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1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer

A Ferrari or a classic Mustang sells for tens of millions at auction? Yeah, whatever, boomer! But a mint condition BMW M3 grabs $250,000 and everybody loses their minds.
1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer 13 photos
Photo: Bring A Trailer
1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer1988 E30 BMW M3 Sold for Whopping $250,000 on Bring A Trailer
We often say that the best cars are the ones you grew up loving. So while dozens of YouTubers are getting their Lamborghinis and Ferraris, people who grew up with posters of the E30 BMW M3 are now willing to pay anything for a mint condition example.

We perfectly understand. Only a few days ago, we watched a video where Doug DeMuro said the E30 M3 is the best M car in the world. In fact, this even looks like the car in the review. At that moment, we knew one of these was super-expensive, but a bidding war pushed this low-mileage E30 to new records.

We don't need to tell you that $250,000 can buy you a garage full of nice new cars. In fact, you're probably picturing it right now. But one fellow decided to spend it all on a 1988 example of what's arguably one of the most important BMWs of all time. And we think this signals the start of a collector market for the entire E30 family. Paul Walker's M3 is still for sale at $150,000, and you're very welcome for the tip.

In any case, this particular M3 only has 8,000 miles on the clock. Delivered new to the first owner in California, it was passed on to a new owner in 2010. Prior to the sale, it received a full service that included a fluid change, valve adjustment, timing chain tensioner, accessory belt change, and more. And to prove she's still purring like a kitten, we've got videos of the M engine's cold start.

It's as close as you can come to a time capsule from the late 1980s. But that's not what makes this special. Two million e30s were built, but only a few thousand M3 exist, each with this magnificent widebody kit and the raw performance of a classic M car.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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