Member
Post nr. 51
Canberra, Australia
'81 323i |
I must say, i'm missing my e21 323i and this forum... I've moved up to an e30 now and i just thought you guys might like to take a look. all these e30 guys are idiots who think the sun shines out their arse...nice cars, a lot more refined but they aren't as great as they like to think they are. i plan to get a project e21 soon...so i'll be around more often. anyways here she is (my new pride and joy) along with a story:
Well, I've had her for a month now. Prior car was an e21 323i; which i loved. I'd been searching high and low for an e30 as a DD for about 6 months, nothing came up. e30's are a rice favourite here in Oz so they are mostly vandalised by 17 year olds with spraycans who have this somewhat magical ability to sit in the backseat and still drive a car. Anyways, back to the story. I made a list of everything I wanted in an e30 and whichever car could get all (or most) would be the one i bought.
Original condition; if not, tastefully modded and close to stock
MANUAL
Earlier 'pre-facelift' 323i
MANUAL
Later 'post-facelift' 325i (maybe, i only wanted one for the engine)
MANUAL
4 door (i love 4 door e30's don't ask why; its just my style)
MANUAL
No or little rice
MANUAL
That is a hard thing to find in Oz, and I almost settled for an auto 323i that was in immaculate condition (1 owner, full history; planned to do a manual swap). Untill, as i was dialing the number of owner to tell him i'd take it and my phone rang. It was my mate and he said, "have you brought that 323i yet?" i said "no, but i am about to" and he said "don't! i've already said you'd take this car". I was about to yell at him untill he said, "i've already emailed you photo's i know the car its what you are looking for, look at the pictures and meet me when you finish work" That night i was driving this:
  
  
 
so, not only did i get everything I wanted but i got the best of both worlds, the more atractive (IMO) 'pre-facelift' with an m20b25. Not to mention it's absolutly immaculate and is a credit to all its PO's. Not a crack in the dash, an imperfection in the paint, no faded plastics, all the chrome around the windows is intact and shining, not a spot of rust... you'd never know the car (apart from the engine) has done 200000 miles. Fellas, i'm in love
The negatives:
PO put KYB shocks up the front and Munroe OEM replacement at the rear....she's too tight up the front and too soft at the rear. (Koni's or billies to come soon)
the diff ratio must have been changed, this this goes and revs hard (0-100km/h 8.1 seconds with a full tank) but it means she's pulling at 3,000rpm at 100km/h in 5th
for some reason it only had one exhaust mount....on the right side of the muffler (i've fabed up some new mounts since those photo's have been taken; 2 new muffler mounts and one below the gearbox)
fleabay short shifter
I WORRY ABOUT IT IN CAR PARKS!!!
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