The quality vs. quantity debate still continues in some areas of my life, but for the most part, it often comes down to bang for the buck when it’s time for me to open my wallet. Some household items that are cheap and cheerful, as they say, can fulfill the same purpose as an expensive item made with care and superior materials. For example, I don’t need a state-of-the-art coffee maker that would outlast my time left on this planet.
I think I’d rather have a good-enough, relatively inexpensive coffee pot that, well, brews coffee. If it breaks in a couple of years, I can just get something just as usable but different, for a little variety. (For the record, my Black & Decker coffee maker is still going strong after close to five years.) While I’m willing to spend a bit more on a few clothing staples, I try to strike a balance between what I’m paying and what I’m getting. I don’t need to pay for a label or the highest quality materials if the button-down shirt I buy is comfortable, looks and fits right, and is easy to launder.
I would have been a preteen when this black BMW was new, in that ’80s era when preppy and the appearance of affluence drove many popular trends. It would have been around ’86 when I had started inching away from simply accepting as fact what others expressed was good. “Why?” had again become a powerful word in my vocabulary, even if I didn’t ask it with the frequency and tenacity of my early childhood. I knew certain things were supposed to be cool, but I wanted to be able to at least understand the reasons even if I didn’t agree.
To use one example, I wasn’t quite sold on the idea that paying a large chunk of money on a polo shirt from a retailer like, say, J. Crew, that was finely-stitched and of quality fabric but otherwise nondescript was something anyone needed to be doing. Granted, my background couldn’t have been further from even the illusion of blueblood preppy-dom, but at the time and for my money, I would have wanted to wear something with more obvious pizzazz for a lot less money. Who wants a shirt to last forever if it looks like something someone’s uncle would wear? Pass. (Where’s the Chess King in this mall?)
A 1986 print ad for the higher-spec 325es.
In my mind, BMW, and particularly the 3-Series, was synonymous with preppy and yuppie culture. Young, upwardly mobile urban professional import drivers were a foreign species in my GM factory town of Flint, Michigan, but the image of such people saturated popular culture in advertisements, TV shows, and movies of the time. With a base price of $22,650 ($66,000 in 2024; a new 2025 3-Series starts at $45,500), the ’86 325e cost about twice as much as the Acura Integra, another compact sport sedan from Honda’s then-new, upmarket brand.
This starting price was also about double the cost of the GL trim level of Ford’s acclaimed, new Taurus midsize sedan, which was also powered by a V6. I doubt that many buyers cross-shopped a 3-Series with the Taurus, but I guess my point is that it seems one really had to be committed to the BMW brand to want to pay that much more for that kind of quality in a Chevy Cavalier-sized car.
This one has a fuel-injected, 2.7 liter inline six cylinder engine with 121 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. When new, it propelled this 2,500 pound car to sixty miles per hour in about ten seconds. This particular example also has a four-speed automatic, so I’m not sure if those ten-second figures I found online were for cars equipped with the five-speed manual or if the real-life difference based on choice of transmission would be significant. These E30s may not have spoken much to me as an adolescent, but what stopped me in my tracks early on this Sunday morning was just how clean and genuinely attractive its styling looks in 2024. What had once appeared to be an utterly anodyne and unmemorable shape to me when new has now worn extremely well almost forty years later, like a classically cut and tailored jacket from a quality clothier.
Some other, more trendy automotive looks from that era do not look nearly as good today. This generation of 3-Series has proven to have enduring style. Is that how it works? Does expensive and boring morph into genuinely interesting if given enough time? I’ve never questioned that these cars are dead-reliable as well as solid, dynamic performers, as would be anything with the BMW propeller emblem affixed to it. It’s just that in this era of visual extremes, I’ve realized that a simple, preppy, aspirational, quality appearance speaks more to me now in this stage of my life than it ever has.
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
Sunday, October 20, 2024.
This particular example is more for the Emperor who lets fawners dictate his fashion choice, or does until such time, in this case, that he tries to out-do a Taurus from a stoplight, when he is left feeling thoroughly exposed.
That is, it’s from BM’s weird low-rev “e” era, and not remotely fast for such a preppy suit. As an auto, I’d recall a time to 60 of about 12 secs – woeful for an exxy German with a name for sports. The owner when new – a person most unlikely to be of any interest to me then or now – could, I suppose, like motoring in their imitation of an image, whilst all and sundry overtook them, though I guess too, in such yuppy times, that that was pretty much the point.
