Bring a Trailer Auctions, E30 edition

[MrBurgundy]

Low mile, 21k GS-R


wow

It's awesome that BaT is putting these up

[JimmyP]

Considering the cost of parts on that car, $14k is a good buy. Suspension and brakes are worth $6k retail.

As much as pretty much hate that site (or really the peanut gallery),,, thats a HORRIBLE place to sell a race car.
Real race cars always do very bad there.
Not the place actual racers look to buy race cars.
There is always at least one idiot who wants to drive it on the street, one idiot who asks if it can pass inspection, etc.

I dont think Ive ever seen one race car do well on there at all.

[1990m3]

As much as pretty much hate that site (or really the peanut gallery),,, thats a HORRIBLE place to sell a race car.
Real race cars always do very bad there.
Not the place actual racers look to buy race cars.
There is always at least one idiot who wants to drive it on the street, one idiot who asks if it can pass inspection, etc.

I dont think Ive ever seen one race car do well on there at all.

Some buyers just want a quick and hopefully easy sale. It’s hard to sell most race cars in any environment

[2mAn]

The M20 powered E30 sold for $20k. I think he did fine, but that seems to be the only one Ive seen get good money

[Rusty.Piranha]

1989 BMW M3

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1989-bmw-m3-24/

[JimmyP]

1989 BMW M3

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1989-bmw-m3-24/

Pretty decent looking car, but wow lots of questions on the engine.
Sleeved S14,,, rare, ballsy move.
If I were a buyer I'd want to dig in and find out lots of info on who did the engine work and really get to know what exactly happened (damage) and exactly what was done (repair).

Its highly unlikely it "threw a rod" in that I have never seen an S14 come back from that, always ends up windowing the block.
I "can" see it spinning arod bearing, thus ruining a rod and having the bulk of the bottom end survive.

Just alot of questions on that aspect and not much info seems to be in the past documents.

Rebuilt S14s are all about "WHO" rebuilt the S14. Especially when its more or different than just rings, bearings, gaskets.
To me a rebuilt S14 (especially anything that deviates from the norm), if that build was not done by a known, experienced S14 builder is little more than a core to me, I'd be taking it apart upon getting it home.

I'd rather have a high mile, unopened factory engine rather than an unknown rebuild(er).

Otherwise, good looking car though.

[ForcedFirebird]

Pretty decent looking car, but wow lots of questions on the engine.
Sleeved S14,,, rare, ballsy move.
If I were a buyer I'd want to dig in and find out lots of info on who did the engine work and really get to know what exactly happened (damage) and exactly what was done (repair).

Its highly unlikely it "threw a rod" in that I have never seen an S14 come back from that, always ends up windowing the block.
I "can" see it spinning arod bearing, thus ruining a rod and having the bulk of the bottom end survive.

Just alot of questions on that aspect and not much info seems to be in the past documents.

Rebuilt S14s are all about "WHO" rebuilt the S14. Especially when its more or different than just rings, bearings, gaskets.
To me a rebuilt S14 (especially anything that deviates from the norm), if that build was not done by a known, experienced S14 builder is little more than a core to me, I'd be taking it apart upon getting it home.

I'd rather have a high mile, unopened factory engine rather than an unknown rebuild(er).

Otherwise, good looking car though.

If you look, though, that work was performed in 1993 with 65k miles on it. Now that it has 180k, I would be safe in saying that the engine was rebuilt properly. Also, I am not sure why everyone thinks the s14 is such a different engine than any other. While, sure, in 1993 it might have been cutting edge technology, but in fact it's all common now.

Even Haundai's today have solid valve train in DOHC 4 bangers, so the s14 head hardware is no longer "special" aside from maybe the ITB's. The bottom end is nothing out of ordinary, either, just tight tolerances and machining limits (which the baby 6's also had/have).

More than likely, in 1993 it would have cost the owner in the area of $5k for a new block and less than half that to sleeve it. Sleeved blocks is not new technology, and a lot of MFGR's still do it today. The only block I have heard of with issues when sleeved is the nikasil Porsche 944 engine variants where the sleeves would drop in the floating cylinders after many heat cycles, although Darton has come up with a fix for that with their stepped sleeves (but that's another forum/thread).

