Salvage s50 e30 investment

[schuldt]

Looking for a little financial advice, and a lot of personal opinion on fixing our dream car up.

Here I am, a little over two years down the road on a 1990 325is with a '95 s50, salvage title, and the last couple years have taken a toll.

About the salvage title: Frame has been inspected by multiple shops and is declared straight.

I picked up the beaut at $6,000.

What I want/need done to love and enjoy the car as it should be:

New paint; the aftermarket paint that was immaculate when I bought it is now peeling and chipping down to the metal in many places.

New suspension; a bad squeak has developed, turns have lost their zest, and well, I currently can't carry >3 passengers w/o anxiety.

Bigger brakes; this thing is a little hard to stop. Inherent safety concern

Other things to consider: Interior seats and door cards are new, 10/10, vinyl, everything else of average e30 wear, a couple cracks on dash etc. Engine has I think ~100k, vanos holding up but showing wear, and ~140k on the chassis. Other major parts in good condition and have been replaced at expected mileage.


I've guesstimated about another $6,000 to get all this done with moderate quality, including GC coilovers I've had and loved on a previous e30. Anybody expect a different ballpark value? I am also considering the current drop in value due to it's surface condition, compared to some new paint's image.

More importantly, how do you all feel about making such an investment on a car like this with a salvage title? How does the value of an e30 change in your eyes because of that title, considering more of them showing up every day due to the age of the car? I've considered that if I intend on keeping the car forever, that it shouldn't phase me, but I can't ignore it.

Thanks for all your input in advance.

[nando]

well, if you're not planning on selling it, what does it matter?

I mean, jeeze, these days a dent in the fender of an E30 could total it. it's a 30 year old car, it's going to have some scars.. I feel like as these cars get older, it will matter less and less. It would really only matter on a collectable model like the M3.

[flyboyx]

i agree with chris, but since you have this thread titled as investment, i would say a salvage title car will definitely be worth considerably less then one with unbranded paper.

if you are looking to one day sell the car after lots of work, you are going to take it in the ass. might better look for a clear title car.

[varg]

If you're looking to "invest" in that thing, you may as well quit while you're ahead. You aren't going to see any "return on investment" with a salvage titled swapped car. Quit sweating resale value and have some fun with it.

[mbonder]

Truthfully, you've already got a different engine in there and you'll be changing the suspension as well, so as an investment, you won't really see that much return, especially as you add more aftermarket parts to the car. In most cases, the more aftermarket you add, the less value you get out of them as you'll be moving the car further and further into a niche market where you'll have fewer buyers, less demand, and therefore will command less money.

The salvage title just accentuates your problem as many people will not be willing to trust that kind of vehicle even if you have documentation to prove the frame is fine. Again, your market is smaller (I know that I'll never buy a car that's salvage title unless its for beater purposes), so the value will be less.

If you don't plan on selling, the amount of money put in shouldn't matter at all. So enjoy the car rather than worrying about it's value.

[shameson]

You can try to sell it down the road, it's a late model iS coupe which are more sought after, but you won't get a good return on it. Or worst case scenario you can always part it if you'll have some goodies on it, I know the s50 would definitely sell. You already paid $6k and are estimating another $6k in work and I can tell you on a salvage you'll never get that money back. The kind of buyers willing to pay $10k for an e30 won't buy a salvage. The only model right now that I can say is an investment is an m3, not that long ago they would sell for $20k and now I've seen some sell for $40-50k, possibly more.