whats the deal with all the s14's for sale?

[ash00]

Its like the delorean rush of the late 90's when their major parts distributer went out of business...suddenly there's a whorde of s14's for sale. Or...a bunch of crashed e36 m3's..

whats the deal?!

[Brandon]

Most e30 m3s are old cars now and many of them were used as daily drivers and are worn out...so...the cars are most likely showing up at junkyards that are parting them out...that could be the reason for the larger number of s14 engines showing up on the market.

[ash00]

I guess what I meant was people dropping in s52's from crashed e36 m3's

[rho]

Most e30 m3s are old cars now and many of them were used as daily drivers and are worn out...so...the cars are most likely showing up at junkyards that are parting them out...that could be the reason for the larger number of s14 engines showing up on the market.

What Junkyards have E30 M3s????? I have yet to see one with my own eyes!

[02Nut]

There appears to be two camps when an E30 M3 S14 motor gets tired / blows up.

1. Rebuild the S14 (2.3 or 2.5) - big $$ when done correctly but keeps the M3 "original" (maintain collectability value?)

2. Install an E36 M3 (S52?) motor - possibly cheaper than rebuilding an S14.

3. The S14 is low on torque & power compared to an S52 and it appears many E30 M3 owners are willing to sacrifice originality for more performance.

[RayC911]

I've seen new S52 (E36 M3) in crates go for under $6K. So I can see why some would go that way. A lot more HP for a lot less $$. I think that a lot more ppl are just tracking their e30s and wreaking them. Doubt you will find many in yards My motor came from a totaled m3. Original ones will definately keep their value and go up in the future.

[Madvibes]

it could also be that like 2002 parts, people realize that E30 M3s are in very high demand these days and have decided to cash in by selling whatever they can.

[SteveJ]

The M3's are the the 2002tii all over again.

They were each the high performance version of the standard car in the class. They went through an initial phase when they were very rare, then they were more plentiful and people started to modify the cars to make them their own. When the original expensive bits wore out, many people opted to transplant motors or other parts. Originallity and later resale values weren't too much of a concern.

We have reached the point where many of the daily drivers(like mine) are just worn out. The rest are either all out racecars or total basket cases. Doesn't this sound like tii's? I think we will soon look at a stock E30M3 as we look at a stock 2002tii, and appreciate it for itself. (I already do.)

I don't agree with keeping your car in a bubble. I get a sad feeling when I see a beautiful car just sitting and not out playing. Get it out and drive it!

[ash00]

tellin' it like it is steve, just tellin' it like it is.

yeah, that was one of the reasons why I was looking at that salvaged e30 m3-- I can drive the crap out of it, and not worry about shopping carts, rock chips, etc-

[02Nut]

Having purchased an '88 M3 recently, I have to agree with Steve's statement that the M3 is the "successor" to the Tii

Like the Tii, an E30 M3 really shines when rev'd above 4K RPM and in the curves.

[TMK-001]

I have no doubt this is the natural progression!

I would love a bone stock E30 M3... and a high modded S14 for my 2002 :-P

[ray_]

Having purchased an '88 M3 recently, I have to agree with Steve's statement that the M3 is the "successor" to the Tii

Like the Tii, an E30 M3 really shines when rev'd above 4K RPM and in the curves.

Maybe one day I can get to drive an E30 M3.

;-)

Cheers,

Ray

[02Nut]

Ray,

How's everything in Tianjin?

You're welcome to take her for a spin whenever you're in town.

The E30 M3 I bought is set-up for J-stock Club racing but I'm using it primarily for Auto-X, Driver Schools, and the odd track day.

BTW - I'm headed to Asia very soon - I'll PM you with details.

[SteveJ]

Or if you get to NorCal you can take a spin in my M3...provided I have it back on the road with all fresh suspension bits.

The one nice thing about having an E30M3 is that if anything ever happens to the car, I have a motor that will be looking for an 02 body. Bye bye smog checks!

[ray_]

Thanks Andy, Steve,

Things are plodding along here. I oughta make a trip in July to SoCal, which will be nice since I've not seen my car with the Alpha-n and CF airbox!

Wil be changing planes in SFO, leave the light on, Steve!

;-)

Ray