zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
At $27,900, Does this 1990 BMW 325iX Pass The Touring Test?
At $27,900, Does this 1990 BMW 325iX Pass The Touring Test?-February 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:13

Nice Price or No Dice 1990 BMW 325iX Touring

Not only is today’s E30 the not-officially-sold-here Touring, but it’s also the extremely rare AWD edition of that coveted model. Let’s see if that double bubble is worth risking some financial trouble.

In school, an “F” signifies failure, the lowest grade possible. I’m sure we’ve all had one or two of those malignant marks. It’s a different story in the world of trucks, however. There, the letter F reliably represents the trucks from Ford, and those have been solidly at the top of their class for decades. The we looked at yesterday was a prime reason why. Large and capable, with space and towing capacity to spare, that turbo diesel 4X4 had a lot going for it. One thing not in its favor was the $27,500 asking price set by the seller; you all schooled them over that with a 63 percent No Dice loss.

Image for article titled At $27,900, Does this 1990 BMW 325iX Pass The Touring Test?

These days, pickup trucks can be either workhorses or status symbols. Sometimes both. Before that, though, they were just about the job. If people needed to haul a lot of either people or their junk — and they called suburbia their hang — then they generally went with a station wagon.

Today’s is just such a wagon. Dubbed the Touring in its home market, this generation of 3 Series longroof criminally was never officially sold here in the States. The model’s all-balanced looks and the rabid appreciation of E30s, in general, means that a number of people have, over recent years, availed themselves of the Federal 25-Year Rule to import cars privately.

Image for article titled At $27,900, Does this 1990 BMW 325iX Pass The Touring Test?

Being a utilitarian wagon, most of the E30 Touring models available are lightly optioned family haulers. This one, however, has a lot of bells and whistles, along with a few aftermarket add-ons to give the whole thing a chef’s kiss touch.

The base for the car is BMW’s solid and smooth 2.5-liter M20B25 SOHC inline-six. Here, that offers 168 horsepower and 164 lb-ft of torque. behind that is a five-speed Getrag manual gearbox paired with a no-fuss, no-muss here-when-you-need-it AWD system. That’s all claimed in the ad to work “perfect.” Also touted as a plus is a spate of recent work on the engine (timing belt and water pump) and the brakes (pretty much everything).

Image for article titled At $27,900, Does this 1990 BMW 325iX Pass The Touring Test?

The looks match the mechanicals, too. The car is painted in Silver Metallic with black trim over a handsome set of Style 5 basketweave alloys and the appropriate X AWD rocker extensions. The car comes with a ton of accessories as well. Most notable of those is a BMW-branded coffin carrier for the roof. That can be switched to an also included bike rack when the mood hits.

In the cabin, there are cloth-cover sport seats, an M-Tech three-spoke sport tiller, and bright pedal covers. A period-correct cell phone and auxiliary nav screen on an alien-eye stalk add a bit of throwback appeal. It’s all a bit busy, and perhaps too much, but at least the bones beneath — and the typically-cracking dashboard — are laudably all sound and intact.

Image for article titled At $27,900, Does this 1990 BMW 325iX Pass The Touring Test?

In fact, there’s a whole lot to like about this 325iX. It has a mere 93,000 miles on the clock, and all its importation paperwork has already been handled, offering now a simple, clean New York title. The only possible Jeff Goldblum in the ointment might be the $27,900 price tag. That’s fully four hundred smackers above what yesterday’s F450 asked, and if we’re judging on a pound-per-dollar basis, then the Bimmer is already a loser. Fortunately, we don’t often consider apples to oranges in this contest unless we’re really hungry. As such, we’ll now have to assess that $27,900 price on this 325iX’s own merits.

Image for article titled At $27,900, Does this 1990 BMW 325iX Pass The Touring Test?

What do you all say? Is that a fair price for such a loaded estate? Or, even if it’s packed to the gills, is that too large a pack of cash to lay down?

You decide!

Hudson Valley, New York, , or go if the ad disappears.

Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
For $10,000, Show Some Canadian Civic Pride
For $10,000, Show Some Canadian Civic Pride
The seller of today's first-gen Civic says he's just testing the waters with his ad. At ten grand Canadian do you think he's already gone off the deep end? Up until the early ‘70s, Honda was better known in the US as a builder of motorcycles than of automobiles. In...
Feb 12, 2026
For $4,800, This 2002 Is A Bay-Em-Wankel
For $4,800, This 2002 Is A Bay-Em-Wankel
Unlike Mercedes Benz and NSU, BMW never dabbled in rotary engines. That oversight is rectified by today's 2002, but will its price have you saying a little dab'll do you? Its color may have been polarizing, and its potential for catastrophic mechanical failure may have caused many a sphincter to...
Feb 12, 2026
For $17,995, It’s The Cadillongroof
For $17,995, It’s The Cadillongroof
Wikipedia says the 2010 CTS Sport Wagon is the first non-hearse Caddy longroof sold in America. Elvis and today's 1972 Brougham would beg to differ, but does this yellow wagon's price also need some editing? It has been said that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. And...
Feb 12, 2026
2014 Subaru Forester: Around The Block
2014 Subaru Forester: Around The Block
The Subaru Forester has long been the vehicle of choice for outdoorsy people, competent, no-nonsense lesbians, and Vermonters (not to be confused with , a colossal tub of ice cream incapable of purchasing a car), and I don't think that's going to change with the new 2014 model. It's been...
Feb 12, 2026
2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet: The Jalopnik Review
2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet: The Jalopnik Review
Iconic is a tired word. In the past, it was reserved as a word of reverence for ground breakers and revolutionaries that radically transformed the future. You know, the icons. Today, nearly anything and everything, from toasters to the Toyota Tercel, is called iconic. But that isn't fair to the...
Feb 12, 2026
For $13,800, Rule Britannia
For $13,800, Rule Britannia
Lotus has fired their CEO and has cancelled the proposed 2014 Esprit. That needn't affect your own esprit de corps because for today's we have a Union Jack-wearing '88. Its price however may jack you up. As cute as yesterday's was there was nothing attractive about its ten grand price,...
Feb 12, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved