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Rare 1988 Bmw E30 M3 S14 Alpine White/cardinal on 2040-cars

US $20,000.00
Year:1988 Mileage:153000 Color: Alpine White /
 Cardinal Red
Location:

Denver, Colorado, United States

Denver, Colorado, United States
Transmission:5 speed manual
Body Type:Coupe
Engine:S14
Vehicle Title:Clear
For Sale By:Private Seller
Condition:
Used: A vehicle is considered used if it has been registered and issued a title. Used vehicles have had at least one previous owner. The condition of the exterior, interior and engine can vary depending on the vehicle's history. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections. ...
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)
: wbsak0305j2196252
Year: 1988
Interior Color: Cardinal Red
Make: BMW
Number of Cylinders: 4
Model: M3
Trim: E30 ///M3
Drive Type: RWD
Mileage: 153,000
Warranty: Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty
Exterior Color: Alpine White

Up for low reserve auction, 1988 BMW E30 M3 Alpine White/Cardinal Red
153,000 miles

While I believe this car is a good example of an E30 M3 please keep in mind that it is 25 years old and as such has its bumps and bruises.  I encourage all serious bidders to email me their personal email address and I will email a link to a Google drive file with a word document fully describing the car, close to 100 photos, and 3 videos.
I know there is a lot here to read but please read everything.  I am trying to be as honest as possible and don't want to waste time answering questions that I have addressed in the description.
Reserve is set well below current market value and way less than I have into it.

Additional parts included with sale as follows, stock wheels and tires w/caps, spare wheel (junk tire mounted), stock springs, stock front seats, stock mirrors, new bumper trim tape, and spare MAF.  Shipping of these items can be arranged with UPS at the buyer's expense.

Vehicle Description

I bought the car sight unseen (photos only) in Feb 2008 with about 142,000 on the odometer.  (Shipped it to Colorado from Florida).  At the time the car was in kind of rough shape.  So, in the past 4 or 5 years I've been slowly shorting it out and getting it to where I want it.  (I've got a folder full of receipts to prove it).   That said, it’s a clean driver but nothing more.

Mechanical

Mechanically I think it is a very sound car, always starts, has plenty of power and everything works.  It does have a small oil leak and I think the transmission has a small leak also.  I've never traced the source of the leaks because it is not using an alarming amount of oil.  When I bought the car I replaced the transmission fluid, differential fluid, and engine oil with Redline products.  All oil changes since with Redline 10/40.   Probably a 8.5/10 on the mechanical side of things. 

 Body

The issues I see with this car are the body and paint.  The clear coat is starting to peel in a few areas.  On the hood by the roundel, and on the rear passenger fender flare as well as a few other spots (see photos).  I have also noticed a small paint drip in this area suggesting paint work at some point.   There are also a few areas of rust.  The worst of which is above the driver’s side wheel well.  It’s not visible unless you open the trunk but there is a hole you can see day light through.  The other bad spot is underneath the car where the foot pedals are located.  It’s about the size of a 1/2 dollar?  Otherwise there is a small amount of rust in driver’s door sill and a few other spots that appear to be surface rust.  (Photos of all the areas of rust available).  All the body panels match but I did replace the rear spoiler and sunroof panel.  The original spoiler was chipped and cracked, and the sunroof panel had rust spots from a wind deflector a previous owner had installed.  So, overall I’d give the body a 7-7.5/10.

 Interior

The interior is in good shape but does have one or two cigarette burns.  (Not during my ownership, I’m a non-smoker).  One is the carpet and the other is melted plastic near the astray.  The other bummer is a previous owner dyed the front seats and did a terrible job.  There is dye on the black plastic parts in several spots and some peeling dye.  Also, the driver’s seat has a hole where your right shoulder would rest and another small white spot near where your left thigh would rest.  Other than some dye on the plastic, the passenger seat is in good shape.  The good news is I replaced the original seats with a set of e30 Recaros that had just been recovered in cardinal red vinyl.  They have the “baseball stitching” and are wired for heat.  (I never got around to wiring the heat into the car).  Originally I had planned on getting the stock seats refurbished but never got around to it.  Otherwise the carpet is in decent shape, the dash is crack free, and the back seats look good.  All glass is crack free.  Heater works, a/c needs a charge but should be good to go.  Finally I installed a ridiculous stereo that was originally installed in another e30 we owned.  (I can provide details if interested).  The stereo looks clean.  I used all the original speaker grills etc, so you can’t tell when looking in the car.  All told the interior is nice, maybe a 8.5, but close to a 9 out of 10.

Work performed before I purchased the car.

·        New radiator

·        New Thermostat

·        All coolant lines replaced

·        New spark plugs

·        Spark plug wires

·        Sunroof motor (used)

·        New alternator bushings

·        New clutch slave cylinder

·        New fuel filter

Work performed during my ownership:

·        Exhaust manifold gasket

·        Rear shock mounts

·        Tie rod ends

·        Iigomotiv ecu chip (s14.net member who makes/made really nice chips)

·        Stromung exaust w/ VSR header back center section including cat. 

·        Bilstein E30 M3 suspension.  I believe this was a kit Bilstein sold for the M3 with sport struts and HR springs.  Lowered it about an 1”

·        New control arms w/ Power Flex bushings.

·        New guibo/flex disc

·        New sway bar end links

·        New windshield

·        New barometric pressure sensor, & coolant temp sensor

·        Evo air box

·        Keyless entry system.  (A simple system I bought on eBay that was recommended by many s14.net members).

·        New oxygen sensor

·        New sub frame bushings

·        Heater core, used from a known good parts car.  (Can’t find the receipt).

·        E30 Euro grill, tow hook covers, and clear indicators

·        Brakes front and rear.  Rebuilt calipers,  Evo front rotors, M3 rear rotors, Axxis Ultimate ceramic pads, stainless brake lines, and Super Blue fluid.

·        Rebuilt the entire a/c system.  Hoses, drier, compressor, R134

·        Works Equip 16 inch 5 spoke staggered wheels (Rear passenger has 5-6 inches of curb rash.  Yokohama S drive tires.

·        Black carbon fiber mirrors.  (Purchased from a s14.net member).

·        Replaced rear wing and sunroof panel.

·        Rewired the driver’s door.  The central locking wasn't working so I removed the plug and wired everything back together.  (See photos).

·        Got the cruise control working.  Simple fix but it didn't work when I got the car.

The only items I can think of that need (or might need) attention are:

·        Fan belt.  (Looking kind of tired)

·        Shifter linkage.  (Sloppy and the “M3 rattle” at high RPM in 3rd gear).

·        Radiator fan shroud is broken, doesn't rattle or anything and has been like this since I got the car.  Just pointing it out. (See photos).

·        A/C needs a charge.

·        Brake warning light trips itself sometimes.  (brake lights work, just the warning light starts blinking).

·        Right fog light is burnt out.


Car is for sale locally and I reserve to end this auction early, at any time, for any reason.

Please email seller with questions before bidding.

Additional parts included with sale as follows, stock wheels and tires w/caps, spare wheel (junk tire mounted), stock springs, stock front seats, stock mirrors, new bumper trim tape, and spare MAF.  Shipping of these items can be arranged with UPS at the buyer's expense.



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