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BMW 325iX Touring 32 years in one hand

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BMW 325iX Touring E30 – Außenansicht – Bild 5
In the archiveBMW E30

There are E30s you buy because they’re rare. And there are E30s you buy because someone didn’t let go of them for 32 years. This BMW 325iX Touring is both.

On 7 December 1990 it was first registered in Brillantrot — as a day registration to BMW itself, as was common at the time for demonstrator and stock vehicles. Three years with a first private owner, then, in 1994, it came to the woman with whom it has remained to this day. Two people who have driven it. Three entries in the registration document, if you count BMW. For a Touring with over 35 years and 238,882 kilometres behind it, this is not just history, it’s a biography.

Die Seitenlinie des Touring: flache Motorhaube, lange Dachlinie, Hofmeister-Knick. Dass es ein iX ist, sieht man auf den zweiten Blick — er steht höher, und Radläufe und Schweller tragen die Aufsätze des Allradmodells.
The side profile of the Touring: flat bonnet, long roofline, Hofmeister kink. That it’s an iX becomes apparent only on second glance — it sits higher, and the wheel arches and sills carry the add-on pieces of the all-wheel-drive model.
Von schräg hinten sind die Radlaufaufsätze und die Schwelleraufsätze gut zu sehen — beides gab es nur beim iX.
From the rear three-quarter view, the wheel arch extensions and sill extensions are clearly visible — both were exclusive to the iX.

What makes the BMW 325iX Touring so rare

The 325iX was BMW’s first all-wheel-drive passenger car. From 1985 as a Sedan, from 1988 also as a Touring, built until 1991. The drivetrain came from the collaboration with Ferguson: permanent all-wheel drive, 37 percent of the power to the front, 63 to the rear, viscous couplings in the transfer case and the rear axle differential. As a result, the car feels like a rear-wheel-drive car that no longer slides away — and that was exactly the idea: not an off-roader, but a 3 Series for people who wanted to head to the mountains in winter.

The engine is the M20B25, the 2.5-litre inline six-cylinder with 170 PS, which made the late E30 what it is today: refined, eager to rev, unmistakable in tone. Here it’s paired with the four-speed automatic transmission. Purists will frown, but whoever drives the car understands: an all-wheel-drive Touring with automatic is a touring car, not a sports machine, and as such it has remained rare. The Touring made up only a small part of iX production, and the automatic version an even smaller fraction of that.

Frontal: Doppelscheinwerfer, schmale Niere, Chromstoßstange — die Form des E30, wie sie 1990 aussah, kurz vor dem Ende der Baureihe.
Front on: twin headlights, narrow kidney grille, chrome bumper — the shape of the E30 as it looked in 1990, shortly before the end of the model line.
Alle Türen auf. Was man hier sieht, ist der Zustand, den zwei Halter in 35 Jahren hinterlassen haben — keine Restaurierung, Pflege.
All doors open. What you see here is the condition two owners have left behind over 35 years — not a restoration, care.
Die Niere von nah. Chrom und Lack sind original, der Kühlergrill ohne die Ermüdungsspuren, die man bei E30 dieses Alters so oft sieht.
The kidney grille up close. Chrome and paint are original, the radiator grille without the fatigue marks so often seen on E30s of this age.

A folder going back to 1995

The most valuable thing about this car doesn’t fit in a photo. It’s an invoice folder that makes the maintenance history fully traceable back to 1995, along with a service booklet with numerous entries. Much of the work was carried out directly at BMW — the owner didn’t cut corners and didn’t improvise. Anyone who has ever tried to reconstruct the history of a 30-year-old E30 knows what that means: here you don’t have to take anyone’s word for it, you can read it for yourself.

The most recent entry is the most expensive one: in October 2025 the Touring received a major Inspection II at BMW for 6,476.60 euros. New timing belt, four new tyres, everything that goes with Inspection II. It passed its roadworthiness test without any faults and is valid until November 2027. So the next owner isn’t taking on a project, but a car that has just been freshly serviced.

