The M3 is performance sedan in the BMW range. This guide covers what the car is, what to look at before you buy one, and where to see the examples that are on the market right now.

What the BMW M3 is

In our coverage the M3 sits as performance sedan. It is one of 8 model lines we follow on the BMW News hub, alongside M4, M5, M8.

What to check before you buy

The checks below apply to any car at this level. None of them are expensive, and each one has saved buyers more than it cost.

Service history	Who did the work matters as much as whether it was done. A main dealer or a recognised specialist, with invoices, is worth paying for.
Specification	Options drive the value of these cars more than mileage does. Get the original build sheet and compare it against the car in front of you.
Provenance	Ownership record, where the car has lived and how it has been stored. A car kept dry and driven gently reads very differently from one that sat for years.
Paint and panel	A paint depth reading across the whole car takes minutes and tells you what the history file may not.
Warranty	What is left, and whether it transfers to you. On a modern car this is often the single largest cost sitting ahead of you.

What our coverage says

Stories we have published on the M3:

• BMW Celebrates 40 Years Of The M3 Tyler Rampersaud, 9 Oct 2026
• Meet the $250K E90 BMW M3 You May Have Never Heard Of Jordan A., 10 Sep 2026
• BMW Brings Two Concept Premieres and 40 Years of M3 to Monterey Khris Bharath, 12 Aug 2026
• $542K E30 BMW M3 Sport Evolution Sets New Auction World Record Jordan A., 14 Jul 2026

Prices and current cars

Editorial to add the current price range and the generations to prefer. Pull live figures from the marketplace rather than writing a fixed number here.

See what is listed today on duPont REGISTRY BMW, where the asking price sits next to the car, so you can compare a story against a real figure.