1988 BMW 3 Series M3 CLEAN 2 OWNER CARFAX SERVICE RECORDS E30 Coupe

1988 BMW M3
Diamond Schwarz Metallic over Black Leather
Extensive Maintenance Documentation/ Records
Clean 2 Owner Carfax
Excellent Condition Inside and Out
Vin # WBSAK0301J2197303
Paint code: 181 (Diamond Black Metallic)
Interior code: 0203 (Black Bison Leather)
Evolve Motors is pleased to present this '88 BMW e30 M3!
“God’s Chariot”, “The Giant Killer”, yada yada yada. They say “Don’t meet your heroes”, nonsense. The e30 M3 lives up to every bit of the hype, offering a uniquely visceral driving experience. It’s a bit hard to tell, but this e30 M3 has covered just shy of 135,000 miles over the course of its 28 year life, less than 5,000 miles per year.
This particular M3 looks great wearing its correct Diamond Schwarz Metallic. The car presents extremely well with only minor cosmetic imperfections. Pictures do not do this car proper justice as it is a very straight, solid, and well kept M3. All door gaps and panel alignment show nice and consistent. The trim, plastics, and glass all show is excellent condition, further proof that this was a garage kept car. The prior owner informed us that the car was repainted (in the same original factory color) sometime in the early 2000s. The paint work shows fantastic, free from overspray and orange peel. We note only a few imperfections: a scratch on the fuel filler cover, a touched-up nick on the mid-underside of the driver front fender, as well as some mild paint blistering behind the rear license plate. Please see the photos, as the car is documented extensively.
Paint gauge readings are as follows (anything over 12mils typically indicates filler of some sort):
Hood: 6.0 – 7.0
Roof: 3.5
Sunroof: 6.0
Driver rear fender: 3.5
Driver door: 3.5
Driver front fender: 5.5
Passenger rear fender: 3.5
Passenger door: 5.5 at rear-most, 8.0 at forward-most
Passenger front fender: 10.0-22.0
Paint depths indicate a previous repair at the forward-most point of the passenger front fender. Repairs appear to have been done to a very high standard, as no misalignment of body panels or visible evidence of the repair is observable.
The body is in phenomenal shape. There are no dings whatsoever. The car has clearly been garaged all its life and is absolutely stunning in person. Original style 5 wheels have been refinished and are in like-new condition, with brand new 205/55 Kumho Ecsta 4X rubber at all four corners. The grill, lights, bezels and emblems all show in fantastic condition. We do note, that while still intact, the fog lights do have cracks in them (very common for glass lens mounted low in bumper).
Interior looks fantastic. There are no cracks, tears, sun-bleaching, or significant scratches on any of the plastic or leather. Headliner is tight, and the carpet is free of any stains or blemishes. Powered systems function as they should, including sunroof, windows, mirrors, and heat. Air conditioning is currently a R12 system, it has not yet been converted to R134. System holds pressure and the pump moves freely. NON-Smoker. The radio was swapped out for an upgraded Blaupunkt Keywest CD169. The ORIGINAL OEM radio is present and goes along with the car in case you choose to revert back to stock. The spare tire, tool kit, manuals, and service records are all included with the car.
The underbody is free of structural corrosion. Please take a good look through the underbody photos. The car is mechanically sound and is in excellent driving condition. It’s ready for the next owner to hop in and head straight for their favorite twisties. The car starts right up, stays cool, pulls hard, brakes straight and consistently, and doesn’t smoke or make any noises of concern.
This car has a clean CarFax and I have receipts in-hand for all of the following maintenance items, in addition to many other, less significant items:
08/2000: Remove exhaust manifold and install new bolts and gaskets, install Blaupunkt “keywest” and Polk speakers
01/2002: UUC Motorwerks Evo II Short Shifter, cartridge bearing upgrade
08/2004: Timing chain tensioner
02/2005: Strut tower cap kit
06/2005: Sway bar link kit
03/2005: Brake hose kit, F+R
07/2005: Water pump
08/2005: Front R+L control arms
11/2005: Driveshaft center bearing, rear carrier mount
06/2006: New e30 M3 muffler, fan belt
08/2006: Distributor cap and rotor, intake boot
10/2006: Idle control breather hose
04/2007: Throttle position switch, gas and oil filters
05/2007: Throwout bearing
06/2007: Fuel pressure regulator
08/2007: Brake pads F+R
08/2008: F+R axle guide supports
02/2009: Clutch cooling fan
03/2011: Radiator hose
05/2011: Clutch master cylinder, clutch slave cylinder, license plate light
07/2011: Hawk HPS brake pads
09/2011: Fog lamps
03/2012: Fuel pump
10/2015: Brake shoe set, Parking brake cable
07/2016: Coolant level sensor
11/2016: Driveshaft center bearing
We personally drove this car up to a local show 2 weeks ago along with our 318is and it was an absolute blast to drive. It feels nice and tight like a BMW should, it tracks straight both under braking and acceleration. The suspension is tight and quiet. If you haven't had the chance to drive a well sorted E30 M3 then you don't know what you are missing. There is good reason why the E30 M3 is the most decorated road-racing car of all time.