The E30 Touring influx is reaching critical mass, and where they used to come up once every few months, they are available in various levels of trim on eBay and craigslist around the country. The black on black one we recently featured was very tempting, but pretty spendy. Today’s receives negative points for the automatic transmission, but overall is looking outstanding in Royal Blue and some shiny BBS wheels. 167k miles is nothing to sneeze at, but the bids are starting much lower than the black edition’s $12,500 asking price. If you’re third pedal-averse but live in an area with actual seasons, this is the E30 touring for you!
Author: Nate
Much of my affinity for BMW’s Estoril Blue was my introduction to it on my friend’s father’s E36 M3 sedan. It was part of the car’s identity, always referred to as “the Blue car” and perfectly supporting the E36 M3’s understated aggression with a hue that is gorgeous but not extreme. Techno Violet may carry a more intimidating name, but it serves a similar purpose in the BMW palette. It shines a deep, gorgeous purple, but is neither garish nor loud. The E36 M3 sedan is one of my favorite performance values – maybe not moreso than the E39 5-series, but available for even less money.
Today’s M3 looks well cared-for, with just one large blemish: a rust spot in the rear fender from a “low-speed slide into a guard rail,” aka someone hit the gas too hard in the rain. Beyond that, the maintenance records, clean interior, and restrained upgrades (Dinan suspension and chip are no-brainers) make for a high-mileage M3 that’s worth taking seriously. With a Buy-It-Now of under $6,500, it’s clear the seller is serious about selling it, too.
Click for details: 1998 BMW M3 Sedan on eBay
1 CommentThe E21 is an underappreciated gem in the classic BMW market. While many of the prime examples we’ve seen for sale have been low-mileage survivors, they have also been demanding prices in the mid-teens, which is several orders of magnitude higher than what standard, stock examples cost. Today’s is a fun compromise, combining dramatically modified looks with some careful mechanical attention and all coming together for a fairly reasonable price. It won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but I like the cream exterior on shiny BBS deep-dishes. It’s a little too low, but that’s clearly the look the seller was going for. The big selling point for me is that the current owner bought good parts and has everything in working order – no mean feat for a 1983 BMW. With a slightly readjusted ride height, the silliness would disappear and this would just become one of the cleanest E21s out there.
Click for details: 1983 BMW 320i on eBay
12 CommentsTavarish’s recent Jalopnik post regarding the performance bargain available in the E39 540i solidified many of my car-brain’s transient thoughts. The 540i is a serious looker, with the E39’s grace and nearly all of the M5’s aggression. They are plentiful around the interwebs, but this example caught my eye with a host of Dinan upgrades, low mileage, and a 6-speed transmission. The Dinan supercharger pushes power slightly above the S62’s with plenty of drivetrain and chassis modifications to keep up. It may not quite trigger that special ///M response, but it will get you 99% of the way there while costing half of what a similar M5 would. At just over $10k, you’ll be hard pressed to find more performance per dollar, let alone in a car that looks this good.
Click for details: 1998 BMW 540i Dinan on Craigslist SF Bay Area
2 CommentsAre you in the market for some cheap, silly fun? If so, today’s your lucky day. This bronzit 325is, a healthy performer right out of the box, has had turbo slapped on the inline-6 and now pushes out E46 M3 power to the wheels. It’s certainly no garage queen, but that’s clearly not what this bronzit brawler was built for. A little worn paint is no problem when you’re spooling up a fat turbo and drifting on an abandoned racetrack. Any turbo/project car should be approached very carefully, but the seller’s price makes it a little easier to take a gamble. There aren’t many E30s out there for $4k these days, and those that are are probably ready for some hooning. In that case, it might as well have a big turbo!




