Value of e30's - Manual VS. Automatic

[e30crazie]

Hey there R3V, been a while since my last post. I wanted to pick all your brains and see whats is the difference in pricing if I want to sell my e30 that happens to be Automatic. Here is a brief description of my car.
Because I am kind of a purist, I try to keep my car as German or Euro as possible.

89 Alpine White Automatic 325i Coupe.
Paint needs some attention but a good buff will take care of that.
Euro HVAC, plate filler and grills.
Momo Leather/Wood steering wheel.
Replaced broken comfort with OK condition sport seats
Installed IS spoiler and premium speakers
Recently fully rebuilt head installed with new water pump and timing belt with less than 3k
Bilstein sport all around and Bilstein lowering springs
Will be installing new tie rod ends and cat back system
Interior is ok with a broken door handle on the inside of the driver door but an easy fix
Its a hell of a fun ass car to drive
The only issue is that its an automatic

I put it up for sale for 3300 but some asshole is saying that I should know better than to post is for more than 1800 despite of all the mentioned above work that I have done. Its a clean title car that I bought from the second owner 5 years ago.

Does the fact that its automatic devalue my car that much? Is it worth form me to do the 5 speed swap just to sell if form more than 3k? I've put more than that into the car and putting in another thousand seems a bit unreasonable.

As a community what are your thoughts?

[5Toes]

I think 3300 is totally fair given you are in cali and the car is tastefully modified. the dude who said 1800 is just jealous. some girl or older enthusiast would love to drive your car. fix all the easy stuff and get asking price.

if it were manual maybe 5500 would be possible

[e30crazie]

I think 3300 is totally fair given you are in cali and the car is tastefully modified. the dude who said 1800 is just jealous. some girl or older enthusiast would love to drive your car. fix all the easy stuff and get asking price.

if it were manual maybe 5500 would be possible

Thank you 5toes, I think 3300 is a fair and below market price even though its an automatic... Here is my add for reference. Just so you know, the same guy buys and parts out e30's. And he himself has a 90 Automatic for sale for 2750 LOL.

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/cto/5810135864.html

[Max325ix]

without having seen your car it sounds to easily worth your asking price the way it is, at least in the east coast. The person who told you $1800 either has no clue what your talking about or is trying to get you to accept his low ball offer. You will hear from that person again.

Do the paint buff you mention and fix the interior door handle and ask 4K. You should be able to get $3500...

That said, the manuals are more in demand plus do command a higher premium when selling but if your inten is to sell it there is no sense in spending the time and money to convert as you wont get that much more in return. If it were an "IS" then maybe. I've always owned manual cars plus always skipped on looking at Auto's but this year that changed. I bought an automatic 325ix and wanted an auto. I've got a manual E24 M6 for when I'm in the mood. The E30 will be my daily driver.

Like it or not, the values of 80's BMW's are going up as they become collectibles rather than just used cars....


Max

[PKile]

some girl or older enthusiast would love to drive your car.

I resemble that remark! I am 63 and bought a 92 325iC as my retirement project. It HAD to be a stick...no slushbox for me. And my wife has a 5-speed 330ci e46. She loves driving manual gearbox cars. Automatics are for lazy asses.

[reelizmpro]

Since the 5 speed swap is more common and easier to do, the fact that it's automatic isn't as bad as it once was. It's a pain to deal with but what's more important is the overall condition of the car. If I were to put a price on it, I would take off $1500 for the hassle. However, it's still easier and preferable just to source a factory 5 speed car to begin with. $3300 is very fair though and someone might be okay with the auto trans.

[e30crazie]

I resemble that remark! I am 63 and bought a 92 325iC as my retirement project. It HAD to be a stick...no slushbox for me. And my wife has a 5-speed 330ci e46. She loves driving manual gearbox cars. Automatics are for lazy asses.

I am 48 and would love to have made the car 5 speed, honestly out of the 14 e30's and e21's in my past this is the first automatic I have owned. Not that I am a "lazy ass" but I had my plans but at the time I had a new child and that took precedence over my S50 and Manual project. I left it alone because I thought both my boys how to drive in it and now they both drive manual. There is something for everyone so if automatic is your cup of tea then we should not knock it.

