E30 m3?

[83SY]

Looking for some advice please. Always loved the shape of the E30 M3 and fancy filling the other side of the garage with one over the winter.

Any pointers, what to look out for other than the obvious?

Low mileage examples seems to be mega money high cica 100k example sub 18k

[shimmy]

Only driven one around a paddock, would love to drive one in anger....know nothing about them sorry!

[Steve B]

Always loved the look of them but being LHD has always put me off actually taking the plunge and buying 1.


Steve

[trackm3]

They sffer a bit with rust so need a proper view, windscreen scuttle panel, rear panel, under the sill covers, front floors, under the fuse box all big areas for rust, Engines are pretty bullet proof if looked after with regular oil changes etc, 215BHP model is the better car if you can find one, normally the later cars 90> are the higher BHP models but check parts havn't been robbed along its life, the 215 model has a larger Exhaust manifold which is very desirable amongst purest's, gearbox's can be a little fragile bt at £400 a rebuild it isn't a major issue, check the ABS Wirks as lots of people fit the 5 series front hubs when the M3 ones are worn this mod muck up the ABS sensor rings unless they change them !

Great fun car that im sure i the next 5>10 years will make a nice profit and there is stil a few bargains out there if your willing to travel.

i loved my last one, wish i never sold it

Originally Posted by 83SY

Looking for some advice please. Always loved the shape of the E30 M3 and fancy filling the other side of the garage with one over the winter.

Any pointers, what to look out for other than the obvious?

Low mileage examples seems to be mega money high cica 100k example sub 18k

[Barry C]

like most things...they are cheaper in Ireland!

If anything you should buy this, put it on pistonheads and make a few grand profit My commision isn't much...

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/BMW/...1233209645722/


Rust is the main issue to look out for, high miles are not of much concern. I'd rather a high miler with load of maintenance than one that's had very little driving/maintenance over the last 20+ years

[E30M3SE]

That car is 'cheap' as it's a,

"American model imported from Japan,"

which means it's devoid of the dogleg CR box has a shorter rear diff, only put out 192hp when new. on the plus side being a US car it will have leather, A/C, cruise as well as the more usual e/windows and roof, if that's of interest. Less desirable this side of the pond, thus the price.

[Barry C]

Originally Posted by E30M3SE

That car is 'cheap' as it's a,

"American model imported from Japan,"

which means it's devoid of the dogleg CR box has a shorter rear diff, only put out 192hp when new. on the plus side being a US car it will have leather, A/C, cruise as well as the more usual e/windows and roof, if that's of interest. Less desirable this side of the pond, thus the price.

fair enough! you could always fit a dog leg. the price of shonkey e30 M3's in the UK is crazy.

[LeinsCSL]

US ones not particularly desirable over here either, which is why it's been on the market for well over a year. I briefly considered it with a plan to de-cat and change over the bumpers, but in the end decided against it and then bought my Alpina instead. Still fancy one though

As has already been mentioned, rust is the thing to watch out for, but if you can find a clean one and are going to garage it, then it's a great car to go for. There was a lovely sterling silver one in Buckinghamshire with 80k miles advertised on PH until last week for £14k, and that didn't seem to take long to sell

There have been a couple of nice 320iS selling in the last while too

[E30M3SE]

Originally Posted by LeinsCSL

US ones not particularly desirable over here either, which is why it's been on the market for well over a year. I briefly considered it with a plan to de-cat and change over the bumpers, but in the end decided against it and then bought my Alpina instead. Still fancy one though

As has already been mentioned, rust is the thing to watch out for, but if you can find a clean one and are going to garage it, then it's a great car to go for. There was a lovely sterling silver one in Buckinghamshire with 80k miles advertised on PH until last week for £14k, and that didn't seem to take long to sell

There have been a couple of nice 320iS selling in the last while too

That car was on Pistonheads in early July 2012 at £8k, sold in a matter of hours. See attachment for the original advert.

It was then immediately advertised on ebay, Cars and Classic and PH for £14K.

[LeinsCSL]

Originally Posted by E30M3SE

That car was on Pistonheads in early July 2012 at £8k, sold in a matter of hours. See attachment for the original advert.

It was then immediately advertised on ebay, Cars and Classic and PH for £14K.

Good spotting! I didn't see the car, but it looked lovely in the £14k advert. Hadn't realised it had been on since July

I also think it mentioned being completely rust free, which if that was the case it was a bit of a steal for £8k in the current market. Phrases like "project" and "TLC" don't seem to tally to a perfect car though

Also came with heated seats IIRC, which I would have thought were a rare enough option