Over the last few years, we have seen a roller coaster of classic car values. There were some vehicles that shocked me when I saw the prices they were commanding, and the E21-chassis BMW 3-Series is one of those cars. These days, prices have certainly come back down to Earth, and we’ve seen some very reasonable sale prices as of late. This car is a 1983 BMW 320i that is a base model-specification that comes without the tasty Sport package bits, but that hasn’t prevented it from reaching $7,000 here on eBay. Bidding wraps up later today with no reserve.
The 3-Series has always been BMW’s entry-level model, and the classic 2002 kicked off its dominance of the sport sedan segment. With each passing era, the 3-Series has become a mild collectible, offering smooth inline-six power and rear-wheel drive. The 2002, the E30, and the E36 generations all have significant followings today, but the E21 was always a bit of a black sheep. Powered by the anemic M10 engine and saddled with ugly safety bumpers, the replacement for the 2002 had a few strikes against it right out of the gate. A smart cosmetic upgrade is to swap on the European-market bumpers, if you can find them.
The 3-Series shown here is in clean condition overall, but it doesn’t have the goodies most E21 enthusiasts seek. The Sport package cars got a tasty 3-spoke steering wheel, Recaro seats, a front chin spoiler, and a limited-slip differential. This model, as you can see, retains a standard 4-spoke steering wheel and fairly flat bucket seats. Pacific Blue, as this interior color is known in BMW speak. is a classic 1980s factory color and both the upholstery and the carpeting remain in excellent condition. While it’s hard to say for sure, the dash appears to be crack-free, which is a rarity when it comes to a used E21.
Perhaps the most attractive selling point for this E21 is the amount of maintenance work performed. The seller lists updates that point to a proper fuel system servicing, including a new fuel pump, accumulator, and filter, along with a fresh battery, alternator, and Bluetooth radio. With right around 110 horsepower, the E21 is no rocketship, but it’s still a car that’s easy to drive and offers respectable handling with a high degree of build quality mixed in. It’s good to see this 3-Series bid to a reasonable number, and hopefully the next owner can take it home for under $10,000.
Always wanted one of these but it was beyond my budget at the time. In ‘86 I got a 325 with a 5-speed, but it was the entry level model with cloth seats and missing the extra features of the I/IS models, which would have had more pep and been more fun. It was still a nice car though.
I’m confused, it’s a 320i, but it’s a four pot, (looking at the intake).Our 320’s, or anything 20, was a 6 pot 2L, the baby of the straight 6’s ????????
The first generation 320i, at least, was a 2liter 4 cylinder. 6 cylinder wasn’t added until 1977. Back then the names of the cars actually meant something. 20 meant 2 liter.
Then marketing took over and it’s been downhill since then.
Yep aware of what the 20 meant, but here in Aus it was a 6, until BMW made the 4 pot 320, 330 etc with turbos, arrgg
Yes, USA 320s had the 2.0 4 cyl. Europe and the rest of world had a 2.0 six. The 2.0 six was carbureted, no emission controls, and very high revving. The 323i was the 2.3l version, often found in the USA on the grey market.
I’m confused, it’s a 320i, but it’s a four pot, (looking at the intake).Our 320’s, or anything 20, was a 6 pot 2L, the baby of the straight 6’s??????
Here in the US 320’s only came with 4 cylinders.
Damm, I guess that’s why they call Australia the lucky country.
Damm, I guess that’s why they call Australia the lucky country.
SOLD for $7,600.
A 3 series of this generation drove by us the other day. Both my wife and I thought it looked really small among the gargantuan beasts on the road today, especially with those 14″ wheels.