TMS article on E30M3 values

[pauliecarzz]

This isn't what I've found to be true. I drive mine often and when I take it to events, it's the young people who are looking at my car, saying it's their dream car. Kids 18 and under. Running away from the super cars and coming up to my car and taking pics. Asking questions etc...and as long as BMW continues to make bad sports cars....a few cars set aside...the passion from the younger generation will continue to shine.

Also regarding Facebook. I left it about a year ago and haven't looked back since. I was brainwashed for years but came to learn what it's really doing to our society. Facebook rant off. And if you like it I'm glad. No offense taken or meant.

AGREED!! I have 15 yr old kids stopping and glancing at the car while throwing the thumbs up! I often wonder if they even know what they're looking at? haha! At the end of the day I'd NEVER drive an electric car! NEVER! Those cars will never see the classic market simply because they wont make it that far! They're expensive to repair once out of warranty and Most people will not go for the big dollar amount to replace it's expensive Battery which PS isn't "Green friendly" to dispose of.

[monkeyodeath]

Internet hype machine really came for the E30 M3 10-15 years ago. Felt like every other week there was some car website feature about it -- first about how it was underappreciated, then about how prices were blowing up quickly. It became a darling of the Jalopnik crowd and the holy grail of the Euro enthusiast as article after article lavished it with praise. ("God's Chariot", anyone?)

I know, because that's what made me aware of the E30 M3 as a budding car enthusiast. Picked up a cheap, high mileage one within my meager budget because I figured that I wouldn't be able to afford one in a few years, and I was right.

You saw the same thing happen with the normal E30 (or NA Miata, or 1st gen MR2, etc.). After about 8+ years of showing up on every "top 10 great affordable fun car" list on every gearhead website and youtube channel, the secret is out, demand is up, and they aren't quite as affordable as they used to be.

Even if a lot of people didn't immediately go out and buy these cars when they saw articles about them, it planted the seed of desire in their minds. That broke 25-year old who dreamed about getting an M3 when they read about the Bill Caswell car on Jalopnik 10 years ago has now sold their first tech company or made junior partner or whatever and finally has the cash to play.

Same thing happened with the air-cooled 911. I knew the first time I saw a sumptuously-shot Petrolicious feature about some guy's old SC that air-cooled was about to move into the stratosphere, and it pretty quickly did.

Not saying that the Internet is the only reason people find out about and buy cars, but it's a huge part of it. Especially as the first generation mostly raised on the Internet comes of age.

[G EDP]

Slight side question, are there any Sport Evo owners out there that track their car?

[Ironhead]

AGREED!! I have 15 yr old kids stopping and glancing at the car while throwing the thumbs up! I often wonder if they even know what they're looking at? haha! At the end of the day I'd NEVER drive an electric car! NEVER! Those cars will never see the classic market simply because they wont make it that far! They're expensive to repair once out of warranty and Most people will not go for the big dollar amount to replace it's expensive Battery which PS isn't "Green friendly" to dispose of.

The other thing about electric cars is that you lose that element of freedom. On a long road trip....when the 300 mile range is up...I guess you stop for the night and hope you can find a place to plug it in?

Like everything else today, a lot of the hype about electric cars is politically driven, and thus severely spun or completely untrue. They still need to be powered, and if everyone suddenly switched to electric cars, the power grid would need major expansion. Coal is dirty, the burning of any fossil fuels is non-PC, no one wants more dams built, and you might as well not even talk about nuclear. Does anyone actually believe that 50 million electric cars in the US are all going to be powered by solar panels and wind generators?

If we abandon the unicorn riding utopian BS that we are constantly bombarded with, nuclear power emerges as our best option, and the only option that can actually meet our power demands with available technology.

[mwagner10702]

At the end of the day I'd NEVER drive an electric car! NEVER!.

Try it before you dismiss it. In addition to my M3 and NSX I own a Honda Clarity which I use as my DD. Being retired I don't have a commute but do have the usual running around (grocery, Costco, Home Depot, etc.). The Clarity has a 45 mile electric-only range as well as a internal combustion engine that charges the batteries when they deplete to a certain level (think Volt not Prius). The 45 mile electric-only range is perfect for my daily needs and the car is smooth, quiet and comfortable. That electric torque is so addicting and since there is no conventional transmission there are no gears shifting. I can recharge the battery overnight on a 120v outlet. On a recent 700 mile highway trip I averaged 65 mpg and was not "hypermiling" or making any attempt to maximize my fuel economy.

Try it - you may like it.

[njboy]

The thing about EV’s from an enthusiast’s perspective is the weight penalty. A Tesla Model 3 battery weighs approximately 1200lbs. And 14 gals of gas weighs 90lbs. The weight of the E30 is immediately apparent compared to modern cars even non-electric if you switch between the two as I do.
With regards to carbon reduction one billion internal combustion engines worldwide could go carbon neutral overnight with synthetic fuels. Only catch is cost of producing it and we still need more electricity. The real long term solution to this is nuclear in the form of fusion, which has been an elusive unicorn for decades.
Also as said before there is a political element to this push for EVs as well as hype from organizations that are already heavily invested.

