BMW CCA sponsor and enthusiast car valuation authority Hagerty has put out an E30 M3 buyer’s guide, and long-term members may recognize the host of the accompanying video. Whether you’re in the clearly exuberant market for an E30 M3, or are simply curious to learn more about the model, the video us a must-watch, as it touches all of the important bases.
The E30 3 Series and the homologation special M3 are icons even among BMW’s other greatest hits, and are responsible for having introduced many of us to the brand and broader obsession. These days, finding a clean E30 M3 is tall task, and the same is true of the conventional 3 Series upon which the model is based. It’s the same story with any car that was good enough to to be driven every day, and eventually into the ground. Decades later, they’re no longer throwaway goods to be recycled and replaced with something newer after being mechanically totaled, and valuations have appropriately risen.
Today, the E30 M3 market is flying high. It’s not hard to understand why, given the realities outlined above, along with a general renewed interest in so-called modern classics having taken place over recent years. Nevertheless, if you’re looking to buy, there’s a lot to know. Hagerty assigns an average value of $59,400 to the entire model year range of the U.S.-spec E30 M3. That figure aligns with the insurer’s condition #3 value, and although the four-level scale is a nice way to summarize things, the reality of what’s out there is more complicated, as you’ll learn in the video. If you’re looking to shell out six figures for a concours or excellent example, you’ll obviously want to know about the elements that set the best cars apart from those that might look the part, but aren’t.
Check out Hagerty’s E30 M3 buyer’s guide, hosted by Sam Smith, below.—Alex Tock
[Photo courtesy of BMW AG. Video courtesy of Hagerty on YouTube.]