BMW built an astonishing 2.5 million E30s in coupe, sedan, estate & convertible trim from 1982 through 1994. The ursprünglicher gangster BMW 3-series was a successful yuppy-mobile when new and has generated a significant cult following as a cheap, fun & reliable sports sedan. Today the M version is overpriced and the convertible versions seem […]
Global sales of BMW’s first 3-series started in the 1975 model year and by the time they switched factory operations to build the E30 version in 1983, over a million examples of the E21 had left the shipping dock. Today’s next example is from the final year of production and has a cool set of black/white/grey stripes on the side, plus a manual gearbox. Find this 1982 BMW 320i offered for $6,200 in Torrance, CA via craigslist.
This next car comes from tipper Carter who writes: Maybe DT can have a contest for CL ads where there is something seemingly obvious in the ad that is completely unexplained. And, while this car isn’t as extreme as a Mustang on stoves, or an E30 3-series on logs, it is arguably more perplexing. Those other cars needed the scrap material as impromptu wheels/jacks/jack-stands, but this car is inexplicably sitting on 4 pieces of newish plywood. Afraid of getting the wheels wet? Trying to stay ungrounded? The tires have a bias for ply? Painting the driveway? Find this 2015 BMW 320i xDrive offered for $16,000 in Auburn, ME via craigslist.
It might not seem believable, but driving a cheap used BMW M3 is not actually that expensive. Trust me, I’ve owned a few over the years and I still have both of my kidneys and all of my livers. The most expensive part of M3 ownership is depreciation and if you avoid that…then you’ll find that the regular 3-series bits (door handles, light bulbs, coolant caps) are cheap and the ///M specific stuff (hefty limited slip diffs, 8000+rpm V8s) are over-engineered. Yes, wear items are expensive (brakes, tires, bumper lips, con rod bushings), but not Ferrari expensive and you can do most of the maintenance yourself with a basic set of tools and a set of plastic ramps. But don’t believe me, buy one yourself and then report back here in a few months. Find this 2008 BMW M3 offered for $24,000 CAD ($18,320 USD) in Hinton, Alberta, Canada via Kijiji.net. Tip from Erik202.
If you think we feature too many BMWs on the pages of Daily Turismo, rest assure it isn’t because we are closet BWM fanboys…no, it is because we are fully open about our BMW fanboyishness. It is simple, while other major luxury OEMs decided that the American market in the early 2000s only wanted slushbox equipped luxury sedans (Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Acura, Cadillac, etc), the guys over at BMW decided that perhaps some people wanted manual gearboxes, and wagons. Of course they will still only be offered in lame shades of white/black/grey, but at least getting a wagon with a stick is an option in BMW. Ultimately, BMW didn’t sell many of these (1 of 429 according to the seller) so you can’t buy a NEW BMW with a manual in a wagon body today (meh, don’t blame me, I don’t buy any new cars…oh…wait…maybe you can blame me…) but you can find used ones for sale, occasionally. Find this 2007 BMW 328iT Wagon offered for $13,500 in Napa County, CA via craigslist.
BMW’s 1994 launch of the E36/5 generation 318ti was the first hatchback on a BMW since the classic 2002 Touring was sent to the glue factory in 1974. Styling response was hit & miss the normal folks, but BMW fanboys love the classic 318ti truncated trunk and the fact that it rode on E30 semi-trailing arm suspension borrowed from leftover bits of the previous generation 3-series parts (also used on the Z3). But that didn’t phase BMW planners, because they were aiming to sell cars to a younger demographic and didn’t care of well todo executives didn’t want their little 4-cylinder powered import fighter. Find this 1998 BMW 318ti E36/5 offered for $7000 in Grantham, NH via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
I fully acknowledge my love of the BMW 3-series for everyday driven late model cars. And typically, I recommend people search for a used and abused M3 in their price range to get the best bang for the buck because BMW puts so much more love into their ///M models…but…BUT…sometimes the most basic barebones BMW 3-series is the best because who needs all those gadgets and turbos and flappy-paddle-gear-changers and things anyway. All you really need to have fun an a 3-series is a magnesium-alloy engine block and a 6-speed manual gearbox. Find this 2007 BMW 328i offered for $9800 in La Verne, CA via craigslist.
The E30 generation BMW 3-series is zippy, reliable, simple to maintain, and cheap to buy — which is why it has become the beater of choice for many folks. Prices were good for years, but the nice examples have started to appreciate and you’ll have a hard time finding V8 swapped examples like this for […]
This next car is a celebration of Bracq Friday — a festival of the best stuff from French born automotive legend Paul Bracq. I know the days of getting a running/driving car for $500 are long behind us…and $500 will barely get you the parts to do your own brake job on a late model car…but […]
The E21 generation BMW 3-series is sort of the forgotten big brother of the big cheese E30. Perhaps it is because the E21 never had a hyper-popular fanboy-drool-inducing M version, or Turbo graphic covered version like the 2002, but the market for an E21 is affordable and they are simple machines…and that is a good […]