Value query 1984 320i Automatic

[aramoana 20]

Hi guys, 

Ive always held a fancy for e30's with my grandparents having one when I was younger. Ive been offered a 114000 km 320i that looks very tidy (See pics) thats listed for 7500 for my $6000 motorbike. My query is, is the car actually worth 7500 being an auto, or am I being led astray here? 

[325_driver 422]

Welcome to the wonderful world of e30 pricing

there are many regular conversations on here about how the pricing of e30's have gone sky high over the past few years

So to your question,

- is it worth $7,500, probably not (albeit the km's are pretty low on it)

- will you be able to get it cheaper, probably not

lol

In saying that, wait it out, better e30's do pop up, at better pricing, i would hold out for a 325i atleast

Edited July 9, 2019 by 325_driver

[aramoana 20]

1 minute ago, 325_driver said:

In saying that, wait it out, better e30's do pop up, at better pricing, i would hold out for a 325i atleast

The only reason I'm thinking about it is that it was offered. do you think that should I choose to resell it, id get atleast $5000 for it? If I can do that, then I'm happy 

[BozzaFC 300]

Are you swapping your bike and putting up another $1500? Or is it a straight swap?

[aramoana 20]

Just now, BozzaFC said:

Are you swapping your bike and putting up another $1500? Or is it a straight swap?

straight swap

[BozzaFC 300]

Cool.

Assuming your bike is actually worth $6000, I’d say it isn’t a bad swap. I can’t imagine you struggling to sell it for $6000 or close to that later on down the road 

[aramoana 20]

1 minute ago, BozzaFC said:

Cool.

Assuming your bike is actually worth $6000, I’d say it isn’t a bad swap. I can’t imagine you struggling to sell it for $6000 or close to that later on down the road 

Sweet, that was my main concern. I have no idea of what the bike is really worth, but the only other one in nz for sale was 6k so I chucked it up for that. So long as i make back what I invested into the bike which is around 5k, i'll be happy. 

[325_driver 422]

13 minutes ago, BozzaFC said:

Cool.

Assuming your bike is actually worth $6000, I’d say it isn’t a bad swap. I can’t imagine you struggling to sell it for $6000 or close to that later on down the road 

+1 to this

not a bad way to transition into an e30 lol

[alisterh 26]

I don't think that car is worth 6k. The Km's are not legitimate have a look at car jam, hasn't moved from 1996 to 2016. You can tell by the seats it's done a lot more  than 114000. The painted bumpers is also wrong. 

[qube 3570]

if you are more confident to sell your bike for 6k, i would sell it for 6k. because its something you have already owned and probably know the condition etc.

whereas if you swap, then you are giving away your known bike for an unknown e30 and you *might* get 6k, maybe more but maybe not. you might also spend money on it or decide to keep it (not necessarily a bad thing)

really depends if you want a toy or want the money.

i wouldnt swap if you want the money.

 

 

[aramoana 20]

Would this indicate someone whos just disconnected the odo, keeping it from going up? 

[qube 3570]

it could have just been sitting unused for years but more likely the odo stopped working (common issue for e30's) and then someone fixed it in 2017?

how long has the seller owned it for? they must know the story if its a genuine seller or if its a flipper then do your own research.

but tbh, its definitely done more than 114 whatever kms lol

[aramoana 20]

the guy who owns it now tells me that the prior owner had this for years just sitting in his shed because he had other cars that he used. Current owner had the car about 6 months. So I don't know if that story is just a cover for the weird kms, because to get its wof it would need to drive there and back, so you'd expect at least some change unless it was living at a shop, but thats a stretch. 

[325_driver 422]

Get some photos inside the engine bay, people on here will know easily what is a low km engine bay and what is not

those seats look like 200,000km seats to me

[aramoana 20]

3 minutes ago, 325_driver said:

Get some photos inside the engine bay, people on here will know easily what is a low km engine bay and what is not

those seats look like 200,000km seats to me

What do you think of these photos? 200000km+ engine? 

[325_driver 422]

Doesn't look like low km's to me, my mate had one with 140,000 on the clock and the engine bay and components looked amazing.

i see rust on the throttle, shock rubbers look old as, pipes look brittle, paint flaking in areas ...

but who knows, wait for some other people to pitch in

not really a red flag though, but it does raise some questions for sure, hard to know what maintenance is going to be like if the km's are off by 100,000 km haha

Edited July 9, 2019 by 325_driver

[gjm 3258]

2 hours ago, aramoana said:

the guy who owns it now tells me that the prior owner had this for years just sitting in his shed because he had other cars that he used. Current owner had the car about 6 months. So I don't know if that story is just a cover for the weird kms, because to get its wof it would need to drive there and back, so you'd expect at least some change unless it was living at a shop, but thats a stretch. 

