The legendary E30 M3 is becoming one of the most collectable German cars of recent years and the market reflects that. With asking prices reaching up in to the mid $30K range for clean examples and upwards of $15K for total basket cases, finding a well priced, and clean car is no east feat.
As the car that made M a household name, the E30 M3 is really what put BMWs M division on the map. In just a few years, the E30 M3 scored thousands of motorsport victories making it one of the most successful touring cars ever. Powering the M3 is a twin-cam, 16v 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine with Bosch fuel-injection making 192 bhp. With a lightweight chassis (only 2850 lbs) and the 5-speed manual transmission, trhe M3 could do 0-60 in less than seven seconds, and a top speed was 140 miles-per-hour. Not bad for a little 4-banger.
This well kept 1988 M3 for sale in New York is a great piece of BMW M history.
1988 BMW M3 on bmwcca.org
Previous owner replaced oil-pan gasket, water pump, hoses, radiator, belts, power-steering hoses + reservoir, transmission mounts, upgraded rear shock mounts, fuel pump, fuel injectors, cap, rotor, plugs, EVO III wires & R134A retrofit, professionally-refinished wheels with new Toyo T1R tires, professionally repainted, mechanically stock except for TMS chip & upgraded timing-chain tensioner, purchased 3/09 at 89,532 miles, garaged & covered, driven regularly, clean history, no accidents, snow, salt or rain.
This is a clean example of probably the most desirable BMW (for enthusiasts anyway) in arguably the most desirable color combination. I’m not a fan of red, I like my M3s in Alpine White, but as the saying goes, beggars can’t be choosers. When the opportunity to own a clean low mileage example presents itself; you pounce. With a recent respray, and a ton of maintenance work done, this is a solid driver, not just a pretty face to be put on a shelf and looked at.Â
Considering how these cars are appreciating in value and whet people are asking for them, the asking price of $25,500 is pretty reasonable. A little haggling would need to be done to get it where I’d want it, which is about $22-23K.
-Brian