Are Convertible E30’s rare and collectable?

[Apex 693]

Just wondering.

There seems to be quite a few for sale at any one stage and most sellers advertise them as rare and collectable..

I love the vert and think majority of them have been maintained to a higher level than your average E30 but they seem to be no more rare than any other E30 in good nick.

[$toffz 0]

Had mine for 2 years now, never had any major headaches only normal maintenance, love driving it.

Mine is a 87 325i, NZ new, full service history (And I do mean full, may be running out of pages lol) auto, 247km when i got it, bought it for $6750 off an old fella. In good condition but paint starting to show age, new roof was installed just before i bought it.

You really do feel the extra 150kg (Chassis strengthening) over the std e30, its not a fast car by any means but very nice to drive along beach road (Torbay to silverdale my fav) with the top down Around town driving is comfortable if a bit uneconomical.

I think $6750 was a fair price, i think it has depreciated as much as it will and as i intend to keep the maintenance consistent/on time, keep it original and get the paint redone in factory colour, it shouldnt drop much further. As for rare? i have no idea, as soon as i bought one i started seeing them all over the place.

Hope this helps.

[323e30 0]

there kinda rare now but once there all classics and can be imported again then the story will change. same with the touring e30s

[mr E34 11]

Yes, the only one is the last batch of MTec 2 FACTORY Motorsport.....you can pick this one because it has full body kit, full leather incl console, Mtec 2 S.wheel etc etc etc, + the leather seats etc are all in bubble leather (term used i think)..BMW only built maybe 200 (R/H drive)or less, not sure exactly but not many at all.

edit...only M325i convertible, not any smaller engined cousins....UK prices 6-7k GBP last time i saw one.

Edited February 16, 2009 by mr E34

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2915]

Well I know mine is !

I have no idea of the total numbers of cars made which would give an indicator as to the rarity of them, but I would expect it to be lower than most of the E30 range as they were only produced from the end of '86 on-wards.

Certainly in the UK there were limited editions and models within models which are rarer overall. The smaller engined versions, 318 especially, I think detracted from the overall collectability of the model.

Personally I would say it has to be a six cylinder, particularly with the additional weight, and a manual (majority were autos from what I have seen), in the pre-facelift. But then I am biased....

[mr E34 11]

Quick search found one

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C74964

[deane30 30]

I love the style of e30 cabs and will definatly look at them when the time comes to update my current e30.

i don't see many around Wellington.

Dean

[Guest Simon*]

i don't see many around Wellington.

There's a reason for that

[McDuck 0]

There seems to be quite a few for sale at any one stage and most sellers advertise them as rare and collectable..

I love the vert and think majority of them have been maintained to a higher level than your average E30 but they seem to be no more rare than any other E30 in good nick.

I think it's the convertible sales rush before autumn kicks in (mind you, some of those cabs have been on TM for years! The mint ex-managers car, for example, has been advertised since the beginning of 2007...). They seem to be less prevalent than the sedan and coupe numbers in NZ...

Collectable - yes

Rare - hmmm (an overhyped word off Trademe, IMO)

Hardly saw any E30s parked on German city/town streets in 2007. The only ones I did see were E30 convertibles and tourings. Don't get me wrong, the E30 scene is alive and well in Germany, I only got to read about it in German magazines though... "Gunther and his garishly painted Cabrio, with Airbrush work, ja"

I think the majority of all the German-registered sedans and coupes have been shipped to Albania, where they're a bit more relaxed with emission controls / WOFs / registrations / car licenses etc. Apparently, there are more Mercs per capita in Albania than in Germany! All of Germany's TUV-failing crap got shipped there after the fall of the Iron Curtain. They're the new cart replacements for mules to pull around. Once a part needs replacing, they simply plunder from another car, or sell the vehicle for parts.

[skidz 196]

Well, I know six people in or around Welly that have E30 factory convertibles, and several Baur also, including mine...

Cant be all bad!

[Apex 693]

They are in no way bad!

Desirable maybe.. Rare defiantly not.

I was just asking what people thought about the statement that seems to get thrown at the verts quite a bit and it got me thinking. Any tidy E30 is quickly becoming rare and collectable.

[McDuck 0]

I was just asking what people thought about the statement that seems to get thrown at the verts quite a bit and it got me thinking. Any tidy E30 is quickly becoming rare and collectable.

Wouldn't there be more E30 convertibles in NZ than the Touring model?

[Apex 693]

I would like to know how many Touring/Verts were sold NZ new. Like the convertibles there are quite a few that have from the UK.

I saw a factory M-Tech II Convertible on the weekend, have spotted it twice now.

[CamB 48]

Well, I know six people in or around Welly that have E30 factory convertibles, and several Baur also, including mine...

Common?

The story above about a car being for sale since 2007 is really only a statement that the price expectation is wrong. At more than a year you are well past waiting for the right buyer.

[Palazzo 439]

Been thinking about this for a while as a convertible owner. I guess they're rare in that there are less than other E30s (tourings in NZ possible exception) and everything is collectable to someone. How else do you explain all the old British cars so lovingly looked after? Then I remembered what Gerry Hodges said after a visit to Germany with the Mobile Tradition (?) guys, who rated the E30 'vert as 4th on a list of future classic BMWs, so I'm going to say Yes, they are collectable.

[jjs 60]

I love them! The only E30 variant I would buy.

There was a mint 89 325i auto cab at a Turners classic auction last year. It was white with black leather and had full service history. It had only done about 120k and sold for around $6,000