Thoughts on this e36 M3:
 

I know that U.S. e36 M3s are not the top of the M-car heap but I actually prefer them over the e46 M3 from an aesthetic POV. And still a great driving car, I'm sure-just not scorchingly fast.

They have been climbing in price and good ones are the exception so I was watching this one like a hawk until it abruptly ended early today. I messaged the seller and he apparently accepted an offer around $12k for it, which was a mistake on his part, IMO. I'd have paid more. Low mileage examples are asking relatively big $$, like $25k.

I'm hurting over it. Not many cool German cars in this price range, unless you want thrashed. :(

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1997-BMW-M3-dove-grey-leather-/202198338562?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STR K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=ou3qwJsIgdYJNQHJ0eQbFw nSuDY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

I think you missed out ;)

Sorry man...nice car!

FWIW I had an E36 M3 and I currently own an E46 M3. Both are fantastic. I would love another E36 M3. Not as fast as my current car, but also much less complicated.

That is a nice car. Even a regular E36 coupe in a well maintained, nice condition would be a score these days.

The owner would know what the car is worth. Why would he let it go for $12k? (Mileage: 108,000)

I'd bet he lied to you. Not sure why but people lie about stupid stuff all the time.

There are a lot of E36 M3's out there ranging from $6K - $15K. I think $12K would be in line. I bought one last year for $7.5K with 150,000Miles. Overall very good condition. Speed wise - about 1-3 seconds faster than my 911 on track and I can flog my 911 pretty hard.

I love Estoril blue!

The prices are all over the place. Last year I started a thread for it and there were ones listed on CL for as low as $3K (200k mi, auto) to $18k...

You know who has one and is thinking about thinning the herd? Fastfredracing!

I was so close to bidding on this one. Not a bad price. Too bad you missed it. It would have been a convenient transaction given your location.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1998-bmw-m3-13/

That car price was normal IMO. They are not going up like 911's, they built a ton of them. I had one like the pic, and was very happy when I sold it. Build quality was low, cheapish really. Nothing like my 740, 750. E39, and the 635. The E36 M3 cars are plentiful, so keep looking.

They are plentiful, but well kept ones are definitely not a dime a dozen. I had a '97. Yes, some of the interior detail was sub-par, but the driving experience more than made up for it.

This listing was ended by the seller because there was an error in the listing.

Usually indicates shenanigans.

For sure, they are common but nice stock ones are less so. I know that they aren't the best BMW ever made but I'm really partial to the styling and they have to drive well. :)

The last of the BMWs that I would want and own.

Hard to find one that is not totally trashed, I love mine, never selling it.

Good looking and great driving cars, I just never could get past the cheap interior. I would say that one was a fair deal but not incredible by any means.

My buddy recently bought an E36 M3 convertible out of California with 80k-ish miles, excellent condition inside & out, fully kitted out with Dinan goodies (supercharger and exhaust). He paid somewhere around 10k for that car.

Excellent engine doner for e30's!

Go S54 or go home!

This leads me to believe that you haven't yet driven one. I gotta say, you need to drive a few of them before deciding to go down that road.

A stock E36 M3 doesn't float my boat. A modified one does. I'd suggest a '95, so you don't have to deal with the OBD2 crap. I'd suggest that you don't need a sunroof or A/C. I'd suggest that you transplant a real M3 engine into it. I'd also put wider front wheels on the front and the stickiest tires you can buy. I'd install replicas of all the M3 Lightweight/GT parts, if you can stand the looks of the rear wing. I'd dig into the M3 parts bin and up the cooling capacity (radiator and oil cooler) and install the front brakes from the Euro M3. I'd want cloth front seats.

Do all that and you'll have a really fun, pretty fast car. By a stock one and you'll have a nice driving sedan. Your priorities may be different than mine but most people buy these cars to chase corners on early Sunday mornings. You've probably got the nice driving sedan box already checked.

JR