e36 Prices/Rarity

[dergside]

It’s mad but 8 years ago I literally could not find a buyer for my car. It took me over 12 months to sell it and I took a big hit on it.

In 2012/13 I decided to sell my 325i (and e39 523i) as I'd just bought a 330Ci (it seemed like a good idea at the time). I sold it back to the UK as there was ZERO demand for a car like it here at the time (for good reasons of course) and I really couldn't face the thought of a car with less that 60k miles ending up as a drifter. Thankfully I got the opportunity to buy it back again a couple of years later, with a few miles added, but other than the radio it was as and in the condition I'd sold it.

[Andy]

A very similar story really to the way the E30 went some years ago. My two

[318 iS Cosmos]

I still regret selling my 318iS! Maybe it's because there are so few about on our roads, but they do command a road presence. It's just a shame the E36 M3 didn't stand out form the non-M models. I read an article last year about a possible plan to ban petrol cars across a number of cities in Germany and that it would be the death of the E36 & E46 models. Hopefully this doesn't happen.
Edit: it wasn't a Yahoo article but this is what cropped up now:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1990s...162200107.html

[Curran]

A few cheap LHD E36s on the go then perhaps!

Why can't governments have a bit of linked up thinking when making these kind of decisions.....Diesels are the worst terms of people's health. If banning anything, it should be anything bought from that day forth. There's more emmisions on producing a car to replace one that's already on the road....when you calculate the delta between the new and old. Alas, it's all a money making scheme versus the claim "we're doing it for the environment"

[dergside]

.....Diesels are the worst terms of people's health. If banning anything, it should be anything bought from that day forth.

I'm a diehard petrolhead and its my intention to always keep 1 gallon of fuel for a last hurrah on the day when all other fossil fuels are gone, but we do all have acknowledge that changes are acoming, re. climate. While I'm fairly evenly sceptical about both radical climate change doomsayers and those that deny it, the reality is that we have to consider and contribute to reducing the impact we have on the environment around us and the rate of our use of finite resources. If the climate change folks are right, and if we can't make hard decisions, the only choice may be to decide whether we want to choke (Go Diesel!) or burn (higher CO2 Petrol).... Either way, we're dead .

[Curran]

I have no objections to changing how things are done going forward. For example, banning the production of combustion engines, fair enough. But to penalise a person because their car is old, is unfair; be it, considerably raising a tax on it (considering it's already paid a hefty contribution in its 10, 15, 20 or whatever years it's been in use), banning it from a city, etc. It is also not fair to take someone's interest away. For the car enthusiats of the furure, they'll be raised on EV or whatever. Incentives to move to newer, cleaner technology, not heavy penalties for not...they'll phase out eventually. Anything that remains is a part of motoring history and as such should have a place forever.

There's talk of global cooling. And if it's only a claim from the opposition, I suppose it's a possibility it we all seek a ban on anything that is considered contributing to global warming. What's likely happening is a shift in climates, but this isn't anything new historically.

Anyways...There's a lovely Red E36 M3 3.0 beong prepped for sale by Old Colonel Cars, according to Instagram...if anyone's interested...£14 Stg, plus VRT Let's not get into that either!

[dergside]

.....What's likely happening is a shift in climates, but this isn't anything new historically.

I'm inclined to agree with this view of the world. Cycles in nature tend to be very long in duration and this could well be the way on this. Its probably only with the benefit of hindsight that we'll know how much we (the human race) skewed the graph on mother nature.

Sorry for the excursion off topic!

[RossYB]

I kinda miss being able to buy them cheap as they're a really fun car to work on and there's so many options for mods, E36s are the sole reason I took an interest in BMW.

But as with most 90s RWD they go through that not new enough but not old enough no man's land where they begin to get treated as a throwaway car and hit rock bottom then the numbers dwindle to the stage where a GOOD car is now appreciating in price.



I gave €400 for mine just over 7 years ago, Had a near full BMW history and was a standard/unmodified m sport.

It's had a few changes over the years but I'm VERY happy that I held onto it and was able to get some massive bargains over the years to add to it.

[EndaC]

A question I often get asked (including today) is what the plans are for my M3. And it's a question I can never really answer.
I've had it seven years now but never felt the same interest in it as I did with my 318is which I have almost twelve years now.
I often forget I actually own it except for the annual reminder from the tax office to declare it off the road.
But I don't think I could ever bring myself to part with it purely because I know i'd never have the chance to have another one.
And while it does need work and will never be the ideal low mileage, low owner M3 it will always have the ability to put a smile on my face and I think that's why I've loved E36s so much for so long now.

[rebel.ranter]

I’ve got my e36 for 18 years. Don’t think I’ll sell it unless I really have to.