Rick

Build Sheet: |146 Alpinweiß | 295 Natur leather | 324 Lt/aly Wheels |

401 Sliding/vent Roof, Electric | 410 Window Lifts, Electric at Front |           

481 Sport Seats Driver/front Passenger | 494 Seat Heating Driver/front Passenger | 530 Air Conditioning | 540 Cruise Control | 551 Onboard trip computer | 562 Auxiliary Headlights | 675 BMW Sound System

The 325iX was BMW's first production series to feature all-wheel drive and it was only sold in the US from 1988 to 1991. This car was assembled at Regensburg on 17 Sep 1987 and purchased new in August of 1988 from BMW of Bellevue (WA). ts original owner drove it approximately 328,000 miles during his 26+ years of daily driving. He sold thee car in 2015 with the understanding that the engine was suspect. Two years later, the non-running car was sold to its third owner who transported it to Vancouver, British Columbia and replaced the original engine with a donor M20B25 from a wrecked 325iX sedan.

The odometer registered over 331,000 miles in January 2020 when the car was sold to its fourth owner, a Tarheel Chapter member who picked up the car in Vancouver and drove it to Phoenix, AZ before having it transported to his home in Asheville, NC. The original aluminum bumper covers were replaced with later production European style covers and fresh OEM springs, shocks and struts were installed at each corner during his 12 months of ownership. In 2021 the car was sold twice on Bring a Trailer, first in February (337,493 miles) and then again in December (338,770 miles) when I aquired it.

The 1988 model year was unique in that all but 2 of the 1,449 325iX’s destined for the US market that year were 5-speed coupes which, like this one, came equipped with every available factory option. With a sticker price just $300 to $700 below the E30 M3, the 325iX was never a big seller. Over its six-year production run, only 29,000 were sold worldwide. Compare that to the 197,000 rear-wheel-drive 325i’s made during the same period. Fewer than 6,000 325iX’s were sold in the US. Unfortunately, limited production numbers and exposure to salted roads in the cold weather climates they often operated in have decimated the 325iX population. Many that have survived have been neglected, used as “snow bombers”, or converted to track/X cars, making clean examples increasingly rare.

This well-used but well-kept classic really has aged beautifully. It still wears its original paint and bears its few scars proudly. My goals are to conserve and enjoy driving this technologically significant BMW into the next chapter of its history in any weather.