M3 question

[monkeyodeath]

Let me ask you guys a question...

So you've got the chance to buy one of two E30 M3's.

One is blinged out - carbon fiber and dtm and evo and nice ACS rims and all of that. But the engine has 180k on the clock.

The other is basically stock. But it has 90k miles.

Both cars are in equal shape as far as body, compression, records, etc.

The one with 90k is $3500 more than the one with 170k.

Which one do you take?

[lambo]

Stock.

[87e30]

Depends how clean each of them are and what maintenance each one of them would need. I would be tempted to go for the one with higher mileage and more goodies, spend the difference on a rebuild, or save and then rebuild in the future when it seems necessary. I'm sure color has some impact on you as well.

[Brezzi]

Its hard to tell with no further info or history on the two cars (recent tune ups, new parts, etc.) but the one with 90k might be the way to go s14s are damn expensive to rebuild.

[Stephen]

Probably would go with Clayton on this. But maintenance history>miles IMO

[Roysneon]

Go with what your gut tells you. It seems like you're leaning toward the stock example.

Also, I would distance myself from any ca that can be described as "blinged out".

[JeremyE30autox]

It also depends on what your plans are for the car. is the going to be something you hold onto in pristine condition? or something you go out and have fun with on the track or weekends? who drives the car now? how many owners? cars that get passed around quite often seem to get more neglect. however that's not always true. do they come with maintenance records? etc............ so many questions to ask

[Vince30]

Personally I would go with the stock one. Its like a blank canvas that you can make into whatever you want.

[monkeyodeath]

Haha, I did a shitty job with details.

OK:

Both are same color.
Both have pretty extensive maint. records, stacks of reciepts. Recent services done and shops that know the cars.
Both are daily drivers at this point for their owners.

The "bling" on the one with more miles comes in the form of stuff like a CF spoiler, DTM mirrors, splitter, and stuff like that. Has really nice ACS type 1 rims.

That's not to say the one with fewer miles doesn't have a ton of upgrades in the suspension, airbox, and turner chip.

I want this car as a fun car - not something to take to shows, but something I take out on the weekends to dick around in the mountains. Plus the increasing value makes me want to snag one while I can still (kind of) afford it.

[monkeyodeath]

Reason I was leaning towards the stock one is cause

a) Not really big on bling rims and carbon fiber stuff

b) I'd rather have something I don't have to drop a ton of money into at this point. I feel like the extra $3500 is worth it if I don't have to rebuild the motor for 50k more miles.

[ssaylor]

Please, don't buy the stock example and turn it into the other one. If you're concerned about preserving the OEM nature if the car (and value), keep the original car mostly original. It' easy to trick out an E30 M3 into a boy racer example but don't use an original car. Fieats beater M3, there are plenty of those. There just aren't too many original cars left and this is where the real value lies.

[e30shmobberr]

whats the asking price?

[apm]

I have own both all stock E30 M3 Sterling Silber and blinged out M3 Sterling Silver. Stock all the way waffleswaffleswaffles! You'll love redlining stock S14, sounds amazing with not so loud exhaust.

Stock form the E30 M3 is very nice looking car already, and with 90k chances are the car will last few years with only minimal maintenance required.

But to each his own. But yeah like they said, if you buy the stock one, don't mod it to the ground. There are not many out there left!

[monkeyodeath]

I have no plans on turning anything into a boy racer, changing the engine or anything else. Clean paint and an intact interior is all I care about as far as appearance stuff.

The one with all the mods is tasteful - it's all BMW stuff, various evo parts and all. I'm not really up on all the add-ons, but I understand that stuff like DTM mirrors are desirable and purist-approved.

The one with more miles is $17k - $15.5k without the ACS type 1's.

The one with fewer miles will be in the ballpark of $19k.

My priority here is getting something I don't have to bust my ass to fix up. Too many project cars - I want something I can fire up on the weekends, have some fun in, and not have to constantly be working under.

[apm]

My current modded M3 has authentic Evo/Mtech/ACS upgrades as well, plus some Euro goodies.

But I still miss my all stock M3. No frills, just pure driving joy. Not saying I don't like the modded one, but it gets too much attention if you like to stay low profile.

Wow $19k huh...that's pretty good sum. Can you negotiate a little bit? I think it's a fair asking price, but maybe you can haggle a little bit.