16" BBS RS | Recaro M-Tech Cloth Seats | EVO Splitter and Wing | Sparco Bar
1991 BMW M3
BACKGROUND:I'm a longtime BMW fanatic and (somewhat) active, more than 10-year, member of several BMW forums: s14.net, bimmerforums, and r3vlimited. The M3 has been a “California Car” most of it's life: form 1992 - 2012. I have owned the M3 since 10/2008 and have put about 25,000 glorious miles on it. I bought the car from a gentleman north of San Francisco and used it as my daily driver (garaged…always garaged during my ownership) until December, 2011. In early January, 2012 I relocated from San Francisco to Atlanta for work. My father flew one-way into San Francisco and we embarked on an epic 2,400-mile, four-day road trip in the M3 across the country. We drove 8-10 hours each day. No issues whatsoever. Well, besides the notorious E30 M3 shifter buzz we endured for 5 days. As you'll see later on, that has since been resolved by replacing every bolt, bracket, bushing, carrier, etc. associated with the shifting mechanism. Night and day.
Since 2012, the car has been retired from daily driver duty, replaced by a succession of BMWs, including a 2001 E46 M3, a 1998 E39 740iL, and finally, stepping out of the BMW family, a 997.1S. For the last four years I have slowly, as time permitted (two kids, constant travel for work, etc.), performed a refresh / mild restoration focusing primarily on the interior, exhaust system, and wheels. From the records below, you'll see that the car has in fact been barely driven (about once or twice a month, usually Fridays to work and Sundays for a ride to stretch it's legs. I have documented the major work done (and some minor work) in reverse chronological order in the subsequent sections of this auction listing (e.g. ENGINE and TRANSMISSION, INTERIOR, WHEELS and SUSPENSION, etc.). I have a 3-ring binder with all receipts under my ownership and some from the previous owner going back to 1999. At that time, the car had about 100,000 miles on the clock. All 100+pages are available for an in-person review. The folder with receipts comes with the sale of the car.
The car has seen (will see) two days of track time under my ownership. In 2010 at Laguna Seca (HPDE) and, coming up, in April 28, 2018 at Road Atlanta (parade laps). If you happen to be in the Atlanta area, more specifically, at Walter Mitty that weekend, and want to check out the car, please let me know. I will be there all day Saturday.
Some general comments to set the stage: The car has always been a "driver." It doesn't wear original paint and it's got some modifications It's garaged but not a garage queen. As such it's not perfect. I've done my best to call out / document imperfections, or what works/doesn't work, in the appropriate sections. If you have any questions, ask. If you're uncertain about something, ask. I'll do my best to be as available throughout the duration of the auction as possible for test-drives, add'l pictures, etc. The list below is not exhaustive, if you don't see something you thought you would, ask and I'll dig through the records.
MAINTENANCE: In San Francisco, the M3 was primarily maintained by Vanguard Motors. In Atlanta, it was primarily maintained by Munich Motorsports (Jim maintained all my BMWs and is just the best!). I've been thoroughly pleased with both shops. Throughout my ownership I have used, and recommend, several other vendors as well, which are listed below:
Atlanta: 1/2012 – Present
- Mechanical and Maintenance – Munich Motorsports, 6483 Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30360
- Wheel Repair and Painting – Wheel Wizzard, 3695 Longview Dr, Chamblee, GA 30341
- Tires and Alignment – Gran Turismo East, 3306 Shallowford Rd NE, Chamblee, GA 30341
- Steering Wheel Reupholster – Craft Customs, 2414 US Hwy 80 East #408
San Francisco: 10/2008– 12/2011
- Mechanical and Maintenance – Vanguard Motors, 350 10th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
- Body and Paint – UACC, 1369 Rollins Rd, Burlingame, CA 94010
GeneralService / Maintenance:Since late 2012, I sparingly drove the car (mostly test-drives, and inspections for registration) as it was undergoing a slow, mildinterior restoration I mentioned above. As such, it has accumulated relatively few miles since 2012.
- 01/2017 Self 167,567 Miles All fluids flush
- 03/2016 Self 167,012 Miles Oil Change
- 01/2015 $20 166,928 Miles Emissions Inspection Passed
- 01/2015 Self 166,455 Miles Oil Change
- 03/2014 $20 166,207 Miles Emissions Inspection Passed
- 05/2013 $20 165,559 Miles Emissions Inspection Passed
- 02/2013 $1,200 165,502 Miles New OEM Valve Cover Gasket; New OEM Crankcase Ventilation Hose; New OEM Door Lock Tumbler; Oil Change; New OEM Expansion Tank, New OEM Radiator Cap; New OEM Spark Plugs
- 07/2012 $20 164,377 Miles Emissions Inspection Passed
- 06/2012 $100 164,318 Miles Oil Change
- 01/2012 $2,000 158,333 Miles Oil Change; Brake Fluid Flush; Diff Fluid Flush; New OEM Flex Disc; New OEM Radiator; Coolant Flush; New OEM Transmission Shifter Seals
- 07/2011 $100 156,450 Miles Oil Change
- 10/2010 $100 153,622 Miles Oil Change
- 05/2010 $700 150,208 Miles Oil Change; New OEM Tie Rods; New OEM Clutch Slave Cylinder; Brake Fluid Flush
- 05/2010 $100 150,209 Miles Wheel Alignment
- 09/2009 $150 147,340 Miles New Battery MTP-93
- 08/2009 $100 147,118 Miles Oil Change 20W50; Diff Fluid Flush 75W90
- 01/2009 $100 143,387 Miles Oil Change
INTERIOR: Most of my efforts over the last 4 years, in terms of the M3 restoration, have gone into refreshing the interior. Listed below are the major items that were replaced. Along with those major items, is a slew of minor items that were also replaced but don't warrant it's own bullet, so I'll list them here to convey the sense of detail given to the restoration (here we go: all interior except the headliner and A-pillars was stripped out...down to the carpet and cleaned / refurbished as necessary, replaced all door panel snaps, new speaker kicker panel fabric, new tweeters, glove box sag fix, glove box flash light replacement, heater control panel surround, shifter symbol, interior bulbs, steering wheel buttons, etc...). Seats have recline adjustments but are at the moment floor-mounted (I'm 6'3") to provide head clearance. I have the Sparco slider mounts and OEM sliders available with all associated hardware (11/2016 $250 from Massive). It all comes with the car sale and I can install it if you'd like. A/C has been converted to R134 at some point in the past, but it DOES NOT blow cold air...it blows air, just not cold. Heat works just fine. All other switches, buttons, etc. work as intended.
