1992 BMW Dinan 3
1992 BMW 325i- Dinan 3
It has come time to thin my fleet a little bit and I have decided that the Dinan needs to find a home with someone who will drive her more than I have. I the past 3 years I have put less than 2,000 miles on her. This car is quite special and has an amazing story, so bear with me and I will tell all…
This is a 1 owner car that was ordered new at Roseville BMW in Roseville California. The car was delivered on 8-15-1991 making it one of the earliest E36 cars. This is borne out by the VIN number ending in 00451 making it the 451st E36 ever built. The original owner being a ‘BMW nut and BMWCCA member decided that the car needed some improvement from day 1. Being in the BMW Mecca of Northern California he took the car to none other than Steve Dinan himself. The car was built with a cost no object mentality and has the best of the best. The original owner was EXTREMELY obsessive and kept documentation of absolutely everything so I can detail the upgrades in detail:
Dinan Upgrades totaling- All parts were installed at the Dinan facility in Mountain View, CA:
-Dinan Engine Software-$199
-Dinan Performance Airbox-$499
-Dinan Throttle Body-$299
-Dinan Full Stainless Exhaust-$1299
-Dinan Stage 3 Suspension- Koni Shocks, Dinan lowering springs, Adjustable 25mm front sway bar, Adjustable 21mm rear bar, front adjustable camber plates-$2155
-Dinan Strut Tower Bar-$499
-Dinan Lightweight Clutch and Flywheel-$2599
-Dinan Floormats (never used)-$249
-Dinan Valve Stem Covers
-Dinan 3 Badge (you need 10 points to be an authentic Dinan 3, this car has 21 points!)
All told more than $10,000 including labor for these upgrades!
Other Upgrades totaling $4000:
-OEM 2011 BMW 135i M-Tech wheels 18x7.5 and 18x8.5 with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A with less than 500 miles on them, FLAWLESS- $3000
-ECS Tuning Wheel Spacers- 20mm front and 8mm rear, to give the wheels a perfect flush fitment- $200
-OEM BMW ZHP Shift Knob- $100
-OEM E36 M3 Steering wheel and airbag- $250
-Schroth 4 point harness with Auto-Control- $250
-2011 Pioneer CD Headunit with Bluetooth, IPOD and USB- $200
Service:
This car has been over maintained since new, I couldn’t possible detail everything that has ever been done but I have every service record starting at 1,577 miles and ending as recently as today 1/4/2012! There are over 100 pages of just service records alone! 95% of all the servicing has taken place at either Dinan or the BMW dealer in Roseville, CA. Suffice it to say this car has been serviced to a standard higher than 99.9% of BMW’s out there! Here are some but not all the items in the last 30k, if you want to know something specific, just ask as I have it all!
-140,402- Oil Change
-140,303- New Alternator
-138,249- Oil Change
-137,311- Oil Change
-137,261- Replace blower motor resistor
-137,209- Convert AC to R134A
-135,901- Oil Change, new battery
-131,476- New lower control arm bushings, new drive belts
-129,018- Oil Change, new fuel filter, flush brake fluid
-128,217- New Catalytic Converter, new spark plugs, new left fog light
-125,389- Oil and Filter
-124,656- Flush power steering fluid, new window closing module
-121,661- New transmission fluid, new valve cover gasket, new fuel and air filters
-120,212- Oil and Filter, all new cooling system hoses (8)
-112,116-New Dinan Lightweight clutch and flywheel
Body and Paint-
The car is finished in BMW’s “Cashmere Beige” Metallic and it is 100% original. The car has never been damaged in any way, nor has it had repair of any kind. The Carfax and Autocheck reports are of course perfect. When the car was new the lower rocker panels and the lower half of the front and rear bumpers were painted in matching Cashmere beige by the BMW dealer. Originally these panels were black on the 1992-1995 325 cars. The body color panels are much more attractive than the standard black. The condition of the car now is absolutely stunning; the car has never seen bad weather and has lived 100% of its life in a garage. It even has a fitted OEM BMW car cover than has always been used. Apart from a few rock chips on the nose it is nearly indistinguishable from new. The body is perfect and there are no dings, dents, etc.
Interior-
The interior is finished in Parchment Leather and is 100% all original. As many enthusiasts of E36’s will tell you the interior is the weak part of the E36. The materials simply don’t hold up well. With this car the considerable care that it was given paid huge dividends. The dash, switchgear, gauges etc are all as new. The door panels which commonly delaminate on these cars are perfect with exception of two very small bubbles on the rear doors. The biggest flaw in the entire car is the front seats. The driver’s seat has one lower seam that is starting to separate and the passenger seat lower cushion is not as colorfast as it once was. The carpets are flawless and the car comes with two sets of floor mats: one set of OEM BMW mats and one set of Dinan mats that have never been used.
Electrical:
Absolutely everything on this car works as designed. All the windows, locks, sunroof, lights, dash lights, cruise control, air conditioning, etc. There are no warning lights or other issues of any kind. An aftermarket alarm with keyless entry has been installed that works perfectly.
Accessories:
The car has absolutely everything it came with including all the tools, jack, spare, books, manuals, all 3 keys, etc. I also have a few nice accessories such as an OEM BMW sunscreen, OEM BMW car cover, etc. I have complete documentation from new including window sticker, original purchase invoice, over a hundred pages of service records, every manual and receipt for upgrades, etc. All of this information is organized in legal folders neatly organized in a stack over 6 inches thick! You won’t even believe it when you see it.
Performance:
This car has to be driven to be believed. It makes amazing power yet retains stock drivability. The handling is absolute superb, nearly neutral with great communication. So many modified cars seem hacked together; this car was built by the best with cost no object. It is apparent why BMW made Dinan their “official” tuner many years ago.
Overall:
You would be very hard pressed to find a nicer E36 sedan of this vintage. It’s one and only owner cherished this car from new and spent thousands of dollars upgrading and maintaining the car over the years. You could not duplicate this car for twice what I am asking for it. It truly is an amazing car that needs an amazing next owner!