One BMW-driver feature that’s unchanged over time since ’86 seems evident in that right-hand door, for if that’s not a really pissed-off fellow commuter’s foot-mark in the panel, I’ll eat my (cheap-but-perfectly-useful) hat.
I had noticed the miscellaneous dents when photographing this car only because all panels were otherwise accounted for and all painted the same color. States another way, the relative lack of rust or seriously bent panels (for a 38 year old car) ended up seeming pretty remarkable. I don’t see many of these around.
Oooh, I was “that guy” in 1984-85. That guy who was an up-and-coming yuppie (or at least thought he was). And I really, really wanted one of these in 1985. But even as a new law school graduate I could not handle that window sticker. But oh boy, that silky smooth inline six, a manual transmission and that stiff, conservatively styled body was the total package in my view.
But for perspective, I remember the 325 as running about $20k in 1985. I could have settled for the 4 cylinder 318, which stickered for about $16k. But that was when my inner midwesterner kicked in and I realized that in terms of performance, I could save another $4k and get the VW Golf GTI. Which also hit 60 mph in around 10 seconds. So as much as I wanted one of these (and I mean WANTED!), I went full Joe Dennis and bought the VW.
I will confess that even all these years later, I still get a little cardiac pitter patter when I see one of these.
JP, if given the choice back when this car was new, I might also have gone with the GTI if a small, German-engineered compact was what I was looking for. I might have been tempted by the new Merkur XR4Ti (Ford family), but the GTI was proven.
Joe, I suspect this BMW and your terrific approach to it will elicit all manner of varied opinions. This is healthy. Mine are somewhere between that of Messrs. JPC and Baum. I’m rather indifferent about this BMW, and most of them in general, thinking to each their own. They simply are not me.
Growing up in a very rural area, where the closest BMW dealer was over 100 miles away, these were not seen often. And, generally, a BMW did not prompt much statement other than people questioning why somebody would spend that much on that small of a car. Has that influenced my current thought process? Perhaps; perhaps not.
That said, a high school friend who still lives in that area has an early 2000s BMW wagon as a secondary car. I can see the appeal.
Thanks, Jason. Similar to your experience of the distance to a BMW dealership from where you grew up, I’m trying to remember what dealership in Flint might have sold BMWs… or if prospective buyers had to drive all the way to the affluent Detroit suburbs to look at one.
For the money, and knowing myself, I’d have gotten an LX five liter Mustang, pocketed the rest, and held my Average Joe head high with a huge grin on my face behind the wheel.
I find the BMW 3 series more attractive than the 5.
The diesel versions of this model were the fastest in their years. It never arrived in the US, only with the 5 series.
I can see the appeal of the junior BMW versus the 5-Series. Either the big 7 or the little 3, but lukewarm on the 5 – which is still a very nice car. I wonder what the price difference was in the entry-level versions of the 3 and 5 from ’86.
Joe, I could never see why people were paying extra for the Munich Cortina back in the day, and I still can’t understand the attraction.
However it does look good now for the reasons you say. Those bumpers though! I’d have thought BMW could have made more of an effort to integrate them.
“Munich Cortina” is gold. I remember riding in an Opel Ascona B as a kid visiting Germany and now I’m curious to know the size difference between those two cars.
I’d take mine a year newer, without the e engine, and with the 5 speed. Short of an equivalent year M3, that would a fun car. And yes, I’d forego the Touring model for a sedan just as you’ve found. In fact, one of these has been sitting at my local mechanic’s shop for several weeks…and I’ve been tempted to wander in and ask what’s up with that. It doesn’t seem for sale, but…
I have to admit that when these were new, I was firmly in the “too yuppie for me” camp. In fact, I had a friend who moved to one of these from a 2002 and I kind of thought he’d lost his mind, or at least his soul. Nevertheless Joe, your point about changes that come with age is spot on.
Unencumbered nowadays by all of the cultural politics (“Yuppie” means about as much to people today who are the age I was in 1987 as calling someone a “Whig” might mean), we can see this car for being a car and little more. And in that regards, it has many merits (ok, more if it had the non-e engine and a manual). We could argue all day about whether the E30 represented peak-BMW. But I think that there’s a good case for that. Plus, it’s an attractive little car that can be a blast to drive.
