Jalopnik: Nice Price or Crack Pipe?
For $4,500, Be Three, White, And E21
A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same both forwards and backwards - for example never odd or even. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe E21 is novel in the U.S. as its a 323i which is both even and odd as well as palindromic. The question is, which way will you go on its price?
I was shocked - SHOCKED I tell you - at all the haterade guzzled at the expense of the B-series engine and the LoCost Seven itself yesterday. Dudes and Dudettes, the MG 1800 is a solid citizen of a motor and can produce gobs of power for not all that much bank. Still, that vitamin B was seen as a pox of the house of home built and the Seven came away with a solid 65% Crack Pipe loss. Apparently that many of you equate this car's Lotus position with being bent over.
Okay, a couple of weeks back I made you all a promise that we would be taking a break from German cars. Well, today the embargo has been lifted. Can I get a halleluja? Here we have a 1979 BMW E21 Coupe, from Germany. Big whoop you might say, that generation of 3-series being - in America at least - one of the least desirable, having been the recipient of an underachieving version of BMW's M10 four cylinder. That engine, when saddled with the then new-fangled emissions controls, could only muster 100-hp back in '79.
This car is different however. Your first clue should be the thin Snidley Wiplash mustache bumpers where you'd normally expect to find massive oxidizing rubber snood-surrounded aluminum beams. Then there's the badging - on both trunk lid and forward-canted grille - which read 323i. That extra 3 means this car sports not the M10 but the six cylinder M20, which was good for 143 ponies when Carter was in office.
The 323i was the top model back then, and as Europe typically likes to deny America its finest, one that was never offered here. According to the ad, this one was privately imported and federalized way back in 1980. Not only that but the seller claims to have all the maintenance records dating back to that year, as well as mason jars filled with his own urine and three decades worth of toenail clippings stuffed in pillowcases.
Okay, so I made up the pee and pillowcase bits, but the OCD oil change and tire rotation records are a good thing, right? Another potentially good thing is the mileage which at 125K is a Mama Bear like not too many to be worn out and not too few for everything to be shriveled up from lack of use. The exterior looks to be in pretty good shape for any number of miles, and sports a set of period-appropriate turbines. The white paint shows no obvious imperfections in the pictures, and all the trim appears intact. The only potentially questionable element outside might be that (Kamei?) airdam, but even that's open to debate.
Inside, the Recaro passenger seat seems to be in serviceable shape while the driver's throne has gone all Phantom of the Autobahn with a ill-fitting cover potentially highlighting an aria of issues. Other than that the dash looks complete although it's impossible to tell if it is free of cracks - a common problem on cars of this age - and it does have the proper accoutrements of a sport steering wheel and three-pedal footbox. Also the car sports A/C and one of those cool tits-up radio placements.
The seller says that recent maintenance items filling the car's diary include water pump ($), injectors ($$), fuel pump ($$$) and wheels and tires ($$$). That's a lot of $$$ and now it's up to you to determine if the 4500 in $s the seller is asking for this 323i is a good deal or not.
As noted earlier, the E21 never caught on the way the precedent 2002 or following E30 have, and were this the world's nicest 320i I think we'd all agree the seller is in deeper crack territory than Kevin Smith's proctologist. But this one being the grey market but fed-approved 323i raises its interest level significantly. But does it raise it enough? What do you think, is $4,500 for this 323i fair enough for you to choose Nice Price when you rise to vote, sir? Or, is that enough for you to say madam, I'm Adam, and that's Crack Pipe?
You decide!
Denver Craigslist or go
http://jalopnik.com/5905199/for-4500-be-three-white-and-e21
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now also on Bring a Trailer (BaT)! Check out the comments!
This 1979 BMW 323i was gray-market imported in 1980, and has full documentation ever since. We love these 6-cylinder E21′s, and this one also has our preferred Alpina-style 15′s and a white/black combo that is better than the plethora of browns and golds that so many still wear. Find it here on Craigslist in Boulder, Colorado for $4500.
I was shocked - SHOCKED I tell you - at all the haterade guzzled at the expense of the B-series engine and the LoCost Seven itself yesterday. Dudes and Dudettes, the MG 1800 is a solid citizen of a motor and can produce gobs of power for not all that much bank. Still, that vitamin B was seen as a pox of the house of home built and the Seven came away with a solid 65% Crack Pipe loss. Apparently that many of you equate this car's Lotus position with being bent over.
