E30 BMW M3 | Buyer’s Guide

[@tymobyrne4451]

Bought a 325e new in 1984 for my mum, still have the car and my mum, life is grand.

[@dion_aldi]

The crazy price of the e30 M3 has bumped up the value of my pos four door 318i e30 😎

[@MyWolffy]

No it hasn’t lmao. Not how it works my gsr integra isn’t near the value of a type r.

[@dngendron]

I'll keep my +400hp motor swap e30.

[@charlycohen]

Do you think that can aplícate also to my e36 318tds?

[@Jeremy-kg1zr]

@@MyWolffy Might have something to do with it. M3s have gone up to Crazy prices, and regular E30s have gone up a lot as well in the past 10 yrs. In a way all of it is tied to the M3 racing pedigree. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the market trends of M3s affect regular E30 prices too. No offense to the Integra, but they're not quite in the territory of the M3 where 15yrs ago you could find them for sub 20k, and now they're regularly going for 60k+.

[@rbbxo]

@@MyWolffy a mint e30 5 years ago was around 3k and now they are pushing the 15k mark for a decent condition one lmao

[@derekb7814]

I've owned two of these cars. One was a 1988 with around 40k mi when I bought it that needed a partial restoration. The other (one I still own now) is another 1988 with 310,000 mi. Let me just say that I have never had the desire to own two of the same car, especially at the same time. This one I did. There is no other car that drives like it. Period. Are they the fastest? No. That's not what matters. It is HOW it drives. It will make an amateur feel like a professional. It is that good. Yes the prices are high. But I would pay all day long to own one of these cars for as long as I could. Some get it....some don't. But if you do, you truly know how special these cars are.

[@khalid749]

I'm looking for a 2nd one now lol. It's exactly as you say.

[@startingtech3900]

M3 or e30? I just bought a 1990 BMW 325i cabrio e30 5 speed red on black interior. Brand new paint with black leather interior

[@ZeroDownEnt]

@@khalid749 I have a 1989 alpine white one just wasting in the garage, whats your best offer?

[@khalid749]

@@ZeroDownEnt Hit me up. Not sure how to reach out to folks on here.

[@maxboya]

That’s how I feel about the E32 750 with the V12. I hate E30s lol

[@ScoutingForZen]

Arguably the definition of durable vs reliable. Great video Sam!

[@rembobo112]

Buyers guide: have 70/80k

[@pagodacloud2241]

In Thailand BMW e30 Mpower the price is 100k up

[@REXae86]

They sell for 8 grand here cheap af

[@lukestar_0793]

Germany g3ts them for 10k on average

[@myeditedhandle]

@@REXae86 Not M3’s unless theyre fake.

[@bubu._.plays.2966]

it costs like 10k in my country

[@randy438]

My dream car right there. Got to drive one before, it's very lively and has great grip and turn in

[@john_dee1431]

Holy cow, the research that goes into their videos like this is something else! :)

[@TheCeki1982]

Flooded with facts! :)

[@Xaocka]

you mean 5 minute google search? he kinda repeated the same thing for the first half of the video

[@AaBb-zj2ld]

my rule of thumb never by anything with a $400 piston.

[@MiguelGarcia-vj7oo]

This is my grail car..... Unfortunately I'm gonna have to accept that the only things I'm ever going to own that's closely related to a actual E30 M3 is my autoart fina cecotto diecast model and my ravaglia championship dealership poster.....lmao......20k for just a rebuild...... Jesus.....

[@khaldrogo9451]

You joke but the m156 V8 from a c63 amg has pistons over 1k cad

[@joeleonard9965]

@@MiguelGarcia-vj7oo Buy an E30 318iS 5-Speed while they are still attainable! The most balanced E30 with the most powerful and reliable 4-cylinder in the range south of an M3. Sincerely, An E30 318iS owner

[@fw1421]

Looks just like the 88 M-3 I owned,except I had the Cardinal Red leather interior. I kick myself 3 times a day for selling it!😡

[@johnwilliammaxwell5044]

Informative, interesting, and entertaining. 10/10

[@NachoChurro]

This is my motivation to buy for my father. Ill be gunning for the mercedes

[@coburn_karma]

My 1990 E30 M3 Alpine White is out there in the world putting a smile on that driver's face everyday like it did for me for 10 years. Sold it in 2000 to a mechanic friend after the cost of ownership was just too much to handle. It had 220K original miles on original timing chain. Last I heard he partially rebuilt the S14 engine, then sold it back to Advantage BMW downtown Houston,TX . It was fun while it lasted.

