Was a White '72 Bavaria. It was such a clean nice driver. I still harbor the hope that I can own another nice on some day, this time with a manual transmission. I know they needs a few improvments to run properly, but they are such nice cars. Is there anyone out there preserving these cars?
E3 Body (Bavaria in the USA) You occasionally see an E3 listed on eBay, but they are much less common than 2002s. The twin carbs were hard to keep adjusted, so the E3 sedans are not as easy to maintain as the 2002s. And a nice E3 sedan will bring less on the open market than a comparable 2002. BMW NA last imported the E3 into the USA in 1975, (3.0 Si) so this model had a fuel injected engine, but a thermal reactor for emission controls (bad idea!). Moreover, BMW finally sent the E12 fivers to the States in 1975, so they took sales away from the slightly larger body style. In Europe, BMW sold a stretched version of the E3 (2500 L, 2800 L, 3.0L/Li), but they never imported this car to the States. The E12 came out in Europe in 1972, but Hoffman Motors never imported the 520i with Kugelfischer injection (same motor as the 2002tii) to the USA.
My first BMW was a '71 2002 that I bought used in '75. Best car I ever had. Sold it in a few years and bought a used Bavaria 4MT. Silver w/w blue interior. Very troublesome car (cracked cylinder head from overheating). The best thing to do with these cars was to do what I did, replaced the existing twin carbs with twin webers and electric fuel pump to feed them. The webers made this car run so smooth..... it was very fast. Unfortunately, after about 7 years of ownership and a total rebuild of the car so it was finally perfect, I was hit from behind by a '73 chevy in 1984 and the car was totaled. But now I'm back. Have a 335Xi coupe arriving within the next 2 weeks. I can't wait!
I have one I would be interested in selling, it is white with a perfect blue interior. AT though. jacobnuttall@comcast.net
Ther Senior Six special interest group is quite active in preserving and enjoying the E3 it's its many variations. (2500, 2800, 3.0s, bavarai, 3.0si). You won't find them on eBbay too often, but they do show up. More common is for them to be listed on Craig's list, as they tend to be "well worn" at this point in time and are usually in the 1-3K range.
2006 325i auto. It was nice. But got rid of it to get an e30. Didn't wanna deal with all the computerized "stuff". Plus, I will always drive a stick from now on.
First BMW I ever drove was a 1991 325ix (5 speed of course) about tens years ago now. I really wanted to buy that car, but just finishing college I could not afford it. They wanted $10k at the time. In retrospec I should have bought a regular E30, but I didn't. Bought a Nissan Maxima instead. That lasted two years when I came back to reality. So my first BMW was and is my 1988 E30 M3. I will ALWAYS have this car. I just can't get enough of it. Although I don't drive it as much as I should. Only has 75K on it now.
I just realized I lied. First BMW I ever drove/rode was my dad's 1992 K75s motorbike. I put more miles on that thing than he did when I was in college. Although now that I have been out of the house for years (decade) I really don't ride it. I want to get a 70s R bike at some point. But that probably won't be for a while.
1996 328is, from '96 to '99. Gave it up when the lease ended...big mistake. Went through 3 more cars to find the "thrill" again (including a POS '98 Volvo C70 Convertible...ugh!) before getting my '02 E39 Sport last July. Life is good again...
Red E30 318iS with tan leather interior. It was my tennis coach's car and he asked me to move it in the parking lot at the club to the other side of the lot where it would be in the shade....That was a fun little car!
You mean like mine? A '78 R100RS. The CS is not mine. Buncha' kids ... My first BMW drive was in a new E21 320i demo in late 1978, when I was selling Volvos. I shopped the competition to have a personal take on them (Unusual, I know.). Now, '78 Volvos were damn good cars and almost nothing approached them for handling dynamics. Certainly not the contemporary Chevy Nova or the then-new Citations or the Ford Fairmont that was a virtual Volvo clone in all significant dimensions. But the BMW was different, beginning with the salesman, Hans, a big German native in Akron. As we pulled out onto the brick street in front of the dealership, I heard the tires chirping under acceleration (How cool was that!). When I climbed into the driver's seat, I was amazed to find that everything fell to hand just like in the Volvo - only better. Then, as I wound down an open street near the dealership, Hans said, "Punch it. Wind it up." So I did. I was hooked. After that, I decided I would, eventually, have a BMW. Fortunately, I was not so demented that I got a 320i. Hans tried to sell me a crappy E12 530i once, but I started with a red '74 2002 (and the requisite 'couple of parts cars' needed in the late '80s to keep a 2002 on the road) followed by a Bavaria and now a series of E28s.
