[spazzyfry123]

Only five years ago my friend had an immaculate E30 with all the right boxes checked (dash and interior looked nearly new, three pedals, straight body with zero rust, <100k miles...), and he couldn't get the first hint of a buyer with an asking price of $6,500. Today, that car would command quadruple that or more with a line of people glad to pay it.

With the recent spike in E30 prices, I'm not convinced of the value. If we reach back to look at the full spectrum of time these were produced in a desirable year, probably about a million were made with a good percentage having six cylinders. Don't get me wrong, I get the appeal, I had a Spec E30. I'm just floored by non-M3 values. I suppose things will always be worth what people are willing to spend! Curious if it'll flat line or fall similar to the muscle car rush.

It has me thinking... What other car is out there that offers similar value to that of an E30 just a few years ago? To keep it in the family, I'm thinking that car is an E46 330i/ci/cic ZHP. There's a lot of cool and a lot of fun for, in many of instances, less than $10k. A four door with three pedals in Imola Red sure sounds tempting.

Pros/cons? Let's open the discussion.