Newbie asking for pricing guidelines based on Hagerty valuation report

[jgerock]

Hoping not to aggravate the forum members here since this is my first post.   I'm in the process of finalizing the purchase of a very nice red/natur cloth 318is with sunroof, original 14" wheels and 156k miles.

Car in question has original paint, no rust, uncracked dash and all service records going back to 1994 (and clean CarFax report).  Car was originally sold in Arizona.  It has the original window sticker.   Fog lamps (car originally came with a set) were removed and replaced by block-off plates.  The rear lip spoiler has some cracks in the paint.  Driver's seat has (1) crack and (1) wear spot on the outer bolster.

Looking at the Hagerty valuation report, the prices for these cars SEEM higher than they should be (to me).  I have seen the post about USA Production numbers, so less than 10,000 vehicles for a (1) year only special model should command higher prices than other 3-series models (other than the M3).

I'm looking for justification since I've reviewed the previous (30) BaT auctions for this model going back to 2016 - prices are all over the place.

[DesktopDave]

I agree with your point of view. I used to love BaT but it's gotten a little rich for my blood. I'd suggest (respectfully) that Hagarty values are pretty much meant only for collectors, not drivers. I'd also suspect that inflating the value of classic cars helps Hagarty's bottom line by selling profitable collectors' auto policies. I'd also suspect that this truly overheated collectors' market will melt away once the stock market comes back down to reasonable levels.

IMHO with the exception of the M3 and a few other really unusual examples (the 333i and Alpina models come to mind), the E30 hasn't been accepted as a collectible yet. I'm happy about that, since it'll mean the E30 stays affordable for normal enthusiasts instead of being collected to death.