Who doesn’t love a well-used collector/sports car? This 1989 BMW M3 has 233,000 miles on its high-strung S14 four-cylinder but does show the trademark signs of hard use. However, with so many of these classic E30 M3s ending up in literal bubbles in the garage with under 50,000 original miles, this one is full of charm and quite appealing. Find this project-grade M3 here on eBay with bidding up to $25K and a week left on the auction.
As I’ve written about previously, the E30 M3 has enjoyed a surge in value over the past few years. Many owners struck the proverbial gold mine for simply maintaining a project car that you could pick up for peanuts 10 years ago. Engine rebuilds are costly and they were not worth enough to justify the significant maintenance investment; that, however, has all changed. The high-revving S14 motor alone can command five figures, and the seller says this one runs well.
The seller notes the M3 suffers from a low-quality repaint, which may be a reason why this rust has bubbled up beneath the tail light lens. Among other issues is hardened rubber seals, which likely includes the gaskets behind the tail lamps that help reduce the change for rot like this and water intrusion into the trunk. Of course, this area may have been poorly prepped for repaint, and the seller also notes damage to the rocker caused by improper jacking.
Ugh! The exhaust is also a total bodge, but what you see is how many of these now-classic M3s used to appear: tired, with corners cut but still running like a scalded cat. In a way, this is how M3s can be enjoyed the most with no concern to collector car insurance policies and being wrung out on the track. If I were on the hunt for an E30 M3 I could use, this car would warrant a closer look as its value will only increase without the penalty of having to store it in a museum.
Leave a Reply to DavidLMM Cancel reply