E30 M3 as an investment car?

[reelizmpro]

You cannot just take away history and pedigree (well maybe if u swap engines) so that's pretty much moot. Most people will have those expenses anyway whether it be a newer car or e30 m3. Difference is the m3 will hold its value if not increase in value over time. I don't see how this car will ever get cheaper over the long term. There was a complete rolling chassis that sold for $8500 recently without the engine and the car was partially disassembled with issues.

They say its worth what people are willing to pay, well there seems to be plenty of demand. Mags can't stop writing about them. The car was recently rank #2 on "Cars" 50 best cars in the last 50 year's. Supply is slowly but surely going down as it can never go up (no thanks to Vlad). Problem is finding people with the cash to afford these current prices. I doubt anyone is financing such a car anymore. Seems to me they are getting more and more out of reach for a lot of people...young people in particular.

Ask anyone who has been around and they'd tell u that if they knew the e30 m3 would blow up like this they would have bought as many as they could...and some people did! Look at how many owners have more than 1 m3...myself included. The m3 game is riskier now with higher initial investment, you may have already missed the boat but that doesn't matter to a true m3 fan anyway.

[Bimmerista]

Lol at consulting r3v for financial advise. OP I'd suggest looking elsewhere.

Yes, such as a Jewish CPA forum.

[mikeedler]

I look at my M3 as an investment. I've had it for about 11 years nowand it has more than doubled in value in that time. (I have probably stuck more than double into it too).

The car wil not make me rich, but it is a fun piece to own, and it will def. not loose value.

[M-technik-3]

I'd consider that my 2 are doing pretty decent investment as well. Granted on needs paint so bad it cries at me to paint it. But it has all original unlike the white one.

In general cars are not investments. Some yes, but gold and coins and land sure. Land is getting harder to come by. It's a finite supply of that too.

[archie]

Funny I said this here before...
I remember in 1988 telling my brother that how great it would be if we had the money to tow an M3 straight from the dealer to a public storage and park it. Put it up on jack stands, start it up occasionally then pull it out in about 25 to 30 years. Even then when the car came out I knew it was gonna be worth more later.

[nrubenstein]

Funny I said this here before...
I remember in 1988 telling my brother that how great it would be if we had the money to tow an M3 straight from the dealer to a public storage and park it. Put it up on jack stands, start it up occasionally then pull it out in about 25 to 30 years. Even then when the car came out I knew it was gonna be worth more later.

A $35,000 M3 in 1989 would have to appreciate to $65,500 in order for you to break even on INFLATION. Assuming zero maintenance and running cost.

Mind you, it was obviously a much better buy than the 325/318s that have depreciated from nearly the same price to a couple K.

[carfantiti]

If it was not for the economy and some people needing cash and letting some go cheap .I bet every owner on her would have them at starting off 20-30k decent one 40-50 and all redone and restored 50-60k .we set the prices as owners I always get pissed when I see any e30 m3 under 20k just don't get it.their muscle cars getting 60k and up thats were this car belongs!!!

[swingard]

Like any investment the key is to buy low and sell high, with the current growth of prices of average m3's in a very, very soft market and the amount of overhead involved I do not think our beloved e30 m3 is a good investment. IMHO a much smarter investment would be the MB 190 Cosworth... it is a relatively undiscovered gem, much like the e30 m3 a decade ago. A gem can be had for 10 or 12 k, good candidates for restoration or dd status can be had for around 5k. Like the m3 it would have the same overhead, it has the same limited production numbers. Unlike the e30 m3 yuppies, and hipsters have not discovered it yet to drive up the price. That is where the money will be made. Buy one now low, drive it, love it... and in 5 to 10 years when it becomes the next hot things sell it for twice your initial investment, just like the guys who bought m3 a decade ago.

