Low Mileage Japanese Export E30: 17k-Mile 1987 BMW 320i
- September 14, 2020
The E30 320i was introduced in 1982 alongside the 323i and both were not sold in the North American market, likely for emissions reasons. This left-hand drive example was exported to Japan when new and has been recently imported to the US by the seller. Note that it is not a “JDM” car, which refers to a vehicle built in Japan.
While the German name for the finish on this car is Lachssilber Metallic, we prefer the English translation “Salmon Silver” as it is rare to find a paint color named after a fish. The body and paint appear to be in excellent condition for a 33 year-old automobile and are representative of the low mileage. One of the attractive features on this example are the slim Euro bumpers, and we have always had a soft spot for the Euro-weave BBS wheels. The interior is upholstered in awesome blue houndstooth cloth that has resisted any fading, and we are fans of the M-Tech steering wheel and shift knob. This one also has no sunroof, which is a desirable feature that is becoming harder to find nowadays.
These 320i’s are powered by a 2.0L M20 inline-six that had a factory rated
output of 123 hp at 5,800 rpm. This car is equipped with a Getrag 5-speed manual and is said to have been recently serviced with a replacement timing belt, water pump, thermostat, drive belts, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter, all vacuum lines, spark plugs, spark plug wires, transmission fluid and rear differential fluid. Modifications include H&R springs and Koni shocks.
We found this same example for sale in June 2020 on eBay, but noticed it was recently relisted on Craigslist. We are quite surprised that such a low mileage 320i has not been scooped up yet and hope that the seller can find a buyer soon. Comps for these are hard to find as there aren’t too many low mileage examples out there, but a 35k mile 320i sold on Bring a Trailer in June 2020 for $32,900, so the seller’s asking price here seems extremely reasonable considering this car has half as many miles.