Brillantrot 308

Brillantrot is the colour that has kept the E30 in people’s memory — no metallic, no pearl effect, a solid red that works with the sunlight. The paint shows strong gloss along with the wear marks that come with an authentically preserved car. One wing was painted at BMW in the past, and no colour difference is visible. And on the rear side panel there’s a dent that was deliberately not concealed. It’s stated in the listing, it’s stated here, and it can be seen in the photos. That’s how it should be.

Vorderrad und Kotflügel — mit dem Radlaufaufsatz, den nur der iX trägt.
Front wheel and wing — with the wheel arch extension that only the iX carries.
Hinterrad und Schweller: die Schwelleraufsätze des iX, breiter und tiefer gezogen als beim Hecktriebler.
Rear wheel and sill: the iX’s sill extensions, wider and drawn lower than on the rear-wheel-drive version.
Die Front von unten gesehen: Spoilerlippe, Nebelscheinwerfer, Chrom.
The front seen from below: spoiler lip, fog lights, chrome.
Heck: schmale Rückleuchten, die Klappe des Touring reicht bis zur Stoßstange.
Rear: narrow tail lights, the Touring’s tailgate reaches down to the bumper.
Heckklappe und Scheibe — der E30 Touring war 1987 BMWs erster Kombi, entstanden aus dem Feierabendprojekt eines Entwicklers.
Tailgate and window — the E30 Touring was BMW’s first estate in 1987, born from a developer’s after-hours project.
Hintere Seitenpartie.
Rear side section.
Dach und Antenne — der Touring bekam die Antenne auf dem Dach, nicht am Kotflügel.
Roof and antenna — the Touring got its antenna on the roof, not on the wing.
Türgriff und Schloss, Chrom ohne Anlauf.
Door handle and lock, chrome without tarnish.
Schwelleraufsatz und Türunterkante — die Stelle, an der man E30 zuerst prüft.
Sill extension and door lower edge — the spot where you check an E30 first.
Tankdeckel.
Fuel filler cap.
Schwelleraufsatz von unten.
Sill extension from below.
Bereifung neu, Oktober 2025.
New tyres, October 2025.

Light grey leather and a steering wheel worth seeking out

Inside: light grey leather, comfort seats, and a patina that looks exactly like what 238,000 kilometres driven with care look like. No cracks, no worn-through bolsters, the leather has stayed soft. What connoisseurs notice first is the steering wheel: the smaller M-Technic II sports steering wheel with a 370-millimetre diameter, which came as an accessory back then and is today one of the most sought-after parts for the E30. It belongs to this car, it wasn’t bought in later.

Das M-Technik-II-Lenkrad, 370 mm — kleiner als Serie, dicker im Kranz, mit dem Dreispeichen-Design der M-Technik-Zeit.
The M-Technic II steering wheel, 370 mm — smaller than standard, thicker in the rim, with the three-spoke design of the M-Technic era.
Die Komfortsitze in hellgrauem Leder. Weich, unversehrt, mit der Patina von drei Jahrzehnten Nutzung.
The comfort seats in light grey leather. Soft, unblemished, with the patina of three decades of use.
238.882 Kilometer auf dem Tacho. Der Zahnriemen ist seit Oktober 2025 neu.
238,882 kilometres on the odometer. The timing belt has been new since October 2025.
Blick durch die Fahrertür.
View through the driver’s door.
Armaturenbrett aus Fahrersicht.
Dashboard from the driver’s perspective.
Instrumententräger und Mittelkonsole.
Instrument cluster and centre console.
Der Wählhebel der Vierstufen-Automatik.
The selector lever of the four-speed automatic.
Vordersitze von der Beifahrerseite.
Front seats from the passenger side.
Fahrersitz und Türverkleidung.
Driver’s seat and door trim.
Mittelkonsole.
Centre console.
Türverkleidung in Leder.
Door trim in leather.
Fahrerplatz.
Driver’s seat position.
Sitzwange, Fahrersitz.
Seat bolster, driver’s seat.
Lederdetail.
Leather detail.
Beifahrersitz.
Passenger seat.
Rückbank.
Rear bench seat.
Hintere Tür geöffnet.
Rear door open.
Rückbank von der Seite.
Rear bench seat from the side.
Fond, Blick von hinten.
Rear compartment, view from behind.
Fond, Blick von der anderen Seite.
Rear compartment, view from the other side.
Lenkradkranz von nah.
Steering wheel rim up close.

