Original Owner E21: 1981 BMW 320i

When vehicles are in pristine condition but not necessarily remarkable, it creates a very real paradox: a car that has been exceedingly well-preserved and clearly cared for deserve our admiration, but can we justify opening our wallets a bit wider? That’s a loaded question in some circles, depending on the vehicle in question. In the case of the E21 generation of the BMW 3-Series, there’s a small but ardent group of supporters who would rush to the car’s defense of a strong selling price when found in condition like the car shown here on eBay, which is a U.S.-market 1981 model with just one owner from new.

The U.S. market E21 was unloved for many years, after it arrived here in just one standard form (more or less) and the model we received was saddled with ugly bumpers that marred the European market car’s good looks. We also only got one engine choice – the M10 – which is a dependable motor but entirely devoid of personality. The sport model was as close as you could get to a performance offering, as that car came with a limited-slip differential, BBS wheels, Recaro seats, a front air dam, and 3-spoke steering wheel. This is not one of those cars and is like the majority of vehicles sold: a find driver but not exactly sporting.

The big story here is the incredible level of preservation on display. The long-time original owner bought the car new in Florida and apparently loved it, keeping the cosmetics in absolutely brilliant condition. There’s ample paperwork and documentation like the original service manuals, and even the factory radio delete plate which almost always goes missing. It has the original cassette deck and tuner, and is thankfully a 5-speed manual car. The standard bucket seats are in fine shape and despite being from California, there are no cracks in the dash, pointing to years of indoor storage.

The M10 4-cylinder produced 101 horsepower and 100 lb.-ft. of torque. It certainly could hold its own on the interstate, but road test editors always felt like something was missing from the driving experience following the lively 2002Tii. So, given this car is exceptional in every way and the reserve price hasn’t been met, it does raise a very pointed question as to what it should sell for. Pristine sport package cars have cleared $30,000 in numerous cases, but as a standard model, it will take someone who truly loved the E21 when it was new to raise the stakes high enough to get this preservation-grade example sold.