IMO, the thing that makes the s14 difficult, is the parts availability and demand for them, not any super secret hand shake s14 builders club.

[Powling]

I don't think people see the S14 as a different engine, they are just more picky about them because they are becoming harder and harder to find a well sorted one...especially since so many of them were tracked and thrashed throughout their lives.

[JimmyP]

Im not saying that the S14 is that different, but it does have some aspects that if I am spending "my" money,,, there are a very small window of people that "I" trust.

Yes I di agree for a rings, bearings, gaskets rebuild, most local machine shops can do it.
But on things that deviate I would only trust people that know the S14 well.
In the years I have been inside the E30M3 S14 community I have seen countless S14s grenaded by people who either built their own or had "their guy" build it thereby using up countless blocks, heads and cranks that would have been nice to have in circulation now.
On the other hand, of the known, trusted S14 builders, I have enough fingers to count known S14 failures that were not pilot error (and some even survived pilot error).
Its really all attention to detail, cleanliness, good machining and knowing the weak points to really watch out for that is greatly benefitted when a builder knows that particular engine.

[ForcedFirebird]

In the years I have been inside the E30M3 S14 community I have seen countless S14s grenaded by people who either built their own or had "their guy" build it thereby using up countless blocks, heads and cranks that would have been nice to have in circulation now.
On the other hand, of the known, trusted S14 builders, I have enough fingers to count known S14 failures that were not pilot error (and some even survived pilot error).
Its really all attention to detail, cleanliness, good machining and knowing the weak points to really watch out for that is greatly benefitted when a builder knows that particular engine.

But, you see, you could realistically replace "s14" with another engine designation that is used in high-strung applications (***cough*** s54). While I agree with you liking to know who did the work, but in the case if this car, it has been driven another 120k miles since the rebuild. And, it was done in a time where new parts were still available (it was 4 years old). It's not like it was done last year as a band-aid to sell the car (which was my bigger point in the post).

[JimmyP]

But, you see, you could realistically replace "s14" with another engine designation that is used in high-strung applications (***cough*** s54). While I agree with you liking to know who did the work, but in the case if this car, it has been driven another 120k miles since the rebuild. And, it was done in a time where new parts were still available (it was 4 years old). It's not like it was done last year as a band-aid to sell the car (which was my bigger point in the post).

Agreed for sure on all counts.
And yep the ham fisted, shade tree builders can surely fuck up some S5X motors too.

I just find the whole description on that car odd.
Sleeving. Sleeving an S14 is SO rare. Especially back in those days when parts were plentiful and not crazy expensive.
Thats just a really really rare decsion if that is in fact what happened.

Is the whole block sleeved, one cylinder, etc...
Many questions.
If say what I would be willing to bet money happened...
Something went lean, probably because of an over aggressive chip, detonation hammers the rod bearing(s).
it spins rod bearing (probably #3), detonation takes out piston #3 top ring land and dings the shit out of cylinder #3 head and wall (I have a block just like that in my basement).
Did they weld up the head and sleeve one cylinder?

[2mAn]

@mjposner Keep us posted if you are able to sell it privately, I feel like it got close enough that a private sale can still happen with the highest bidder

[ForcedFirebird]

Who knows. But I do know sleeves in an iron block is just as good as the original (if not better). I would imagine the head was replaced and yes, one cylinder sleeved. Funny, I also thought of the reasoning and cause of the repair. I've been building engines for a long time and have seen all kinds of failures.

Can almost envision the transaction: Machinist: "Well I can sleeve the block for about $500, or we can get a new one from BMW for about $4000." Owner: "Sleeve it!!"

[Rusty.Piranha]

No Reserve: 1989 BMW 325i

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1989-bmw-325i-34/

[fight4life28]

No Reserve: 1989 BMW 325i

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1989-bmw-325i-34/

AC Schnitzer grille badge ? Does that ad 40% e30 tax ?