Skyrocketing E30 prices. Is it worth it anymore?

[Th3importedguy]

My brother got his e30 some 3 years ago for $950. It was pretty ugly but mechanically sound

[NufnSus]

....meanwhile, in Australia;

$17K stock 325i Auto

$7K rusted 323i on bottle caps


I doubt these sellers will get close to their asking price, but the fact that the market as evolved to a point where such prices have become acceptable makes my head spin...

[jrobie79]

TOB was junk (still made the 100 mile trip home tho)...but i had changed my last m42's clutch so w/e, and it needed a new sound system - which i had redone on my previous e30. Also the interior was cloth, which I didnt like but I had a black vinyl interior from my previous one so i swapped that in. it was like a two weekends worth of work to figure out.

[RDM3]

got my 318is with zero rust...in the northeast of all places for $2K and i probably could have picked it up for 1700 but i was too anxious and an idiot during the intial meeting

How much work did it need?

[jrobie79]

got my 318is with zero rust...in the northeast of all places for $2K and i probably could have picked it up for 1700 but i was too anxious and an idiot during the intial meeting

[RDM3]

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/cto/4376997341.html

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/4367258973.html

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/cto/4375101602.html

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst...353348927.html

In my opinion, the last one is not worth $20k, actually I think it is a POS, again my opinion, I am a purist and it just looks a mess..

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/4353348927.html

After checking them again, they all are junk, to me that is, maybe someone else will see value in them.

[QUKBMER]

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/cto/4376997341.html

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/4367258973.html

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/cto/4375101602.html

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/4353348927.html

[RDM3]

So here is one I found in CA, no maintenance records, paint is peeling on hood. What do you think, $2,050

http://www.continentalcarsales.com/1989_BMW_3%20Series_225603902.veh#

[TobyB]

The e36 was a major mechanical upgrade in a lot of ways.
They handle great, and most have 'enough' power.

Too bad it looks like a Honduh. And weighs more.

As to pricing, the last couple of years have really surprised me...

t

[f4tj0n]

I bought my 1990 325iS right around a year ago for $1,200. The ODO stopped working at 239,xxx, but the motor has ran damn strong until now. Paint was a little faded, but a detail fixed that real fast.

[blue plates]

So cal is e30 rich. Be patient or be prepared to do some work. I picked up my 86 eta for $2300 with a respray and a strong running motor. I hate threads like this, if you cant find what you're looking for either you are unrealistic or should be looking for another car.

[Julien]

I might have to start charging storage fees...

and me labor fees ;)

[matthugie]

my motor doesn't match so *shrug*

i just hate seeing a partially painted car, looks way more ghetto than a non matching vin. i guess i'll just keep the old trunk in case I do a full respray one day

I might have to start charging storage fees...

[straight6pwr]

maybe you need to adjust your viewpoint a little. e30s are great cars, and when you bought one for 3k you got an absolutely smokin deal for what the car is. when you pay 7k for one, its still worth it for a car which is still better quality than new cars today. if you actually believe people when they tell you the paint on their 25 year old car is perfect or rust free, you have unrealistic expectations.

i recently bought an e34 because i needed the extra space and softer ride, but its a giant POS compared to the e30. stuff just falls apart because its made cheaply.

[Herr Faust Schinken]

Yes in Socal we are very fortunate to have a large e30 community but many of whom are young, broke college students who like to stance to "enhance" and do hack job mods. I'm holding out for something that is in the best possible condition and is within my price range... as I am sure other r3vers do. If you read my WTB ad I posted that I am looking specifically for an auto.

Also pertaining to that last link- the bronzit. I reached out to the seller when it was first posted 2 weeks ago for more pictures but he was a less than agreeable fellow and told me to bugger off because there were sufficient pictures in the ad (you can see why it hasn't sold). Not going to waste my time driving 2hrs+ to look at something that is potentially a rolling pile of junk.

Yeah I understand, I waited months before I found a pretty nice car, try driving around your city, I've seen guys pick up some nice cars by just finding cars asking the owners to sell


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