1987 BMW 3 Series Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The 1987 325ic e30 is the world renown most desirable BMW Convertible on the road today. Top down this vehicle is like none you will have ever been in. The vehicle has a 2.5 l 6 cyl engine with rear wheel drive. It's turning radius is better than most vehicles its length or wheel base. As such you'll be able to make a U-turn in a single operation. The car is fun to drive and wow how many people have commented how beautiful it is when I'm parked or thumbs up from passer bys.Mar 13, 2015

Like driving the vehicle especially with the top down. Unlike other convertibles with the top up there no squeaks or anything abnormal. Handling is marvelous but I am so easy on automobiles it does not matter. I have never experienced major engine work on ANY vehicle I have ever owned. The top does not last forever even when vehicle is garaged as mine has been.Mar 12, 2015

I have only driven it off the loader and around the block, BUT Man-O-Man was it quick and very responsive in turns. So far in the past month to get it reworked the fluids have been changed oil,gas,antifreeze after setting up for 5 years the gas looked like carmal and the antifreeze was mud ! The body was in great shape the paint was faded but was expected due to the age and a local paint shop is donating paint and time to get it looking correctly for me, they see the beauty in the beast. so far to date I have about $300. hard earned dollars invested outside of the $500 I paid for it ( running )Sep 04, 2010

It gets decent average fuel economy for a RWD car. For half city and half highway driving, it gets about 23-24 Miles Per Gallon. The car will take a turn with some body leans. Makes great power for a small straight 6 cylinder engine. I would avoid driving it in the snow, unless equipped with tire chain cables and I am not sure about adding sand to the trunk, if the rear axles and suspension can handle it. My least favorite is the high trunk liftover and small rear door openings. Just don't plan on carrying much bulky items. I guess thank god I do not drive the car anymore, since I have a bad habit of hitting the front spoiler when parking. The trip computer would have a tendency to drain the battery if not driven often enough and it was a $1,000 to replace. When the inspection/oil change light/temperature gauge did not operate correctly, it was fixed by replacing the circuit board inside the instrument cluster. The easiest maintenance to do are the oil changes and changing the spark plugs. However the spark plug wires were never changed, very very expensive and are not kept in stock. The most pain in the neck things to do are changing drive belts. In order to reset oil change and/or inspection light you either have to go to a BMW dealer or buy an expensive reset tool, specifically for certain model year BMWs.Aug 16, 2009

I just love the boxy E30's, very straight forward design without any cr*p bling-bling stuff. The fuel injected 2.5 litre engine is smooth as silk, yet quite powerful (not the most fuel efficient) when the revs are kept above 3000 rpm. It has a five speed gearbox, but i would have preferred an automatic for even more enjoyable cruising. I have spent less than €500 in repairs since 1996 (when I bought it) and it is an easy car to work on. OK, the soft top makes it noisy, but it is a cruiser aboove all even if it will do in excess of 200 kmh when asked to.Jan 23, 2009

I currently own and drive daily this vehicle, which has 266,000 miles (I'm responsible for 63,000 of them) on the original engine and transmission. The car burns no oil and leaks no fluids beyond a trivial amount of oil (approx. 1/4 of a quart per 3000 mi.) While not as much of a performer as my '84 due to its higher mileage and ETA engine, it is no slouch and still takes corners like a BMW should, with some bodyroll but nothing beyond expected. I find the car (silvery blue paint, dark blue interior) attractive in a reserved sort of way. The only significant repairs it has needed are a replacement driveshaft when the CV joints disintegrated soon after buying the car (which I got at an incredible price, so wasn't too upset), recharging the a/c system and fixing related leaks, and replacing a tie rod end that had worked loose, as a related after effect from a crash it had gone through with the previous owner. The car has never left me stranded, and its overall cost of ownership has been incredibly low, especially considering age. If the car ever needs to be replaced, I'd buy another in a heartbeat. As with all '80s 3-series, condition varies wildly, so be careful when buying one. But if you get one in good quality, you'd be hard pressed to find a better deal. Amazing, amazing car.Nov 22, 2008

