Bring a Trailer Auctions, E30 edition

[2mAn]

1991 318is

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1991-bmw-318is-coupe-42/

[2mAn]

1986 325e

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1986-bmw-325es-11/

1987 325i Convertible

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-bmw-325ic-34/

[SOneThreeCoupe]

I'm dreading the amount of work I've made for myself with my car in preparation for selling it on BaT. Every load of plating I go through and every new part I get makes me think I may have bitten off more than I can chew at this point in my life- and makes me wonder if I'm going to break even.

Is there a valuation thread where we BS about what we think certain cars are worth and why? I'd love to hear the input of people who have sold multiple E30s and what buyers and potential buyers mentioned. Is a Blaupunkt Bremen a good investment? Am I nuts for trying to procure a pair of sedan sport seats and having them reupholstered in the factory cloth at a massive cost?

[AWDBOB]

I'm dreading the amount of work I've made for myself with my car in preparation for selling it on BaT. Every load of plating I go through and every new part I get makes me think I may have bitten off more than I can chew at this point in my life- and makes me wonder if I'm going to break even.

Is there a valuation thread where we BS about what we think certain cars are worth and why? I'd love to hear the input of people who have sold multiple E30s and what buyers and potential buyers mentioned. Is a Blaupunkt Bremen a good investment? Am I nuts for trying to procure a pair of sedan sport seats and having them reupholstered in the factory cloth at a massive cost?

IMO it's all in or not all in, and the price will reflect that. If you're going through every system, high quality paint, interior, plating bolts, etc etc, leaving no stone left un turned you have a chance to break even. But where so many sellers go wrong is stopping short of fully prepping the car, at any level of car. No lip, missing a center cap, incomplete tool kit, "AC just needs charged", just one small leak, bolster rip etc etc. Any of these, no matter how insignificant they may seem, take away from the car's image.

My point is, if you're doing it, do it all the way. If not, don't. Define your market/goal for how you want the car to be seen and stick to it. There's no way to tell whether you're going to get back $$ on a specific investment like a radio or cloth seats, but you can assume buyers interested in bidding on a high dollar, restored e30 would prefer both of those things. To what financial extent, is nearly impossible to specify- that will depend on a large number of factors, many of which happen out of emotion in the last 5 minutes of an auction.

[SOneThreeCoupe]

I'm not touching the paint other than repainting the front valance, painting the metalwork necessary to fix the driver door check, matching the fog deletes, painting the mirrors, minor chip touch-up, PDR, color correction/scratch removal, carnauba wax, and seal. That's a can of worms I'm not further opening because I run a restoration shop for a living and require perfect paint and complete transparency throughout the process. Also, I'm building a car that's meant to be driven- full repaint with no stone unturned becomes an investment, not an enjoyable thing.

All mechanicals are getting touched (performance rebuilt engine with some WPC-treated bits and dynamically balanced, rebuilt and resealed gearbox, rebuilt and resealed limited-slip diff assy, all suspension, all brakes, ABS pump rebuilt by Jordan, etc), everything in the AC system is getting replaced or rebuilt, dash-out wiring repair from PO's aftermarket stereo and alarm, old wiring connectors replaced with new, putting quality sound deadening in places it's necessary, rebuilt cluster, rebuilt seatbelt reels with fresh webbing, etc. If it's not replaced with a factory part, it's a known excellent aftermarket part.

This is the e30 I would build if I was keeping the car. No bull, no stories, clean title, no crash damage, OEM+ modifications for enjoyment. Not perfect, but you'll forget about any imperfections the moment the engine comes to life.

[cory58]

I'm not touching the paint other than repainting the front valance, painting the metalwork necessary to fix the driver door check, matching the fog deletes, painting the mirrors, minor chip touch-up, PDR, color correction/scratch removal, carnauba wax, and seal. That's a can of worms I'm not further opening because I run a restoration shop for a living and require perfect paint and complete transparency throughout the process. Also, I'm building a car that's meant to be driven- full repaint with no stone unturned becomes an investment, not an enjoyable thing.

All mechanicals are getting touched (performance rebuilt engine with some WPC-treated bits and dynamically balanced, rebuilt and resealed gearbox, rebuilt and resealed limited-slip diff assy, all suspension, all brakes, ABS pump rebuilt by Jordan, etc), everything in the AC system is getting replaced or rebuilt, dash-out wiring repair from PO's aftermarket stereo and alarm, old wiring connectors replaced with new, putting quality sound deadening in places it's necessary, rebuilt cluster, rebuilt seatbelt reels with fresh webbing, etc. If it's not replaced with a factory part, it's a known excellent aftermarket part.

This is the e30 I would build if I was keeping the car. No bull, no stories, clean title, no crash damage, OEM+ modifications for enjoyment. Not perfect, but you'll forget about any imperfections the moment the engine comes to life.

Very interested to hear your BAT feedback after the auction. Also whether you broke even or not.

[2mAn]

1989 325is

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1989-bmw-325is-68/

1990 S52 Swapped 325i

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1990-bmw-325is-47/

[2mAn]

1988 325iS

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-bmw-325is-54/

[SOneThreeCoupe]

That TMU Zinno 325iS went to $32k despite no underside prettying and an undetailed engine compartment. Wow.

[rjmcdermott81]

1990 S52 Swapped 325i

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1990-bmw-325is-47/

[/QUOTE]

Man this car did well considering a junk title, unoriginal color and loud wheels/interior. I really really dig the paint on this car. I appreciate how the owner made it his own.

[cory58]

That TMU Zinno 325iS went to $32k despite no underside prettying and an undetailed engine compartment. Wow.

That price did seem stout, but I can't keep up with the BAT appreciation these days.

[roguetoaster]

That price did seem stout, but I can't keep up with the stupidity of buyers these days.

Fixed that for you.

[2mAn]

1988 325i Convertible

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-bmw-325ic-30/

[2mAn]

1990 S38 Swapped M3

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1990-bmw-m3-54/

[Jb325is]

Awesome car- interested to see how well it's received by BaT types.