Oh, the coffee maker that I use 365 days of the year is a 30+ year old Krupps. I’ve only had to repair it once in all that time that I’ve had it since new. That was just for the display, it continued to make coffee before and after the repair. Yes, I repair coffeemakers. So maybe there really is something to German engineering. It’s certainly saved me a ton of money in terms of replacement coffee machines.
Peak BMW for me would have to be the E36 – specifically the M3 Evo. That generation of 3er looked much more modern inside and out than the E30, whilst still being properly compact. It also gained the “Z” multilink rear axle that had been introduced on the Z1 and 50/50 weight distribution, which gave it great handling. The M was initially criticized for its smewhat dull steering, cured in the later Evo version and the brakes on these are a bit marginal, but these embody the “spirit” of BMW for me. YMMV….
Jeff, I think it’s super cool that you have fixed your coffee maker. I mentioned in my essay that I don’t mind replacing things that are worn, but I also have an issue with throwing out perfectly usable things just because I think I want something new. If I had the know how, I’d probably fix my coffee maker too.
It’s interesting and a great point to read in the comments how these BMWs represented something bigger and other than just being European sport sedans
The whole yuppie culture and everything it represented was a whole lifestyle and these cars were emblematic of that culture.
You have to drive these small BMWs with the straight six and a manual ‘box to really feel the magic – you can just flow along so smoothly and listen to that wonderful little motor singing away. They feel so solid and all of a piece – that’s when you realize what you paid a premium for.
BMWs these days feel so generic, espercially with the 2.0/turbo, but those sixes lent these 3er refinement that no other small sedans had in their day. The 190Es had a much more aerodynamically advanced body and rear axle design, but their 4 cylinder drivetrains felt crude in comparison.
Huey, I have a vivid memories of riding in two different 3-Series sedans of this generation (one owned by a college friend and the other by a sibling’s friend) and thinking to myself how slick and smooth the car’s operation seemed, even from the passenger’s seat. I never got to drive either car, but I’m glad you mentioned this.
I got sucked into the BMW 325 craze back in 85. The cars were fun to drive, got lots of (that guy must be a yuppy) looks. I was going for the Sonny Crocket Miami vice look. For as small as the car was, they were heavy. I know because I was pushing it over to the side of the road on more than one occasion. My car was properly renamed ” My exotic European piece of shit”. Every repair part was either $30 or $300. I traded it in on a 86 Ford ranger that was reliable and got great mileage. I still kept my clothes tho.
Oooo, ouch. The cost of repairs! I really hope you weren’t pushing yours that often, especially for the money you paid. From one of these to a Ranger was quite the switch!
At this point, I would like to take up the cudgels for the BMW e-concept. Perhaps it should be seen and understood in its own time.
My reasoning goes like this: When these “eta” models hit the market, the Diesel thing was just about to take off. Almost every manufacturer suddenly had one or more Diesel passenger cars at the start. Even BMW was there. There were a 324d and a 524d several markets.
Perhaps it wasn’t clear to BMW whether the „diesel train“ was really the right one for them. In any case, technically simple, sedate naturally aspirated Diesel engines were difficult to reconcile with the brand image. The e-concept could therefore be seen as an attempt to offer a gasoline engine with similar characteristics to a (naturally aspirated) Diesel. Relatively early torque from slightly more displacement, reduced fuel consumption and increased service life by limiting the rated speed. All this, however, without the agricultural machinery chatter in terms of running smoothness that is typical of naturally aspirated diesel engines.
Unfortunately, most BMW fans do not seem to have understood this (until today?). They were and are used to their machines revving like a Wall Street yuppy on coke. Once hooked, they just need it that way. This may also explain why the idea, which was a good one in itself, didn’t catch on. BMW simply lacked an understandable customer base. Perhaps an eta-Benz or an eta-Volvo would have found more acceptance.
A second reason for the moderate success may have been that advancing turbodiesel technology soon significantly pushed the limits of what torque and power could be achieved from a Diesel engine. Its thought competitor, the naturally aspirated Diesel engine, was soon as dead as the eta itself.
This was all great to read and has made me want to learn more about the eta engine program and intent. Thank you.
I’m with you Joseph on the whole preppy thing. Back in the very early eighties, it was Izod labels and docksider shoes on these affluent (or affluent wannabes). Many have never stood on the deck of a boat, nor had they ever played polo. To me it was a fad, and I wasn’t biting.
