Sulaco

I would not fret at all over your price. Welcome to the forum!

For what it's worth, I bought what I thought was the only C43 local to me back in 2011. It was a 99 with 238k miles but was very clean with a good history and no issues. I got it for $4k and was simply going to put a 55 motor in it since the high miles had ruined it's value in any case.

3 months later someone trades in a minty-fresh 99 C43 at the local Ford dealership. I spot this and pull in to inquire out of curiosity. 82k miles and absolutely garage kept its whole life. It was flawless and dealer serviced. Asking price at the time? 14k. I laughed and told them they are out of their mind. I pulled out my phone and found several similar examples all over the country with relatively similar histories going for $6500-8500.

4 days later someone came in and bought that car for $13k

You simply can't go around calling people idiots when it comes to cars this rare, especially as they reach the 20 year mark. 1100 were imported, how many are left? How many are left actually on the road? How many have a good service history? And then how many have less than 100k miles? 50k? etc. The list grows shorter and shorter the farther down you go.

Besides, values on specific cars eventually start climbing and there's always something to get the climb started. It's not like the entire car world gets together in a big confab and agrees "okay E36 M3's are too cheap, let's start paying more than they are currently worth!" People all on their own decided they just had to have one and were willing to overpay. After enough people start doing that, it's not "overpaying" anymore. It's climbing value.

An acquaintance of mine has another white 98 C43 with only 85k miles and has turned down offers that were a tad under $10k. He listed it for $6500 and decided to keep it when 3 buyers got in a bidding war.

PJmak

Good price if you are gonna keep it clean and not drive it and put miles.

If you are gonna beat around in it, you paid too much.

mickey13

LOL. Where in NJ are you? I'm over in Sea Bright.

kwhr49

Only thing that interested me was a smoked heckblende from a Brabus C58...other than that most of the euro pieces, even headlights, don't interest me....

Im in Morris County.

DKB_AMG

@Suluco thanks for the kind words. I paid 15.5 for my 50000 mile example because that's what it was worth to me I preferred spending that much for a nice one than less for one I would have to fix. In 1998 after reading about it I started saving towards a $20000 down payment so that I could afford the monthly. I was more than halfway there when my wife told me she was pregnant with my son. It got shelved. I raised my son alone for twenty years and he began making his way in the world which loosened up my finances for the first time in years. BAT was just a way to kill time for me until I saw this car. I put my card in and set a limit. It was right after Christmas so I thought maybe I had a chance. I was $100 away from my limit when the bidding ended. The seller put lipstick on the pig that is the front bumper claiming to have had it resprayed by some high end exotic body shop . It rained during my trip home and that paint washed off. Every single button and accessory works and nothing leaks or weeps. It runs like a clock and wants to spin the tires at every light with the ASR turned off. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. I would not accept an offer of $50000. Its garaged for insurance reasons but I intend to drive it.If I buy something that makes me happy at a price that someone else would not have paid and that makes me an idiot that so be it. *shrug*