Deciding on which E9 - is my logic sound?

adawil2002 said:
Aside from the wheels, that San Diego E9 checks a lot of boxes. Needs an air dam, of course.;) I'd have to name that one Carmen.
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I keep going back to the San Diego car - it looks good but a few things do bug me, like the 7 series engine swap, the incomplete color change, and the suspect wiring. But, it is fjord, which my tii originally started life as, and hopefully will return to to someday (from its current Amana White).

BTW, if anyone knows that car, or has any advice with respect to it please message me!
 
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jmackro said:
I would agree with Ohmess: your mid 40's budget puts you in the "labor intensive" category. Nothing wrong with that, but as others have advised, seek out cars that need mechanical or interior work - not major rust repair. Major rust repair will put you underwater quickly.



I recently received my 2021 edition of Sports Car Market's "Pocket Price Guide". Of course, I immediately looked up the makes/models that I own. I was annoyed to see that they had put a median value of $27,000 on my '70 2800 CS, but assigned a median value of $49K to the 3.0. This is what I was referring to in post #3 when I said that in the real world, 2800 and 3.0 values weren't so different. Decent coupes haven't been priced at $27K since about 2007, so I can't imagine where SCM got their data.
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I think I'm looking for the Sports Car Market Edition of the 2800CS!
 
GDI said:
I keep going back to the San Diego car - it looks good but a few things do bug me, like the 7 series engine swap, the incomplete color change, and the suspect wiring.
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Remember what we said about mid 40's coupes being in the "labor intensive" category"? Well, that $35,000 coupe in San Diego illustrates this. Sure, it's had an engine transplant, color change, you'll need to clean up the underhood paint and work on the wiring. On the other hand, if you want a coupe that's ready for the concours circuit, be prepared to pay more like $75,000.

Honestly, that car in San Diego seems like a pretty good deal, given your budget. The metalwork and paint are done, which is generally the most expensive part of any restoration.

GDI said:
I think I'm looking for the Sports Car Market Edition of the 2800CS!
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No problem. Just set the dial on your time machine to 2007!
 
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jmackro said:
Remember what we said about mid 40's coupes being in the "labor intensive" category"? Well, that $35,000 coupe in San Diego illustrates this. Sure, it's had an engine transplant, color change, you'll need to clean up the underhood paint and work on the wiring. On the other hand, if you want a coupe that's ready for the concours circuit, be prepared to pay more like $75,000.

Honestly, that car in San Diego seems like a pretty good deal, given your budget. The metalwork and paint are done, which is generally the most expensive part of any restoration.



No problem. Just set the dial on your time machine to 2007!
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Ha! Maybe I'll have to face facts and realize that the CS horse left the barn for what I want to have in one!
 
Markos said:
Don’t forget that you can get an exceptional e3 for $30K. An attention grabbing driver for $15K, a nice project for sub $10K.
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I'm glad you brought that up, Markos ;)

An E3 is lighter, quicker, faster; has 4 wheel disc brakes; you can carry 3 friends in comfort; has a big trunk for those tours; they didn't rust nearly as badly as an E9; used parts are cheaper; solid window frames = less wind noise, you'll still be the only one on your block with a unique BMW. In fact, I can't understand why this isn't the E3 forum that allows E9s to participate rather than the other way around. o_O. Said by a completely biased E3 owner.

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GDI said:
I keep going back to the San Diego car - it looks good but a few things do bug me, like the 7 series engine swap, the incomplete color change, and the suspect wiring. But, it is fjord, which my tii originally started life as, and hopefully will return to to someday (from its current Amana White).

BTW, if anyone knows that car, or has any advice with respect to it please message me!
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May want to contact @HBChris
 
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Dick Steinkamp said:
An E3 is lighter, quicker, faster; has 4 wheel disc brakes; you can carry 3 friends in comfort; has a big trunk for those tours; they didn't rust nearly as badly as an E9; used parts are cheaper; solid window frames = less wind noise, you'll still be the only one on your block with a unique BMW. In fact, I can't understand why this isn't the E3 forum that allows E9s to participate rather than the other way around.
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As the prior owner of two e3's, I can't debate any of that. The only thing e3's have going against them is that they are so darned scarce. I'm sure more e3's than e9's were manufactured back in the day. But most e9's have been saved, while e3's went through a period when they were just old cars, and many were scrapped.

bfeng said:
Based what what has sold on BAT recently, $100k -$125k seems more correct for a concours car
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Yup, you're right. But I would suggest that BaT tends to have the most expensive vintage cars. While there is the occasional bargain, the people who manage BaT seem to have more cars offered than their site can handle, they select the best of the best and the prices reflect it.
 
I actually started looking at E3's after I got my tii, I had a '71 Sahara that I enjoyed but it had the horrendous ZF auto. But the beauty of the E9 challenges almost any car ever made, IMO. The E3 is nice and nostalgic, but the lines do not compare.

For comparison, some other cars I am considering include the E24, a 928S4, or a later 911. 928's seem to offer a lot of classic car for the money, and performance is in another league - but again, it doesn't compare to the lines of the E9.

Maybe a solid 928, AND a driver E3 for daily duty!
 
Dick Steinkamp said:
I'm glad you brought that up, Markos ;)

An E3 is lighter, quicker, faster; has 4 wheel disc brakes; you can carry 3 friends in comfort; has a big trunk for those tours; they didn't rust nearly as badly as an E9; used parts are cheaper; solid window frames = less wind noise, you'll still be the only one on your block with a unique BMW. In fact, I can't understand why this isn't the E3 forum that allows E9s to participate rather than the other way around. o_O. Said by a completely biased E3 owner.

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Are you selling that one, Dick? ;)
 
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GDI said:
Are you selling that one, Dick?
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Not now. I just finished it in October and I need to play with it more.

The project is the hobby for me. It will go at some point. If I keep them, the hobby is over for me. I have two other cars that were finished earlier (not BMWs) so it will be a while until it cycles through.

You really can't go wrong with an E9. Stay with your plan. They will continue to appreciate (IMO). You can't pay too much...you can just buy a little early.
 
Nice car. Looking forward to seeing it in the Seattle E3/E9 gatherings... I have been bringing my Euro E23 to these events as @sfdon has my E9 currently... Denny (on Samish Island) has another awesome E3 that comes along to our drives - every once in a while...
 
I think the e3 vs e9 faster/lighter claims are from comparing apples and oranges. If we stick to US spec cars I see these results from R&T:

71 2800CS/73 3.0CS/71 Bavaria
Empty weight 2990/3175/3170
Test weight 3325/3480/3480
0-60 9.3/10.0/9.3
Top speed 126/125/122

The 73 has heavier bumpers and more emission controls but it is almost a dead heat.
 
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I doubt you could find a better car for the money than the one in San Diego listed early in the thread. If you are serious about an e9, and have the cash, I’d say pass on it at your own risk.
 
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Nice E3! If I had discovered the E3 before the E9 I could have happily gone that way.
Many similarities, the main difference to me is that E3 looks German and the E9 looks Italian.

Dick Steinkamp said:
I'm glad you brought that up, Markos ;)

An E3 is lighter, quicker, faster; has 4 wheel disc brakes; you can carry 3 friends in comfort; has a big trunk for those tours; they didn't rust nearly as badly as an E9; used parts are cheaper; solid window frames = less wind noise, you'll still be the only one on your block with a unique BMW. In fact, I can't understand why this isn't the E3 forum that allows E9s to participate rather than the other way around. o_O. Said by a completely biased E3 owner.

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