Looking for input on a trade

How's it going, I have a question regarding a potential trade between myself and a friend of mine. I had posted my Dinan supercharged 95 M3 for sale and he showed interest in trading straight for his 2000 323I sedan with suspension work. My concern is that even though my car is rough around the edges that it may still hold more value than his making it more advantageous for me if I sell it outright.
From my research I have seen that clean well sorted supercharged E36 M3's seem to go for upwards of ~$15k, so I priced mine at $8500 due to the issues I have addressed. On the same token it seems that e46 sedans don't bring more than $6000 with similar modifications as his, I could be wrong about this as I am new to the BMW world but hopefully someone can help shed some light so I don't end up on the downside of a poor decision.

Info on the cars:

My Car;

1995 M3 Coupe
177k
Dinan/Vortec Stage 1 supercharger
Billy Boat Exhaust
Stage 2 Clutch/Flywheel
H&R Race springs/Bilstein struts
New Headgasket/Bolts
Super Clean Black Interior

-Biggest Issue is it was hit in the front from the previous owner so it has had body work nothing structural, clean title) you can see the passengers fender is a slightly different shade of silver in the picture
-Body is far from perfect; poorly rolled fenders, small dings/imperfections but not unsightly
-Hacked headlight wiring from PO attempting to put in HIDs
-A/C is inop
-AUX fan is wired on a switch

All that being said that car pulls hard, handles well and I drive it daily, it's just rough around the edges.

Car in question to be traded:

2000 323i Sedan
115k
5 speed
Stock Motor
Long tubes (catless)
Magnaflow axel back
Hotchkiss Springs
Hotchkiss adjustable sway bars front/rear
Koni Shocks
Short throw shifter w/ZHP knob

-CEL is on due to not having cat converters
-Also was told that sometimes the car gets a CPS code and runs on 5 cylinders, once the car is turned off then restarted it runs fine.

Attached are pictures of both cars, he says he wants a straight trade but he keeps his E46 M wheels, I feel that I am trading down and loosing out on potential value. Any positive input is greatly appreciated!

You are trading down. I'd wait it out. Someone will want your M3 and $8500 isn't out of the question. I would need more pics of the 'rough edges' to make a better judgement, but to be honest, all E36s at this point have rough edges. The E46 323i is a bland bland car, and doesn't compare to your M3.

For what it's worth, the CPS fault in the E46 is easy to fix. Replace the CPS.


P.S. I know the feeling of the Dinan S/C kit. I have one myself. Nothing quite like driving a street legal rocket ship

Originally Posted by petriej

You are trading down. I'd wait it out. Someone will want your M3 and $8500 isn't out of the question. I would need more pics of the 'rough edges' to make a better judgement, but to be honest, all E36s at this point have rough edges. The E46 323i is a bland bland car, and doesn't compare to your M3.

For what it's worth, the CPS fault in the E46 is easy to fix. Replace the CPS.


P.S. I know the feeling of the Dinan S/C kit. I have one myself. Nothing quite like driving a street legal rocket ship

Thanks for the input! I am definitely going to pass on this trade, I'm in no hurry to sell my car and I really want to stick with the E36 chassis, I feel like it's much more raw and enjoyable to drive than the e46 (the 323i at least). Ideally I'd like to wait on a buyer for my car then take my time and move into a midwester or southern E36 Technoviolet M3 coupe (I live in NY and the majority of cars are ruined by rock salt in the winter).

I love my car with the Dinan kit, it's not the fastest car on the road but even with the Stage 1 kit it has more than enough kick to scare my friends and unsuspecting riders