Minneapolis Street Sighting: BMW E30 325ix

Certain cars just have cult followings, for mere reasons ranging from styling, power and performance related to cost, affordability, even factors ranging from how rare a certain color or option is can affect a car's cult following. America has cars such as Model Ts/As, GM F-Bodies, and Ford Mustangs, as well as Corvettes. Japan has their Mazda rotaries, Nissan 240SX/Silivia and Skyline, Toyota has the Celica and Supra, and MR2, and Honda has its CRX. Germany has, Audis, Porsche 911s, and last but not least BMW E30s.
Produced in droves, the E30 was available in almost any bodystyle one could wish for. Coupe? Check. Sedan? Yep. Convertible? Of course. Wagon? Rare, but yes. What is it that makes these cars so popular? A variety of things, really. Clean, simple styling, and a cheap secondhand price for starters. A wealth of aftermarket supports means the possibilities of modifying an tuning an E30 are endless.
You can make em rally cars (as learned from a Polish correspondent on a car website I visit), they make great track cars because of their relatively lightweight and big engine bay, they can tuck 18" wheels with ease, and of course, if you're into the whole "show car" thing, there's plenty of bodykit makers to suit your fancies.
This version, while obviously not the much-acclaimed M3 variant, is nice its own right. Packing a 168 horse 2.5L straight six, this thing is likely pretty quick. I bet it handles nicely, too, especially with stock tires instead of stretched tires, like what's often found here.
Unlike most non-enthusiast owned examples here, this 325 has nice, clean paint, with no serious rust or beater damage. It's not sitting in someone's yard unloved, nor is it rolling around the city clanging and wheezing to life. Unlike the majority of them here, this car doesn't sport the ugly smaller wheels. Instead, it rocks the cleaner BBS-designed wheels. Like the paint and body, the wheels are in nice shape for their age, though I'd clean the brake dust off if I could. The last aspect of this particular car to note is the trim; none of it appears broken, or even damaged. The chrome seems new, and even the oft-faded BMW roundel on the hood seems to be in great shape for its age.