This BMW E30 M3 Evo Has Covered 154k Miles But It'll Still Cost You £90,000
It really doesn’t seem like much time has passed since E30 M3 values were hovering around the £20,000 mark. Now, though, you’ll need to stump up quite a bit more for one.
Case in point? A 1988 Evolution II model going under the hammer at Silverstone Auctions’ September, with an upper estimate of £70,000. Admittedly as an Evo II it’s a little more special than your average E30 M3, but still, that’s a serious chunk of cheddar.
The trouble is, if you bought an M3 of this vintage, you might be fearful of using it and denting the car’s high value. Perhaps, then, the answer is to buy a higher-mileage example. A car like the 1991 E30 Sport Evolution which will be auctioned during the same event.
Its clock displays a heroic 247,000 kilometres (154,000 miles), 126k of which were clocked by F1 Race Director Charlie Whiting, the custodian of the car until 1996. Silverstone Auctions has the following to say about the car:
“Uniquely, this car presents the enthusiast with the perfect mix of impeccable maintenance, an odometer reading that is high enough that additional mileage would be near negligible and an exterior condition that would not be harmed with enthusiastic driving.”
If you want an E30 M3 you can drive frequently and drive hard without feeling bad about it or destroying the resale value, this is probably your best bet. It’s been fastidiously maintained throughout its life and had significant rust treatment and prevention work completed on it in 2014.
As a Sport Evolution, it’s the best of the E30 breed. Just 600 of these final DTM homologation specials were built, each packing 235bhp and benefiting from various weight-saving measures. Due to its significance, the high mileage doesn’t stop this car from being painfully expensive: the estimate is £75,000 - 90,000…
Source: Silverstone Auctions via Motoring Research
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Am i the only one who prefer this over the new M3 cs?
Too different for me to have an opinion on. This is a rare classic. An amazing piece of history which appeals to the car nerd in me. The CS is an absolute beast which appeals to the thrillseeker in me. Guess it depends how I’m feeling on the day!
I might get some flank here, but hear me out.
I’d much rather have a car with a very high mileage than a car with relatively low ones,
as it proves the owner had taken very good care of the car, and especially with a car this rare and yet this clean looking proves that the owner would probably save it instead of his own children…
but to be VERY honest, 90k is kind of pushing it. 50-60K would have been more reasonable as it isn’t factory fresh (but at the same time, a 1993 Porsche 911 993 S Targa with like 50k miles costs 70k, so maybe its just the market)
and as from what Ferrari and the movie Matilda have taught me, is the fact that you should never get a second-hand car with lesser than 15-20k miles
More miles (if well maintained) = better run in
Also I think the word you’re looking for is ‘flak’ ;)
247k km and people talk high mileage… meanwhile i am beating the hell out of a 400k km car daily….
has been standing for the last week due to electrical issues :p dam boch and unreliable parts that fail at 400k xD
Lost it at Matilda, the only scene I can remember xD
Bargain next to a £90k+ F30 CS
One can only dream…
Classic cars are overrated. Yeah that car is brilliant, but 90k. Aw hell nah
One to rule them all!
For less than 10,000€ you can get a 220+hp, 8000rpm beast that looks just like the m3 but costs way less.
Step 1: buy an e30
Step 2: M body kit and painting
Step 3: fix the interior
Step 4: m50b25 swap with new valves, valve springs, camshafts.(arp bolts and head porting if you want to go extreme) Retune to 8000rpm.(even stock the engine holds up)
Step 5: coilovers, nice rims and tyres.
The car has the same racing pedigree, since everyone races e30s and you can actually have fun without being afraid of ruining the car. If you want more power, s50 swap for the win or turbo.
M50b30 stroker that would have more Torque than a tweaked b25 would also fit in that price limit