BMW E30 325i. Taking the strain. Journals

Ian’s BMW E30 does the brunt of the donkey work this month as the Alpina continues the search for a buyer.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Driver's Log
Date acquired: June 2010
Total kilometres: 129,366
Kilometres this month: 1586
Costs this month: $0
L/100km this month: 9.8

This month my Alpina has been earning me money sitting still. I put the car underground and under its BMW dust cover after a prospective buyer left me a $270 deposit and a request not to sell until the arrival of 2014. The dawn of a new year brought a surprise decision; the buyer disappointingly elected not to complete the purchase, but said as an apology for the inconvenience so I could keep his deposit. Okay then! As a result, apart from me starting the engine occasionally, I have not added to the mileage and most importantly added to my bank account. Result.

A new advert and following up on older expressions of interest has brought four new viewings and a further promise of a deposit with completion next month once they get the funds together. With a 10 percent deposit taken this time I hope a sale is more assured.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

As a result, the now 24-year-old E30 has been taking the strain. Apologies are owed to the reader who noticed last month’s deliberate mistake: my 325i with a inline (straight) M20 2.5-litre engine, using Bosch Motronic fuel injection and producing a stock 169bhp, has not missed a beat. Not a V6 to be found.

With a round trip to visit the team office in Dubai and the regular daily driver in Abu Dhabi I elected to download an app to track the mileage and fuel economy. I can report that it has delivered an age appropriate 9.8L/100km average over the 1586km covered this month. A full service is due and an intermittent dash light tells me the transmission fluid is low, hopefully a level top up and new filters are all that will be required. If so, I hope to line my car up along side a colleague’s manual 325 coupe with MTECH 2 kit and BBS alloys to see how my four-door stock auto compares.

crankandpiston.com Journals is a contributor-based section, the contents of which have been provided by site readers and enthusiasts. All thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the authors concerned and do not necessarily reflect the views held by www.crankandpiston.com.  

Categories: Fast Fleet

,

Comments are closed