Will the E32 ever increase in value

[XAlt]

[TonyPa]

A side question:

How many reading this thread actually have seen another e32 in their town?

If yes, how often?

I think the last one I saw was at the end of last summer; before that it would around the same time last year. I live in a city of almost 3 million, and I've only seen two e32's in a year.

I have only seen one near me. It was a 740. I never see any at all!! When I go anywhere people just stare at my car. Maybe as in....what is that?? Or oh cool!! Lol

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This might make we E32 owners feel a little better about what could happen down the line. This morning I received an email from Bring A Trailer and found a nicely kept, repainted, slightly upgraded Euro E28/M30 manual for sale down here in Fort Lauderdale. It's a California car and is already pushing up near 10 grand. If my E32 was gone today, I'd begin bidding on this car right now...................and I'd buy it. Being 20 miles away, I'd just drive it home. I can see a few things that I'd work on right away, but what a great starting point this car would be. Not my favorite color, but this beauty has been taken care of for sure. I think in a few years E32's that look like this E28 will certainly go up in price. Great pictures here.
Jeff

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1984-bmw-euro-528i/

Wow!!!!

[MMMEAT]

This beauty seems to be doing fairly well..Currently at 4,250 and almost 4 days left in the auction..



http://www.ebay.com/itm/192167364085...#ht_800wt_1362

[rbelton]

Well well, we're almost into 2022. Here's a snapshot at the e32 market:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-bmw-735i-6/

[BeeW]

Blown away that it sold for 20k considering how much has been changed from stock, and with over 100k miles.

[Zieg]

Blown away that it sold for 20k considering how much has been changed from stock, and with over 100k miles.

The person who restored the car is a very well know BMW restorer and Guru. His name is Ron Perry. He is well know in the BMW community as doing very high line work. Especially on E 9's and E28's.

I am sure that added greatly to the overall value of the car.

I would love to believe that my Euro 87 730i 5 speed would be worth close to $20K but I sincerely doubt it. But I think any stick shift BMW is going up in price.

[paulmer]

I was surprised to see it was a conversion, too. I thought for that price it would be a factory for sure.

[AdamOntario]

eventually the e32 market will gain notoriety like the e38 did in recent years.... but who known when that will be....

problem stems from its own placement in the BMW lineup given its development with other cars that were around at the same time. Sharing similar styling with the e34 and similar complexity of the e31.

For a sportier drive i feel the average enthusiast would rather have a e34 when it comes to a classic BMW, especially over a 7, manuals are more common with the e34 every engine could be paired up with one. Lets not forget there was even an M car (in a touring spec too) By 1988 the base car dropped the manual. Auto only (here in NA, I know Europe was different)

On the other hand, when it comes to a wow factor, a hell of a lot more people would find the e31 a sleeker and sexier vehicle compared to our 7 series, got damn popups! manual plus V12 never fails to add value either.

[letank]

The person who restored the car is a very well know BMW restorer and Guru. His name is Ron Perry. He is well know in the BMW community as doing very high line work. Especially on E 9's and E28's.

I am sure that added greatly to the overall value of the car.

I would love to believe that my Euro 87 730i 5 speed would be worth close to $20K but I sincerely doubt it. But I think any stick shift BMW is going up in price.

Being a Cal registered car, curious if it would pass the local smog check visual... if no 5 speed were ever imported or brought in the state by the official channel... of course there are ways... same for diesel landcruiser

[paulmer]

Being a Cal registered car, curious if it would pass the local smog check visual... if no 5 speed were ever imported or brought in the state by the official channel... of course there are ways... same for diesel landcruiser

I also live in SF and used to have a 740 that I manual swapped, they don't care.

Also planning on swapping my 750 soon

[Pink120]

Sure that one was restored, but it still sold for more than this 750i with Sport seats and M Systems https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-bmw-750i-swb/

If that doesn't say something about stick shift demand on Bimmers, I don't know what does

[MercenaryZX]

Sorry to necro this thread but I saw it get revived from 2017 to 2021 so here it goes. I just bought a a 1988 750il in Western Canada for $1500 cad/$1100 USD with 224k miles. Motor and tranny is strong smokes a tiny bit but it's getting better the more I drive it (sat for a long time), leaks a bit if oil but nothing outrageous. Body is imperfect with light hail but no real bashes if you fix the the light hail would be a good candidate for a repaint. Very minimal undercarriage corrosion. Most of the electronics including the A/C work and interior in decent shape. Car was for sale for over two weeks owner was asking $2500 and the owner told me people were offering him $1000 and I bought it for $1500 cad. I noticed a handful of other e32s in my province and they were all relatively cheap. In comparison a e23 worn out with 200k miles they want at least $5k. So while they are getting rarer it doesn't look like e32s are going up yet unless they are pristine. I think sights like Bring A Trailer are misleading.

