Is now the time to buy the M3?

[4re308]

WOW thanks for all the replies everyone! I have been looking for a while. I feel that it is definately worth finding a nice original unmolested car. It will be cheaper that way and there is no such thing as a cheap M3!

[JEDM3]

The e30 M3 has no reason to return to depreciation so if you wait you will spend more in the future, and will not have gotten to drive the car over the time you wait. These cars are so much fun to drive, the grin will be ridiculous! Good luck with your search. Patience and a good PPI are your friends.
Cheers,
John

[MTree]

Get'em while you can, is what i say. Condition should DEF be a factor.

[4re308]

Condition is a big deal to me, mileage does not deter me entirely. Originality is important, or at least have the original parts.

[jimmy p.]

Now,,, this is the guy that should have bought the "Bubble Car" haha.

Welcome to the club.
Other than the already mentioned "mod addiction",,, the only other thing that really makes these cars expensive,,, is you get so addicted,,, you start buying multiples of them.

As Lee said,,, these cars are not nearly as expensive or fragile or finicky as people have made them out to be on the internet.
Think about how robust a car really is at its core that can be street driven and tracked hard into the over 100,000 mile range,,, and there are LOTS of them out there.

Try not to buy a complete puss case,,, there are some nice cars still available and they do come up, they of course cost a little more.

If you do buy a puss case and buy it cheaply,,, thats fine too,,, just go into it with open eyes knowing you will really want to restore the car right.
Do it ALL the first time, and afterwards it will be a great car, because you KNOW its all done and done right.
At the end of the day, you should'nt have any more money into than if you bought a really nice one especially if you are capable of doing some or any of your own mechanical work.

Good luck. This site and its members are a great resource for people who really love these cars and try to preserve them.
Cheers
jimmy p

[tominizer]

I think that a lot of (us) say it's expensive and to stay away (to the masses) ............ cause we want them all to ourselves !!!! We're the hording kind...........

[4DAFUN]

I found out 12 years ago that the only thing better than an E30 M3 was... owning 2 or more of 'em! Ha! My wife would divorce me so fast if I got another one. She says she's gonna have me buried in mine when I die. Well, after TWO new engines due to detonation, and 6 months in a body shop and $17K spent on paint, I guess I already am! I was invited to show it at a concours event but declined as I'm now only needing carpet. It's been a long addiction and the wife has finally accepted the permanent love affair. Currently a garage queen reserved for only sunny days! I'll probably die with it or will it to a nephew...such is the E30 M3.

Later,
Eric Adams
Portland, Oregon
'89 E30 ///M3

[Byznyrn]

Hello Uncle Eric, I'm your long lost nephew... I'll gladly take the place in your will to receive the car.

Sounds like a nice car. Tell your wife at least your love affair besides her is a car and not another woman.

[4DAFUN]

Hi, Nephew Jeff...
Yeah, I got married in the 3rd grade. But I never aged past my shoe size, thus the M3. The wife accuses me of taking second looks at cars, Bimmers especially, instead of women. Um, gee....arn't you the lost
nephew I only heard about and never met?

E.

[4DAFUN]

Hi, Nephew Jeff...
Yeah, I got married in the 3rd grade and never aged beyond my shoe size, thus the M3. My wife accuses me of taking second glances at cars, Bimmers especially, instead of women. I have another 22 M3's....in 1:18 scale. It's the only way I can afford more than one. Only 3 more I'm looking for and the collection will be complete. (Minichamps & AutoArt). I would post some digital pics of "4DAFUN" here on s14.net, but I dont know how. They're huge files
at 5-6MB per shot from a Nikon D200. Seems I have to have a URL?
I somehow don't get how to post pics.
Later,
Eric

[///MDeuce]

having a stock M3 is a huge tease

this sums it up right there. I am on the fence about doing any mods to mine because i want to keep it in stock format. I think light mods like springs/shocks are still in keeping with the original format

[eastsideM3]

this sums it up right there. I am on the fence about doing any mods to mine because i want to keep it in stock format. I think light mods like springs/shocks are still in keeping with the original format

Just keep all the original parts. It will not take away from the value if you have all the parts to bring it back to stock, it will only enhance it. The problem is I need a room to store all the stock parts I have replaced, but its worth it.

[GGray]

Man and to think I had four at one time

should have kept them....

[NSXM3]

Dont wait, just buy one.

I picked mine up in Feb. Almost forgot about these cars till a friend bought one. Was shocked at the price jump, (and limited local supply) but still some what affordable and available.
Don't forget, these were about $35k new. So buying one and getting it into shape in the high teens, low 20's was still OK in my book.
(easy high 20's / 30's if paint & engine rebuild is in order)
And yes, we missed the bottom..... Get over it.
As far as a lo mi. collector car, that's up to you. I just wanted a white one with no rust, clean title, never hit front or rear.
(Not an easy thing in itself) for fun & some track use. Instead its becoming my nice weather daily as well! Racked up about 6000 miles so far!
The real shocker was how well it does at track events with minor improvements. I could never own one of these as a show car / garage investment queen. It would be a crime to deprive you or the car.
And as far as mods go, they are much more fun with susp work.
Its almost a crime to leave the susp stock (to me anyway).
Will probably keep the engine stock, but the lightened flywheel & short shifter were a welcome addition with the susp work.
As mentioned, just getting a good running clean one is the trick. Maint. & mods will keep you on your toes after the initial purchase. Mileage is not that much of an issue as anything can be rebuilt, and if you plan to use one of these as intended, age alone will dictate the need for lots of "stuff" to be done. And if you cant turn a wrench, this is probably not the car for you. Its a fairly easy car to work on, but mech's charge an arm and leg to work on these little bundles of joy.........
Just remember, rust never sleeps and a salvage title is forever......

Just my thoughts after about a year of ownership.
Was it all worth it? 100% YES!

[Byznyrn]

It's always time to buy an E30 M3. They are going up in value and the "printed" market is finally showing proof. Last month, NADA guides said an 88 M3 was only worth somewhere around $6000 (maybe high retail or whatever). Now, we all know that you can't trust the print on these cars but it gets better. Now that we are in 2008, 1988 cars just switched over to their Classic vehicle value database and the value of the 88 M3 has gone up. Now, average retail is $10600, while high retail is north of $17000. But since 89 and newer models still fall under the normal category, they are still holding their original numbers around $7k... Check it out.