While I was sort of a Young [sub]Urban Professional just starting an engineering career a the time, engineers tend to be more practical, and not waste too much time of effort on silly things like image. There were exceptions of course. The company for whom I worked in the eighties was located in a more affluent part of Baltimore County, where things like horse farms (thoroughbreds, not party ponies) exist, and many of the young professionals were either affluent, came from affluence, or just wanted to project said image. By that time, Preppies became Yuppies.
And these BMW(s) were a highly sought after or merely desired item.
For half the cost, I drove an Aero Bird. And while the ’83 may’ve not competed with a BMW, comparisons of the next generation T-Bird (the MN12) would be compared with the Bimmer. I never saw that really, as BMW(s), just like Izod and Polo were never on my radar. I suppose I was from the wrong side of Baltimore County.
Even after owning a couple of MN12’s I never saw that BMW comparison until someone here at Curbside Classic mentioned something called a “Hofmeister kink”. I had to look that one up.
Today, I do wear Polo style shirts, but the one I have on right now has a Baltimore Ravens logo on it, not a damned crocodile. And all of my other polos are from either JC Penny, or if I’m feeling fancy, from Jos. A. Bank (purchased on sale, of course!).
RS Rick, to my knowledge, I know of zero people who have ever played actual polo. I mean, it’s possible I may have shaken hands with one or two people over the course ofy entire lifetime, but, yeah. I also understand that labels and marketing are supposed to project an image. Curiously, I don’t remember ever having seen any BMW ads featuring Yuppies or anything many of us associate with them! And my parents had both Time magazine And National Geographic. Ooooooo! LOL
The MN-12 Thunderbird clearly looks inspired by the 635, though the overall proportions are different. The aero Thunderbird of ’83, to me (and I was just a kid), seemed sufficiently high tech and cutting edge to be seen as properly aspirational. Nobody who drove one new back in the day should have let anyone look down their nose at them.
Well, my ‘83 WAS the Base Model. LOL….
…but the ‘88 on which I traded that ‘83? Yeah, that car had EVERYTHING.
But then I was only 23 when I bought my first T-Bird. And yes, I still found it an aspirational car.
Winter is finished here in NZ, so yesterday I put a new battery in my 1990 318i and took it for a drive. Mine is not a 6 cylinder, but it still feels so lively, nimble and willing compared to the more modern cars that I drive. And while the styling is not cutting edge, it will forever be easy on the eye. There’s still loads of them around over here (by far the most common 80s car that you’ll still see on the road) and there’s good reason.
Chaz, I agree that this generation has an enduring style. And its tidy size makes it seem like it would be fun to drive and toss about. Winter feels like it’s knocking on the door here in Chicago. I’m on a bus back to my neighborhood on what feels like the first day of the season that the temperatures have gotten down into the 20s (Fahrenheit).
I got a lot of BMW exposure when my brother bought a new ’80 320i, the first year of the five speed. That car did not have any power assists, except the brakes and maybe the steering. Manual windows, seats, and even sunroof. His car had a/c. I thought that it was a good looking car, something that I couldn’t say about the old 2002s.
It was a simple honest car, and I was impressed by the quality of the construction and the materials. He put over 250,000 miles on that car. It was a great car to drive.
I was impressed by the marque, and for a long time I thought that I might pick up a slightly used model. These BMWs were about substance not flash, so different from American cars at the time.
Could you find something else that was almost as good for less? My brother’s fallback car would have been a VW Scirrocco, which was a pretty good car in it’s own right. There are even more alternatives available today. Even American cars have raised their game. When it came to status, BMWs did convey a certain image, it did cast the driver in a favorable light.
Jose, that your brother was able to get that many miles out of his 320i echoes the high miles of the 5-Series Jim Klein featured in Curbside Recycling on Monday. “Substance over flash” is also my impression of BMWs up to a certain point. The Swiss Army Knife of brands. The 2002’s proportions are also not my favorite – seemingly as long in the back as in the front, but they do have a certain charm to me. I still love the looks of the earlier CS coupe – that car has perfect proportions.
I’m on probably my 28th or so older bimmer, just purchased a 93 525 e34 auto sedan last week. Have had 7 e30s in the mix. 5 convertibles and 2 coupes, first coupe was an 87 325is 5sp one lady owner car with 112k miles on it. Which of course was the next best thing to an M3.. The other was a 87 325e with auto tranny… All of the e30s were great driving and performing cars. Love all the older cars, the e34 I just got is my 5th. I’m also on my 2nd e39.. Have lost track of e36s with two of those in m3 form…