What will be a future collector car is a hard question to answer, as there are many variables that make a car grow in both popularity in the collector car market. That being said there is one car built in the last 20 years that I would feel comfortable banking on and that car is the 2007-2013 E90/92/93 series of the M3. Just to explain the BMW numbering system: the E90 is the M3 sedan, the E92 is the M3 coupe, and the E93 is the M3 convertible.
Most M3 cars are already collectible with the first generation E30 models routinely selling for more than $100,000 and even the best examples of the later second generation E36, and third generation E46 cars often selling for as much as $80,000. This shows that the M3 is somewhat like the 911s for Porsche, a car with a strong following, a lot of history and mythology which helps to make them very desirable.
The 2007-2013 M3 is thought by BMW collectors to be the finest M3 that was ever built. First, it was powered by the S65 naturally aspirated V8 engine and was the last naturally aspirated engine to power an M3. The engine has awesome power and sounds glorious. It was the benchmark for sports coupes when new and won the Car and Driver sports coupe comparison test six years in a row. Every review of the car through its 7-year production run considered the E90/92/93 M3 the measuring stick for performance in the segment. Many people will tell you that you will need to change the rod bearings on this engine, which can be true, but if you warm up the car before driving it you will find that the bearings wear at a very reasonable rate. Even if you do have to change the bearings in the engine it is not terribly expensive and is usually a one-time repair.
The Pick of the Day is one of these legendary and serious future collectible cars, a 2013 E93 BMW M3 Convertible for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Chatsworth, California.
This car is a little extra special in that it is what BMW calls an Individual optioned car. This means that it has color options not available on the standard M3. In my opinion, the colors of this one are absolutely perfect, painted in Dakar Yellow with Extended Black Novillo leather interior and Lemon Yellow contrasting stitching.
They describe this car as in perfect condition. This M3 has only covered 13,722 miles from new and has quite a few options including 19″ double-spoke polished alloy wheels, dynamic damping control suspension, Premium Package with Comfort Access, auto-dimming mirrors, BMW Assist, carbon leather interior trim and a very rare full 4-Piece BMW factory fitted luggage set.
This car is in the top tier of the market for this generation of M3, and I feel that cars such as this are true future collector cars that are likely to increase in value over time. Besides that, they are amazing driving cars and the end of an era for naturally aspirated BMW M cars. The E9x series M3 cars are a perfect example of the BMW Ultimate Driving Machine tagline.
The asking price of $79,950 is a strong but fair one, and finding another M3 in this spec and this color combo is likely to be difficult.
