Buying a E30 M3 for my husband

[bemmergirl17]

Hello guys, this is my first post. My husband is a big fan of the E30 M3's and I was going to purchase him one for his 50th birthday. The car has under 100,000 miles and seems to be in great shape for an '88. I am going to have the car inspected next week and I was wondering what are some known issues with these cars, also what should I be expecting in terms of reliability. Any feedback would be great so I can use it as leverage with the seller to try and get it down closer to $16K.

Here is the car: 1988 BMW M3 Coupe

[johnnyBgood]

Welcome to Bimmerwerkz.........

According to the write up in the link you supplied, that car is in very good condition........

My brother has an 88' M3 also, with 89,000 miles on it, & we had to replace the front & rear wheel bearings. Font struts & rear shocks........

Good luck with your purchase, your husband has great taste in cars!


jbg

[witeshark]

It's a very good find, but this nadaguides link will help narrow down the actual value. As you can see, 20k is right out. (moved to M3 section)

[bemmergirl17]

I figured $20K was a little high... If the car is everything it says, anything around $15/$16k would be a very fair offer I feel.

[german-speed-demon]

Your husband has excellent taste in wives as well. I can only hope my future wife will buy me an ///M3.

[thre318is]

Thats crazy , Im from minneapolis mn , ive only seen a handful of e30 m3's in the cities . . . they just stand out .

amazing cars!

[bemmergirl17]

What are your thoughts on the rims? Also, I can't tell if it's completely stock. I know Porsche drivers are mainly purists and like everything "bone stock". I have done some prior research and want to get all the details right. What are the pros and cons?

[german-speed-demon]

from what i see, it is NOT stock. Aftermarket radiator, which may be a nice thing. Wheels are not stock, however they are a good compliment to the car. Writeup shows either "replaced with OEM or well research aftermarket". I'ld ask for receipts of those replacements.

[Numark318i]

A true enthusiast will have records for everything.

Outside of regular maintenance and wear and tear the motor will need to be rebuilt around 100 thousand miles. The motors are amazing, but were built as race motors and will need a rebuild. Research that, as that will increase the cost down the line.

With that being said, you are not paying for the reliability, you are paying for the rarity, engineering, and beauty of the car. But anyone who wants a 20 year old car knows that.


( : good luck with the purchase. Your husband is a lucky man.

[bemmergirl17]

Numark, what signs should my mechanic look for to determine the amount of life left in the engine.

[AlpineSixAndSeven]

compression and lek down tests should be done