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Neighbor has a neglected.....but still decent '96 M3 blue 5 speed coupe 230k miles tan Vader seats.... rear seat and door panels woen/torn....some clearcoat fade/peel on top....original but a daily driver until the clutch slave went out.....been sitting since.... She wants to sell.... I don't have a clue what its worth..... Any ideas?
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Check Kelly Blue Book and NADA. Not going to be worth much with that much mileage and poor condition. And not worth spending too much on it with that much mileage.
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KBB and NADA are worthless for such a car....but Thanks
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They are at least a good starting point for a car of that condition. That car in fantastic shape is worth $15k on a very good day. I'd probably want it for less than $5k given all the issues, which coincidentally is exactly what KBB ($4.8k, private party, fair condition, 230k miles) is for that car in my area.
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Paint is the big thing.
Anyone can learn to replace parts and be reasonably competent. A slave is cheap and easy to replace. Interior panels may be getting scarce, but you can find them, they're easy to remove and replace, and usually not too expensive to have fixed by an upholstery shop.
But there's an art to paint, which means paying for it to be done right.
I just helped a friend buy a '97 M3/4/5 with some issues (a lot of little things, but nothing major) but a decent driver. $7k with 193k miles and hazy but not completely toasted paint (though there were a couple small spots where it had peeled). I thought that was a good enough deal to buy it just to flip, but he'll probably fix it and keep it.
It may be in similar shape with worse paint. I don't think $5k would be a bad offer. It would be worth $12-13k (maybe more) if it had nice paint and was in great shape.
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If you look at Bring a Trailer, there is a big emphasis on low mileage. For the Z3 M Roaster, 80K miles go for about $18K, 40K go for about $23K. The E36 M's seem to follow the same rule. 250K miles is a lot and rarely seen on BAT. Might be worth buying for $5K and enjoying it by just doing repairs and minimal cosmetic fixes. IMO not worth spending big money for a paint job etc. They are great cars and a lot of fun.
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BaT is a terrible comparison unless you have a low mileage, well-maintained car to sell there. People pay a premium there on top of the premium for arrive-and-drive levels of maintenance, which is so ironic given their beginnings - and name.Originally Posted by mgambini
Yeah, 200k is a lot. But as these things refuse to die we'll see more and more over 200k with asking prices not far under those in the 180k range (given similar maintenance).
My car has 256k and feels as good as it ever did. It needs some dings repaired, but aside from that is in amazing shape. As people realize 200k isn't a major problem mark they'll be willing to pay for good cars regardless of mileage.
Now, 20 years of deferred maintenance and terrible paint? That'll hurt value in a hurry...
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It amazes me that people stop using a car because of a slave cylinder. Costs nothing.
Member
Thanks! Its a '97 she told me yesterday. The car looks great.....from 20 ft....really just some light paint fade and clearcoat on the hood. I hadn't seen the car for a while but it always looked awesome when I passed her. The shop said slave cyl.... I suspect clutch but thats factored into my potential offer. She knows or has seen the values have gone up and said if it was restored it would be worth $20k so I assumed she would be unrealistic in selling. I offered $3500.... Who knows
Member
I think $20k is more than a bit optimistic unless she has 130k rather than 230k on the clock. At that mileage, it would have to be immaculate (including current maintenance down to a fairly minute level) to be worth $15k.
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