E30 Touring Market

[DEV0 E30]

$31,250

Yep, I saw the ending.

LINK: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1994-bmw-316i-7/

I hadn't seen one of those spare tire well gas cans in a long time.

Links to pictures:

https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/A-216-74131-scaled.jpg?fit=2048%2C1365

https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/A-219-74156-scaled.jpg?fit=2048%2C1365

[benfidar]

$31,250

[DEV0 E30]

I agree, I think that one will go for quite a bit.

[benfidar]

Looks just like mine, though, it is encouraging me to paint next year.

[cory58]

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1994-bmw-316i-7/

I think this one will set the bar. Interior is pristine. Low miles. Would be worth adding air conditioning.

[benfidar]

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1994-bmw-316i-7/

[DieterQ]

Just to add another “anecdotal” data point. I just purchased a 1994 318i Touring Design in Daytona for $15,000.00. Interior great, exterior looks great from 10’ but has some rust that was sprayed over, so we will be cutting out and replacing metal in floors etc. The car is headed to Castro Motorsports next week for body and S54 swap etc.

[benfidar]

Recent events on BaT have been eyeopening:

[cory58]

I know modified cars appeal to a certain market, but this one went for crazy money. Still has so many needs.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/KZq...w-325i-touring

[cory58]

Did you happen to see all the thumb tacks holding up the back of the headliner in DD's video? Funny

Sold for $13,899. Needs headliner. Smallest E30 engine (1.6l). No AC.

[benfidar]

I bought mine because I was convinced that they (and all e30s) were going to become expensive. They are special cars and will be recognized for it soon. Too many of them have been and are currently being destroyed as drift missiles. The rest are rusting or wearing out fast. Of the 2+ million e30s, there were only 100k Tourings ever made and most rusted to pieces in salty, icy climates. How many Mauritius Blue, Laguna Green, and (especially in my mine!) Daytona Violet Tourings are left? There were only 600 of those in total. I am particularly attentive to violet ones and I can count just 20 that I have seen in person or online including my own. I bought one because it was cheap and was possibly the lowest miles one left on the planet, and because it was purple! Price hikes over the last two years have shown that I was right to either buy one or move on to something else. At $20k they will be cheap to some, but not to me. I don't really care where the price goes other than if they go to the stratosphere like my previous love the 912, I will sell because parts will become prohibitively expensive. Increasing values can really kill a hobby car. E30s are in a sweet spot: good ones are still available, parts are available and (fairly) cheap, and most of the world has not caught on...yet.

[cory58]

You shoulda. There's also a nice design edition on CnB right now. Has video review by Doug himself.

Did you happen to see all the thumb tacks holding up the back of the headliner in DD's video? Funny

[DEV0 E30]

That's all just way too logical haha. As with all cars, there are compromises for sure. I dunno, I'm in too deep at this point, no turning back now.

I do think the market is kind of getting flooded / saturated right now. If you are willing to travel or have one shipped, they are available within the US now - with a decent supply if you truly want one.

Although, it may still be a better deal to import one yourself - depending on condition and other factors.

I'm curious what the next 5 years and beyond looks like for all E30s, but especially tourings.

[roguetoaster]

It could just be market saturation. Let's be totally fair, an E30 touring is just a noisier cabin E30 sedan with a tiny bit of extra space in the back and much harder to find parts aft of the B pillar. They're cool, but maybe not quite as special as people hoped they would be. This of course comes from a guy who has a touring now, and has said goodbye to three others in the past.

If people want unicorns they'll need to find something like an E28 316i, or maybe just really uncommon colors. The latter part of that may explain the popularity of the design edition tourings, or maybe it's just that they are near end of E30 production cars.

In so many ways, a pleb spec US E30 that's been perfectly kept is more interesting than a touring.

[DEV0 E30]

It was hard for me to not bid on that 325i Touring that was here in CA

You shoulda. There's also a nice design edition on CnB right now. Has video review by Doug himself.