$450 E30 Saga Part One: The Prius-ing

"Flyboy is FAA certified insane" (flyboy396)
03/08/2016 at 12:26 • Filed to: E30, Shitboxes

Inspired by BMW’s 100th anniversary celebration, I thought I’d share one if my experiences with the brand.

Looking back on this purchase while I was an unemployed college student it was a terrible idea. I am still an unemployed college student, and man do I miss this car.

Found on Daytona Beach Craigslist for $500, I thought this ratty 1985 325e was my ticket to cheap car glory. And I was correct. These next series of posts will be chronicling how I bought and daily-drove this car for about a year, taking it on a crazy road trip in the meantime.

So, what does a Prius have to do with a BMW? It’s the car that helped me retrieve it from its ricer tomb. The previous owner was a nice guy with a nice goal: creating a simple drift car. The problem was, he had no idea what he was doing.

The first thing he did was move the battery to the trunk for “better drifting balance.” Next, he removed the ignition switch, instead putting in a series of switches and a starter button, and the car came with no keys. Luckily, BMW’s cool little on board computer from the 80's had a cool function: I could prevent the car from starting by putting in a 4-digit code.

I negotiated a time to pick up the car, and my roomate drove me to pick it up in his Toyota Prius. We arrived, exchanged everything, and that’s when I should have walked away. The car’s battery was dead. That’s fine, it started easily when I looked at it earlier in the week. After a successful jump start we were off... For about a block and a half. The car was sputtering like it was out of gas, and it certainly looked so. The P.O said he only about a half gallon of gas in the car before he sold it to me. Only about a quarter mile away was a gas station that we bought a Jerry can at and re-filled the car.

Yet again, the battery was dead. Great. After attempting to push-start the car by hand we had to use the Prius to push it to speed, And it worked. The BMW made it all the way back to my dorm under its own power about 15 mi away. Turns out it wasn’t out of gas, as the over-filled tank had been spewing down the side of the car.

Later, I figured out why. But that’s a story for next time.

DISCUSSION (10)

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Flyboy is FAA certified insane
03/08/2016 at 12:49

That is the E30's factory battery location.

Party-vi > Flyboy is FAA certified insane
03/08/2016 at 12:51

Damn you and your decidedly non-Netflix-esque fashion of releasing these episode-by-episode. I NEED MORE!!!

Flyboy is FAA certified insane > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
03/08/2016 at 13:20

This one had a battery tray in the front from the factory? It certainly didn’t seem like the original location.

Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief > Flyboy is FAA certified insane
03/08/2016 at 13:30

It generally looks, uh, nicer but I agree. That’s the spot. Oh and mind the polarity. I’d say more on that, but you’ve got a bit more to write and don’t wish to spoil any of your surprises as I expect some recognizable twists and turns on this trip.

Flyboy is FAA certified insane > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
03/08/2016 at 13:34

Thanks for the info. I really wonder what was missing from the engine bay then.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Flyboy is FAA certified insane
03/08/2016 at 13:38

That’s really weird A bit of searching on line I found some under the hood, behind the right side shock tower, and some in the trunk. My cousin’s is in the trunk, and his is also an 85 325E. It’s supposed to have a little cover tho.

Kinja'd!!!

Flyboy is FAA certified insane > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
03/08/2016 at 13:47

Any under hood shots of that car? Passenger side near the windshield was battery -shaped on mine.

Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief > Flyboy is FAA certified insane
03/08/2016 at 13:55

There is a chance that the car might have had the option of two batteries as part of a cold weather package perhaps? Just a guess. I do remember my 325e having a spot up front that looked battery-ish but the car was bone stock and just had the one in the trunk.

Tom Perso > Flyboy is FAA certified insane
03/08/2016 at 13:58

The battery tray under the hood is for convertible cars, since the top motor/etc occupies the right rear of the trunk. My 89 325is has the battery in the spot you show.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Flyboy is FAA certified insane
03/08/2016 at 14:18

No, but I do recall a big empty spot where a battery could fit, but it didn’t specifically look like a battery tray.