Okay, a couple of weeks back I made you all a promise that we would be taking a break from German cars. Well, today the embargo has been lifted. Can I get a halleluja? Here we have a 1979 BMW E21 Coupe, from Germany. Big whoop you might say, that generation of 3-series being - in America at least - one of the least desirable, having been the recipient of an underachieving version of BMW's M10 four cylinder. That engine, when saddled with the then new-fangled emissions controls, could only muster 100-hp back in '79.
This car is different however. Your first clue should be the thin Snidley Wiplash mustache bumpers where you'd normally expect to find massive oxidizing rubber snood-surrounded aluminum beams. Then there's the badging - on both trunk lid and forward-canted grille - which read 323i. That extra 3 means this car sports not the M10 but the six cylinder M20, which was good for 143 ponies when Carter was in office.
The 323i was the top model back then, and as Europe typically likes to deny America its finest, one that was never offered here. According to the ad, this one was privately imported and federalized way back in 1980. Not only that but the seller claims to have all the maintenance records dating back to that year, as well as mason jars filled with his own urine and three decades worth of toenail clippings stuffed in pillowcases.
Okay, so I made up the pee and pillowcase bits, but the OCD oil change and tire rotation records are a good thing, right? Another potentially good thing is the mileage which at 125K is a Mama Bear like not too many to be worn out and not too few for everything to be shriveled up from lack of use. The exterior looks to be in pretty good shape for any number of miles, and sports a set of period-appropriate turbines. The white paint shows no obvious imperfections in the pictures, and all the trim appears intact. The only potentially questionable element outside might be that (Kamei?) airdam, but even that's open to debate.
Inside, the Recaro passenger seat seems to be in serviceable shape while the driver's throne has gone all Phantom of the Autobahn with a ill-fitting cover potentially highlighting an aria of issues. Other than that the dash looks complete although it's impossible to tell if it is free of cracks - a common problem on cars of this age - and it does have the proper accoutrements of a sport steering wheel and three-pedal footbox. Also the car sports A/C and one of those cool tits-up radio placements.
The seller says that recent maintenance items filling the car's diary include water pump ($), injectors ($$), fuel pump ($$$) and wheels and tires ($$$). That's a lot of $$$ and now it's up to you to determine if the 4500 in $s the seller is asking for this 323i is a good deal or not.
As noted earlier, the E21 never caught on the way the precedent 2002 or following E30 have, and were this the world's nicest 320i I think we'd all agree the seller is in deeper crack territory than Kevin Smith's proctologist. But this one being the grey market but fed-approved 323i raises its interest level significantly. But does it raise it enough? What do you think, is $4,500 for this 323i fair enough for you to choose Nice Price when you rise to vote, sir? Or, is that enough for you to say madam, I'm Adam, and that's Crack Pipe?
You decide!
Denver Craigslist or go
http://jalopnik.com/5905199/for-4500-be-three-white-and-e21
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now also on Bring a Trailer (BaT)! Check out the comments!
Ok, not quite as handsome as the 2002 but still a lot of car for that money. I say get ‘em now before they too go through the roof.
The Hartge H3S 335i had the 3.5 from the 635CSi so yes, it bolts right in.
http://www.carsbase.com/photo/photo_full.php?id=63143
A much better buy than a 2002.
@Doug M: This is a 323i not the 320i that we were subjected to stateside.
In the late 80s a friend of mine had a Hartge 323i and he order a distributor for it from Germany. When the distributor got here we discovered it was the wrong one. I still have that distributor. If someone wants/needs an 0237302038 PGFUD6 I have one on the shelf.
http://jalopnik.com/5905199/for-4500-be-three-white-and-e21
A much better buy than a your average 2002.
If it was anywhere in the southeast US it would be in my driveway this weekend!
That bolts right into the E21 323i, as it shares the same M20 block as the 325e, 528e, & E30 325i.
Anyway, beautiful E21, I just find myself preferring the ’80-83 dashboard and 5-speed.
what fun this car would be…get ppl to underestimate you cuz it’s “just a 320i” and then drop the hammer on em in the twisties.
I was completely enamored by Paul Braq’s design and the styling ques incorporated into the E21 design from the Turbo showcar.
Ultimately, the car was a disappointment — electrical problems, dealer warranty service problems, etc. Even though exceedingly well-cared for, it never brought me the satisfaction of my ’69 2002.
I drove it on an open course event at my home track, (Grattan, Michigan) and was sneered at by the attending 2002 owners who talked about the tail-happy handling and front end shimmy.
Right now, I’ve a line on a very nice 320is in Hennarot that could be had for sensible money out here in San Francisco, but my fondest wish would be to resurrect a 1979 323i 5-speed that’s languishing in the back lot of a body shop near SFO.
With 2002 prices as silly as they are, I believe the E21s, especially at these low price points, will soon become the darlings of the “high-performance for low dollars” crowd.
Sign me up.
Agree this will be gone soon. Try to find another one…..
Enjoy!
“Personally I’d love to get my hands on one of these:” What, a stocky Fräulein in a green shirt or the BMW?
Anyway, great bang for the buck, especially considering all the little extras (Alpinas, air dam, nice steering wheel, etc.)
I’m married so the correct answer is probably ‘neither’. But I meant the BIMMER! There, I said it.
The dual exhaust on this car is from the factory. The 15 inch Alpina wheels are also worth quite a abit.
I agree, this will soon be a collector car.
Regarding the popular ‘eta’ stroker swap – its the cam bearings in the ‘eta’ 2.7, not the crank bearings, that are three in number. All M20 bottom ends have 7 main bearings.
I’ve had a couple of these cars, my current being a ’81 with extensive suspension mods. They are still largely forgotten, but heaps of fun.
CA folks: don’t buy!
Stuffing a straight 6 into same shell should do wonders. Dual exhausts to play proper music. No doubt there’s lots of suspension tweaks and updates that would transform the car as well.
This is the way the E21 is designed to look, and really the car we should have gotten as a model family upgrade to the anemic 320i.
I’m surprised this car is still FS. Given the crazy prices for nice, well-sorted E30′s this car should be gone by now. (Former owner of a pristine, show winning alpenweiss E30 325is here.)
Its the perfect compromise between classic looks and modern ergonomics, the driving position is perfect.
some minor mods in the suspension turn this little car into go-kart mode. Most rewarding car ever owned, always regret selling it.
That doesn’t mean E21s aren’t nice cars, though, and the six sets this one apart. I’ve seen these registered in CA, although I’ve got no clue on the nuts and bolts of that.
I agree Californians would be better served to buy a local car with a previous CA registration and CARB sticker.
Hardy & Beck of Berkeley, CA, modified a number of these cars back in the day and it’s likely they’ve kept records of all the the cars and upgrades… a proven method to make the M20-six pass smog.
At the moment I can think of two 323i examples and two 320i Baur cabriolets that are in the process of restoration out here in San Francisco, so it *is* possible, though not necessarily economical, to build a street-legal California-legal 323i.
Would make a wicked track/autocross car, too!
I’m also pretty sure there’s a smog-able M20 that would bolt right in…lord knows there’s enough e30 donor cars out here…
Also, with 143hp on tap for the 323i M20 motor, it always makes me think what an amazing evolutionary jump it was to the M42 in the 318is E30. 1.8L 4cyl with 136hp on tap – plus less weight.
For those interested, Andrew Everrett’s E30 3-Series Restoration Bible offers the definitive how-to guide for creating a junkyard 2.8L stroker motor. For the white glove types, Ireland Engineering sells a kit.
Never got into Bimmers, I appreciate them and all but just never went there. If I was on the hunt for a BMW I would be looking for one of these. Baby six in this baby 3series must be a blast. Really love these, looks like a great car for 4500. Funny how a car like this does more for me then other cars costing 10x more.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/112367499475047742784#photos/112367499475047742784/albums/5736193089187826705
Mirrors don’t match.
Worth the money.
John
Being from Michigan (I escaped in 2006), I understand the problem with aluminum wheels, steel rotors and road salt.
I’ve had to resort to a number of workarounds to get wheels off, including loosening or removing lugnuts and taking a hot lap around the block to break the wheels away from the rotors or brake drums.
Of course, that depends on whether the lugnuts (or in this case, lugbolts) can be loosened.
In the rust belt, anti-seize is your friend.