Hallo! New member w/E30
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Hi all! I’m looking for a closer knit community to share info on E30 maintenance, upgrades, swaps, etc. Based on a couple of you that I recognize from the E30 picnic, I think I’m in the right place!
Location-wise, I used to live in Stevens Point (alas my E30 from back then is long gone), my wife is from Mayville and we now live in northern Illinois. We frequently make it to WI and I’d be way down for meetups that allow me to get some miles on the car(s)!
My passion for BMWs runs deep. My first was an ‘86 735i and since then I’ve had (3) E30s, (1) E46 and (1) E34. In between some of these I lived in Munich and worked at MINI HQ (high point was launching the first Clubman!) - I speak German and had been lucky to visit Germany every year since until this one...
My current BMW is this 1989 325i with 43,000 miles. I sourced it from Japan, all of the ACS parts are original and *i think* were put on as soon as it was delivered in Japan. In my ownership I’ve swapped it to manual, installed some braces (front/rear strut; front sub X-brace) and replaced most every part that carried any type of fluid (the low miles came with the price of gunk and rot!), and now everything is clean, stiff and running like new!
I look forward to meeting you!
B
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beautiful e30, welcome to the forums!
sorry you have to live in Illinois. there are support groups out there if you need it.
Dan
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Welcome to here
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Thank you all for the warm welcome and awesome questions, I’ll try to answer them all in this response.
- The ACS. No, no ACS engine components. Spec wise it’s pretty Euro with OEM options like rear headrests, Anthrazit cloth, euro turn signals, rear fog light, mirror map lights and analog clock. ACS components include springs and struts (replaced these because they were worn), rims, body kit and exhaust. Interestingly, they painted all of the trim Diamandschwartz when they put on the body kit - so the door handles, door guards and such are all body color. Grille is black, window trim is still chrome. The exhaust sounds fabulous - I’ve had Stromung on my previous cars and this one is superior in every way. Sometimes it reminds me of a sport bike.
The only engine mod is the addition of a custom chip from Kassel Performance + green top injectors. It definitely woke it up and it’s been transparent and reliable.
- Import process. I actually found it right after it arrived so I didn’t have to deal with the sourcing and shipping. The original buyer was in California and he ran into issues with CARB and couldn’t register it. So he put it on German Cars for Sale Blog and paper work wise, I actually bought it from the original importer in Florida. It was cake to register in Illinois.
FYI, there are so many interesting cars coming out of Japan. From what I understand, having 80s/90s German vehicles was a status thing so many left hand drive imports were purchased in Japan. The reason so many have such low miles and have been seemingly unused is because of a) it’s an island and b) more importantly - there are toll roads that charge more for vehicles based on age or similar. It can be very expensive to run these so many just parked them. Alpinas, AMGs, 911s, etc
- Working at MINI. I worked in the Brandstrategie und Markentwicklung department - essentially core product org for MINI. I had just graduated from grad school and was there as a fellow with Bosch and as a product analyst for MINI. So all sorts of tasks - pricing, naming, go to market rollouts, it was a blast. My cubicle mate was actually a longtime employee and was the former product manager for the E30 - the stories he had about what could have been, particularly in the motor front (the stroker was going to be a factory option, etc)!
What’s next - I’ve been thinking about a 24v swap for a long time. Originally it was to drop in an M30 to be period correct, like a ZA 335 tribute. But 24v seems so much easier. I see someone is selling all the components on here and I’ll be calling today!
Otherwise, nostalgia made me get another E30, but honestly, I miss my e34 Touring. I love wagons. My daily is a Volvo V60 T6R. So if I ran into a swapped (M60 - 4.0+) e34 manual - love. Maybe an e34 sedan. They’re just so all around comfortable and quick.
Cheers!
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There are a few fellow Volvo owners on here. You should fit in well.
Absolutely feel free to post stories about your time in Germany, they may not be interesting to you but I think a lot of us would find stuff like that interesting.I agree on the 24V swap. The M30 is a tank but the added smoothness and quietness of the 24V is sweet
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Buy my m52 swap. S52 cams/Harness/engine/full exhaust/dme/oil pan etc. drop it right in
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Buy my m52 swap. S52 cams/Harness/engine/full exhaust/dme/oil pan etc. drop it right in
Going a different route??
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Going a different route??
If it sells yea
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Welcome!!
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Welcome! Nice to see a proper e30 sedan!
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Nice E30! I collect a ton of ACS parts, It looks like everything is genuine on your car!
If you go with a 24v swap in the E30 a nice CF ACS engine cover would top it off!
Fabulous! Do you happen to have a steering wheel or shift knob you’d be willing to sell? Or a lead on one? If feels like everything dried up about two years ago.
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Fabulous! Do you happen to have a steering wheel or shift knob you’d be willing to sell? Or a lead on one? If feels like everything dried up about two years ago.
Steering wheels are hard to come by in good condition. When they pop up they are very expensive. I'm assuming you want a leather 3 spoke non airbag.
As for the shift knob what version? They have a leather one, wooden one and a metal one
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Steering wheels are hard to come by in good condition. When they pop up they are very expensive. I'm assuming you want a leather 3 spoke non airbag.
As for the shift knob what version? They have a leather one, wooden one and a metal one
Hi! Yup, that leather 3 spoke. I saw a 4 spoke recently, but it didn't look quite right. Perhaps a fake. The only one I see is that one on eBay and that person is not budging from the $810 + shipping. I should have moved on other ones I saw faster.
Shift knobs - I'm really interested in finding one that is period correct. I've seen a leather one in pictures that is perfect. Wood wouldn't match my interior vibe. And a metal one - I wouldn't be opposed to it so long as it was period correct. Feels like all of their new ones are metal or carbon mix and just look well...too modern. If there was an original one piece knob + boot - amazing. I bet they had something on the ACSM3, but likely unobtainium pricing.
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Hi! Yup, that leather 3 spoke. I saw a 4 spoke recently, but it didn't look quite right. Perhaps a fake. The only one I see is that one on eBay and that person is not budging from the $810 + shipping. I should have moved on other ones I saw faster.
Shift knobs - I'm really interested in finding one that is period correct. I've seen a leather one in pictures that is perfect. Wood wouldn't match my interior vibe. And a metal one - I wouldn't be opposed to it so long as it was period correct. Feels like all of their new ones are metal or carbon mix and just look well...too modern. If there was an original one piece knob + boot - amazing. I bet they had something on the ACSM3, but likely unobtainium pricing.
PM Me with what exactly you are looking for + a budget. I can help you source it from overseas as I have been specializing in that for about a year now.
That wheel looks genuine, Just very rough.
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