in trunk, 3 botles fuel additive (still) in trunk

28.   Sears work order: 4 new tires

29.   Stereo Garage invoice: antenna

30.   Germain Toyota-BMW work order: oil change, lube doors, front and rear brakes

31.   Germain BMW invoice: water pump, gasket, antifreeze, 4 hoses

32.   Baron Automotive repair order: alternator, oil change

33.   George’s Auto Air Quote

34.   Germain BMW receipt: bulb

35.   Germain Honda-BMW parts order form: compressor, clutch, bushing, drier

36.   Germain BMW invoice: AC compressor assembly, AC compressor, clutch assy, rubber spac, rub seal, ac charged, drier

37.   Germain BMW invoice: upper timing case cover gasket

38.   Germain BMW invoice: new battery

39.   Germain BMW invoice: new battery

40.   Germain BMW invoice: crank/anth, head screw

41.   Wiz Auto Electrical: new battery

42.   Wiz Auto Electrical: speedometer service

43.   Germain BMW invoice: tire balanced

44.   Germain BMW invoice: replace front pads and rotors

45.   Germain BMW invoice: radiator cap, radiator cap ring, antifreeze

46.   Germain BMW invoice: replace wipers, glove box handle, left front tire patched

47.   Wiz Auto Electric invoice: AC system checked

48.   Hunt Automotive Inc. invoice: AC system charged

49.   Wiz Auto Electric invoice: fuel sending unit, fuel sending o-ring, oil change, detailing, cooling system flush, conditioner, refilled

50.   Notes about service items

51.   Wiz Auto Electrical invoice: fuel additive

52.   Germain BMW invoice: trickle charge battery

53.   Germain BMW invoice: fixed hazard switch, fuses, tires, new under hood insulation, front pads, feeler, brake discs

54.   Germain BMW invoice: front right brake caliper, gas gauge sender

55.   Notes about service

56.   Germain BMW of Naples invoice: bushing, hex nut, repair kit, seal ring, gasket, ac belt, ignition wire set, filler strip, sleeve, fan belt

57.   Sanibel Shell invoice: brake shoes, wheel cylinders, brake shoes, brake fluid, exhaust gasket

                                                           iv.      Sales and Marketing

1.       Collection of notes, placed print ad, and inquires

2.       Agreement to Sell Personal Property (transfer from original owner to current)

                                                             v.      Insurance

1.       Collection of information provided by insurance companies including quotes, invoices, renewal notices, policies, three folds, advertisements, privacy policies,

                                                           vi.      Miscellaneous

1.       News clippings, notes, car club information, car club newsletters,  promotional mailers, 1 unused antenna patch in pouch, business cards, 2 sun guards, blank Agreement to Sell Personal Property forms

                                                         vii.      Back cover inner

1.       Antique and collectible vehicle policy

2.       Original file folder with notes

Detailed photos:

Shipping is the responsibility of the buyer.  The car is located in Sanibel, FL.  Pickup or transport can be facilitated by the buyer after payment in full has been received and all transfer documents have been executed.  The buyer has two weeks full weeks or 10 business days from the sale date to arrange pick up of the car.  A deposit of $1000 via pay pal must be delivered to the seller within 48 hours of the close of the auction.  Full payment must be received in one week, 7 calendar days.  Transfer of title / release of interest to be completed upon full verified payment being received.  The car is sold as is.  The seller has made every effort to disclose all known factors of the car but makes no warranty as to the claims.  The car is sold as is.