The original M3’s prices have become depressingly high. To find an example worth owning, most of the time you’re looking at close to $20k. The ones that are “reasonable,” that is, $15k or less, are usually high-mileage, engine-swapped, or greatly flawed. Today’s example in Colorado is a cheerful reminder that every once in a while you can get what you want without selling an organ. It’s been well cared-for by essentially two owners, with the seller being the third who went from an E39 M5 to this and realized it’s not the right car for him. He’s honest with the few cosmetic defects, but overall it looks brilliant from a 1998 Cinnabar repaint. The interior is original and thus shows slightly more wear, but the driver’s seat bolsters are surprisingly decent. Having just crossed 100k miles, this is a perfect mix between low-mileage and driver. With a Buy-It-Now of $15k and a reserve below that, this is the best bang-for-the-buck E30 M3 I’ve seen in a long time.
1998 BMW M3 for sale on eBay
A thorough description reinforces the quality of the car and honesty of the seller:
Up for sale is my 1988 Cinnabar Red M3 (10/87 Build Date), excellently maintained and kept as close to stock as possible.
The Details:
100.8K Miles, 2 owner
Clean Title
Original Drivetrain
Jim Conforti Chip (OEM included as well)
New Control Arms @98K
New Tie Rod Ends @98K
New OEM Clutch, Pressure Plate, Guibo, Center Bearing (+ Flywheel Resurfacing, Transmission Seals) @98K
New High-Flow Catalytic Converter @99K
New Muffler (OEM) @99K
New EBC Brake Rotors (Slotted and Drilled) @98K
New EBC Brake Pads @98K
Stainless Steel Brake Lines @98K
New Timing Chain @80K
New E36 M3 Chain Tensioner @80K
Newer Plugs @80K
Recent Valve Adjustment @100K
Synthetic Oil Regularly, most recently at @100K
Euro Airbox w/K&N Filter (Stock Airbox comes with)
E36 M3 ‘Lightweight’ Wheels w/Nitto Tires (Matching set of 5 wheels/tires). Spacers (H&R, I believe) are obviously included.
Euro Front Grill
Euro Headlights
Short Shifter (1987 635Csi Shifter)
Aftermarket JVC CD Player (comes with OEM Stereo as well)Exterior:
Overall: 8/10. Paint (9/10): The car was repainted to show quality status in 1998, as the original owner had a dog that was allowed to jump up on the car when the owner returned home, leaving some scratches on the driver’s door. The car has been garage kept since that time, and the paint is extremely glossy and in good shape for 13 years old. There is a couple of very minor rock chips on the front leading edge of the bumper, one spot on the top of the driver’s fender and a set of small scratches on the Driver’s rear quarter panel, right next to the trunk lip. There is also a crack in the paint on the Passenger’s Front Fender (More on this below), as well as some cracking and chipping paint off the rear spoiler. Rust (8/10): There is NO rust on the underside of this car, anywhere, including the rear quarters and battery tray. I inspected it on a lift and could not find a single spot of rust. This car simply was not driven in rain or snow, and the factory undercoating is complete and intact. In fact, most of the connectors/bolts, etc do not have any corrosion or dirt built up on them. There is very minor rust in the usual location under the front of the windshield. I have photographed this area so you can see the extent of it, but there appears to be 4 sections with minor rust, all fairly small. They are firm to the touch, so these are not ‘softspots’. Metalwork (7/10): The car was in a minor incident with a deer in the mid 2000’s. The driver’s front fender, header panel and hood were replaced with BMW R-DOT parts, and painted to match the show quality paint. The Passenger fender and front bumper were saved and were both not repainted, but neither is perfect- the fender was tweaked minorly and the paint then cracked on the lip between the fender and the M3 Flare. The gap does not look perfect on the fender to the hood. Rather then replacing a correct VIN tagged part, it was left on- a good body man could tweak it back, or it could be replaced with a new fender. The front Bumper hangs down just slightly on the Pax side, and I believe it could be brought up by adjusting the brackets. There is also a scrape on the Pax underside of the bumper. Additionally, the car was caught out in a small hailstorm- very common in Colorado. There are approximately 3-4 small dents in the roof, and a few on the hood. Other then these two issues, the body is in fantastic shape, with no door dents or other problems. It’s one of the nicest E30M3 Exteriors I’ve seen- and I was looking for a while. I have photographed all of the VIN tags as well.Interior:
Overall: 9/10. Dash is in mint condition and not cracked. It is covered by a dashmat, and the car was not left out in the sun often. There are no odors or stains anywhere in the car. Door cards are in excellent shape with no broken pieces. The carpet is worn next to the Clutch petal, but is otherwise covered in New BMW Floor Mats. All interior lights and gauges work, including the OBC. Heat and A/C work perfectly. The leather is in excellent condition; the only wear is on the Driver’s bolster and back (where your back touches, not the rear part of the seat). It is not torn or damaged, but should be recovered if you want to bring this car back to show status. The Passenger Seat looks in great shape, and the rear seat looks to have almost no use. The only flaws related to seating, is that the rear driver’s seat bottom stitching is starting to come loose- approx ¾†have worked its way undone. The only major flaw is that the vinyl on the rear speaker tray has curled and lifted off the panel. It’s hard to properly photograph, but I tried to document it. The shift knob has minor wear on the bottom. The car includes the original owners manual, binder, accessories guide, etc!Drivetrain:
10/10. The drivetrain is flawless, and impeccably maintained at no expense spared. Any leaking seal, was replaced (car does not leak a drop of anything). Any worn part, was replaced (As evidenced by the list above). Minor upgrades to the brakes were done when the original parts wore out. The car has never been tracked, and drives extremely tight. The engine/trans/rear end is all original, and I included a photo of the VIN tag on the engine. Synthetic oil has been run since 1997, and Redline products in the Transmission and Differential. The Gear box has no slop.Issues:
The Foglights do not light. I have not checked the fuses or Relay yet.
The Park Brake Dash Light works (and lights up when the car is started), but does not work when the parking brake engages. The sensor appears to be broken.The Story:
I purchased this car a couple of months ago from the second owner, a 30+ year BMW Mechanic whom was relocating and selling his entire collection of cars he’s amassed over the years. He has owned it since 1997, after purchasing it from the original owner who purchased it new in 1987 from Murray BMW here in Denver. In his 13 years of ownership, he only put 25K miles on it, while maintaining it using all of his expertise. This was a replacement for my E39 M5 (I’ve owned two E39 M5’s, and an E38) that I recently sold to find an E30M3. However, after a couple of months of ownership, I realize it’s not exactly what I’m looking for the type of driving that I do, and it’s in too nice of a shape (and too original!) to want to start modifying. I’d rather pass it on to an enthusiast, and start with something less pristine. Note: AutoCheck report, which shows a mileage discrepancy around 1995/1996, with a ‘Not Actual Mile’ title issued at 92xxx Miles, then the purchase by the previous owner and then a clean ‘True Mile Title’ issued with 78,xxx Miles, which is what I hold. At a certain point Colorado does stop recording mileage on titles, but this doesn’t explain the numbers above. The price has been adjusted accordingly. That said, it appears the car either has 100K, or 114K miles on it, though it looks much cleaner and feels like a car with less.
The E36 M3 wheels are not my cup of tea (they remind me too much of the Franken-M3), they don’t look bad and are an easy change. Beyond that, this is a buyer’s M3 the likes of which, in this market, we can’t bet on ever seeing again.
-NR