Hi Sea! and welcome to the wonderful world of our little cars. None of us here really buys or keeps these cars as a financial investment because their resale or insurance worth is very minimal. What you will find is that we all just LOVE these little cars. They are fun to drive and it doesn't take "rocket science" to keep em in top shape. It sounds to me like you got a fair deal based on the condition and maintenance that has been performed on it. Is it going to be maintenance free? Certainly not, and neither would a newer car. Are you going to need parts sometime in the future. Of course you are! Just as with any car. The beauty is that most people don't realize that even though the parts may be slightly higher than the American rivals you are certainly going to pay less for parts for your little "83 320i than you would if you went and bought a car that was say only 10 years old or less. So you see there are little trade-offs here and there that in the long run make your little car worthwhile. I'm in Minneapolis but I'm from Seattle....Lived there 23 years. I too am 50 years old. You have the water but thank the Lord you don't have the ice and snow that you did in Wisconsin. I run Blizzak tires on mine in winter and swear by em 100%. What I would do if I were you is check out this forum as several others and ask what people who live in wetter regions use for their little bimmers. One other site I would check first is http://www.bmw320i.com there are many folks in there who I know live in the PNW and would be happy to help. Which brings me to another point. You are going to find tons of people all over these BMW-specific forums who are willing to help with whatever you need to find parts, services or just more information. With that who knows how many more friends you'll gain who are here a lot of the time when you need something. The car will "grow" on you I think and before long you won't even think of getting rid of it. I have at '77 320i now but my first was an '83. My wife was hit in the right front corner by some idiot who was in a hurry to wait for traffic. Was the front-end totalled? Yep! Was the other Japanese-made car demolished? Yep! But with the design of these little babies our little car (may she rest in peace) absorbed so much of the shock of impact that my wife who was driving suffered no more than shaky nerves and a slight bump when she hit the drivers window upon impact of him hitting her. With all this said, welcome to the club of people who appreciate these little cars for what they are. A blast to drive and fun to own.
Keep her current on her maintenance and you should easily see another couple of hundred thousand miles left in her/or him. Take care. Stay connected to the forums and happy driving!

Here's some other sites for ya:
http://www.bmw320i.com
http://e21.tricord.cjb.net
http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/e21
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum
http://www.e21bmw.net
BMW_E21_Digest@yahoogroups.com

I'm sure there are more but this will get you started with some great people!!!

• Trying to learn - sea 2005-01-19 03:51:40 (1168 views)
  • Re: Trying to learn - 2nd try for photo url (url) - sea 2005-01-19 03:57:27 (1362 views)
    • Nice example of a 320i! - davidc 2005-01-19 12:48:52 (1499 views)
      • Re: Nice example of a 320i! - sea 2005-01-19 15:56:09 (1272 views)
        • The shimmy could be alignment and tire balancing, but it (url) - davidc 2005-01-19 23:52:34 (1468 views)
          • Re: The shimmy could be alignment and tire balancing, but it - sea 2005-01-20 00:24:50 (1401 views)
            • This may help you find a good independent BMW mechanic (url) - davidc 2005-01-21 13:46:06 (2345 views)
              • Re: This may help you find a good independent BMW mechanic - sea 2005-01-21 14:19:24 (1305 views)
            • The car probably isn't worth a lot to anyone else, so I'd suggest (url) - davidc 2005-01-21 13:36:11 (1302 views)
              • Re: The car probably isn't worth a lot to anyone else, so I'd suggest - sea 2005-01-21 14:14:25 (1230 views)
                • That wasn't a bad deal, though higher than what Edmunds.com shows. (url) - davidc 2005-01-21 14:51:16 (1305 views)
                  • Re: That wasn't a bad deal, though higher than what Edmunds.com shows. - sea 2005-01-21 14:58:38 (1207 views)
                    • Re: That wasn't a bad deal, though higher than what Edmunds.com shows. - marinersfan 2005-01-22 15:43:02 (1222 views)
                      • Re: That wasn't a bad deal, though higher than what Edmunds.com shows. - sea 2005-01-24 19:03:48 (1194 views)