[@DannyyFilms]

Seen a couple in my area for 5-10k been looking for my first car and this one has been my dream first one sooo clean

[@kajbkkm]

I had a 86 E30 320i. Its was the best. Now I drive a 04 330ci E46. I need this E30 M3 more than anything. The styling, the sound , the 80s vibes. Its just perfect.

[@DonBMW]

Beautiful car but past my time. I grew up w E36 and forward. Purchased a few E36, M Coupe and E46 M3. Have a small little collection that is awesome to own and drive. Am considering adding a E30 M3, but the cost alone would exceed the value of my collection. That’s madness!!

[@Ficon]

This series is so much better with Sam than with the NASCAR guy. Sam actually knows his cars and doesn’t just spew hyperbole with no substance.

[@CrazyBRT]

Great vid. pleaseee do same with E46 M3

[@Superbayfactory]

I did not know about the vertical stitching, learn something new everyday thank you!!! I've worked on a few and we all assume we know it all.

[@josephodmoors4623]

Excellent job on this! Your research on these cars has paid off.

[@akbarhoosain3968]

Hi that car must park in a glass cabinet, I just love it,, I have a e36 m3 since new parked off, but yours is the king of m3's

[@pamanthanos9742]

perfect time i want e30 now

[@gauravparashar6288]

Please Please Please make a buyer's guide on Nissan 350z.

[@GTArmstrong]

Sam! Thank heavens you're back!

[@canyonero2050]

I had a '93 2.2L n/a honda that produced 190hp and didnt require hardly any maintenance and would happily go 300k miles

[@mayof911]

Great great video I’m looking into buying a standard e30 320i bmw and i found this video which is kinda related to what I’m looking for

[@TheBadsectorzero]

shout out to the guys loitering around the parking lot infront of five/NEO ... they only saw a partially-rusted-but-pristine-on-the-inside car, but for me it's a beauty waiting for the right build :)

[@crashyyy4116]

This is more of a buyer's guide! Awesome stuff! Sam Smith rocks.

[@petermartin9494]

Awesome video, brilliant work.

[@omardenarzi8226]

Best buyers guide episode ever!

[@Andrew4181975]

My ultimate dream car,and I WILL get one.

[@kittipobglanarongran3311]

This model was very high technology in the past.

[@Lifewiththeredmons]

I totalled mine at 14yrs old scrapped it the motor and all was destroyed but I only bumped my head against window it was a great car I traded a 1200$ four wheeler for it and was too young and dumb to know what I truly had no miles on it not a blemish ran so great the og crank sunroof 135 mph. Cruising down i40 in TN. Yeah no wonder I wrecked it.

[@GrunarG]

I owned 318i E30 I still miss it :(

[@djverhulst]

Those E30 M3 are great !!!

[@kylemcavoy6397]

Great video man very informative

[@guymcree2560]

Question for the group - What are a couple of good web sources for interior parts for this car? Please and Thank you!

[@Giancarlo-ol2mu]

If I remember correctly the BMW M3 E30 had the first gear on the bottom (minuto 6:43). I notice from the gear knob that the gear arrangement is very different from that of the BMW M3 E 30.

[@vk0u532]

Looking to buy this in 2 years

[@alistairthompson2750]

High revving naturally aspirated light weight race bred handling they've went astronomic in price because bmw has lost these m car values currently

[@99unclebob]

Agreed Alistair , the current M2 series the closest modern M series car to this is over 500kgs heavier than this M3, Back in the 80's when this rolled out a group of us were Alpine ski instructors in Canada and our buddy fast Eddy just got out of law school bought one of these and 3 of us regularly jumped in it and drove out west to the rockies in Alberta and BC with our gear and ski racks on the roof and 80/90 mph never phased this car at all, we had to be careful for the snow tires on it were expensive $130 a corner which was allot of money back then, we split the cost with Eddy on this and it never let us down ever and was 100% serviced by the local BMW dealer so it got all the love it ever needed, sadly fast Eddy met a girl and the M went from car MMarriage so the trips thinned out and they had a child and it got traded in for 325i boring 4DR, it did have the nice engine and did haul ass pretty nice sounded really good approaching redline and she learned how to drive a 5 spd kudos to her, it was fun and one dam good car , it's still hard to believe at how well it handled and comfortable it was on those long trips 👍

[@sharedknowledge6640]

These videos are somewhat nice but could use much less drama. You imply if even the screws on the glove box hinges are not original your BMW will drive poorly. It would be much more useful to highlight what genuinely matters such as most any BMW out of warranty is well proven to drain the bank account of nearly all their owners just to keep them on the road and from dribbling various fluids all over your garage floor. These cars have a solid place in history but German engineering generally leaves much to be desired. A late 80’s Japanese car will run 200K with just normal maintenance. Driving any BMW 200K will cost a small fortune relative to what most of them are worth.