[pogokat]

I think the m3 has excellent value as a collectible going forward. They are rare enough (consider how many gto's were built in the late sixties, and yet, there aren't enough to go around now...ditto mustang), they were priced out of most's range when new, and they have an allure that can't be replaced. All of those things point to serious collect-ability going forward. I think the e30 M3 is definitely a 50k car in ten years at the ritzy auctions

It really works like this: Take the car everyone wants but can't afford when they are 8-25. Add 30 years for those people to finally make enough money to afford them. Decrease stock of car through attrition. Boom---values rise.

so, it's 1988---choose your weapon. Really, other than the M3, what was a true, rare, sports car not made by instantly collectible brands like Ferrari and Lambo? Porsche 944T? Lotus Espirit? Foxbody stang? Corvette's? Buick GN Turbos? ( i know the GNX is already golden) Other than really rare Exotics, I think the M3 is where it's at.

so, unless you think the 80's won't even have collector's cars, then the M3 is where it's at. I mean, there's hundreds of us on here right now that want an e30 M3, but we still can't quite get one. Wait until we get more established in our careers, retire, finish law degrees, etc. That will drive the market

Also, I think, like Porsche and Corvette collector cars, the mileage will not matter like it does with Ferrari's. Some collector cars people expect to have sat in a garage, But most people expect to have been driven---the M3 is definitely a driver's car.

[djmossm42]

A $35,000 M3 in 1989 would have to appreciate to $65,500 in order for you to break even on INFLATION. Assuming zero maintenance and running cost.

Mind you, it was obviously a much better buy than the 325/318s that have depreciated from nearly the same price to a couple K.

I think someone said it before but it's supply and demand. The more rare something is or becomes the higher the demand for it and the more you can expect to pay or be paid. There are still a lot of M3's on the road and even more 318/325 and in great condition, which is a testament to BMWs standard of quality. It's also why there is such a healthy aftermarket and oem part supply for these vehicles 20+ years later. I'd say the M3 with the most most value potential right now is a true original late model EVO which had a slightly more powerful motor and was sold in limited quantities to begin with.

Still considering all of this I think we are at least another 20 years away from these cars potentially becoming significantly valuable. The ($$$) value is in the sale, not in the ownership. The best way to potentially make a profit is if you didn't own it for 20-50 years and buy it from someone that did and maintained it very well. You have to do it just before the peak of demand, won't need to do much to restore it, and able to go to auction all within a short timeframe. And even then there are no guarantees when it goes to auction, you can still lose $$$. Even if you do own it you would be lucky to break even just on inflation alone when a real investor comes to make an offer on your well kept vehicle 20+ years from now. Will these cars be more valuable? I say yes but how much is unknown. Your best chance if you do decide to buy one now is if you can find one that is at least in near mint original condition, rare amongst its own breed, afford to properly store it, and lock it away for at least 20 years.

Here's the current NADA retail values for 1991 US market BMWs.

Just watch Chasing Classic Cars

[markseven]

An E30 M3 with 50K on the clock is close to eclipsing in price a well equipped E92 M3 with 50K on the clock. Once the F30 comes out, the E92 will drop like an anchor.

Maybe the E30 M3 isn't a true investment, but I can't name a better car to spend money on.

[e30camb]

I bet some of these comments wish they have never been posted lol.......

[rcsoundn1]

Like the one you just made bumping a thread from2012 for no good reason

[reelizmpro]

Well no one saw the M3 appreciating as much as it did in 2014-2015. They really took off a lot faster than I thought they would.

[varg]

Investing in cars is usually a stupid move, in rare circumstances it pays off but on average you could probably get a better return just about anywhere else. Instead of "investing" and letting it collect dust in a garage you'll probably want to drive it like it should be driven, it should see track days and autocross, and you're killing the "value" by putting miles on it and driving it hard. Granted, if you want to have fun, an E30 M3 is pretty crappy on the bang-for-your-buck scale with prices where they are, since you can make a regular 325 or 318 blow the doors off of it for a fraction of the price.