Bring a Trailer Auctions, E30 edition

[djjerme]

Wow, that vert went for 12K.. That's surprising considering it wasn't anything spectacular.. Guess we'll start seeing the prices go up on them now. I would have bet that 9K was all the money for that one.

[2mAn]

Bring a Trailer Auctions, E30 edition

318is popped up today and is already at $9,500...

[MR E30 325is]

318is popped up today and is already at $9,500...

Man oh man I should have bought 15 91 318is' 10 years ago. 318 prices are absolutely bonkers to me.

[Poorhouse]

This most recent 318is looks to be in stunning condition.
I believe the claim of 40k miles.

Guessing it will flirt with $20k.

[Powling]

Man oh man I should have bought 15 91 318is' 10 years ago. 318 prices are absolutely bonkers to me.

Makes me really happy I stumbled onto mine last summer for $4,400!

[2mAn]

Thoughts on the "323is" selling for $17.5k?

[reelizmpro]

Cost of clean 318iS roller + S14? I think it's priced right. Just because it has an S14 swap, doesn't mean it should go for Italian 320iS money all of a sudden. $17.5k could build one hell of an E30. We're talking S54 swap restomod on a cheap E30.

[Poorhouse]

Was there any truth to the comments that the S14 was worth $15k plus?

If so it seems like that car went for cheap.

[djjerme]

You can say all day what a motor is "worth", but in the end, it's only worth what someone pays for it. I've seen and purchased motors supposedly "worth" thousands of $$$ for mere chump change. Does that mean their value is less or it was a bargain?

The only solid fact is that they are not making any more S14's, so whatever is out there is it. Course, the same can be said of M20's, M30's, M10's..etc.

Sometimes people get worth and invested mixed up when it pertains to car stuff. Just because they spent 10K+ on a motor rebuild, doesn't mean that motor is going to sell for 10K+ down the road - or that it's even worth that. For a loose S14 with no history or car attached to it - 5-7K.

If I'm spending 10K+ on a motor, it's going to be a certain Hartge S38 out of Malaysia..

[Shftr8]

Thoughts on the "323is" selling for $17.5k?

I don't understand BAT. Some cars go for way more then they are worth and some are priced right. The S14 swapped car is priced right. Like other have said these motors are not worth $10K+ So a nice 318is we'll say is worth $5-8K on average. Im not talking about the 1 owner 20k mile cars. add a $5-7k engine and we're up to $15k. Add in some other things and factor is labor/installation and we'll call is $20k build and if you can build a car and only loose $2,500 your doing pretty good.

[Poorhouse]

The implication in the BAT comments was that a running S14 was a $15k motor.
If that was true the sale price seems really low. I get your point re. actual market value of the engine. $5k-$7k seems more believable, but I don't follow them.

[Powling]

The only solid fact is that they are not making any more S14's, so whatever is out there is it. Course, the same can be said of M20's, M30's, M10's..etc.

This is true, but I think the fact that it was the engine featured in M3's, plus the "heritage" of the engine and the fact there may not be many extra parts left over out there is what drives the engine cost estimates up.

[Tremelune]

It's a bit semantic, because djjerme makes many good points. You can find them for cheaper if you actively search for a while or get one before it hits the internet, and you can save a ton rebuilding one yourself...but ultimately, if you have a car that needs an S14 that you intend to put miles on...$15k is your number unless you're willing to wait for planets to align, because a professional rebuild is $15k. Otherwise you're just buying a $5k motor that needs the same amount of work as the one you're seeking to replace.

Whoever bought that car can sell the motor, have an in S52 put in, and come out having paid maybe $5-10k for the whole ordeal, which is exactly what I'd do with it...

[reelizmpro]

Can't just take a swap engine/trans with who knows exactly how many miles and put some arbitrary price on it. Yes, they are expensive and going up but to just throw out $15k is silly just like when people say it costs $10-15k to rebuild one. These are not definitive numbers but inflated. It CAN cost $15k to rebuild but it can also cost $30-40K depending on what parts you change and how much you spend on them. It all depends.

[djjerme]

I probably wouldn't stake my life on these numbers, but here's the supposed Production numbers of ALL E30 M3's:

http://www.bmwclub.org.hk/motorsport/others/notes%20on%20the%20production%20of%20the%20bmw%20e30%20m3.htm

This also doesn't take in to account the 320is and the percentage of engines sold as crate motors or parts for replacement..etc.

or this may be better overview:

http://www.e38.org/BMWProductionData.pdf

So let's just toss out a rough number 30K S14's produced.. How many are still in the wild and how many are now boat anchors/paper weights/new toasters?

The core components I would even venture out are not unobtainable by any means, and in the last year or two, I have seen 3 different hordes of S14 parts uncovered in the US.