[@EM_life-gr8sn]

Got one! Love it!

[@RedTurbocar]

The engine has roots going back to BMW's Formula 2 engine of the 1970's....closer to that than the M10 from the 2002

[@eduardojardim6852]

Hagerty I'm a Huge Fan, please do a video like this for the Audi A4 TDI 1.9, I'm almost buying one, Cheers From Portugal!

[@Bob_Smith19]

B5 S4 would be the video to make. Most are aware of the service nightmare of that engine. But there are lots of other things to look out for as well.

[@Stephen-re4oy]

Do the E36 and E46 next

[@khatanaashish]

Great Video. Highly recommend checking out BMW Japan commercial on E30 :)

[@revengfullyfe4171]

I wanna car like this but it’s hard to find is there something similar to this car model

[@WarriorsPhoto]

I know these are sought after. I didn't think they were worth it even at $16,000. But I know that people will pay for that dream car they always wanted and it is obvious that people are doing that with these.

[@nishantpatil1247]

You guys your editing is so good but for some reason it looks too compressed

[@trebm3]

this is the quintessential car for fanboys as anyone else with sense would not spend this much for an 80s BMW that is not faster than a mini cooper

[@pedrorodrigueztube]

Windshield glued? Is that M3 only regular e30 use a rubber gasket

[@Hosz688]

I like these cars but would never pay what they are currently selling for. For a similar price, I could get and would rather have a 993, 997, 2 E46 M3s, a 328 or 360.

[@shortroundChris]

What road was this in Jersey? Actually looked like Bear Mountain roads

[@flacjacket]

I struggle with titling the E30 "The winningest touring car in history", the 3DR Sierra Cosworths smacked these things silly and had a much higher win rate, but the championships were won by the E30 because the Sierras were so much more competitive between each other.

[@kieronryan5324]

Thank you some one who knows

[@auspuffgerausche7182]

There are no longer 5,000 E30 M3 in USA. Many write off, or have been exported out of the country :)

[@ValladolidArde]

rear seats are same as cabrio

[@booosh6350]

Ah should i get it

[@strech5412]

That gash on your head - a GR Supra, or a Lotus Exige?

[@ronlynch7744]

Cool knowledge here. 😎👍🇨🇦

[@Anirossa]

Prefer M20B25/27 to the M four-banger, so much cheaper, great power potential, a lot more power for your money and in my opinion, better sounding.

[@randy438]

the S14 is a very peppy engine. A lot quicker than an M20

[@Anirossa]

@@randy438 Yet the M20 can easily pull twice the power of a S14 with a turbo build

[@PrettyBird23]

@@Anirossa i get what you’re saying but anybody that puts a turbo in this car should be banned from buying one.

[@Anirossa]

@@PrettyBird23 Woudn't turbo an M3, but I would potentially turbo a 325i, have two cars with an M20 engine, and know a guy who pulled over 600hp out of one, his didn't last a long time though, 300 hp however is very manageable for an M20

[@PrettyBird23]

@@Anirossa I’d supercharge one tho

[@JoshuaTootell]

Great guide, totally sold me on not buying one 🤣

[@strech5412]

Sam - how many turbo’s that 718 got?

[@liberisempre]

SPETTACOLO...BMW FROM 1988...

[@ebrahimamghar4050]

السلام وعليكم كم سعر سيار

[@theneondino]

My E30 M3 is a basket case, but I'm so glad that stupid young me decided to be irresponsible and buy it. It was a dumb decision then, but I sure look smart these days having paid less than $10k.

[@PigglyWigglyDeluxe]

Curious question, I hear people use the word “chip” a lot when referring to tuning the engine Is it literally some sort of computer chip soldered into the ECU? Or is that some sort of catch-all word?

[@pixelpoppyproductions]

In the current day of OBD2 computers, no, it’s not a physical chip. New cars get a new program written to the memory of the computer (a “flash” tune). Or maybe a piggy back, which basically tricks the stock computer into making more power. In the early days of EFI (like the E30), the computers used write once, read only memory (ROM). So a chip tune is actually a physically swapped computer chip with a tuned program. It sounds scary, but these things have socketed chips, it just plugs in and you’re done. No soldering.

[@PigglyWigglyDeluxe]

@@pixelpoppyproductions neat! Thanks for the explanation. I’m familiar with OBD2 modern stuff so “chip” to me sounded so odd

[@modenaro1776]

1990, no airbag. Fixed windows.