- 01/2017 $90 New OEM Leather Handbrake
- 07/2017 $150 New OEM Z3 1.9 Shifter Kit
- 04/2016 $100 New OEM Floor Mats
- 04/2016 $250 New OEM Leather Shifter w/ Associated Badges
- 04/2016 $60 Heater Control Panel Surround
- 04/2016 $3,500 Recaro SRD Seats w/ OEM M-Tech Cloth and OEM Rears w/ Associated Hardware
- 02/2016 $375 Steering Wheel Leather Reupholstering w/ OEM Stitch Pattern
- 08/2015 $50 Center Console
- 06/2015 $300 New OEM C-Pillar Covers w/ Associated Hardware
- 06/2015 $40 New OEM Door Sills Strips
- 06/2015 $400 OEM Partitions and Trim Panels w/ Associated Hardware
- 03/2015 $250 New OEM Shifting Bushings, Bolts, Brackets, EVERY ITEM) on ETK Diagram (No more shifter buzz!)
EXTERIOR: The M3 has been repainted prior to my ownership in Diamond Pearl White (Lexus OEM color from the early 2000s). It was done in 2004 when the car had 124,845 miles on the clock. The bill for the work (parts and labor) was just shy of $6,000. Not something I would have done, but times were different then, and the car wasn't quite at the same level on the appreciation curve as it is today. The car has always been a “driver.” As such, it shows signs of wear cosmetically. Areas where the paint shows imperfections, chips, dings, scratches, what-have-yous are pointed out in the pictures and/or with a red arrow on the picture. The areas with some imperfections that come to mind are sunroof, front bumper cover stone chips, hood, passenger door, and rear left bumper cover. No rust. All VIN tags present BESIDES the passenger door. My guess is that it was misplaced when the car was repainted in 2004. The reason I say that, is because the driver door VIN has been put back askew.
- 08/2016 $70 New OEM Roundels Front and Rear
- 02/2010 $100 Fiberglass Evo 3 Air Ducts and Tow Hook Cover Deletes
- 02/2010 $60 Euro "Snorkel"
- 10/2009 $200 Used E30 Bosch Ellipsoid Projectors w/ Euro to US Pigtails
- 10/2009 $70 E30 Euro Grills
- 06/2009 $300 VAC E30 M3 Sport Evo Style Carbon Fiber Front Splitter
- 06/2009 $500 New OEM Evo 3 Spoiler Cover / “Undertray”
- 06/2009 $700 MA Shaw Carbon Fiber Rear Wing w/ Carbon Fiber Gurney Flap
- Circa 2017 $100 New OEM Engine Mounts
- 06/2009 $100 93 Octane iigo SS93 Performance Chip (Have OEM Chip; Comes w/ Sale)
- Circa 2008 $100 Sparco Front Strut Brace
WHEELS and SUSPENSION:
- 03/2018 $550 BF Goodrich g-Force Rival 214/45/16 (<500 Miles on Tires)
- 01/2018 $200 BBS RS Polished Billet Hex ¼ Height Nuts
- 06/2017 $650 Wheel Stripping and Painting (Wheel Wizzard) in BBS Silver (Centers and Caps)
- 06/2017 $230 BBS RS Stainless Steel Bolts, Nuts, and Valve Stems
- 01/2017 $1,200 BBS RS005 16x7 Wheels w/ H&R 10mm Spacers R and 5mm Spacers F
- 09/2009 $350 H&R Race Springs 1.6” F and 1.5” R w/ Bilstein Sport Shocks
- 06/2009 $100 Rogue Engineering RSMs w/ Associated Hardware
EXHAUST: In GA, cars 25 years or older no longer need to pass Emissions Inspection. As such, I've replaced the center section, with the cats, and the muffler. The sound is definitely throaty under WOT but does not drone on the highway.
- 08/2016 $100 OEM Exhaust Hangers / Hardware
- 07/2017 $500 Supersprint Resonated Stainless Steel Center Section (Have OEM Center Section; Comes w/ the Car Sale)
- 01/2016 $800 Eisenmann Stainless Steel Race Exhaust
Additional pictures of dings, dents, scratches, etc. I will add to this section as people request additional pictures or I spot some new items as I do another walk-around the car tomorrow:
- Condition: Used
- Make: BMW
- Model: M3
- Type: Coupe
- Year: 1991
- Mileage: 167,808
- VIN: WBSAK0317MAE34284
- Color: Diamond Pearl White (Lexus OEM Color)
- Engine size: 2.3 Liter S14B23
- Number of cylinders: 4
- Power options: Power Locks, Power Windows
- Fuel: Gasoline
- Transmission: 5-speed Getrag 265 Manual
- Drive type: RWD
- Interior color: Black with OEM M-Tech Cloth
- Drive side: Left-hand drive
- Safety options: Anti-Lock Brakes
- Options: Cassette Player, Sunroof
- Vehicle Title: Clear Want to buy? Contact seller!
