How did you celebrate 50 years of the BMW 3 Series? I may have taken it a bit far by buying this E30-generation 325i Touring from 1990.
Ever since selling my Porsche 944 four years ago, I've had a hankering to own an old car again. Something simple, light, moderately interesting and, above all, fun. The E30 ticked the boxes of being a relatively compact car (it's narrower than a current Mini Cooper C) with an interesting engine, rear-wheel drive and a manual gearbox.
It strikes that balance of being purer and more mechanical than modern cars but still comfortable and refined enough that you can take it on big trips quite easily. My parents got a 320i when I was two years old, so it was the first car I was really aware of, and my own first car was a 316i Touring too.
When I saw the ad, I immediately knew this was the one. It's a good colour combo and has factory air-con (which doesn't work, yet). It's also a manual car that's had a few choice performance upgrades over the years (a limited-slip diff and Bilstein dampers).
Some people say E30s are really expensive now. Compared with 10 years ago, when you could pick up a 325i for a few thousand pounds, I suppose they are.
On the other hand, this very nice example cost me less than a new Renault Clio. Just how nice is something I intend to find out soon by taking it to a classic BMW specialist to try, and hopefully fail, to poke holes in it.
Not just an MOT
Almost any 35-year-old car will have lived a life, and even though 91,000 miles is relatively low for the age, that's still plenty of time for components to wear out and rust holes to form. You can read all the buying guides you want before you view a car, but in the end you can never know everything.
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If you don't mind a bit of spannering getting oil and grease under your fingernails,then by all means buy a car like this.