Not only is today’s Nice Price or No Dice E30 the not-officially-sold-here Touring, but it’s also the extremely rare AWD edition of that coveted model. Let’s see if that double bubble is worth risking some financial trouble.
In school, an “F” signifies failure, the lowest grade possible. I’m sure we’ve all had one or two of those malignant marks. It’s a different story in the world of trucks, however. There, the letter F reliably represents the trucks from Ford, and those have been solidly at the top of their class for decades. The 2007 Ford F450 Super Duty we looked at yesterday was a prime reason why. Large and capable, with space and towing capacity to spare, that turbo diesel 4X4 had a lot going for it. One thing not in its favor was the $27,500 asking price set by the seller; you all schooled them over that with a 63 percent No Dice loss.
These days, pickup trucks can be either workhorses or status symbols. Sometimes both. Before that, though, they were just about the job. If people needed to haul a lot of either people or their junk — and they called suburbia their hang — then they generally went with a station wagon.
Today’s 1990 BMW 325iX Estate is just such a wagon. Dubbed the Touring in its home market, this generation of 3 Series longroof criminally was never officially sold here in the States. The model’s all-balanced looks and the rabid appreciation of E30s, in general, means that a number of people have, over recent years, availed themselves of the Federal 25-Year Rule to import cars privately.
Being a utilitarian wagon, most of the E30 Touring models available are lightly optioned family haulers. This one, however, has a lot of bells and whistles, along with a few aftermarket add-ons to give the whole thing a chef’s kiss touch.
The base for the car is BMW’s solid and smooth 2.5-liter M20B25 SOHC inline-six. Here, that offers 168 horsepower and 164 lb-ft of torque. behind that is a five-speed Getrag manual gearbox paired with a no-fuss, no-muss here-when-you-need-it AWD system. That’s all claimed in the ad to work “perfect.” Also touted as a plus is a spate of recent work on the engine (timing belt and water pump) and the brakes (pretty much everything).
The looks match the mechanicals, too. The car is painted in Silver Metallic with black trim over a handsome set of Style 5 basketweave alloys and the appropriate X AWD rocker extensions. The car comes with a ton of accessories as well. Most notable of those is a BMW-branded coffin carrier for the roof. That can be switched to an also included bike rack when the mood hits.
In the cabin, there are cloth-cover sport seats, an M-Tech three-spoke sport tiller, and bright pedal covers. A period-correct cell phone and auxiliary nav screen on an alien-eye stalk add a bit of throwback appeal. It’s all a bit busy, and perhaps too much, but at least the bones beneath — and the typically-cracking dashboard — are laudably all sound and intact.
In fact, there’s a whole lot to like about this 325iX. It has a mere 93,000 miles on the clock, and all its importation paperwork has already been handled, offering now a simple, clean New York title. The only possible Jeff Goldblum in the ointment might be the $27,900 price tag. That’s fully four hundred smackers above what yesterday’s F450 asked, and if we’re judging on a pound-per-dollar basis, then the Bimmer is already a loser. Fortunately, we don’t often consider apples to oranges in this contest unless we’re really hungry. As such, we’ll now have to assess that $27,900 price on this 325iX’s own merits.
What do you all say? Is that a fair price for such a loaded estate? Or, even if it’s packed to the gills, is that too large a pack of cash to lay down?
You decide!
Hudson Valley, New York, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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