[@Bob_Smith19]

Hagerty has issues w/ their hosts talking into the correct camera. Either that or the editors are choosing the wrong shots. It looks bad when the host isn’t talking into the camera.

[@rileym2247]

Too bad this is not a buyers guide. Entertaining video though.

[@kieronryan5324]

Fact Ford Sierra Cosworth Has the most race wins and was outlawed from racing by the FIA and the Ford Sierra Cosworth is the only car to not be beaten by the legendary so-called Godzilla Nissan skyline

[@thebensontv1285]

were i stay 325 is engines are around want one for the right price e mail me

[@Roboticpycotic]

Me thinks Sam has owned one of these before.....

[@felipao007i]

lets talk about the LR series 3 on the back!!!

[@jonathanmoga5188]

The og but us spec was underpowered

[@ciatangallaghe2485]

Why were you driving so slow?

[@sats7819]

The side skirts should be satin and not gloss 👍🏼

[@imanutnur7]

Why would anyone want to own one?

[@cambmw93]

Because they’ve driven one

[@JS-oi5jt]

lol the buyer's guide is.. if you can afford one, you'll buy it regardless because you can afford to restore it...

[@23bamboosaclose]

All this trouble for GTI power.

[@madmike5144]

E30 hype and tax is way too strong....I will waiting that day when used car market will crash and i hope. I don´t care if my e30 ix value will die, when it is my dream car i would never sell it. The reason is why i want used e30 market prices die, because i want more spare parts

[@seph95]

Solution if you have to rebuild the stock engine: Swap a mordern BMW engine.

[@bobbyperu8414]

more VOLVO

[@RaytheonNublinski]

60k for that ugly brick yeah no.

[@aaronsmith3869]

haha i just think it looks cool

[@AbduMad]

*i have 300$ in my bank account* also me:

[@MikeNyaundi]

Winningest lol 😂

[@stonewalled9696]

E36 is so much sexier. Better paint too.

[@pixelpoppyproductions]

I’ve lived and breathed E30s for 20 years - this was one of the best researched, no BS videos on these cars I’ve seen in a long time. Honestly a lot of this information applies to any E30 as well (details matter!). If you like the E30 M3, but the price is way out of your reality (it is for me!) - regular E30s are just as fun, and at least somewhat affordable. Parts are still mostly available new, although getting harder, and basic maintenance is still pretty affordable. They are also extremely easy to work on and the modification potential is endless.

[@ernestoorozco-jimenez4966]

It is such a beautiful car, I’ve always wanted one but seeing it now how much price is and finding one complete car is hard to come by I need to avoid it.

[@gianlucacisaria8625]

This is gonna hopefully be my first car, always loved the car and what an impact it has made, BMW needs to make this model again as a heritage model

[@LouT1501]

Great to see Sam Smith here! One of my favorite writers.

[@sdlausen1]

Wrong. Japanese figured out how to make the sports car reliable.

[@crownvicca]

Could you do a video about other E30s? M3 is legendary but there are too many videos about them. Now I see other E30s gaining traction like 318is and 325ix.

[@billigerfusel]

Step 1: be rich Step 2:??? Step 3: PROFIT

[@damienlee1165]

Idk 100k for a 4cyl bimmer just doesnt sound appealing to me anymore.

[@johnnieguitar5724]

Excellent video! Very helpful comments about the maintenance required for that engine, and the potential problems a poorly-maintained car would give you.... $$$ and parts supply.

[@denysnuttall1706]

Wasn't built for die hards ,it's a homologation special, they had to make it to be able to compete

[@harshgulzar8325]

E46 please

[@Orcawhale1]

Great car, just a damn shame how overpriced they've become, this is not worth 60 grand, and especially not 100 grand.

[@eazy1424]

How is it not ? Supply & demand my friend

[@EchoSigma6]

I remember the earlier BMWs, they were driver’s cars and most guys worked on them. A simpler time for sure.

[@Jigsaw1988]

Legendary car indeed..though a bit overrated in my opinion. The M3 chassis got perfected with the E46

[@jonathanmoga5188]

No

[@clardrives9301]

Agreed, and to be honest I would rather have a 325i simply because I love the M20. But then again I’ve never driven an M3...

[@giannisxepis3465]

m3 is considered a legend car here in Europe,not for her power,but because it was the ruler at the 90' racing area.the last "mechanical"(no electronics) racing area who had the fastest drivers.also excellent balanced and a lot cheaper then mercedes 190 Evo.poor mans Ferrari it was called.