If you follow the sale history of project-grade BMW E9 coupes, you’ll likely notice these cars attract rust like fleas to a dog. On the flip side, when one is seemingly solid, bidders do not hesitate to throw down real money for these pretty coupes. Check out this 1973 model here on eBay where bidding is already over $20K with two days left.

Wearing one of my favorite colors on a Neue Klasse car, this Amazon Green 3.0CS resided in New York before the owner relocated to South Carolina, at which point it began a long hibernation. Thankfully, that time spent up north seemed to avoid regular exposure to salt and slop. As an earlier example, it wears the far prettier slim chrome bumpers and retains consistent shut lines and paint depth from end to end.

The seller does disclose evidence of prior repair to the floorboards, so rust has crept in at some point. He also notes the left rear floor drain plug area displays some crustiness, but that overall, this car is sold in all the right ways – the shock towers, rockers and trunk floor are all in good shape. The interior similarly presents well, with no major tears or stains. The dash is also said to remain uncracked, but you will have to source a new shift knob.

Underneath, the overall solidness of this car continues to impress, with only bald tires and some surface rust on the exhaust as major concerns. BMWs of all eras will need a complete suspension refresh if left in this condition, and the engine will need untold amounts of work, too – it currently turns freely by hand but doesn’t run. Still, the biggest obstacle to owning one of these is battling the tin worm, and this example seems solid enough to make the numbers work.