1988 BMW 325i Touring

With just three owners from new, including one who had the car for an incredible 25 years, this BMW 325i has what many consider to be the perfect specification with the creamy smooth straight-six fuel injected engine, the five-speed manual gearbox, power steering, and the estate body.

Having covered just over 100,000 miles, this achingly pretty BMW is barely run-in and ready to serve its new owner faithfully for another three decades. And yes, that really is how long ago this car was built; with nigh-on perfect shut lines, a gorgeously minimalist interior, and bullet-proof mechanicals, this 325i Touring echoes back to a time when the German company really did build The Ultimate Driving Machines.

Finished in Royal Blue Metallic and featuring a grey cloth interior, this is the perfect performance car for the enthusiast who is looking for something that is still reasonably analogue but capable of holding its own in modern traffic. The vendor is a long-time BMW owner who actually worked for the company in the 1970s and 1980s, so he knows the marque and chose this one for its originality and condition. Clearly a man of impeccable taste, we think you should follow his lead; if you’ve ever hankered after one, then this is the one to bid on.

The Royal Blue Metallic coachwork is original and in fine fettle, which it really ought to be given the pampered life it has led. Having spent 25 years of its life with just the one owner, even the electrically powered sunroof is clean and rust-free, which aficionados will recognise is rare.

Its shut lines are tight and even too, and the paintwork is glossy and deep. The car is also free of serious dents, scuffs and rust that can plague some youngtimers. Clearly, luck plays its part but this sort of condition relies on a series of dedicated and, dare we say, slightly OCD owners. 

The sort, in fact, who go to the trouble and expense of fitting matching tyres to flawless ‘bottle top’ alloy rims. We know you are probably bored to death of hearing us bang on about it, but matching tyres on a car are an infallible indicator of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner. One Of Us, in other words.

Further proof comes via the wheelarches, which are free of rust: “run your fingers around them!” the owner told us. We did, and he’s right. The car’s original mud-flaps are there too, as are the ‘Cotswold of Cheltenham’ dealer stickers in the windows, which were fitted when the car was first sold.

Sure, there are a few little stone chips but the car presents beautifully and to rectify these very minor flaws would be to detract from its originality. It really is a delightful car and we’d love you to come and see it here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; we’re confident you won’t be disappointed and you really do need to see it in the flesh to be able to appreciate it fully.

The grey cloth interior really is a nicer place to be than the more usual black leather that everyone thinks they want. The grey cloth interior lightens up the inside of the car to great effect, and the cloth seats provide more lateral grip during spirited driving than leather does, a trait further enhanced by the car’s (optional) heavily bolstered sports seats. Cloth seats are also warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer; the late Alan Clark MP, while being in possession of questionable morals, knew how to spec a car perfectly and he always chose cloth over leather. 

An M Tech steering wheel dominates the driver’s view, with what might just be the clearest instrument display ever offered in a mainstream car sitting behind it. 

It still wears its original floor mats, has an unblemished headlining, and the dashboard top has not cracked. The owner tells us that it is free of rattles, which is a real testament to the quality of the original fittings and the diligence with which BMW installed them all those years ago.

Obviously, it still has the original BMW torch in the glovebox and the OE toolkit and first aid kit in the boot. Speaking of which, the boot is clean and tidy, and while the load cover is missing, the boot liner is present and correct and in great shape.

A modern Pioneer radio/cassette player has been installed into the centre dashboard. While it fits in well with the rest of the interior appointments, we can’t help but think that because the rest of the BMW is so original, a period Blaupunkt or Becker head unit, or even a Nakamichi cassette player, would add extra style points while still sounding awesome.

Oh, and while the front electric windows work perfectly, the rear window winders are manual. We think it’s worth buying a car like this just to baffle the kids; imagine the fun you can have as you watch them prodding various buttons as they try to figure out how to raise and lower them…

The car starts, ticks over, and runs beautifully. The owner tells us that it doesn’t use any oil at all between services and thrives on being driven properly: “Don’t be afraid to use the revs,” he encouraged us. “It thrives on them.” He went on to say that it “drives superbly”, “still has all of its original performance”, and is “quiet and reasonably economical.” Honestly, what else do you need from your modern classic sporting estate car?

Recent work includes an inspection service (including fresh oil), fitting a new anti-roll bar link bush on the nearside rear, installing new wiper blades, having the headlamps correctly adjusted, resolving a problem with the brake lights and the nearside wiper washer.

It’s also had a new battery and exhaust back box, plus a fresh MOT certificate. A minor leak from the steering box appears to have been quelled by the use of leak preventer fluid, and the exhaust leak the MOT tester commented on couldn’t be traced… 

The front-hinged bonnet reveals an engine bay that is a little grimy, but grime shows oil leaks up very well and we can’t see any. Nonetheless, we’d be tempted to have it professionally cleaned to bring it up to the same condition as the rest of the vehicle.

The factory underseal looks to have done its job very well over the years, remaining flexible and complete, and so able to protect the underside of the car from road salt and damage. It also received extra rustproofing in 1995, which might also help explain the vehicle’s extraordinary condition.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever bar a few little niggly jobs that will need doing in due course. The mileage increments also appear to support the car’s low mileage. 

The car comes with all of its expired MOT certificates plus a thick sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it from the early nineties onwards.

It also has two keys, its original book pack, and some touch-up paint. 

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to the very highest standard.

The BMW E30 range of cars has everything the youngtimer enthusiast is looking for: classic good looks; enough performance to be interesting; and bulletproof reliability. That they are still massively undervalued (bar the E30 M3, obviously) just adds to the appeal.

How undervalued are they? Well, we think this one will sell for between £6,500 and £9,000, which seems like staggering value to us given the versatility it offers.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here in Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive. 

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.