This car was incredibly fast for its age and is faster than the new 320 I have now. Even though it was knackered through miss use, was rusted to hell and the exhaust had fallen off it still out performed the 325i from 91-2004. If it had been looked after it would still be running today and when i parted with it in 2006 it had over 200,000 miles on the clock and was sold in working order.... I miss that car.Aug 07, 2008

4 years ago our ceo drove up of cailfornia and parked his 325ic in our shop. there it sat colecting dust, ocationaly he would start it and run it around the building a few times. Last week he said it wasn't worth to much. I offered him $800 and to my suprise he said ok. I've only had it for a day, man is it fun to drive. took the top down and my daughter and I took i little cruse up the canyon. It purs like a kitten. the car is in great shape, and started up imediatly after I charged the battery.Jun 10, 2008

After 6 faithful years as my daily driver, this is now my "track" car. The car's stock parts have slowly been getting replaced over the years, but I really haven't changed much. So far: - Sport seats from an '88 325is - 3.73 limited-slip differential from the same '88 325is (stock was an open diff with the same ratio) - Eibach springs and Bilstein sport suspension - 15" lightweight wheels with high performance summer tires I'm sure there will be a few more in the coming years...Jun 04, 2008

This was a great little e30, had great handling, excellent feeling brakes but always seemed to be lacking in power until 3000 rpm, which only left 1800 rpm until the redline. It handled winter roads without a hiccup and was a great car for going up to the ski hill in, that is if you could fit your skis/snowboard into it if you didn't have a ski rack. The automatic transmission was my only real complaint, but only because it was an automatic. The interior was excellently laid out, the three different control sticks for operating the headlights, signals, cruise control, etc. made for easy operation even when wearing gloves in winter, however the great heater ensured that you didn't have to wear gloves for long. The exterior's only real flaw was the plastic/fiberglass front fender skirt was prone to become loose (at least on mine) and it eventually broke loose while driving at 65 mph, destroying the plastic but luckily nothing else was damaged. This car was really easy to work on for all normal maintenance (oil changes, replacing the brakes, replacing the lower control arm bushings, etc) but was also a royal pain when more serious things went wrong. The starter was a bugger to replace, as well as the water pump and oil pan. Another random thing that went wrong was one of the wires on the starter came loose while driving, causing all of the gauges to go out. This was a pain to diagnose along the side of the road in the dead of winter, but a real easy fix. All in all though a great little car that I really would like to pick up again, however I would probably go for its sister, the 1988 325is instead for the manual transmission, higher revving engine and body color metal front fender skirt. Mar 25, 2008

Always brings a smile, its refreshing to drive after driving so many over complicated modern cars, and it totally up to their standard in so many areas. There's plenty of cars that are twice as quick in a straight line that aren't as fun. Its the perfect balance of moderness and old school. Can catch you out but thats part of the fun. Very reliable too as they're over engineered. I guarantee the only thing that would last longer on a brand new 3 series is the shell (bloody rust!).Dec 30, 2007

Inline 6; 121 hp, 171 lb/ft; 5 speed manual; there are many issues with my car, but they are all either induced by incorrect usage or they are common for a car of its age. The shifter linkage is very loose, so loose in fact that I cannot shift into second gear, but I can still beat most of my friends in a drag race. The handling is great; the back country roads are handled with ease (I had fun watching my friend's '76 Camaro shrink in my mirrors). Drifting can be accomplished quite easily if handled properly. I simply love this car's proportions and style. It is easily one of the most beautiful cars I have ever seen.Dec 16, 2007

For a 20 year old car, you can't ask for much more. The horsepower isn't great at 121hp but the 172lb-ft of torque more than make up for it. It can beat many of todays cars in a drag race and will kill most cars in the handling dept. The handling take a touch to get used to since it kinda floats for a few milliseconds before hooking in during spirited driving, but if you get the hang of it, it is amazing. I see some people complaining about cost of repairs and that is a simple fix; buy a Bentley manual and do your own repairs. Seriously, this is an easy car to repair yourself even if you have no previous mechanic experience like myself. Bottom line, I sold my 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse for this because, even being 8 years older this is just that much better of a car. You can't beat the deal and now at 20 years old, it is a classic in many states.Aug 28, 2007