The BMW M6 is one of those cars that seems to have benefitted from its contemporaries, namely the E30 M3 and E28 M5. As values rise on these two early M cars, the E24 is inching its way up as well. Of all three, the M6 is my favorite, as I have a soft spot for graceful looking coupes. With an aggressive nose and thin side pillars, this car has a look almost impossible to replicate to this day. The E24 is a car that is finally getting its fair shake after years of being almost unnoticed outside of Bimmer enthusiast circles. This M6 for sale in California is not a garage queen, but one that has seen regular use with a host of maintenance records dating back to day one. Best of all, part of the proceeds of the sale goes to charity.
Back in February, we came across a mint condition 1978 BMW 733i for sale. At that time, I opined how rare it is to come across an E23 on the road, let alone one that has been kept in good shape. Lightning has struck twice, as this 1982 733i for sale in Oregon matches that prior example for originality. Unlike the 4-speed manual variant we saw in February, this particular example is equipped with the 3-speed automatic gearbox (the E23 would not see a 4-speed automatic until 1984). Originally an Arizona car, life in the western parts of the US has been kind to this 733i.
Today’s E30 325i is a well maintained and lightly upgraded survivor that hardly shows its 26 years or 174k miles. It’s not an “is” model but it looks just as good sitting on E38 16″ basketweaves and a lower H&R/Bilstein combo. As is expected on BMWCCA classifieds, the clean appearance is backed up by well-documented care. Overall, it’s a great, driver-quality E30 with a clean look only available in the absence of a spoiler. The only real question here is do the nice upgrades and care justify $10k for 174k miles?
There’s something I can appreciate about the 320is versus the M3. On the surface, the M3 with its iconic boxflares and big wing is the DTM star you want, right? But if you’re a connoisseur and you’re looking for the driving experience, the narrow body 320is offered nearly the same experience. Sure, it was down a bit on power thanks to the destroked 2.0 S14 compared to its more illustrious brother. But it was lighter too, being a base model. The same thing happened in the Audi Coupe world in the 1980s; on paper, the Quattro was the model you wanted. However, if you were an enthusiast, the last of the 1987 Coupe GTs offered the same performance as the Quattro did thanks to their lighter weight and upgraded engine over earlier models. The result is that these narrow-body cars offer discrete performance in a less showy package for those in the know. aSo that means that the 320is is a lot cheaper than a normal M3, right? Not so fast….
For those of you who read GCFSB daily, you are no doubt familiar with the E30 BMW M3. In the last few years, this DTM car for the street has seen a steep rise in price, especially in light of the fact that the M3 badge was retired for the two-door, 3 series M car. The first M3 was a very different beast from its 3 series brethren, with a race-bred 2.3 liter twin cam four cylinder engine, bespoke bodywork and upgraded brakes and suspension. While some prefer the power and torque of the six-cylinder E30s, there is something magical about driving a car that was strongly connected to its racing roots. This M3 for sale in Miami has slightly under 70,000 miles on the clock and had a respray a few years back.
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