whats a very rough E30 M3 worth?
Discussion
on my travels today i spotted a very grotty looking e30 sitting on a drive looking like it hadnt moved in years. on closer inspection it turns out to be a genuine M3.
There was no one home when i knocked on the door.
now i would love to save this car if the guy is willing to sell but whats it worth?
i no that question is dependent on condition but lets say it must have been there 10 years.
There was no one home when i knocked on the door.
now i would love to save this car if the guy is willing to sell but whats it worth?
i no that question is dependent on condition but lets say it must have been there 10 years.
Classic & Sportscar did a buyer's guide in October 2009 which suggested that even a resto project would be worth about £4000.
You can see the full piece on the website - you have to register to view it as a PDF, but it's free and takes seconds.
http://www.classicandsportscar.com/sites/classican...
You can see the full piece on the website - you have to register to view it as a PDF, but it's free and takes seconds.
http://www.classicandsportscar.com/sites/classican...
E30M3SE said:
Got to love some of the mis-information in these so called 'buying guides'.
Hear! Hear! If you're serious, take someone with you who knows their stuff. There is so much to cover and lookout for.
And under no circumstances do it to make money, cause it won't happen.
If it's anywhere near Sheffield, I will happily pop round with you.
i dont have any pics or much info at the min i was workin at a house across the road and spotted it from the top of my ladder.
i nipped over and had a quick look and tried the door (of the house) but no one was home. i didnt want to start poking around in some ones garden so i took the reg to check if it was a real one.
ill call past tomorrow and try again and see if i can get a better idea of condition.
all i can tell you at this point is that its a G plate silver / gold and not moved in years.
i nipped over and had a quick look and tried the door (of the house) but no one was home. i didnt want to start poking around in some ones garden so i took the reg to check if it was a real one.
ill call past tomorrow and try again and see if i can get a better idea of condition.
all i can tell you at this point is that its a G plate silver / gold and not moved in years.
hesnotthemessiah said:
In his defence....if I knew as much about E30 M3s as he does. I would be a tad smug too.
If I did I might try to be helpful by explaining exactly what the "mis-information" was rather than just pooh-poohing it outright. (I do know that misinformation is a single word, but that won't help the OP either)Pothole said:
hesnotthemessiah said:
In his defence....if I knew as much about E30 M3s as he does. I would be a tad smug too.
If I did I might try to be helpful by explaining exactly what the "mis-information" was rather than just pooh-poohing it outright. (I do know that misinformation is a single word, but that won't help the OP either)I'm sure in the fullness of time he will explain his pooh poohing.
Coming across as smug was not my intention, being a little pushed for time I posted what I posted.
I haven't read the whole 'guide' in detail skimmed through the 1st page and didn't bother with the rest, sorry, am I sounding smug again?
The misinformation (thanks for correcting me on the spelling error, like I said posted in a hurry, didn't think the spelling nazis were in town today, how wrong was I?).
Doors the same as standard E30, afraid not.
320iS having the same 'quick rack' as the M3 also incorrect. It also doesn't have the same front suspension struts, hubs, disks, calipers, rear hubs, it's actually easier to describe a 320iS as a E30 325i motorsport with a shorter stroke M3 (s14) engine and dogleg gearbox.
'red Recaros in Sport Evo's', once again, afraid not, either black nappa leather or motorsport cloth centres with grey bolster, the leather was a NCO. Red seatbelts they did have but not red seats.
'Misfiring when hot may just be air leaks', really?
'Weak gearboxes..... noise that goes when you depress the clutch' ime thats been down to worn clutch release bearing not the gearbox bearings.
'Springs breaking', not really an issue although on a 20+ year old car on original springs I wouldn't consider it a major issue, premature breaking seems to be reserved for the modern BMW products ime.
'Clattery tickover', they're all a little clattery , if an S14 is totally quite then the valve clearances are probably too tight which isn't right. You want to make sure it's not chain rattle at tickover due to either a weak chain tensioner or stretched/ worn timing chian/components.
That'll do for now, if I find some time I'll read the rest and post up my thoughts.
@Pothole your real name isn't Malcolm McKay is it?
OP, get some more info on the car and post it up, if you can get the VIN post or pm me so see what the car exactly is ( G'reg silver if Euro model should be 215bhp car) assuming the owners wants to sell it of course.
ETA, I've just read page 2 and the biggest s14 myth has been propergated, the 100k timing chain change......................
Interesting the 'One to buy' was a ML car, who was it that started that myth......
Although I'll give the 'author' a small amount of credit on this point as the E46 tensioner mod has also been mentioned.
I haven't read the whole 'guide' in detail skimmed through the 1st page and didn't bother with the rest, sorry, am I sounding smug again?