[m60power]

Yeah I don't think E32s will go up in value much at all except for the ones that are absolutely mint, completely stock, and very low mileage.

[E32FAN]

By contrast, vintage Mercedes-Benz cars sell for $20,000 and up.

We're on the wrong side of the tracks.

[blckstrm]

I think it's all about the manufacturer's wheelhouse. People are only really going to collect best of breed and more or less forget about the rest.

E30s, M3s, and M5s have skyrocketed. C Class cars - even AMGs - are still just cheap old foreign cars with one or two rare exceptions.

Old E and S Class Mercedes? Now we're talking.

I love my E32, and I'm sure it drives better than a comparable S Class, but in that segment you're really looking for luxury and comfort, not driving dynamics. It's a great car for my wife, but I'll take my M3 over the E32 any time I'm not hauling more than a kid or two.

[a777fan]

This doesn’t answer your question, but I find that true ‘happiness’ within an automotive hobby requires you to ignore/forget/not care about the financial value of the thing you’re working on.

That doesn’t mean you just pour a billion dollars blindly into a piece of junk. Its more about thinking about your money and time being an investment in ‘smiles per mile’ not the size of the check when/if you decide to move on.

[htrdbmr]

Of course the value will go up, we just may not be around to see it. I can't remember seeing another e32 where I live, so I like the relative exclusivity of mine.

[m60power]

Recently it seems like E32s are getting swallowed up in the "classic BMWs are cool" trend; in just the last couple weeks I've had two separate instances of people leaving paper notes on my car with their phone number asking if I want to sell it. And almost every time I drive it around town someone will take notice in the parking lot, get excited and ask questions about the car. Today I saw someone taking pics of it in the local park just as I was heading back to the car from my bike ride. I'm honestly kind of surprised an E32 gets this much attention.

Personally, I'd prefer that these cars remain relatively cheap and unnoticed because I quite enjoy my hobby of tinkering on E32s and E34s, and if they increase significantly in value that only makes a higher cost of entry for the hobby, less availability of clean examples, and more hesitance to drive them daily. Not to mention the increased prices of used parts too.

[CamE32]

According to Wikipedia 311,068 E32s were built.

If 10% remain on the road today (31,100) and we lose 20 cars per day (7,300yr) to the crushers, then the last car will expire in 4.26 years, or December of 2014.

Our job is to deny the crushers, and shogun is our dear leader.

hindsight is 2020 from 2023 (lol) but in ~2012 E32s were a dime a dozen on the local classifieds in New England USA. I’m talking 2-3 at any given time and for under $3,000 and multiple under $1,000 (I was looking specifically in 2012-2014 and bought 2 under $1k running and driving). Now they’re basically impossible to find unless super clapped out or very nice condition and high asking prices.

Interesting to ponder!

[djacinto]

As the friend of someone who owns an e32 and being that I am in the market for an e38, I've seen a lot on both portions of the market and how prices have risen and fallen since. We got the e32 back in late 2020 out of someone's front yard for a whopping 600 bucks. All it needed was a fuel pump relay! 3 years later and the car is in roughly the same condition because he's taken on a w126 merc, but the e32 is my preferred car of his fleet.

Since then, I've seen both cars increasing in value, but the e38 more so as the Aughtstalgia (00's nostalgia) is still going strong. As we move into this decade though I am very curious if the bengal but will begin to appreciate!

I unfortunately think the e32 will always be in a weird in between of pricing with the e34's and e31's. Many flock to the m5 or the 8 series because of their exclusivity and while the e32 was revolutionary, the e38 was too, and is almost better in every way. Again, hope I am wrong, but that is just what I have seen. I hope everyone gets what they want for their cars when the time comes