is this worth it?

this is a 95 E36 is 12,500 too much from the pics it looks like a conforti or dinan intake dinan sway and strut bars and a exhaust and a head unit

http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=196790277

I just bought a 1995 m3, white, 2 door, loaded. It's in great shape. The car is basically cosmetically and mechanically perfect. I paid only $8,600 for it. so to me, yes, that $12,500 sticker price seems a little high. That car doesn't even have the original m3 wheels on it which make the car more valuable if its got the original rims. If you'll check out ebay or shop around you'll find some GREAT deals on m3's. Just buy one from someone who needs to sell, Because then you'll get it for a better price. The one I bought is a 5-speed, ungodly wicked when it comes to speed and it even has a sunroof which is nice.

I just bought a 1995 m3, white, 2 door, loaded. It's in great shape. The car is basically cosmetically and mechanically perfect. I paid only $8,600 for it. so to me, yes, that $12,500 sticker price seems a little high. That car doesn't even have the original m3 wheels on it which make the car more valuable if its got the original rims. If you'll check out ebay or shop around you'll find some GREAT deals on m3's. Just buy one from someone who needs to sell, Because then you'll get it for a better price. The one I bought is a 5-speed, ungodly wicked when it comes to speed and it even has a sunroof which is nice.

$8,600 for a E36 M3? That is really far under KBB value for the car, and you rarely find M3s undervalued because there is alot of demand for them in most places. Was your car a rebuilt salvage title? If not you got incredibly lucky with that car. And your comment about aftermarket wheels isn't necessarily true, there are alot of wheels that will increase your car's worth if you sell them to the right people. A E36 M3 w/ BBS LMs would sell for more then a E36 with stock wheels if you sold the car to someone that cared about that kind of thing.

Regarding the OP, that particular car could go either way.

First of all, it is above the KBB value. Technically it is valued at about $10,000.

Second, the car does appear to be modified to some extent. This could be good or bad. If you are into tuning then alot of the work will already be done for you. Odds are that when you include the value of the modifications I can see to the KBB value, this car suddenly becomes very attractive. On the downside, modifications often mean that the car has been pushed pretty hard. Generally the ideal person to buy a M3 from is a 55yr old man that drives reasonably, babies the car, and doesn't race or wear on the engine. Odds are that a modified car is owned by someone in their late 20's/early 30's that likes to have a bit more fun with the car, which can be hard on the engine.

Personally, I would get in touch with the seller and try to get a feel for his driving habits. If this guy is drag racing his car on Friday nights and tracking it on Saturdays, it would probably be more trouble to maintain the car then you want to deal with. If he seems like a reasonable guy, have a dealership or some certified BMW mechanic run an inspection on the car. If that all works out, I'd buy it.

i agree check it over very well. my brother picked up a 95 m3 with some minor work (shocks/springs/sway bars/turner motorsp chip/intake exhaust/seat harnesses) and boom went the motor 3 days later...long drug out battle with the warranty company to get a new (~12,500$ engine) for a car he paid 16 for. both those prices seem low to me; it may be 10yrs old but its still a what ~40k car new? they hold their value fairly well. might want to run a carfax that mightve been destroyed at one time.

No the car wasn't in any accidents. I did some serious shopping around. I looked at 40 or 50 of them, so then when I saw one I could tell whether it was a good buy or not. I bought it in downtown Manhattan from a dealership. yes $8,600 seems cheap but where I live, (Knoxville ,TN) that is about what one would expect to pay for an m3 from the years '95 to '98. They are more valuable in some places more so than others. And yes, you're right, some rims do make the car more valuable, but as you said, you have to find the "right" buyer to sell to. It's easier to sell your car to anyone then have to wait for that "right" buyer. And most 1995 m3's won't fetch more than $9,000 on E-bay, you just have to shop around. Buy from people who need to sell and sell to people who need to buy.