Check Out These Facts Before You Hit The Market For A BMW E30 M3

Beginning of a legacy, the BMW E30 M3 is a legendary car, that brought the concept of performance sedans into existence. The initial plan for the M3 was to make only 5000 vehicles for homologation reasons, however because of the public response the car went into production.

It is a well-respected car among people who love the art of driving, the ability of the car can be checked by the fact that people still use the M3 for races. It is like an old teacher who has all the experience and ability to make the student excel. The car also created its own identity and completely dominated several motorsport divisions. M3 is the first step for BMW M3 E30 is the first step toward the upcoming generations of fast and practical cars and now the masses understand what an M badge means. People still to this date love the E30, one of the prime examples is famous rapper Tyler the Creator’s E30.

10. It was illegal to buy the E30 M3

If you are eager to add this automotive legend to your garage, you must first check the model year. Because the first two models the years 1986 and 1987 were not launched in the United States which made it illegal to import as it did not comply with the US regulations.

However, it all changed when the M3 finally arrived at US shores in 1988 and now the land of dreams was ready to experience the power of the M performance. Moving forward to now, it is now completely legal to import these cars into the US, the only thing you need to worry about is the condition of the car.

9. Look for the hidden rusting

Since these cars are almost 40 years old now the major issue is the rusting, which you need to consider while making the deal. Inspect the car properly by checking around the taillight, battery tray, license plate, both sides of the trunk, under the trunk carpet, and the floor pans.

These are some of the hidden spaces that are not visible without specifically looking for them. The M3s were thoroughly used for racing and other enthusiastic activities, therefore the majority of them are roughly used and prone to be damaged by Mother Nature.

8. Look for the car is complete

Another important aspect would be to check whether the car is in complete shape. As there were only 5,000 sold in the United States and the majority of them were used for racing; the cars were heavily modified for better performance. The modified cars were changed according to the owner’s needs and preferences, which might not portray the stock capabilities of the car. The original parts matter because now the car is almost 40 years old and sourcing them is quite difficult and not for forget expensive.

A good example of this would be to check if the car has the original windshield or not because the M3’s windscreen was glued to the body it can be a nice indicator because to change it you have to scrape all the prior applied glue to change the new screen. If not done right, it may cause internal rusting which can be a big issue. Therefore we encourage you to thoroughly check the records and inspect them before signing the cheque.

7. Check the “heart” of the matter

One of the major aspects of a fast sedan is the engine and by the holy grace of god, BMW went a little extra for their first M badge. The S14 DOHC four-cylinder engine was based on the M10 block with two cylinders removed from the six cylinders. The engine used shares its roots with an F1 engine and although it is a high-performance engine, reliability was not a major issue for the E30 M3. However, you need to check whether the car is tracked or not because this gives you a sense of how much it was stressed, which can lead to future problems.

Also if the engine you are looking at was custom-built, you need to find who built it and what parts were used, because sourcing the parts can be tiresome and quite ex[expensive. Other than that, if the engine is in stock form and has no issues, the only frequent maintenance needed would be valve adjustment and oil top-up, and your M3 is ready to roll.

6. Interiors are great indicators

A detailed look at the interior will allow you to know more about the car, than reading the the prior reports. There are little things that allow you to see whether the car has everything in sync or has been converted to stock. The best way to identify this would be to take a good look at the seats because it may look like the other 3 series but the minute details such as the stitching are unique for the M3.

5. Only came with a 5-speed overdrive transmission

As a car enthusiast for me, it is a brainer as the E30 M3 was a driver's car and it should only be available in a manual transmission. And BMW did that, as the M3 gets a Getrag 265 5-speed manual transmission from the factory for the US model.

The transmission is set to the original shift pattern, has a wider gear spacing, and an overdrive fifth gear. As standard, the transmission was also equipped with a clutch-type limited slip differential.

4. Insanely expensive

This should have been the first point but considering the legend it is today people with deep pockets are ready to pay insane money for such a car. We cannot quote the exact prices because it is an old car and several aspects such as the condition, model year, demand, etc. can certainly influence the price. However, it is safe to say that a good example of the BMW E30 M3 can easily fetch 6 6-figure amount.

3. Test Drive it

After you are satisfied with everything and the car is in good condition, the last thing you need is a test drive. This allows you to feel the car and identify things that are not seen through the naked eye. If possible take the car for a spin without the owner, which will allow you to put the car through its paces and identify if something is wrong, without a nervous person sitting next to you. This also simplifies the purchase process because if you crashed, you better be ready to pay, and voila, you now own a piece of automotive history.

2. One of the winningest cars in the automotive history

With the E30 M3 BMW tried to create a sharp-edged performer that dominated the motorsport scene of the late 80s and 90s. As good of a beginner car, it was the BMW M3 was just magic if used by a professional driver.

If we talk about the achievement, the chassis won a world championship, two European championships, and four Italian championships, with several other titles, the M3 completely blew the competition out of the water and created a legacy still carried by BMW.

1. How long has the legend lasted

The first M3 was based on the BMW E30 3 series and was intended to be a homologation vehicle to satisfy the Deutsche Tourenwagon Meisterschaft and Group A touring regulations which required a total of 5000 cars to be built.

The car made its debut at the 1985 Frankfurt Motorshow and the production of the E30 M3 from March 1986 till June 19, 1991. During the whole production duration of 5 years, a total number of 17,970 E30 M3s are made.