dtortoise9
Well-Known Member
I was offered a trade for my 3.0cs recently for a E30 M3. Both are great cars- would I be crazy to do this? Figured I would ask an unbiased group of coupe owners.
Bmw e30 m3
- Thread starter dtortoise9
- Start date
it depends on the condition of both. an average e30 m3 sells for 18k to 20k in very good shape. an outstanding very low mileage e30 m3 sells for 30k to 40k. a car with a lot of modifications, say a 2.5L engine with evo3 mods, coil over suspension with mileage might sell for 25k ... all of these are very round numbers. if the e30 is an evo 2 or evo 3 (sport evo), my numbers are way off. of course a person in the usa w/ an evo 2 or 3 or cecotto variant is a very rare thing.
as you are aware, 20k on a coupe may or may not buy very much. to me, a similar condition e9 to the 20k e30 m3, is 30k. the best description for both is a very nice condition driver that isn't rusty and doesn't really need anything.
but as you can imagine - the judge of the comparison will have his hands full. start by asking, if you sold your e30 m3, what would you sell it for? if he says 25k+, start asking some serious questions.
as you are aware, 20k on a coupe may or may not buy very much. to me, a similar condition e9 to the 20k e30 m3, is 30k. the best description for both is a very nice condition driver that isn't rusty and doesn't really need anything.
but as you can imagine - the judge of the comparison will have his hands full. start by asking, if you sold your e30 m3, what would you sell it for? if he says 25k+, start asking some serious questions.
now to answer your question in a different way. i have owned an e30 m3 - drove it every day for 6 years, then only occasionally. best BMW i've ever owned in stock condition - no question. it is extremely balanced at any speed and a blast to drive. it weighs what a CSL weighs and has 192 hp in a 4 cylinder ... but loves to stay up in the revs ... and with the twin cams, you can add a lot of power, sometimes at the expense of torque. there ain't no low in torque to speak of in the m3. the only car i have owned that is better than the e30 m3 is my cayman s - 200 lbs heavier and an additional 100 bhp, and a lot more torque. just as balanced.
now for the downside - its a short list. you do not want to start the m3, move it in the driveway and shut it off without warming it up - especially twice in a row ... you will generally foul the plugs. with the age of the e30 m3, some of the electrics are starting to show their age with the AFM and the ECU ... and that can be problematic with emissions.
i sold the m3 because somebody really wanted to buy it. i said that i would either buy an even better one, or the car i ALWAYS wanted but never found the right one to buy ... an E9 coupe. i found a very nice coupe. all ended well for me. and yes, my coupe cost about 10k more than the m3 sold for.