Old member with some E30 questions.

[jeffnhiscars]

i was just going to let this one go and let the rest of r3v rip you to shreds for your comments but....


have you ever driven an m3 or a 190e? i have driven both. i agree there is no comparison, but the 190e is a marshmallow in stock from while the m3 is state of the art technology for its time. i assume when you talk 190e, you are trying to compare the 16v cosworth? it is a good engine but then again it is wrapped around a marshmallow.

your argument about niche markets shouldn't drive values is a testament to the fact that you apparently don't have any idea how the world works. why does a house in san francisco cost 2 million dollars when the same house in detroit only costs 30k? the simple answer is that the "niche" location drives up the price. there are plenty of people in the bay area willing to pay that kind of money for such a home. supply and demand. it is simple economics. just the same, people want to buy e30 m3s and pay 30k but do not want to buy 190e's. i.e.: people want to live in san francisco and not in detroit.

i have been in this game since 2008. even back then you couldn't buy an e30 for the price you are talking with the parameters listed. your expectations simply are not realistic. if you can find a better automobile mark for less money in your opinion, you should buy that car and not waste time dreaming about cars you aren't willing to afford.

wishing the cars are cheaper so they fit into your budget/mold ideal, is nothing but that. i wish i could buy a Ferrari f40 or a 250 GTO for 20-30k because that is what i am willing to spend on one. does that mean this is the value of this car? come on! if you could just take an adult objective point of view on this, i'm pretty sure you will see your argument doesn't make any sense. if you like, i can make an example with pokemon cards or playstation systems.

Like ^

It hard to believe we are still debating supply and demand. When a realtor asks me how much I want for my house I a say "who cares what I want ? I would like to sell it in a reasonable amount of time for a fair price, but the guy with the check book will make that decision". I might have a car that's worth $2k to me but if the markets says $4k then that's my price.

In a rising market the guy on the demand side is always complaining and the guy on the supply side smiles all the way to the bank. That's how it works and it's not going to change anytime soon.

[GOES211]

We were talking current pricing at the e30 Picnic this weekend. Fact is with driver 2002's going north of $12K lately the E30 is the new 2002.

Can't believe people are complaining about $4K E30's. Hell most of the $5K E30's you see on Seattle CL are dreck. And I mean steaming pile dreck.

I just paid $7.5K for mine and would have happily paid the seller's price of $8K.

A truly clean, truly unmolested, truly well-kept plastic bumper 325i or 325is is a $7K car all day long. And well worth too when you consider what it will cost you to shine someone else's $3K turd to the same level.

[BLACKCHARM88]

Go convertible LeBaron bro...

[Silverdogz]

For what you get out of an E30 they are extremely over priced. Most of them have oil leaks that have gone undiagnosed for a long time. Or the transmission is absolute shit because they never had a tranny flush or they just kept grinding away on a manual. Their previous owners have treated them like shit with the few exceptions of the enthusiasts. JDM at least has a huge customizable aftermarket which supports the price of their cars in comparison to the European market. Mind you, I fucking LOVE these cars. The market should not be appreciating the way it has.

There is simply no quantifiable reason for these cars to be going up other than that it's now considered a classic. It's a new classic with thousands of other cars that get you more bang for your buck. It's just a new enthusiast pricing. The Mercedes-Benz 190e is just as good a car side by side. Hell, I'd argue that the 2.3-16 is a better car than the M3 for 1/3 of the price. Yet these are going up in value for what reason? "Drift tax" is the only retarded answer there is. Niche markets should not reflect value. However there are people who are dumb enough to actually over pay for these cars.

Mind you I would be willing to pay 3-4 grand if the car is solid with no issues and decent mileage.

You're also right about the buy automatic.

Here's a little history for you, the 190e was designed to handle like a big luxe car, the cosworth was designed in secret and still was meant to handle like a big car. The M3 was designed from the beginning to win races... Hence the different body parts, and a defined f1 engine.

[Kevinl]

Every 190 2.3 16 i see is a bronzit color and the us spec only makes 150hp a e30 325i does better than that and is not ugly

[SmokeE30]

isn't anybody gonna answer the OP that his 10k budget is plenty to get into a nice e30 and if he shops around he can find a decent one for half that and have money left to play with. also as far as e36's you can pick up them under 10k all day (they are the stupid cheap BMWs at this point) even e36 m3's are under 10k now for decent examples and not just the beaters that are now under 5k. you could also be in an e46 within your 10k budget if you get anything other than a M3.

and yes there are many overpriced e30s out there, they are rising in value and rightfully so, but people see a clean 91 318is go for 9k and all of a sudden they want 5k for their beat ass 85 318i, there are e30s out there worth the money they are asking, but i would agree that now that e30s have become much more popular in the past 5 years or so there are a lot more people in the e30 scene that dont know shit about them or their value

[anabolice30]

You can't really buy any clean car for $3k, thanks to cash for clunkers. And it sounds like you prefer the 190e anyway, so what is the problem?

[greese]

We own e30s because we want to drive e30. Buying a 24 yr old car is usually not the choice for the average consumer. Last year I spent at least $3800, bought the car for $2800 five years ago. Over these years I' ve replace the front and rear end, subframe mounts, complete rewire, engine rebuild, etc. I bet I couldn't sell it for more than 4k. Of course it's not for sale.