Before Elon Musk drove Teslas, he owned a bunch of iconic classic cars…

The Tesla CEO is known for his eclectic taste in cars, from classics to modern supercars. His passion for exotic sports cars has grown over the years and he now likes more than just fast cars.

Instead, Mr. Musk often sets his sights on a few notable cars. This includes famous models like the multimillion-dollar Jaguar E-Type and McLaren F1. In fact, Mr. Musk even took inspiration from a classic car to create his Tesla.

If a car is important enough, Mr. Musk is willing to pay top dollar for it even if it is just a movie model, but he hasn’t always splashed out on cars from his early years.

In fact, Musk bought his first car in 1994 for just $1,400. The tech mogul bought an “old BMW” that he had to fix himself. It was a 1978 BMW 320i, also known as the E21, which marked the debut of the iconic 3-series.

The first BMW 3 Series was not only historic, it also set standards with its driver-focused, angular dashboard that later became standard in its successors (according to BMW).

However, there were many different E21s produced from 1975 to 1983; the base model ranged in horsepower from 316 and 318 to the more powerful 320. The base BMW E21 316 had a four-cylinder engine that produced 98 horsepower, which was more than enough for the time, considering it weighed just over 2,200 pounds (according to Autoweek). Musk’s 1978 E21, on the other hand, was a higher-spec 320i variant, considered the “halo edition” due to its many upgrades.

Notable upgrades include an independent suspension setup, an improved power output of 125 horsepower, and a top speed of 113 mph. The mix of sportiness and luxury, not to mention its historical significance, makes the E21 quite desirable even in the modern era.

For example, an older 1977 BMW 320i sold through Sotheby’s for nearly $30,000 in 2020. If true, it’s certainly a car Musk would like to own long term. But does Musk even have his first car?

Reliability is a major concern for a car that was purchased more than a decade after its production. The same can be said of Mr Musk’s old BMW, which finally showed its age within two years of ownership. In a YouTube video interview, Mr Musk told Forbes that his ’78 320i had a wheel fall off while being driven by an intern.

According to Grass Motorcyports, the 320i comes with Bosch’s K-Jetronic Continuous Fuel Injection system, which isn’t cheap to fix and tends to cause problems over time. Its suspension also tends to be a little unstable at speeds above 45 mph.

Additionally, the engine’s head gaskets were prone to warping, while its parking brake was notoriously unresponsive after long periods of use, according to Hemmings. The E21 was a fairly reliable car in its early days, but there’s a fine line between owning a reliable classic and a metal death trap. Unfortunately, Musk’s first BMW experience was a bit of a mixed bag. One thing’s for sure, the E21 won’t be joining the Tesla chief’s luxury car collection anytime soon./