1985 318i future expectations

[fcarril1]

Hello everyone,

I recently went out on a whim and decided to purchase what I thought would be my dream car, the E30. So far it has been a neat and slow car. However, what I failed to realize is how much these cars are worth. I believe that I overpaid for this vehicle, in terms of what I had planned for it. I had planned to paint it and eventually muster up enough courage to engine swap it. Unfortunately, I am not a master of mechanics nor have I ever done body work, so I can already imagine the price tags on those types of works. The more I read into forums, the more disappointed I got, knowing that this little car will probably stay slow forever and that I could've gotten something better. I think I would've been fine with a 325i but my impulsivity lead me to where I am now. I am grateful to even have an E30 I guess I just went into this really blindly, not knowing what to expect. I hope this doesn't come off as a pity party because I know this experience will make me more cautious of my future purchases.

So what I'm asking for is how much money do you believe I could gain back if I did decide to sell it? Or what do you think would be the next right step?

I had an 04' 325ci before this and sold it with the intent of buying a 330i or 335i, but when I saw this E30 I thought, "I just gotta have it".

Specs:
1985 318i coupe
Manual 5 speed transmission
70k miles

Live in the TX area.

[2mAn]

Just keep it and do what you want with it. It would be worth more if the seats werent torn, and the paint wasnt gone. If you swap it, and its done right it doesnt really hurt the value too much. We're not weenies here, especially since it will need paint and interior work anyways.

Have fun with it, but since you want to know what its worth... the price is tree fiddy

[fcarril1]

Just keep it and do what you want with it. It would be worth more if the seats werent torn, and the paint wasnt gone. If you swap it, and its done right it doesnt really hurt the value too much. We're not weenies here, especially since it will need paint and interior work anyways.

Have fun with it, but since you want to know what its worth... the price is tree fiddy

Well ain't that some shiii... oh well I guess we'll see what's to come. Thank you

[E30 Wagen]

I recently saw a nearly identical 318i with 100k miles for $2500 which sold immediately. Sounds like getting your money back trying to sell it as is on Facebook marketplace is going to be tough, but BaT seems to favor low mileage e30s like yours. Despite the worn seat, the interior looks clean and all original, so depending on how much you paid for the car it might be worth investing in a proper glass out respray to make it look new again. Document everything and especially take pics of the underside and all the areas that typically rust out. If it's got a clean carfax and you can present the car as a super low mileage, rust-free survivor with a quality repaint then optimistically it'd probably sell for $7k+ on BaT.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1984-bmw-318i-16/

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1984-bmw-318i-15/

[fcarril1]

I recently saw a nearly identical 318i with 100k miles for $2500 which sold immediately. Sounds like getting your money back trying to sell it as is on Facebook marketplace is going to be tough, but BaT seems to favor low mileage e30s like yours. Despite the worn seat, the interior looks clean and all original, so depending on how much you paid for the car it might be worth investing in a proper glass out respray to make it look new again. Document everything and especially take pics of the underside and all the areas that typically rust out. If it's got a clean carfax and you can present the car as a super low mileage, rust-free survivor with a quality repaint then optimistically it'd probably sell for $7k+ on BaT.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1984-bmw-318i-16/

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1984-bmw-318i-15/

Appreciate your feedback, thankfully I sold it for 7k and recovered my money back! :)