Two problems: it's not brown and it's not a Diesel...
A Rare Daytona Violet 1993 BMW 3-Series Touring E30 Design Edition Is For Sale Right Here In The USA
For many BMW enthusiasts, the E30 3-Series is among the most likeable cars in the brand's history, and this one being a wagon makes it even more so, especially in the USA were it was never officially sold.
This particular car, found on Facebook Marketplace, is a 1993 3-Series Touring (wagon) model that made its way to California all the way from the Netherlands. While its unclear exactly which version of the E30 Touring this is, The 4-cylinder M40 engine shown in the photos means it's either a 316i or a 318i. The 316i made 101hp (102 PS / 75 kW) and 105 lb-ft (143 Nm) of torque, while the 318i made 111 hp (113 PS / 83 kW) and 119 lb-ft (162 Nm) of torque.
(https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1993-BMW-E30-Touring-1.jpg)
While it doesn't have the more desirable silky straight-six engines of the 320i and 325i, it does come with a five-speed manual gearbox driving the rear wheels.
In addition, the car's paint color, Daytona Violet Metallic, gives away the fact that it is a Design Edition, as the color was not offered on the standard variants of the E30. Being a Design Edition, not only is finished in that lovely purple hue that is more commonly associated with the E36 M3, but it is also 1 of only around 200 ever made.
The seller is asking $25,000 for it, which is quite steep, considering it has about 180,000 miles (290,000 km) on the odometer, although he does claim that the car has been well maintained, and that all parts in need of replacement have already been replaced.
That being said, no matter which way you slice it, this is certainly a rare, unique car. It is an E30, and a wagon, AND a limited edition in a unique color, making for some compounding levels of desirability. Given all that, then, it might be worth taking a look at as a possible powertrain swap candidate.
(https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1993-BMW-E30-Touring-3.jpg)
Link: https://www.carscoops.com/2020/12/a-rare-daytona-violet-1993-bmw-3-series-touring-e30-design-edition-is-for-sale-right-here-in-the-usa/
Meh. Purple is just gay brown.
"it might be worth taking a look at as a possible powertrain swap candidate".
For $25,000???
Yeah, no.
111 hp? Good grief.
Rarity never automatically means valuable. It's a nice $5000-7000 piece. If it had the straight-6 and half the mileage, I'd go $15,000.
Quote from: FoMoJo on December 26, 2020, 07:18:52 AM
111 hp? Good grief.
It's not that bad. 316i and 318i models were quite popular and you have to remember that most were sold with manual transmissions AND that these cars weigh nothing. My ex-2007 BMW 118i had a 6-speed A/T and 143-horsepower and weighed more than this 3er, yet was still pretty peppy. It was not a rocket by any means, but acceleration was fluid and I never had issues overtaking slower convoys of trucks on state/country roads.
Well, having seen the color, I can tell why they didn't sell many.