hi any one know anything about the 325i ive been offered a 88 year model its in suberb original condition and really drives well i believe it has bmw,s famous sohc 6 pot engine ,are these cars expensive to run and can a reasonable diy type maintain them? (ive been looking after my sdi vitesse for 10 years so im used to getting my hands dirty!)

A good E30 325i is a rare beast. Make sure the engine is smooth and not ticky or rattly. Make sure it idles properly, not high or hunting and that it starts without having to push the throttle while turning the key. Those two things are most common on BMWs of this era. The engine fitted to the 325i, IIRC, is the M20 engine, which is a fabulous engines, but they can have cam troubles. I.e. snapping them every 100k miles...

Make sure there's no rot in the boot, on the rear subframe mounts and on the bottom of the front wings. The metal sunroofs can rot too. Autos are generally solid, maunals too, unless it's a dogleg one.

I will own up, I LOVE BMWs, I think they're fabulous cars, especially the older ones. A good E30 325i will be a proper classic.

It will use fuel, but it's gonna be fast and great fun to drive! Where do you live, I may be able to point you in the direction of an independant specialist. Try www.e30zone.co.uk too.

Stewart

If its a good one (and be careful because so many of them aren't) then it will serve you well. My old mans 325 lasted him for over 150k with nothing other than regular stuff like exhausts, brakes etc wearing out. One with a healthy engine will still show a clean pair of heel sto most things produced these days.
If you can though, try and get one with an LSD in it, some do some don't, normally its ones with schnitzer parts that have them.