[mlytle]

hmmm....the nuclear option..

ok, who is going to do the first swap of an S14 for a fusion cell?

[mwagner10702]

I need a line on used flux capacitors . . . anyone?

[pauliecarzz]

Try it before you dismiss it. In addition to my M3 and NSX I own a Honda Clarity which I use as my DD. Being retired I don't have a commute but do have the usual running around (grocery, Costco, Home Depot, etc.). The Clarity has a 45 mile electric-only range as well as a internal combustion engine that charges the batteries when they deplete to a certain level (think Volt not Prius). The 45 mile electric-only range is perfect for my daily needs and the car is smooth, quiet and comfortable. That electric torque is so addicting and since there is no conventional transmission there are no gears shifting. I can recharge the battery overnight on a 120v outlet. On a recent 700 mile highway trip I averaged 65 mpg and was not "hypermiling" or making any attempt to maximize my fuel economy.

Try it - you may like it.

Being in the car business I've driven just about every electric car out there, I have ZERO desire to permanently own one. I dislike like them to the core. It's Just not me.. lol

[peteb]

Just to chime in, although I might be late to the party... I've owned mine for the better part of 30 years, this year I did alpha n, coilovers, and lee's big brake kit all around.. I don't care.. I never cared how much it was worth, I only cared that it was mine.. I spoke to someone who has a nice, un modified car, and when I described mine, all the things I did to it, the 200000 miles on it..he looked at me like I was an idiot...jay leno said it numerous times, to have a great car and not drive it is like dating a supermodel and never having sex with her so the next guy has it better..

[JS154]

Im in the "its a thing and you cant take it with you, so use it and enjoy it camp.

HARDCORE>

As in

Tune in to the SCCA Runoffs at Indianapolis this fall. Gulf E30M3 bringing the fight to the front again!

That siad...this is a full on GruppeA level touring car.

as a street car...and I ve had a few - no thanks. Terrible street cars. Gimme A Z4 Coupe any day...or an E28 M5 if its about drivng an older analog car.

[Ironhead]

Just to chime in, although I might be late to the party... I've owned mine for the better part of 30 years, this year I did alpha n, coilovers, and lee's big brake kit all around.. I don't care.. I never cared how much it was worth, I only cared that it was mine.. I spoke to someone who has a nice, un modified car, and when I described mine, all the things I did to it, the 200000 miles on it..he looked at me like I was an idiot...jay leno said it numerous times, to have a great car and not drive it is like dating a supermodel and never having sex with her so the next guy has it better..

^^This^^ Me exactly.

Truth be told, even though it might be heresy, I wasn't that crazy about mine in stock form. Slippery leather seats that sat too high, put my head against the sunroof frame, and didn't go far enough back to fit me. AFM gave relatively wonky driveability, car is 10X better with that gone.

I just don't think they are very good street cars either. I only fell in love with mine after taking it to the track.

So now, almost 20 years later, it is modded all to hell and I have no doubt the value has taken a major hit. I don't care. If I ever decide to sell, I wouldn't want an "all correct, all original" buyer to get their hands on it anyway.

[Ausm3]

These cars with motorsport history are a bargain compared to 90's JDM cars that increased value mainly due to movies. Disagree with the article, money talks and when it comes to sale, the one with the biggest offer will usually win.

[Ironhead]

These cars with motorsport history are a bargain compared to 90's JDM cars that increased value mainly due to movies. Disagree with the article, money talks and when it comes to sale, the one with the biggest offer will usually win.

Enthusiast Japanese cars are an interesting comparison. While I am not fully up on the JDM subculture, it seems to me that the desirability of older Japanese cars is based largely on their inherent potential to be modified. The 90's Toyota Supra, which has attained almost mythical status, is a perfect example. I owned an '85 Toyota Corolla GTS that I bought new, drove it for a few years, and sold for peanuts. Let's just say I wish I held onto it....

The BMW collector market, in contrast, values originality to the point of utter ridiculousness. I mean, I'm not being completely fair. There are plenty of modified older BMWs rolling around. But BMW still has the "all correct, all original" crowd that I don't really see in the Japanese car world.

It might actually have been a better fit for me to mess with Japanese cars....LOL

[erikm54life]

Slight side question, are there any Sport Evo owners out there that track their car?

Very good question !!!

We have an E30 M3 Sport Evo owner here in Nigeria with a car that has less than 5000km on it. Bought the car brand new and when he constructed his house he specifically built a platform for it on the roof. Its mostly garaged but when he wants to look at it he drives it up to his roof top !! Talk about weird.....if I could get my hands on that car everyone in Nigeria would know it 'cause i'd drive it right round the country !!