Geez CR, thanks a lot! A BMW dealership salesman's 320i, August, 1981. As I recall, I took a brief unaccompanied test drive. Had also looked at a Ford EXP (uhhh.. yah, right. Anyone remember those? Nope, didn't think so. ). Virtually everything in the EXP was poorly placed in terms of ergonomics; there's a reason you don't see any of those on the road today. ever. at all. I recall thinking the late 70's Chevy Monte Carlos looked kinda cool. That's the great thing about hindsight... LAND BOAT!!
I stumbled upon this crazy club accidentally. The first time I drove a BMW was shopping for a convertible 12 years ago. I wanted a manual transmission and wanted 4 seats. Choices were limited. The BMW 325i convertible fit the bill exactly. I have never looked back. E30s rule the world.
There's a reason you drive E30s. Even overlooking every other shortcoming they had, the 320i (or the 318i you actually drove) was a notorious rustbucket. Actually, I remember the EXP quite well. Sued Ford over one once. It wasn't just lousy ergonomics that did them in. An uncorrectibly horrid suspension system (induced positive front camber under acceleration) and a stunningly weak unit body when new and all of that aggravated by rust even more pervasive than in an E21's shock towers. I haven't seen one in a decade, at least.
I feel like a newbie as far as the first bimmer driven, although I am making up for it by working my way backwards as an owner. We were Subaru people in the mid 90's, and had a '90 Legacy and a '92 SVX (still Bev's favorite car ever) We went in to replace the Lecacy and took out a demo that was for sale. There was also a '95 525 for sale with 70K miles on it. We drove that, and for the same amount of money ended up with an amazing vehicle which changed our lives.
Yours is awesome, but I think I want a R75/5 SWB or a R90/6. I like the look of those bikes without the fairings. Just straight across the top. It is such a classic look that you don't see anymore. I do remember the EXP, if I recall there was more than one in the parking lot when I was in high school. Also in high school a friend of mine had a 76 Monte Carlo. And yes it was such a boat, and really quite slow. I grew up in a house full of under powered German diesels and thought me friend's car with a V8 of all things would be fast. I was surprised how wrong I was the first time I drove it.
Back then, it was the other way around. The '77 RS was the first fully faired production bike, so it was the unusual one. Not even Goldwings had fairings yet. The design is an acknowledged classic. I like my second-year RS for a bunch of reasons from the practical (It's warm and dry behind that fairing; underneath, it is just another R100/7.) to the purely esthetic (The Motorsport is rare as hell - only 350 made worldwide. I really like the color scheme.).
You have a great bike there! I do like the color scheme as well, since it is typical of the period with the CSL. The motorsport colors look great on a white background. The rarity and resulting initial expense of the RS and early S bikes is also why I think I want a regular one. It is funny how times change in terms of what is common on cars and motorbikes. I don't think I have ever seen an old Goldwing without fairings.
It would surprise you how close they are in price today. Airheads of the period run from $2000-$5000 in good shape. More if you want perfect. In spite of their initial cost, the RS was very popular, so they are not too expensive to buy. There are used RS bodies around for about the price differential (~$500) to build your own, if you like. Then, of course, you could clone the Motorsport if you want to. It was simply an RS with a special color scheme. Unfortunately, the blue seat is Unobtanium, but you could dye one. I'd bet you have. Other than the engine, they just weren't very remarkable looking bikes.
First BMW experience was a 1981 733i with a manual transmission. I was a passenger since I was only 12 years old but it was so different from any other large sedan that I began bugging my dad to check BMWs out since he was in the market for a new large car. He had been a Mercedes man through the 60s and 70s but decided to check out the 7 series. Finally after comparing the 733i to the MB S class, he brought home a 1984 733i at the end of 1983. That was the first BMW I drove right after getting my license and I regretfully sold the car at the end of 2001. After the 733i nine other BMWs have joined the family: seven 3 series (4 E30s, 1 E36, 1 E46 and 1 E90), a 1990 E32 750iL (my dad still has it, loves it and will not part with it) and my E60 535i.
