1980 BMW 3 Series Reviews, Pricing & Specs

My first BMW (of 3 so far), purchased new in Monterey, California. It stayed with me for 8.5 years and 87K miles with only minor maintenance--plus a new clutch throwout bearing at about 75K miles. It was still good-looking, with the excellent original paint, when we parted. Considering its forebears (2002, etc.) it did not live up to its performance heritage (underpowered at only 101 hp) but was still fun to drive and well-built. For its speed potential, braking was adequate, steering excellent. The 5 speed manual was crisp and well set up in ratios. It was the first fuel-injected car I had that never had any FI problems.Aug 14, 2010

Very clean example of a E21 BMW. I few modern upgrades made it look even better. These BMWs are very cheap to maintain because of the older technology. Most of rust issues but mine didn't. The 1.8 liter four is week so an upgrade or performance rebuild is recommended, that and the brakes and front end sway bar linkage. After a few mods it will handle like race car.Jul 22, 2010