Mistake? 325i What's it worth? Lots of Work Done

[johno]

I've just spent a bunch of money fixing up a 1990 325i, and now I'm hoping I didn't blow it putting too much money into this car. Will you please let me know what it would bring if I'm patient waiting for the right buyer?

I don't have the car back yet; so these are old photos, but they will give you an idea what I'm writing about.

The interior has been upgraded with sport seats, reupholstered in factory-correct vinyl.

Paint is shiny with the clear coat all intact, and this finish is within one polish job of being excellent, other than a couple of door dings.

The odometer stopped at 158,000, but during the valve job the engine looked excellent, and it starts right up after sitting for two weeks. Nice and smooth.

Other work:

• 5 speed conversion
• Posi differential
• New timing belt
• Front ball joints/Axel seal/tie rods/control arm bushings
• Oil leak fixed
• Cold air
• Everything works - windows, sunroof, cruise, lights, etc.
• Cone intake replaced with stock
• No rust -- Rusted battery tray fixed good as new. Fender rust cut out and repaired. No other rust.
• Black BMW spoiler added
• Frayed steering wheel replaced with a clean one

The car is very clean;

Photos:






The interior has sport seats now with correct-color vinyl upholstery. Plus, it's a 5 speed with a closed differential.




The only rust on the car was this rear fender and the battery tray. Both have been repaired good as new.




The trunk looks new.



I replaced the cone intake with the correct factory intake.





So...Any ideas what this would bring if I sold it?

[rcsoundn1]

Thats a tough one to answer. It does look clean, but I would prob be in the 3K range, if i was going to buy it. Prices seem to be all over the place on these cars now. Location will also play a factor. Have you looked in your area to see what similar cars sell for?

[johno]

Thanks for your help.

You're right about prices being all over the board. There are no others in St. Louis that are quite like this. I found a nice-looking 4-door for $4900. Not with the sport seats. (Is new covered sport seats much of a plus?)

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ctd/4073133104.html

Any other thoughts from the virtual group?

[rcsoundn1]

Recovered seats are a plus, but to the general public looking for a used car, sport seats are irrelevant. People who know E30s would prob prefer the sport seats.

[squidmaster]

I'd say 3 to 4k. You did a nice job cleaning it up. The seat covers are too swaggerific for me lol

[johno]

Thanks Squidmaster. I hated the fuzzy seat covers but they were far better than the seats that were in the car.

The comfort seats that were present when I bought the car were extremely torn.

Are e30s common in Florida, making the price lower there?

[RondoAcapriccio]

North Florida / GA has the best e30 prices aside from Cali in my experience... here in South Florida you don't find anything and that would probably be a 4-5k car.

[ParsedOut]

You'll find people asking $5-6k for that condition all day long. They probably realistically can expect $3-4k unless they find a sucker or someone who really really wants it.

[illest318i]

I'd pay $3k- $4k. Looks really clean and I love the seat covers ;D

[BMWManiac]

Based on the maintenance and condition, I would start at $5k and expect around $4400....

[johno]

Thanks everybody. I have a sad confession to make.

I wasn't quite telling the whole story.

What happened is just had all of the work done that I described above. I picked up the car and drove it 4 miles and a very old woman in a very big car turned into my lane and slammed into the car. I tried to evade her but she hit me at the 1030 position and ...

Totaled it. I dented the drivers door and I'm pretty sore now and my head hurts like hell.

I wanted to find out what it may be worth before I told the whole story so as not to bias your answers with my drama.

Given how insurance companies work, I am terrified I will be out money for a car I essentially drove about 4 miles.

The good news is the old woman is OK. She shouldn't be driving. She essentially turned right into me like I wasn't even there.

I was just starting to get the feel of the 5 speed.

[BMWManiac]

If it makes you feel any better, when I registered a 1990 325i last year, they had the value at around $4700....so if the DMV went by that, maybe the insurance company uses the same thing?

[OOMPH!]

You can get $5,000 for it.

[johno]

Thanks everybody. Wide open to other input/numbers/advice re insurance company roadblocks.

[ParsedOut]

Sucks man. Good luck dealing with the insurance company, generally when you get an old car and dump a bunch of money into it you can't expect to get that out of it if it's totaled. I got pretty well screwed a few years ago when I put a bunch of money and time into refreshing a worn E39, drove it for about 2 weeks before a drunk rear ended me and totaled it.

Not saying you were at fault here, but you'll learn that being an extremely defensive driver will save your ass in many situations. Much like motorcycle riders do, always assume that people are out to kill you. Don't hang out in blind spots. Don't pass someone who's in an exit only lane. When you're 1st at a light, don't just blast off when it turns green, take a look both ways. I've avoided some very bad accidents in my life by just being more aware than everyone else.