E30 325i Rag-Top

There are some late model E46 M3s that do just about meet the required emissions regulations. If you are looking at Japanese versions it may get a bit more complicated due to their different regulations and classifications for emissions (quite a few people are getting caught out on these at the moment). I'm not sure you can get a Certificate of Compliance for a Japanese car, I think it's more an EU thing, and that is what gives all the emissions details that you need. It might pay to look closer at UK ones as these can definitely have a CoC provided. Aaaaannnnddd cue all the comments about rust...

The ultra low mileage is certainly a factor in the price, not many cars around with only that amount of distance travelled. Also the condition of the car looks to be immaculate, it's not been sat in a barn for 15+ years and needing everything replaced. And the fact it is (or is being presented as) a genuine Europameister. These "top end" collectable E30 M3s are heading into the stratosphere at the moment, and pulling up the prices of all the others with them, grr. Can't wait for the next GFC to hit...

Good choice!

I know of one Limited Edition E30 M3 in NZ, I think it is a Europameister, but it could be a Ravaglia / Cecotto edition I've never seen it in the flesh. I doubt very much they would be looking to sell any time soon, they might be looking to buy a "Spare" one though..?

A lot of the difference could come from their definition of "factory recommended parts" as, technically, the factory only refer to Genuine Parts. Whereas some might use oils that "meet BMW LL-01 standard" and " OEM Quality" filters, etc.

Wow indeed, only a Sport Evolution is more sought after than the Europameister, plus this has ridiculously low miles to go with the mint condition. And that's not the listing price Dan, that's what the bidding is actually up to at the moment! Not sure if it has his reserve, as I can't remember how that works on eBay. Ah, just read all the blurb and seen where he calculates a value for the car - will be interesting to see how close the bidding gets to that!

HP+ are a good pad, I have some more on the way from the US now, and agree with the above comments. As mentioned before, don't forget about the front/rear bias. Something as "racy" as the HP+ in the front would be a bit out of balance with OE in the rear. Wouldn't be an issue on the road for normal use, but at a track day it could get a bit interesting late on in a session once the HP+ are working well and the rears are starting to go off a bit.

Personally I would just give them a good bleed when doing the pads. Chances are the fluid level will be pretty high once you have pushed the pistons back in to make room for the new pads, so bleeding a bit out while your there is no big deal.

^^ +1 and still looking good!

I was wondering when the i8 would get snapped on the Southern Motorway doing it's "test runs". Styling looks amazing in the flesh and the performance is pretty good too, sounds incredible for a PHEV when it's given some boot. Mind you, the i3 is probably even more impressive in terms of its acceleration, although that might be because my expectations were a bit lower for a full electric car.

Having a bit of a clear out of the stuff in the garage, because racecar... and CYF said my kids really should be given more to eat. First up, brand new in the box, E30 FL rear light cluster, off side, part number 63 21 1 386 942. Includes the foam gasket, but no bulbs. Looking for $150 ono, can ship at buyers cost. Also have BNIB E30 P/fl front indicator, off side, part number 63 13 1 372 684. Includes bulb. Looking for $50 ono, again can ship at buyers cost if required. Will carry on looking in the shed for stuff that might be worth something to somebody as well.

Don't you believe it, poor quality steel that is not properly treated and then painted = rapid rusting.There are brand newChinese utes and SUVs coming straight off the boat and going for rust treatment in Auckland today.

Ah, sorry I thought you were talking about the rear bumper. Yes there are lots of different clips which hold those side trims on. Will have a look to see what I have.

Not sure what part you mean by the brackets to hold the side strips.. do you mean the chrome part that covers the join between the middle bit and the end bit? The bracket on the side part is part of the bumper I think, not seperate, and then there's the rubber bit that goes on the front? Or the clips that hold the rubber strip over the chrome bumper? I've got most of these bits, just not sure which ones you want.

I have got quite a few bits of rear bumper, and a whole one but none of them are perfect I'm afraid.

Just putting "quote" in front of a mangled English sentence doesn't make it clear. Luckily you added another sentence without the double negatives, thanks for the clarification.

Good on ya Bruce, cars are made to be driven, not sit in sheds as an investment. The grin an M3 gives is worth more than the increase in value anyways.

So to clarify, this event is open to Bimmersporters who are not member of the BMW Car Club Alan? It appears to be saying that in your message but I just wanted to check.

Lots of books, magazines, etc. all list the "official" production figures, mainly because those are the ones given out by the PR department and they are easy to double check as all the production information is in once place and is easy to search and filter. The sales information is a lot harder to get a definitive answer on, as a number of cars end up in places they weren't originally intended for, especially for cars like the E30 M3 which were in high demand. Plus some of the records going back to the late 80s are a little sketchy, especially when the corporate rules are being bent a little! A number of cars I have checked out through the VIN and service records have had very "interesting" lives. There are also a lot of rumours and urban myths about what did or didn't happen, and again there is a lot of this with the E30 M3. All of which is much harder to prove or disprove without VINs for actual cars.

Which one of the many...?

Not quite right Bruce, the cars you mention are the "Japanese National Version" cars which have that option code (SA872 iirc) selected. There were also quite a number of cars that went to Japan without that option added, some were US models (h-pattern) some were Euro (dog-leg). The car mentioned in this listing is a Euro model (AK05) sold new in Japan, delving deeper into ETK shows the selection of the Japanese National Version has set the gearbox to the H-pattern. But as Golfboy has written "Fact" on the Internets I will have to contact my colleagues in Munich to change the Product Library as they are clearly wrong.

The other factor would be maintenance, daily drive the M3 and do lots of Kms and it would be quite expensive to keep in that condition (to keep the value going up).

That is the million dollar question, or in this case the $55,000 question. I can't see them getting any cheaper any time soon.... unless there is a GFC in which case there might be a few bargains to be had. Too many "investors" are buying them up, rather than enthusiasts. Prices have really rocketed in the last 12-18months, for the whole E30 M3 market. Lots of poor cars being offered at over the top prices (I'm not saying this is one of them by any means, probably the opposite in this case) to "cash in" on the boom only adding more fuel to the fire. Grr.

Spec is possibly the wrong word here, there are two "models" of M3 (not including, Evos, etc) a Euro Model and a US Model. The numbers in the VIN tell you what model it is, in this case AK05, which is a Euro M3. Then there is the Local Market Code, which in this care is set to Japan, which then determines the speedo figures, handbook language, stickers, etc. that go on the car. So yes there is a Japanese market version (as there is for every major market - UK, Germany, France, etc..), but not a Japanese model would be a better way of putting it.

Can we start talking about cars, and BImmers in particular again now please... Saw a very tidy E30 FL MTech2 White looking "DAPPR" on Ti Rakau this morning anyone here? And another P/FL grey on what may have been LM syle rims on Mt Wellington Hway It is very, very good chocolate milk though, had a taste and want moooooorrrrr!!