Engine bay: after the dry ice

The engine bay was recently cleaned with dry ice. The process removes 35 years of factory wax, road film and oil mist, without water and without chemicals — and it reveals what lies beneath. On this car: original stickers, unblemished paintwork in the engine bay, no rust starting on the strut towers. Exactly how this was done and what came to light in the process is covered in a dedicated article: Dry ice in the engine bay — how a 325iX Touring gets rid of its factory wax.

Der M20B25 nach der Reinigung. Sechs Zylinder, 2.494 ccm, 170 PS — mit der Ansaugbrücke des späten E30.
The M20B25 after cleaning. Six cylinders, 2,494 ccm, 170 PS — with the intake manifold of the late E30.
Ansaugrohre und Einspritzleiste. Was hier sauber ist, war vorher unter drei Jahrzehnten Wachs.
Intake pipes and injector rail. What’s clean here was previously under three decades of wax.
Motorraum von der Beifahrerseite.
Engine bay from the passenger side.
Federbeindom rechts.
Right strut tower.
Ausgleichsbehälter und Bremskraftverstärker.
Expansion tank and brake booster.
Batterie und Sicherungskasten.
Battery and fuse box.
Dom links, Lack und Aufkleber original.
Left tower, paint and stickers original.
Riementrieb — Zahnriemen neu, Oktober 2025.
Belt drive — timing belt new, October 2025.
Spritzwand und Bremskreis.
Bulkhead and brake circuit.

The 325iX Touring from below

Whoever buys an E30 buys the underbody. That’s why this BMW 325iX Touring is up on the lift here. The photos show what the paint can’t tell you: sills, jacking points, side members, the all-wheel-drive train with transfer case and propshaft to the front, the exhaust system, the rear axle. None of it has been dressed up, all of it is there to see.

Auf der Bühne. Von vorn sieht man den Vorderachsantrieb, den nur der iX hat.
On the lift. From the front you can see the front axle drive that only the iX has.
Seitlich auf der Bühne — Bodenfreiheit und Radstellung des Allrad-Touring.
Side view on the lift — ground clearance and wheel positioning of the all-wheel-drive Touring.
Unterboden vorn.
Underbody, front.
Auspuffanlage, vorderer Abschnitt.
Exhaust system, front section.
Mittelschalldämpfer.
Rear silencer.
Auspuff und Hinterachse.
Exhaust and rear axle.
Vorderachse mit Antriebswellen.
Front axle with drive shafts.
Verteilergetriebe.
Transfer case.
Kardanwelle nach vorn — das Herzstück des iX.
Propshaft to the front — the heart of the iX.
Vorderachse, Detail.
Front axle, detail.
Hinterachse.
Rear axle.
Getriebe und Ölwanne.
Transmission and oil pan.
Verteilergetriebe, Detail.
Transfer case, detail.
Hinterachsdifferenzial.
Rear axle differential.
Schweller, Wagenheberaufnahme.
Sill, jacking point.
Schweller, Längsträger.
Sill, side member.
Unterboden hinten.
Underbody, rear.
Endschalldämpfer.
Rear silencer.
Radhaus hinten.
Rear wheel well.
Reifen — neu seit Oktober 2025.
Tyres — new since October 2025.

The BMW 325iX Touring on video

What you need to know

The car is unrestored and original, and that means both: it’s honest, and it’s not new. 238,882 kilometres show on the odometer. One wing has been repainted, and there’s the aforementioned dent at the rear. It’s an automatic, and it’s all-wheel drive — anyone looking for a manual is looking for a different car. But anyone looking for a BMW 325iX Touring whose history isn’t just claimed but comes with a folder to prove it won’t find many. This one is in Berlin.

Questions about the car? Via the vehicle page in the garage of danielM3 you can reach the owner directly.