Original Owner E30: 1987 BMW 325i Convertible – SOLD!

August 11, 2021 Update – we confirmed the original owner of this BMW “Classifind” deleted their listing, so we’re now able to call this one “SOLD!” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

For years, the E30-chassis BMW 3-Series has been a darling of the collector car world. Cheap to own (for the most part) and barrels of fun to drive, this entry-level classic is a standard answer to, “Which classic should I buy?”, right up there with the Mazda Miata. The convertible has always been the more attainable model, but examples like this pristine, original owner 1987 325i originally listed in August 2021 on Craigslist in Fort Lauderdale are showing us that a rising tide does indeed raise all boats. The seller is asking $16,000, and comparing this price against the Hagerty Insurance Online Valuation Tool confirms this private seller has priced it quite fairly with an “Excellent” condition model valued at $25,400, and a “Good” condition model pegged at $15,100.

The beauty of the E30 chassis is wrapped up in a few different factors, but it’s the most common ingredients for a winning recipe that make an appearance here: relatively affordable to own and operate, assuming you buy a good one; relative ease of finding parts and body panels, with plenty of cars still running around and occasionally appearing in local salvage yards; excellent out-of-the-box dynamics, with a willing chassis enhanced significantly if it’s equipped with the factory limited-slip; and endless options for improvements should you want to sharpen the car’s edges, from a vast aftermarket to myriad ways to increase the performance of the stock 2.5 liter inline-six, with most power-crazy owners going straight to an engine swap from an E36-chassis M3. Of course, to see the maximum return on your investment, keeping it as close to stock as possible is the right move.

And that’s exactly what this seller has done, who happens to be the original purchaser of the convertible, straight off of the showroom floor in Bridgeport, Connecticut. As an owner of a 1987 325is, I can tell you that this example checks all the boxes if you’re looking for a soft top E30. First of all, it’s clean as hell despite having real-world mileage on it of 147,000 – this was a car that got used. Still, the Pearl Beige leather interior is impeccable, and it’s made all the more incredible by the seller’s acknowledgement that it’s original to the car. He notes that he used it only in the fair weather months in Connecticut before relocating to Florida full-time this year (lucky) and now no longer having the necessary space to park it. The 325ic is on its second top, and while the seller doesn’t mention if the must-do timing belt replacement has been performed, one would assume an owner like this would be right on top of it. The asking price is more than fair for an E30 in this sort of condition, especially one that’s been with original owner since new. Good luck with the purchase if you pick up this pristine 3-Series convertible.

Here’s the seller’s description:

“II am the original owner of this excellent condition 1987 BMW 325ic E30 convertible with manual trans. I took the car off the showroom floor in October 1987 from Helmut’s BMW now BMW of Bridgeport Connecticut. For its first 31 1/2 years it was at my home in Connecticut and used only during the spring summer and fall only on nice days, hence the reason why it has 147,000 well maintained miles equals to 4,323 miles a year. The E30 is all original to include paint, interior, it’s on its second top and is in excellent condition. Runs, Drives, Shifts like new with no excuses. It’s in excellent condition with no accidents, the only item not original to the car is the radio. Has always been well-maintained garaged and covered its entire life.

It truly breaks my heart to sell, I moved here to Florida permanently and live in a condo and only have two assigned parking spots, I own four cars so unfortunately I have to let her go. This affordable classic’s values have been on the rise. Clean original examples of the legendary E30 3 series are becoming rarer each year. My E30 has been used in a few photo shoots over the last two years. One as you can see in the last photo is of the Jamaican musician MR. Vegas.”

Do you have a BMW 325i story you’d like to share?  Comment below and let us know!