Most people have very simple reasons for buying a car. You need it to get to work, to transport your groceries or when you go on vacation. Over the years, a considerable kilometer cushion accumulates. 10,000 kilometers per year, 20,000 kilometers, some frequent drivers manage even more. That’s why the ad in an Austrian sales portal is so out of the ordinary. “BMW 3 series 323i E30 2 doors, forgotten NEW CAR!!!”, it says with lots of exclamation marks. Year of manufacture 1985, mileage: 260. How can that be with a 37-year-old car?
The odometer reading is original: the 3-series BMW drove only 260 kilometers in 37 years.
(Photo: Daniel Meyer)
Normally, the term “barn find” is always used in this context. As a rule, this is what classic car experts call a vehicle that is only discovered when the owner has already died. Among all the dust and clutter in the garage is a rare Lamborghini. Or a duck mothballed as a “reserve”. The condition is mostly poor. Worn upholstery, flat tires and rusted sheet metal are just the visible defects. Nevertheless, collectors pay millions depending on the rarity of the model.
The BMW is never driven
Daniel Meyer “only” wants 119,990 euros for his 3-sedan. In 2019, the Austrian car dealer bought the BMW 323i. He discovers an article on the Internet over the sedan and is immediately electrified. “Since I worked for BMW for 30 years, it was of course something very special,” he says. He has been self-employed since 2017 and sells cars in Klagenfurt, Austria. He decides: “I’ll put it in our showroom.”
The “standing around” knows the 323i from its previous owners. The BMW was never actually driven. The two-door completed the 260 kilometers on the clock when it was transferred to its first owner. A German BMW dealer who exhibited the red sedan in his showroom for 30 years. He doesn’t want to sell the car. The BMW survives its owner, a Belgian collector buys the E30 from the estate and parks it in his heated garage. Daniel Meyer bought the 323i from him in 2019 for 48,000 euros.
The interior still smells like a new car
The 3 Series is an important model series for BMW. Manufactured in the main plant in Munich, it is the basis of the company’s economic success from 1975 onwards, it is the Bavarian manufacturer’s best-selling model. The second generation was built between 1982 and 1994 and has been popular with collectors for several years. While there are many examples on the market, a model with such low mileage is rare. Daniel Meyer even claims that the inside of the BMW 323i still smells like a new car.
No journeys, no wear and tear: the interior of the BMW E30 is also in excellent condition.
(Photo: Daniel Meyer)
The equipment corresponds to the sporty orientation of the brand at that time. The two-door sedan is powered by a 2.3-liter straight-six with 150 hp. As extras there is a five-speed gearbox, Recaro seats and a leather steering wheel. The original tires are still on the rims. “The car is like a time capsule,” marvels Meyer. “It’s unbelievable that something like this exists.” Since the BMW was registered at least once in Germany, obtaining the H license plate should not be a problem. “It’s all like from the factory,” says the car dealer.
“You can’t just start it and drive off”
It happens again and again that vehicles appear on the market in new condition decades later, explains Marius Brune from Classic Data, a classic car evaluation company. One of her customers parked his new Jaguar XJS in the living room – as a piece of furniture. After twelve years, he no longer fitted in with the rest of the facility and had to leave. The brakes were rusted, the grease had gummed up, the window regulators no longer worked, reports Brune.
He doesn’t see Meyer’s BMW 3 Series as a supposed bargain. “You can’t just start it and drive off,” explains the classic car expert. Daniel Meyer also admits that the BMW needs new dampers, tires, oil and a timing belt replacement. But then the 3 Series would be ready for the road. Whether someone would really pay 120,000 euros for it, he is not so sure himself. “It’s difficult to rate the car because it’s basically new,” explains Meyer.
For supporters of the brand, only a six-cylinder in-line is a “real BMW”.
(Photo: Daniel Meyer)
At least it is possible, admits Marius Brune from Classic Data. He calls it “Auction Madness”https://www.sueddeutsche.de/auto/.”There’s always someone who really wants it,” he says. The right buyer has to be in the right place at the right time. In the case of the 323i, Brune thinks that’s unlikely. There would be many BMW 3 Series of these years. With a mileage of 20,000 or 30,000 kilometers, they cost between 25,000 and 30,000 euros in top condition. Nevertheless, car dealer Daniel Meyer already has offers. Even if they are still a long way from his asking price. An interested party recently offered 70,000 euros.
Marius Brune is surprised: “I think that’s a lot,” says the classic car expert. He advises the seller: “He should rather strike.” He does not yet know whether Daniel Meyer can part with his new classic car for this price. But one thing seems unlikely: that the BMW 323i will finally be driven in its 37th year. Too bad actually.