---
title: "Here’s Why We Bought a $2,000 E30 BMW 325is"
description: "Can we take a clapped-out classic sports sedan from the 1980s and make it rally, race, and climb a mountain?"
date: "2017-03-17"
modified: "2017-03-29"
authors:
  - name: "Mike Spinelli"
    job_title: "VP of Content"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/mike-spinelli"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/video/8408/heres-why-we-bought-a-2000-e30-bmw-325is"
categories:
  - "Builds"
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "3 Series"
  - "325is"
  - "after/drive"
  - "BMW"
  - "Born a Car"
  - "Broken Motorsports"
---

# Here’s Why We Bought a $2,000 E30 BMW 325is

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/03/4453423237001_5362991798001_5362958454001-th.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

What if we took an old, cheap BMW, tweaked it a bit, and then made it do as many motorsports events, both on- and off-road, as we could without spending "real racecar" money? What if, indeed.

This week on AFTER/DRIVE, shot on location at [Broken Motorsports](<https://www.brokenmotorsports.com>), Ryan Symancek, host and producer of new miniseries on The/DRIVE, /BORN A CAR, talks about buying a $2,000 BMW. We also discuss plans to see if the rough-but-willing 1988 325is can be modified to compete in grassroots motorsports events.

/BORN A CAR premieres on TheDrive.com, Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

## Author
A sucker for Ford-era Jaguar XJs and glitchy, early-90s BMW V12s, Mike was the founding editor of car culture site Jalopnik, and a former editor-in-chief of 0-60. He's also a co-host of the TV show /DRIVE on NBC Sports, which can be seen from time to time on NBCSN, usually after midnight.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/mikespinelli>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/mikespin>)