The BMW 3.0CS is one of the greats in the BMW family tree: outstanding performance, classic lines, and a legitimate connection to the company’s colorful motorsports history. Today, it is one of those classic models that is showing strength in the marketplace even as favor tends to wane for older vehicles that require more specialized support. The E9 is also a notoriously challenging vehicle to manage from a bodywork perspective, with extreme vulnerability to rust. This 1972 BMW 3.0CS listed here on eBay is an interesting specimen, showing some obvious body damage and modifications that make it a compelling candidate to restore or simply clean up and drive.
The seller is asking $32,000 or best offer for the BMW, which does come with a California salvage / rebuildable certificate. This obviously has an impact on value, and it makes me curious as to how the car was being used. The accident damage isn’t significant enough to warrant totaling it, but if the previous owner didn’t have assigned value / guaranteed value insurance, it would absolutely be totaled out by a run-of-the-mill carrier. It seems crazy in this day and age that a caretaker wouldn’t have a collector policy on this car, but stranger things have happened. The good news is that if it’s been in California most of its life, the BMW has a fighting chance of not being rusty in all the hard-to-see-places.
The modifications sure are curious, however. There was a time when these were not $60,000 cars, and there are a number of very well done restomods running around. This doesn’t seem like that kind of build, however, as it has seats (front and rear) from an E36-chassis BMW M3 otherwise known as “Vaders.” These are desirable in an M3, or even a late-80s BMW 3-Series, but it’s an odd choice for a classic E9. The three-spoke steering wheel is a common upgrade, but the later-style BBS wheels also seem like a strange choice for a car of this vintage. It’s almost as if the previous owner had a bunch of parts sitting around and decided to replace the tired original bits with whatever fit. The next owner of this 3.0CS would be wise to return it to original condition.
The “CSL” badge is a reference to the factory lightweight race cars, with this E9 certainly is not. The same goes for the Motorsports stripes / decals running down the sides. The strut tower brace is an easy item to remove, along with the stickers, wheels, and seats, but finding original components will not be cheap. However, all of these details are easy to address and well worth fixing if the BMW doesn’t have any of the troublesome rust that had forced numerous owners to invest in a deep five-figure restoration of their beloved E9, as rust hides everywhere on these coupes. The M30 drivetrain will be one of the easier components to service, however, as its known for its robustness and reliably delivering 180 horsepower and 188 lb.-ft. of torque. If you can live with the salvage title, this may be one of the cheapest points of entry for a running E9.
Nope, can’t, won’t buy a salvage title for that price. I’m unaware if you can get full coverage with a salvage title, my understanding is no. While I do like this car, something about makes me want it, just not for such an obscenely high price. My first thought on seeing the salvage title and price is that the seller got their settlement from the insurance company and is trying to make some off of the car now.
For ANY E9 without serious rust issues you can expect to pay a LOT more than this car. Good E9’s can go anywhere around $75k and up. $35k isn’t obscene at all. The market is soft right now for them compared to a few years ago but this car appears to have been restored at some point and most of the “usual places” where you see a lot of rust on these cars look to be clean. The damage is relatively light, but those fenders don’t come off, they’re welded on and this won’t be cheap to fix. It’s also got some interior issues, but it’s priced accordingly.
you can certainly get full coverage on a salvage vehicle. Simply requires photos or in some cases an inspection. Insurance companies love your money.
Fishy as hell. The visible damage is nothing compared to the worth of a clean CS, so what are they not disclosing?
The way that the drivers door fits, I’d guess there is some amount of structural damage to the drivers side of the chassis. Buyer Beware.
Take it to a competent shop who can properly assess the chassis.
Jangus nailed it – I saw the door as well.
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It’s a unit-body. A good shop with the specs and a full sized a pulling machine can fix it. The paint job as to matching the current scheme will be difficult.
Per the Ebay pictures the driver door appears to not be closed, or not adjusted to close properly. Direct side view shows proportional gap around the door. Inspection would reveal quickly how much of an issue that be. The single biggest question is to inspect for cowl rust. The title issue depends on where you live and who insures it. IMHO, I like those BBS wheels on this car.
The dealer also has a ’71 for 28K. It’s a really nice car excepts it’s missing bits out back like a deck lid and the trunk floor rearward. It has a decent original interior. Perhaps… These are at a dealer just a few blocks away, perhaps I should have a look.
It doesn’t take much to total a car these days. With classic car insurance like Hagerty the car is insured for a set value. With “cherished salvage” coverage they are happy to write you a check and give you the car. Both of my cars are back on the road after the fire with salvage titles. So many classic cars have salvage titles people don’t really seem to care.
I’ve had 2 Mustang GTs with salvage titles because they were theft recoveries. Once you have that documentation. A salvage title, along with the proper state inspection form. Usually presents no issues. At least in Nevada.
I’ve had 2 Mustang GTs with salvage titles because they were theft recoveries. Once you have that documentation. A salvage title, along with the proper state inspection form. Usually presents no issues. At least in Nevada.
I passed up a original unmodified in any fashion ’72 E9 back in the late eighties because I thought it too expensive…11 K ! And a sunroof AND a/c. I had to settle for a succession of 2002’s.
In addition to the add ons or should I say faking it up to look like an ersatz CSL, AND the obvious structural damage I’d be looking at the front shock towers.
Despite some folks view of the present value of these cars, this is no bargain. Not to mention a dealer has it :)
The steering wheel could be a period BMW option, the rear seats look original although retrimmed, one reason it may have been totalled is the front panel and wing plus the aluminium trims are or at least were NLA, it also looks to have been errr tidied up a bit with at least a new used grille and headlamps plus a bit of a pull on the front panel, but all in all it looks to be a very nice solid car……………….