"Tricky "Dilemma with E30 M3

Sorry for the length of this post in advance  After a six and a half hour 420 mile round trip to view a stunning looking E30 M3 today (Sun) I'm left with a tricky dilemma.

The car is just what I'm looking for, body/paint wise undamaged and unpainted. Gearbox has usual gearlever/bush issues but synchros are all good hot and cold.

Engine not the strongest (but certainly one of the better ones I've driven and most likely not helped by the s**t attached to it's exhaust manifold see below) not too tappety, has non gen Magnecour  ignition leads.

Exhaust is a noisy horrible (really horrible) Scorpion piece of s**t.

Interior cloth and immaculate (very late M tech pattern which I've never seen before)

Front brake discs are warped. And my under bonnet inspection revealed homemade brake pipes from M/Cylinder to M/Cylinder  and from M/Cylinder to ABS unit (Do these have to be replaced when the larger (728i ?) mastercylinder is fitted ?

Suspension is the Bilstein/H&R kit, I prefer the standard cars setup for the road, but this was surprisingly supple and "liveable with"

Headlamp W/W not working

4 Brand new Michelin Pilot Sport tyres.

Eleccy sunroof/windows both working perfectly.

No rust around W/screen, door jambs, number plate lights or sunroof.

Radiator not leaking

BUT...........................and I think it's a big BUT, it has no service history prior to being imported, nil, zilch,diddly squat. ( I was well aware of this before I set out on my marathon journey so I genuinely don't have an issue with the owner) 

Car was imported in 99-2000 by a specialist importer who dealt/deals mainly with the rear engined products from Stuttgart. It's first MOT gives it's mileage when brought into the country and it has the original German logbook "Farts briefly" ?  (and it still has it's KM speedo fitted) the current owner has covered less than 6000 miles in the last two years (it's done a total of 75,000 miles)

An inspection was carried out by a well respected M3 specialist before the current owner purchased the car and highlighted several non major faults which the current (mature) owner has NOT had fixed.

It has an early type (incorrect) M Tech steering wheel fitted (I'd be putting an Alpina or Momo on it anyway so not overly concerned).

The cars overall appearance (especially its interior) would tend to indicate that it's mileage is genuine.

My heart says buy it, fix the issues ie brakes, exhaust, gear lever, and minor cosmetic faults,then go out and enjoy it........................however my head says get a grip man and run a mile !!!

What do you guys think it's worth and would the lack of service history put you off buying such a car ? It's a 1991 car (215hp) so one of the last built ? and has some good extras ie the suspension kit, an alloy strut braceand an Evo 2 front spoiler. I've previously owned an F plate Evo 2 and a G plate 215hp car so I have a rough idea of whats good and whats not !

I've purposely left the asking price out to help make your estimates of it's true value unbiased/ impartial.

All views very much appreciated.

Edited by Walter R

In Germany it happens quite often that cars once past the warranty time (and the first owner) do not get the full main dealer service history because of cost involved. As more owners the car had, it get's even worse from my experience.
People in Germany look more for the condition of the car than a full book of receipts and stamps as they can be worth NOTHING!
I wouldn't be put off by a car with no history (actually I own one with NO stamps in the book apart from 3 or 4), the car can still be a dog even if the book is full of stamps. Doesn't stop the owner to turn the key in the morning and give it a full blast right from the drive way, doesn't it? I hope you see what I try to tell.
As for the sluggish power delivery, get rid of the Scorpion exhaust FIRST thing.
If the body condition of the car is ok (to you) and all the major parts are present I would buy it if the price fit's the bill.
Everything else can be sorted afterwards.
Brakelines: if fitted with a 25mm MBC from E32 you need to bend one line per hand.
Late 215 car as described: everything below 6k is a bargain IMO with that mileage.

 

As long as the price is ok - agree with the above that the recent history/ inspections are more important - get the engine checked/tested for piece of mind  if you like...

I presume it was imported by Adrian Crawford by your description - i got my 1992 car from him - he is a top bloke who does not import any rubbish.  He charges top money for the cars he sells, purely because they are straight as.  If i were you i would give him a call - he may still have some info on the car.

Walter, its hard to give you an answer without knowing the price.

 

Thanks for all your  input/views guys.

Ther car is currently on the market at ..............................£9000. Which seems over the odds in view of the exhaust, brakes, gear lever, a couple of rear bumper scuffs,  brake vent missing out of front bumper , headlamp W/W not working, incorrect steering wheel and other small problems. None of which are expensive except the exhaust.

However as a whole, the car is what I'm looking for, ie it's unpainted, has original panels, a colour I like (Diamond black) and more importantly is rust free,  I prefer cloth interiors, it also has the benefit of a good quality suspension kit and the added bonus of Alpina 8 X16 wheels (original wheels are not with the car unfortunately)

Someone posted on a thread recently about a car Wayne at German Cars has due in (a 1988 ? Evo 2 in Macau Blue with similar miles) I spoke to Wayne about his car and he thought it would be ITRO £9500.

Having owned a "leggy" on miles Evo 2 previously I don't feel the need to do it again (and the Evo would be 3 years older anyway)  even though I realise the Evo is a rarer (more sort after?) car.

M5player you are correct in thinking AC imported it and  I'd have to agree with your description of the quality of cars he imports, always good quality stuff.

So back to business. What does everyone reckon it's worth ?

 

I would not pay £9000, that's for sure.
But how much is it worth??? Very difficult to answer.
I would not pay more than £7000 for it. Prices have dropped IMO, doesn't matter if people are asking for £9.5 etc.
Asking and selling are two different things.

Thats pretty expensive.

Especially without having any history.

Or without being a ltd edition of any kind.

 

How do you know it hasn't had any paint?

Bloomin heck ive just done a full restore of mine inside outside bodywork, everything and have £6000 worth of receipts for parts alone from the last 6 months, never mind the 700 hours labour to restore it, and i would only want a about that for mine

I've just paid £8k for mine. 1990 with 95k, UK car with recent history. It had a respray last year, non original but mint 17" wheels, Cecotto interior and everything working.

There two things to think about.

1. How long will you own it, thus when will you be selling. If 2-3 years how much will you have spent/lost? If longer it makes more sense, as you will build history.

2. What do you plan to do with/to it? It sounds like a fast road/trackcar to me, so most poeople will buy on condition and spec.

If you spend £3k plus after purchase which is quite possible you can work back to what you need to pay.

To me it's worth c£6k but no more.

There will always be another one and at £9k it would need to be ready to go with little or no further big bills.

neo1 wrote: Send me your email addy and i will send you a picture.

Oh! Isn't this the finished product then?

Edited by thepits