European e30s

[Cosk82]

Can someone explain why the price of a e30 in Europe is so much more expensive then one in the US.

[roguetoaster]

What? That's not really true, but more normal cars like four doors are creeping up faster than those stateside. Additionally, remember that their first gen cars command a slightly higher relative price than our first gen cars, mostly for aesthetic reasons I suspect.

[kronus]

I suspect you're comparing their market of nice cars to the stateside market of regular cars.

[Cosk82]

What? That's not really true, but more normal cars like four doors are creeping up faster than those stateside. Additionally, remember that their first gen cars command a slightly higher relative price than our first gen cars, mostly for aesthetic reasons I suspect.

i was on autoscout24.com looking at e30s and all of the ones i found were above 6k ranging up to 30k. and the ones that were around 20 to 30k were cars that would be selling for a little less then 10k (maybe more) here in the US.

[roguetoaster]

Look in different places. Just like if one only shopped EAG or BAT it would look like prices are totally insane for all cars.

For reference, B quality tourings seem to be 3-7k, A- early sedans 3-6k, and A- late model coupes 4-9k. Then there are all of the lesser quality cars that can be had for as little as 300 EUR.

[Cosk82]

I Have looked a bit more and your right. But it’s amazing to see a clean e30 with 100k miles on it selling for upwards of 20k. The most expensive for that kind of Millage is no more than 15k in the US

[Julien]

I Have looked a bit more and your right. But it’s amazing to see a clean e30 with 100k miles on it selling for upwards of 20k. The most expensive for that kind of Millage is no more than 15k in the US

25 - 30 year old cars get a huge bump in price in many european countries as they often qualify for historic status and no longer need to pay $$ in taxes or go through yearly inspection.

[James]

They are all gone.

[Julien]

Another thing to keep in mind is that most e30s got killed by rust in europe and have been taken off the road.In belgium if any rust penetration is found on the body the car is red flagged by tech inspection and can't be put back on the road until it's properly fixed. This takes two visits. One where rust is cut away and partially replaced with a new panel so integrity can be verified and then a final visit when everything is welded up and repainted. In other words $$$/you really gotta like your e30.

The ones still around today in most of Europe (southern counties are fine) are either survivors (lived in garages their whole life, very rare) or cars that have had $$ body work.

[nineteeneightyseven]

25 - 30 year old cars get a huge bump in price in many european countries as they often qualify for historic status and no longer need to pay $$ in taxes or go through yearly inspection.

Not just in Europe. We put Classic plates on ours and are then taxed @ $500
value. No emission testing after 25 years old too.

[agent]

Here we get classic plates for $35 which exempt the car from emissions as well as taxes for the duration of ownership.

Ninja edit: it's also cheaper to have an agreed value policy for greater than or equal to $20,000 than it is for less.

[roguetoaster]

Ninja edit: it's also cheaper to have an agreed value policy for greater than or equal to $20,000 than it is for less.

Really?

[agent]

Really?

Yep. When I was up for renewal earlier this year, the agent at Grundy told me it's $25k in most states but $20k in Tennessee. I'm paying less annually to insure my red car for more.

[Julien]

Not just in Europe. We put Classic plates on ours and are then taxed @ $500
value. No emission testing after 25 years old too.

In Belgium, for instance, it costs 626€ per year to keep a 325i e30 on the road, excluding insurance at the normal rate. Once it's a classic, it's 50€ but the car can only be driven in specific circumstances.

[bimma360]

Wow I never knew that there were yearly car taxes in some States. In PA, we just pay like 35 bucks for registration renewal each year and thats it. Type of car doesn't matter.