The Pick of the Day is a 1987 BMW 325i Convertible listed by a North Carolina dealership on ClassicCars.com.
I was watching a new film on Amazon Prime Video the other night called “Shoplifters of the World” and it immediately reminded me of the first time I drove a BMW 3 series. It did that because it is a film about a bunch of friends and what they do the day the band The Smiths break up. You might wonder why this reminded me of the BMW Ultimate Tanning Machine. This is why.
The Smiths were my all-time favorite band, one that seemed to speak to me more than any other in the world. When I heard the news on MTV that they had broken up, I was absolutely gutted. I moped around all day listening to their cassettes at a local record store, finally going home to my apartment at around dusk. That night, one of my very best friends came over to my college apartment in his brand-new 325i Convertible and threw me the keys. We drove around all night with the top down, feeling the wind go by in the early fall Arizona night and seeing the stars everywhere, listening to every single Smiths album on the cassette player at full volume. Driving that car that night, I never ever wanted to go home. I loved how even with the top down, you could easily hear the music and actually hold a conversation. Despite my depression at the moment, I still remember thinking just how great that 325i drove and felt on the road, cornering almost like a sports car with very little cowl shake and plenty of power. The seats felt comfortable and had high-quality materials. I loved the orange glow of the instruments. It was a perfect car for the time and delivered on what people had asked for: a sporty German GT. It was an automatic, but the BMW inline-six under the hood still had strong acceleration and plenty of power. We drove until the early morning, stopping for gas, sodas, and cigarettes a few times. That BMW transformed a bad night into an unforgettably good one.
The Pick of the Day could be the exact car I drove that night, a 1987 BMW 325i Convertible finished in black with a tan leather interior and equipped with an automatic transmission.
The dealer offering the car describes it as a “stunning vehicle” that “boasts a sleek black exterior that totally complements its sophisticated tan leather interior, creating a striking visual appeal that is sure to turn heads wherever you go.” Under the hood is a 2.5-liter I6.
This 325i is equipped with a range of features that includes air conditioning and an easy-to-raise manual convertible top. This BMW still rides on its original aluminum wheels and has an AM/FM/CD radio to make it easy to hold a mobile Smiths marathon. It also features cruise control, anti-lock brakes, and power steering.
The photos show what looks like an excellent example of a 325i. Even though it has covered 166K miles, it looks like one that has been really well cared for.
The 325i Convertible is possibly the most affordable and one of the neatest cars that BMW offered in the entire E30 lineup, offering a top-down luxury German GT car experience that literally no other German manufacturer provided at the time. At the asking price of only $14,500, this is one of the best deals on a 1980s car today, if you ask me. If you have been feeling nostalgic for the ’80s (as I have been recently) and you remember all the good that the era offered, this might be just the car for you. After all, how soon is now? If you are a Smiths fan, be sure to check out “Shoplifters of the World” as it is truly excellent. Oh, I almost forgot that legendary Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr is on tour right now. I will be seeing him next Thursday and I hope to relive a bit of that era – and yes, I will be driving to the show in a BMW convertible.
Click here to view the listing for this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com.