Unless the PO craned it in an out of the garage and on to a trailer to take it for WoFs, the recorded odo reading would have changed, if only a little. And that would be refelected i the WoF reports. That it hasn't changed at all is a dead cert giveaway that the odo stopped working (as Kyu said - very common in E30s).
I'd be adding 100000km to that reading.

Have a read through the thread where discuss E30 values. It needs to be a good E30 to be worth $6k. The one you've posted pics of is OK, nothing unusual in the issues that have been spotted, but they do detract from the value.

Lots of dreaming E30 sellers out there, sadly presenting a poor case for those who genuinely have an excellent example they're keen to sell.

[aramoana 20]

So if i were to accept this vehicle as a trade, what do you think I'd be able to realistically sell it for? 

[325_driver 422]

48 minutes ago, aramoana said:

So if i were to accept this vehicle as a trade, what do you think I'd be able to realistically sell it for? 

Depends who's buying it, and if you spend some time tidying it up

I would assume at the bare minimum you are purchasing a car with 220,000 on the clock, so have a nosey at 320 auto's round those km's

3k-4k, dunno

That price bloody high though, given that the ODO is lilely to be so far out, and it doesn't even look well maintained

[gjm 3258]

38 minutes ago, aramoana said:

So if i were to accept this vehicle as a trade, what do you think I'd be able to realistically sell it for? 

To be honest, $4.5k max. And that assumes there's nothing nasty hiding anywhere.

Let's put it another way. Seats are damaged (although not as badly as many I've seen), mileage and history are unknown. WoF and rego expire in less than 2 weeks. Dash is probably cracked (most are) but a dash mat has been fitted (not quite as common as a cracked dash).

Obviously impossible to tell anything about the engine condition, brakes, gearbox, suspension, rear axle, underside, tyres, exhaust, electrics, or what rust may be hiding...

Engine is the M20B20 which while nice enough to cruise with, combines the lower power of the 4-cylinder cars with the poorer economy of the 325. It's a good engine - just not an especially desirable one.
Some people will prefer a manual gearbox - cars with a manual 'box tend to sell for higher prices. It's a misconception that manual cars are 'better' - they're just different, and typically people are prepared to pay more for them.

It's a decent colour. Bodywork looks OK in the pics but it's almost impossible to tell, especially with a darker colour, without close inspection.

Could be (with some work) a decent fairly unmolested example. Which would then make it, with WoF and rego, a ~$6k car. But it'll need some work to get there. It's is - categorically - not a $7.5k car.

[qube 3570]

also u need to realise that this car has been re-registered. whether it was just a case of rego lapsing from being unused or involved in an accident then repaired, you wont know.

 

like i said in my first post. if you need/want the money, i would keep and sell the bike (no risk or less risk since its already yours)

if you want a toy and something to tinker with and *potentiall* sell for more (or less) then you can go ahead with the swap.

[aramoana 20]

Thanks a ton guys. I really had no idea what I was getting into with this trade. By the sounds of it, this car is probably best avoided. Im going to check it out over the weekend to get an idea of its condition, but I recognise that it likely would be a down-trade that would lose me money. Thanks @gjm for your wealth of knowledge as well. I really appreciate the breakdown and justification of your conclusion. 

[325_driver 422]

1 hour ago, aramoana said:

Thanks a ton guys. I really had no idea what I was getting into with this trade. By the sounds of it, this car is probably best avoided. Im going to check it out over the weekend to get an idea of its condition, but I recognise that it likely would be a down-trade that would lose me money. Thanks @gjm for your wealth of knowledge as well. I really appreciate the breakdown and justification of your conclusion. 

in all honesty, you would better off building an e30 from scratch lol

find a de registered shell, and go hard.

I personally am about to go down that route, as the e30 pricing has become rediculous, i've owned several in the past, and they one of the more friendly cars to work on even if mechanical skills are limited.

Better that, then paying $7k for a potential maintenance bomb

[Driftit 2079]

I'm pretty hard on E30's these days.  I can't see why poverty spec cars are scaling up in price at the same rate as the more special models.

I'm glad you jumped on to ask the questions though.  I have a feeling the people who are not are the ones buying these for silly prices.

This car to me is a $3.5K car as long as it doesn't have any rust.  There is absolutely nothing special on that car at all.  Not one desirable part.  It is poverty spec (arguable that Auto was not a poverty option when new but it is now).

[325_driver 422]

38 minutes ago, Driftit said:

This car to me is a $3.5K car

I wouldn't be paying more than $3 for this also

I saw a 325i manual facelift, mint condition listed not too long ago for round 8k