Bring a Trailer Auctions, E30 edition

[rjmcdermott81]

Wow. That s54 car is much lower than I expected at this point. No offense to the seller but I really wonder if those wheels are killing it

[SOneThreeCoupe]

Wow. That s54 car is much lower than I expected at this point. No offense to the seller but I really wonder if those wheels are killing it

The wheels, the tires, unrepaired hail damage combined with oxidation, haphazard cleaning, beat headliner, bum front strut mounts.

I still think the car's well done, but it's "just a driver"- and a lot of the BaT crowd likes either over-the-top cars with everything done perfectly or near-stock cars with zero mods and recent maintenance. There are just enough problems with this car that require real work to fix that it deflates the price.

The wheels are great wheels but look kinda odd on an e30, it comes with extra tires but that's extra hassle for a buyer, it's priced low enough right now that the hail damage and oxidation could be repaired but again, extra hassle, the cleaning is only a presentation item, the headliner is a pain compared to later cars and the front strut mounts are $86 for the pair through IE.

[rjmcdermott81]

That s54 really pulled through in the end. I think the seller did well at 18.5. If he spent money fixing the paint, swapping wheels, etc. I don't think he would have gotten it back. Not really any data points but I figured a really clean looking s54 swap with A/C, PS, power brakes would pull 20-22.

[2mAn]

The more you deviate away from OEM stuff the more polarizing the car becomes. In his case the wheels and seats likely cost him a little bit, but not to the right person. Even then, it limits the bids so you could end up selling it to someone who likes those parts and didnt have to pay as much as they were willing to.

At $18.5k it was a good sell, and a good buy.

[reelizmpro]

Wheels are definitely polarizing but I can't believe the negative response towards real Recaro SRD's. Those are excellent, period correct seats for the car and with 330+HP, the extra support is needed. One could easily sell those seats if they desired and the wheels are easily changed. Looked like typical BAT knitpicking to me. It's funny how the period correct thing applies to everything except the engine.

[SOneThreeCoupe]

SRDs look soft. They're like sport seats that got married, settled down and had a couple kids. Yeah, they're period, which is cool... but the lines aren't clean and crisp and pared down like what draws me to an e30.

I don't get the allure of an S54 swap, but I do get that anyone with a day job and married life duties couldn't replicate that car for $18,500.

[Jb325is]

The s54 is incredible in a well-built chassis. The allure is that it's an absolutely fantastic motor in a fun/light chassis and With engine prices dropping like they are, it's a pretty amazing package for the money. I think the price is about right on this car, it still needs some supporting modifications to be finished but what has been done is pretty well executed. If you're a solid wrench with a cool wife, you can do an s54 swap for ~$7500 or so. I agree with Simon, well bought and well sold

[R3VM3UP]

The s54 is incredible in a well-built chassis. The allure is that it's an absolutely fantastic motor in a fun/light chassis and With engine prices dropping like they are, it's a pretty amazing package for the money. I think the price is about right on this car, it still needs some supporting modifications to be finished but what has been done is pretty well executed. If you're a solid wrench with a cool wife, you can do an s54 swap for ~$7500 or so. I agree with Simon, well bought and well sold

$7500 is a bit of a stretch. I guess it depends on how well maintained the car is to start with and what choices you make on the swap. If your car AND the S54 are already perfect maintenance-wise and you choose all the cheapest options (ZF trans, no rack swap, M50 pan, etc.) AND you get a good deal on the engine then you could probably pull it off.

I got my engine for $1500, trans for $150, E36 rack for $50, $300 headers, Arc subframe and pan etc. and when I tally it all up with all of the 'while I'm in there' maintenance stuff I'm still in like $8000 and I haven't bought any exhaust , wheel or brake stuff yet. I could easily spend more on higher end parts, lower mileage used parts, air conditioning, etc. Basically what I'm saying is that I've been quite budget conscious while still focusing on doing things right and it's costing me a lot more than I expected. The engine is the biggest up front cost, but it's the little stuff that really starts to add up if you keep track. I started a spreadsheet on mine and was pretty surprised to see how much I've spent.

[PacificExposure]

I started a spreadsheet on mine and was pretty surprised to see how much I've spent.

I did a spreadsheet for my S50 project and promptly deleted it from existence so my wife could never find it... It was a shocking number.

[LateFan]

2800CS on BaT

Dear gawd these are beautiful.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-bmw-2800cs-3/

[325e '87]

Yes, indeed. Really, everything bmw produced before 1991 has really strong looks. I hate the way the auto styling business went to hiding stuff like engines, bumpers, and the passenger compartment. All we get now are fake tailpipes and huge wheels.

[LateFan]

These are pretty close to perfect. On my Top 5 list of all car designs, any era.

[packratbimmer]

Soul

[2mAn]

One of many cars I want... I have a few cars that I think would be wonderful GT cars and this is in the Top3

[LateFan]

From what I've read, that era of 1602 / 2002 / E9 involved the ideas of Bertone, Hofmeister, Michelotti, and Georg Bertram.

The "Neue Klasse" sedans and the 2000CS were the origin for the design. You can see it coming together here...


Other cool old BMWs I like, with some italian design or influence...

507


507 coupe by Michelotti (Michelotti Vignale) Limited production special




3200CS by Bertone - supposedly the first appearance of the "Hofmesister kink," although it appeared on Bertone designs earlier.