BMW M3 E30 Convertible for sale
1 car in stock right now, inspected in the European country where it is located, priced landed at a US port with the import paperwork done.
America got the E30 M3 — the coupe, and in good numbers. It never got the M3 Convertible, built from 1988 to 1991 in roughly 786 examples, hand-assembled at Garching rather than on the Munich line. It is one of the rarest regular-production M cars ever made, and it was a European model only.
Why Americans want it
The E30 M3 is already the benchmark. The convertible is the version American collectors have read about for thirty years and cannot buy domestically, and at 786 cars it is rarer than most of the homologation specials people chase.
What the US never got
- M3 Convertible (1988–1991), S14 four-cylinder, hand-built.
- The European 215–220 hp catalyst and non-catalyst S14s — US coupes were 192 hp.
- Evolution, Evolution II, Sport Evolution and the homologation specials.
Eligible years (25-year rule)
Every M3 Convertible is eligible now. Production ended in 1991.
What to look for
- Is it real? At these values, converted 325i cabriolets exist. The VIN, the BMW build record and the M-specific bodyshell details settle it. A BMW Group Classic certificate is the document to have.
- The S14 engine: valve adjustment history, timing chain, and whether it has been rebuilt. It is a motorsport engine with motorsport service intervals.
- Rust: E30 rust points — the rear arches, the jacking points, the boot floor, the windscreen surround, and on the convertible the sills and the A-pillar base.
- The hood and its frame: convertible-specific, expensive, and often the reason a cheap car is cheap.
- Body stiffening: the convertible has its own reinforcement. Accident damage here is serious.
Typical landed price
Europe: strongly dependent on documentation and originality. Landed at Newark or Baltimore with duty at the rate in effect on entry, a good documented car is typically in the $140,000–$160,000 range, with exceptional cars above it.
Registration notes
- California: built after 1967, gasoline; CARB lab certification applies, not guaranteed.
- Fuel: gasoline.
- Title: 17-character VIN that decodes as a BMW. Registration depends on the state where you register the car: California requires CARB laboratory certification for gasoline cars built after 1967 and cannot register diesels, and the CBP package establishes the car as an import.
Our take
Buy the BMW Group Classic certificate as much as the car. At this price the difference between a real convertible and a very good conversion is the entire purchase.
FAQ
Was the E30 M3 Convertible sold in the United States?
No. The US received the E30 M3 coupe. The convertible, built 1988–1991, was a European-market car.
How many were built?
Roughly 786, hand-assembled rather than built on the normal production line.
How do I know a car is genuine?
By the VIN and the BMW build record — a BMW Group Classic certificate. Converted 325i cabriolets exist and the value gap is very large.
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Comparing versions? See what America got and what it did not.