This is a very clean example of the BMW E30 M3, in white over black with all original panels and all original paint on the sheet metal. The black leather interior is immaculate, and thankfully includes a stock radio, near perfect stock seats, and very rare factory seat heaters. Modifications are all reversible and include a X5 shift lever, genuine BMW EVO 16″ wheels, a Conforti chip, and tow hook covers. It has 69,938 miles on the clock and the original S14 engine. We just had a major service and all new OEM exhaust installed, needless to say the car is a blast to drive. People are amazed at the condition when they see it in person, and it is the kind of preserved car that is now very rare amongst these early M3s. Even the windshield is original, and the A/C blows nice and cold.

The car was originally purchased at BMW of San Francisco and the original service booklet shows stamps of the first few services performed there. We purchased the car just over a year ago from Road & Track Editor Sam Smith. He is a known authority on this model and has owned several of them. Read his stuff and you will know he is super detail-oriented and is just the kind of guy you want to buy an M3 from. He got the car from his father, who purchased it in 2006, and who shares his passion for the model and took amazing care of the car.

The CarFax substantiates the 67k miles the car had when we bought it. We have added just under 3000 since with absolutely no trouble other than some undercar leaks and a Brake Lining indicator caused by aftermarket pads (see pic below). In June we took the car to Sonnen BMW for a comprehensive dealer service, including all fluids, filters, A/C service, and new exhaust. We also had the snipped brake harness pigtails replaced with all OEM BMW parts, so the warning light is no longer illuminated. This was not cheap but it was the proper fix.

Sam delivered us the car in amazing shape but with a couple of caveats. The main one was that the exhaust had the catalytic converter deleted and sounded a bit loud and buzzy. Paper records in the file showed that his dad had installed an aftermarket exhaust in 2006. We didn’t like the sound, and the cat delete technically means it would not pass California smog testing, so we had the full proper 2-piece OEM exhaust installed at the dealer on our June visit. This is a $4k line item if you don’t have friends at the dealer. We never thought we would yearn for stock, but an M3 of this quality deserves it.

We have enjoyed adding miles to this car, and are sad to let it go. We aren’t sure if we will ever find or be able to afford another one this nice. We hope that whoever buys it preserves the originality but isn’t afraid to add some miles while keeping it in this condition.

Special thanks goes to Nick Pon for many of the photos.

This car is being sold by Bring a Trailer Inc., a licensed, bonded, and insured California dealer. Sales tax and registration fees are due upon delivery for California buyers. We think that charging customers the allowable $80 documentation fee is lame, and so we won’t be doing that.