The misinformation (thanks for correcting me on the spelling error, like I said posted in a hurry, didn't think the spelling nazis were in town today, how wrong was I?).
Doors the same as standard E30, afraid not.
320iS having the same 'quick rack' as the M3 also incorrect. It also doesn't have the same front suspension struts, hubs, disks, calipers, rear hubs, it's actually easier to describe a 320iS as a E30 325i motorsport with a shorter stroke M3 (s14) engine and dogleg gearbox.
'red Recaros in Sport Evo's', once again, afraid not, either black nappa leather or motorsport cloth centres with grey bolster, the leather was a NCO. Red seatbelts they did have but not red seats.
'Misfiring when hot may just be air leaks', really?
'Weak gearboxes..... noise that goes when you depress the clutch' ime thats been down to worn clutch release bearing not the gearbox bearings.
'Springs breaking', not really an issue although on a 20+ year old car on original springs I wouldn't consider it a major issue, premature breaking seems to be reserved for the modern BMW products ime.
'Clattery tickover', they're all a little clattery , if an S14 is totally quite then the valve clearances are probably too tight which isn't right. You want to make sure it's not chain rattle at tickover due to either a weak chain tensioner or stretched/ worn timing chian/components.
That'll do for now, if I find some time I'll read the rest and post up my thoughts.
@Pothole your real name isn't Malcolm McKay is it?
OP, get some more info on the car and post it up, if you can get the VIN post or pm me so see what the car exactly is ( G'reg silver if Euro model should be 215bhp car) assuming the owners wants to sell it of course.
ETA, I've just read page 2 and the biggest s14 myth has been propergated, the 100k timing chain change......................
Interesting the 'One to buy' was a ML car, who was it that started that myth......
Although I'll give the 'author' a small amount of credit on this point as the E46 tensioner mod has also been mentioned.
Edited by E30M3SE on Tuesday 9th October 21:23
OP - as others have said, it's unlikely you'll make a profit (unless you've stumbled upon a Sport Evo...).
In terms of value, people are prepared to pay crazy money for complete sheds. Even assuming the one you've found is as bad as we all fear it is, if it went to auction (ebay or real) the £4k figure above might not be far off. But who knows what the owner thinks it's worth? No harm in making a cheeky offer!
You really need someone who knows his onions to view it with you. I'm sure that between us we can recommend a specialist in your part of the country.
On the positive side, the BMW Classic parts service is incredible, and almost everything seems to be available (or at least, it is for my cars, but I've never owned an e30 M3...). So a complete restoration should be achievable, but it won't be cheap! It's scary how the cost builds up just replacing bits and pieces (window rubbers, boot seal, wheel centres, etc etc) let alone a few grand for metal work and a respray and a few more for engine / suspension / brakes.
But the good news is that values have risen to the point where spending that sort of cash wouldn't be stupid. You might not make a profit, but it just about makes economic sense as a hobby.
Sounds like an exciting project! Let us know how you get on.
In terms of value, people are prepared to pay crazy money for complete sheds. Even assuming the one you've found is as bad as we all fear it is, if it went to auction (ebay or real) the £4k figure above might not be far off. But who knows what the owner thinks it's worth? No harm in making a cheeky offer!
You really need someone who knows his onions to view it with you. I'm sure that between us we can recommend a specialist in your part of the country.
On the positive side, the BMW Classic parts service is incredible, and almost everything seems to be available (or at least, it is for my cars, but I've never owned an e30 M3...). So a complete restoration should be achievable, but it won't be cheap! It's scary how the cost builds up just replacing bits and pieces (window rubbers, boot seal, wheel centres, etc etc) let alone a few grand for metal work and a respray and a few more for engine / suspension / brakes.
But the good news is that values have risen to the point where spending that sort of cash wouldn't be stupid. You might not make a profit, but it just about makes economic sense as a hobby.
Sounds like an exciting project! Let us know how you get on.
Edited by Gruber on Wednesday 10th October 13:35
I agree with Gruber.
BMW parts service is really good for the E30s, with only the EVO stuff hard to get hold of. They even have their own online parts catalogue which will e mail the dealer the list of parts.
I have just restored an E30 M3. I replaced rather than refurbed a lot of stuff, and made some upgrades along the way. £25k!
BMW parts service is really good for the E30s, with only the EVO stuff hard to get hold of. They even have their own online parts catalogue which will e mail the dealer the list of parts.
I have just restored an E30 M3. I replaced rather than refurbed a lot of stuff, and made some upgrades along the way. £25k!
Gruber said:
OP - as others have said, it's unlikely you'll make a profit (unless you've stumbled upon a Sport Evo...).
Not going to pretend to know as much as other people in this thread about E30 M3's but Sport Evo's were black and red so the OP's probably not found a gold mine!Edited by Gruber on Wednesday 10th October 07:33
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