Bring a Trailer Auctions, E30 edition

[e30RS]

It will be an interesting auction to follow. A clean car but no way it gets to 13k, even on bat. We shall see.

[Poorhouse]

1993 325iC 5 speed

Claimed 98k miles, repaint, cooked leather.
Fair amount of maintenance done in the last 3k miles. Timing belt, suspension, brakes, etc.

1st bid $15k...

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1993-bmw-325i-5/

[bradnic]

That’s absolutely nuts
Guess I better up the agreed value in my vert

[Poorhouse]

No details on the repaint.

Looking at the dent on the front valence makes me think it wasn't done to a high standard.

[Powling]

The first bid is likely from a friend or family member that knew it was going up on BAT so they placed a high bid in hopes to build some buzz..

[Poorhouse]

The first bid is likely from a friend or family member that knew it was going up on BAT so they placed a high bid in hopes to build some buzz..

I was thinking it might be a shill but the bidder has a history going back over a year.
Hasn't won anything yet but has made some semi serious bids.

[jgilber0]

That is crazy money for a 98K mile repaint. Only argument in favor is the scarcity of 1993 325i Cabrios. Only 17 made according to this post:

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=375823

So this is a rare bird IF it was actually a 1993 build date. And how many of the 17 were green? Maybe only a couple.

If it’s a 1992 build and registered as a 1993, it’s one of 5,189. Door sticker says 09/92 build.

[e30RS]

But does the rarity make it worth 15K? I say no way.

[gazellebeigem3]

Shouldn't it have an airbag wheel too? Lots of weird stuff going on to command such a premium.

[djjerme]

But does the rarity make it worth 15K? I say no way.

Rare != Valuable.

There was a Fox body Mustang ad on BAT that had all this stuff about all the options, and in the end it was like 1 of 500 cars spec'ed out the same. They were trying to pawn off how rare it was, but in the end - it's just a 5.0.

Same with this, in the end, it's just a vert.

But again, for some people it's a numbers game. They want to be able to brag about how it's 1 of x amount built that year.

Sure, at places we take the 320is we often have to explain what it is - because people who have never seen/heard of one think it's an engine swap. Or the Alpina, or the Touring we have to tell some non-E30 folks what makes it different. But I don't hang my hat on how rare each one is in the US, we just really, really enjoy driving them around. Especially the Touring; that just puts a smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel. And on that note, I don't give two shitz what it's worth to any one else, or the BAT crowd, it's worth all the enjoyment I get from owning it. I'll see if I can post up this recent article from the Hagarty Magazine.

[2mAn]

crazy that the one that ended today sold at $43,000 while that other one Austin was so excited about didnt sell for the same price. Guess sometimes you get lucky

[djjerme]

crazy that the one that ended today sold at $43,000 while that other one Austin was so excited about didnt sell for the same price. Guess sometimes you get lucky

Big difference in the sellers. The one today was the actual owner, and it sounded like just your average BMW M3 dude who was ready to move on. The car was presented honestly, and the reserve was reasonable.

The other car was being sold by a dealer, who wasn't even in possession of the car, which had been sold to the actual owner/shop by the original owner. So it was a case of telephone with some of the history/fixes, and they wanted way too much for what had been disclosed. I'm actually surprised BAT allowed that other M3 to have such a high reserve, it should have sold at the closing amount.

With the one today, the winning bidder looks like from his history, he'll actually complete the auction and the seller sounds like he got what he was looking to get out of it. Both parties happy.

[e30austin]

Larry (nsubre on s14.net) seemed like a genuine nice fella, who had owned the car for many years, took good care of it, and presented it accurately. THAT was the difference. Fair deal for that car, really.

[Poorhouse]

Buying cars sight unseen, trust is everything.

[2mAn]

I look at that late model coupe and think it should be worth 6-7k, maybe 8k.
Clean paint, clean interior, looks well maintained, but it’s an auto.

Yet on BAT it will sell for 10-13k. While some “‘modified” cars that are manual with quality upgrades don’t even come close to that number. Idgi

That '89 is my cars twin.
Cool that the seller found the correct upholstery and had the front seats done right.

Jokester I don't think it's going to go over $10k. Your $8k guess is right on the money.

Agree $8k

:popcorn:

$8,700 with a few hours to go