BMW E30 M3 + Toyota Supra turbo + Porsche 968 Clubsport + Holden Commodore VC - Ones That Got Away 445
Looking back through the Unique Cars classifieds...
1989 BMW E30 M3 - Advertised July 2011
It’s a funny old market for this early M series at the moment. Owners will no doubt tell you that a low miler recently sold in the USA for – wait for it – $350,000! However if you’re about to put one on the market, don’t expect that sort of coin unless it’s a museum piece, preferably with an internationally famous owner. More realistic is the good solid example sold last year by Shannons for $94,000. There’s a lot of fun to be had with these things, since they’re light, comparitively simple and have that wonderful revvy 16-valve four in the nose.
Was: $36,990. Now: $90,000+
1989 Toyota Supra turbo - Advertised September 2009
With the long-awaited return of the Supra to the new car market, even at breath-taking prices, there was bound to be renewed interest in the older generation cars. Locally at least, it’s the prices of fourth generation models that have really climbed, while third-gen cars like this are taking a little longer. And there’s often a big gap between owner and buyer expectations. However there’s no doubt Japanese coupes of this era are gaining and a nice solid example would be a good buy.
Was: $6000. Now: $20,000-25,000
1980 Holden Commodore VC SL - Advertised October 2009
Long ownership and known history would add a whole lot to the value of one of these, while period mods like the spotlights and cop wheels are the sort of thing you’d leave alone. Condition is everything with these things, so a junker might struggle to be worth more than a few bucks, while an absolute peach might go higher than our estimate. The SL was kind of the base-level luxury pack, if that makes any sense, with a few little niceties but still a long way short of the top-flight models like the SL/E.
Was: $2200. Now: $15,000-20,000
1995 Porsche 968 Clubsport MO3O - Advertised June 2014
If you were looking for an alternative to the M3 we just looked at, but preferred the Porsche brand, this would be a pretty good alternative. The 968 Clubsport is a bit special, powered by a high-stepping 3.0lt four and just 1743 were made for the world market. Where the E30 M3 was primarily a road car with lots of potential for the track, this had more of a circuit focus. Prices seem to have crept up steadily over recent years. We wonder what happened to this one – clearly the owner was getting a bit grumpy about silly offers!
Was: $45,000. Now: $80,0000-90,000
From Unique Cars #445, Oct 2020
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