[jeffnhiscars]

If I was in the market for a 5 spd I'd think long and hard about buying one that was swapped vs an auto trans with a budget to do the swap myself. Simple fact is the engine in an auto trans car has had a MUCH easier life...no redlining, typical rpms 2-3k vs 3-6k etc etc

Having just swapped my Cabrio "gentleman cruiser" I can vouch for this :)

[E30 Wagen]

Honestly it's kind of hard to value that car at $3000. The hood needs to be replaced, the driver's side body panels seem messed up, the engine has been damaged and the head rebuilt three times, the tan interior looks rough, cracked dash, and it's an automatic. If the engine was original and well maintained, and everything else looked clean enough, then I'd say it's a $3500 car. Right now I'd say it's closer to $2500.

[nrubenstein]

The problem is that the ad makes your car look like a shitheap. Absolutely terrible photography.

It also doesn't help that you didn't even put in some basic effort before listing it. Missing inexpensive trim pieces would help a lot, for example.

[flyboyx]

i think your car is probably worth what you are asking for it to the right person. however, selling automatic e30's is about like trying to peddle death. they sell like shit.... almost no one wants them. if you were to take a random sampling of 10 e30 buyers, i would say 11 or 12 of them want a manual trans.

likely whoever buys this car will be wanting to swap it to 5 speed. this being said, the parts can be purchased in the local lkq for about 300 bucks if you are lucky to find them these days. probably about 600 if you buy the kit off craigslist.

i will buy auto e30's on occasion, but i keep a couple extra getrag 260's laying around for the purpose.

i think if you find someone willing to pay 2500 for your car in the condition as it appears in the ad, that would be reasonable fairness to both parties.

depending on condition, i think an auto deducts approx 1200 or 25%(whichever is less) from the value.


with that said, finding a nice clean auto car cheap with designs toward a manual swap is a good way to get a good cheap e30. unfortunately, i don't think i can say you are selling a what could be labeled as a good clean car. it does look rust free though and you have that going for you.

[mark1991]

As the saying goes: Cash talks and BS walks. It is easy for someone to say(who is not making an offer to purchase)your car is worth at least $3,500 or $5,000 or whatever amount. It is also easy for a seller to think and say that my car is worth this or that amount. The only way a 25 year old car can be accurately valued is to place the car on the market and find a buyer who is willing to pay a specific amount for the car. As long as the car is advertised to enough potential buyers, this amount, if acceptable to the seller, is the value of the car. It really does not matter how much the seller has "into" the car or what other people say the car is worth.

[e30crazie]

Honestly it's kind of hard to value that car at $3000. The hood needs to be replaced, the driver's side body panels seem messed up, the engine has been damaged and the head rebuilt three times, the tan interior looks rough, cracked dash, and it's an automatic. If the engine was original and well maintained, and everything else looked clean enough, then I'd say it's a $3500 car. Right now I'd say it's closer to $2500.

Well the head was only rebuilt once. The original was replaced because of the broken rocker arm, the second head was replaced after the broken timing belt and the 3rd was rebuilt because of the overheating. I replaced the head 3 times but only one was worked. The driver fender is bent from the front and the hood has a dent, I put that in the add as I dont want anyone to think I am misleading them.

[e30crazie]

As the saying goes: Cash talks and BS walks. It is easy for someone to say(who is not making an offer to purchase)your car is worth at least $3,500 or $5,000 or whatever amount. It is also easy for a seller to think and say that my car is worth this or that amount. The only way a 25 year old car can be accurately valued is to place the car on the market and find a buyer who is willing to pay a specific amount for the car. As long as the car is advertised to enough potential buyers, this amount, if acceptable to the seller, is the value of the car. It really does not matter how much the seller has "into" the car or what other people say the car is worth.

Thats true... Buyers set the market price even though sellers are convinced of what their car is worth only the buyer knows what he is willing to pay. My question was if 5 speed will it bring a more attractive price. Anyhow, I guess everyone has their own opinion on the worth or value of their car.

Thanks all for your posts.

[mark1991]

Thats true... Buyers set the market price even though sellers are convinced of what their car is worth only the buyer knows what he is willing to pay. My question was if 5 speed will it bring a more attractive price. Anyhow, I guess everyone has their own opinion on the worth or value of their car.

Thanks all for your posts.

To your specific question, it is, IMHO, safe to say that that a 5 speed car will attract more buyers than an automatic. Therefore, the automatic car should have less value.