1990 BMW M3 (E30)

Finished in the unusual (but unusually lovely) colour of Alpine White II with a black leather interior, this E30 M3 has been in the care of its current owner since October 2018.

He bought it after a 20-year slumber, the BMW having been put there by its previous keeper when he emigrated to Australia. The vendor recommissioned it and has enjoyed it for around 1,200 miles over the past four years.

Now being offered for sale, this is your chance to get your hands on a genuine UK car that’s completely original and unmodified – and if you’ve been following the market in the past few years, you’ll know how rare that combination is…

Just take a look at the BMW’s four flared wheelarches, the sill extensions, the huge wing on the boot, and the deep, blocky chin spoiler; there’s really no doubt that the M3 was designed to go very fast, is there?

Throw in a set of 16-inch BBS cross-spoke alloy wheels and Alpine White paintwork and there’s equally little doubt which decade it was designed in.

Not that we’re knocking it because many of us think the 80s and early 90s are where the Good Stuff can be found these days. Still largely analogue but massively rewarding to drive, they’re the fastest growing sector of the classic car scene right now and nothing, and I mean nothing, is more revered for semi-sensible money than an E30 M3.

The metalwork all still fits together as it should, and the 20 years it spent in storage have ensured it wears nothing more troublesome than the odd stonechip. Even the metal sunroof, which slides open via the sort of mechanical handle you remember as a kid, works as it should and seals tightly against the elements.

The window rubbers are still fresh and supple too, and, speaking of rubber, the M3 sits on a set of 225/45ZR16 Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Brilliantly, even the Bosch headlamps have been etched with the car’s registration number. Until I saw that I’d forgotten what a thief-magnet hot-hatches and the like were back in the nineties.

Flaws are few. Aside from the inevitable stonechips (i.e. #159 and #160) and minor marks (i.e. #338 and #339), there’s a chip on the sill (#131).

The interior is pretty darned good, too – and it is, let us not forget, more than 30 years old and has never been refurbished or re-Connolised. (It is so original that there was an A-Z in the door pocket and a Donna Summer cassette in the Philips headunit when it came out of storage.)

And yes, that’s right, it’s three decades old which means that the yuppies and New Romantics among us are feeling pretty old now, aren’t we?

That’s okay though because age brings wisdom – and enough disposal income to be able to buy cars like this that we couldn’t afford when they were new.

You slide into the M3 to be faced with the familiar E30 dashboard. As the memories come flooding back, you quickly realise how ergonomic it is and that it’s as legible as it is durable.

Goodies are sparse by today’s standards but the minimalist approach only serves to remind you how little you need to make you happy and we’d happily trade any number of touchscreens for the logical layout and satisfying tactility the E30’s controls provide.

The black leather Recaro seats are only lightly creased and still as comfortable and supportive as they’ve ever been. They’ve got adjustable under-thigh supports too, and they tilt forward easily to gain access to the rear.

The rear seats are even better than the front, and the carpets, headlining and door trims all speak of a life gently led.

The M3-branded steering wheel and gearknob are present and correct – and the design on the top of the latter serves to remind you that there’s a dog-leg, five-speed Getrag gearbox for you to enjoy. That’s pretty damned cool, isn’t it?

As is the BMW-branded emergency torch in the glovebox and the warning light cluster in a panel near the sunroof.

The boot lid contains the BMW tool kit, which in turn sets the tone for the rest of the boot, which is in a very good condition, utterly solid and home to the warning triangle and alloy spare wheel.

Work to do depends on your attitude towards originality. Few would quibble if you decided to sort out the trim between the dashboard and the door (#209) but most would agree that the patina the seats have developed might be better left as it is.

With only 67,000 miles on the clock you’d expect the M3’s engine to fire into life without hesitation and that’s exactly what you get.

The vendor has driven a couple of examples and reports that this one is “sparkly” in its performance, which is British understatement at its best.

Berkshire Motor Works, the independent BMW specialists, gave the M3 £2,358-worth of fettling in 2018 following 20 years in storage. This included a service and new oils plus replacement front and rear brake calipers, pads, and shoes for the handbrake plus fresh brake fluid. The coolant was changed too, as were the rear dampers, drive belts, and battery.

April 2019 saw the M3 receive a new fuel filter after having had its fuel tank cleaned by NTS Automotive. New core plugs were fitted too, along with the oil filter seal and a repair to the exhaust hanger. It received a new fuel pump and regulator, clutch slave cylinder, and sparkplugs a month later. Coolant sensors and another fuel filter followed a month after that.

It was given new filters and fresh engine oil in September 2021.

The engine bay is neatly presented and still bears plenty of protective wax, so while it’s not as clean as you might like the upside is that it’s free of rust and rot.

The underside is solid but does have some surface rust on fasteners and brackets. The underseal is also wearing thin in places, so the new owner should consider treating it to a bit of a detail to bring it up to the same high standard as the rest of the vehicle.

It has a current MOT certificate that expires in July 2023. This was issued with no advisories, something it’s done consistently over the years; it’s not often you see a car with a completely clean sheet but this is one.

Page 394 shows a printout from BMW confirming its servicing regimen up to 1997 and slides 401 and 402 shows the stamped service history booklet. As you can see, there’s little to complain about in the way the dealer network looked after it before it went into storage in 1998. Independent specialists have maintained it ever since.

The BMW comes with the usual book pack plus a host of old MOT certificates and invoices.

The recent Vehicle History Check shows nothing of concern.

The E30 M3 is a bona fide legend thanks to its stunning looks, relative ease of maintenance and the fact that it drives every bit as well as its reputation would have you believe.

As a result, it is in huge demand right now and prices have soared as a result.

Which is our way of breaking it to you that we think this one will probably sell for somewhere between £75,000 and £85,000, a premium its condition demands and is one that you should get back when you sell it on.

Because cars like this are always in demand and with interest rates as low as they are wouldn’t you rather have this in the garage than a row of zeros on a bank statement?

Viewing is always encouraged. This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays between 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.