The seller of today’s 323ci makes it a point to assure potential buyers that the car is “not M3.” You can see the confusion as it does have M3 wheels. It has a lot of other things going for it as well, and we’ll have to decide if one of those things is its price.

Loathe as we should be in categorizing cars and trucks by the stereotype of their owners, it’s bound to happen. That was the case in the comments for yesterday’s where it was postulated that ownership of the big Ford would immediately turn women’s hair blue and cause men’s waistbands to rise to navel-covering level. At the very least, fists would be shaken at teens being shooed off of lawns. This scenario seemed to hold a certain appeal for many of you, as did the Crown Vic’s low mileage and its $4,900 asking price. That all ended up with an overwhelming 84 percent Nice Price win and the suggestion that we all go to Applebee’s for lunch before it gets too crowded.

Not all of us are ready to join the AARP by way of our choice in cars and because of that, today’s might hold a good bit of appeal. With just 29,591 miles on the clock ( a mere 1,318 miles per year) this soft-top with a small six seems to be barely broken in.

This is a late E36 and it carries the smallest six-cylinder in the model’s U.S. lineup, a 2494cc edition of BMW’s stalwart M52. That was good for 168 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque, well off the 2.8 liter version’s 190 horses and 207 lb-ft. On the flip side, the smaller engine does get pretty decent fuel economy and both the power and the gas mileage are aided in this car by its Getrag five-speed manual transmission.

Aesthetically, there’s not much to complain about here. The car wears a coat of Alpine White which is paired with a black canvas top. The ad claims the car to have been garage-kept its entire life, but even that can only go so far in maintaining elements like the plastic back window, which, to be truthful, is showing its age.

There’s also a set of snazzy M Contour wheels off an M3 and those are fitted with Continental tires that the seller claims have plenty of tread.

The interior looks like new, with handsome biscuit upholstery and even the original AM/FM/cassette stereo in the dash. There’s no mention of missing pixels in the digital displays, a common issue in these cars at this age, and we do get to see most of the readouts in all their glory.

Obviously, mileage isn’t the only indicator of wear and tear on a car — just look at that back window — and the ad does note a number of time-related maintenance and repair items that have been undertaken on the car. Those include some front suspension work along with the replacement of the radiator and a rebuild of the A/C system. Records for all of the regular maintenance since new apparently come with the car. Also part of the deal is a clean title, a bunch of original owner’s manuals, and the original factory wheels.

That’s a lot to cart around, but it should help in the decision on the seller’s set $12,900 asking price. That’s at the high-end for these models, but that onus is balanced by the car’s seemingly excellentcondition and presentation. But maybe it could be cheaper?

What do you think, is this seemingly well-kept 323ci worth that $12,900 asking? Or, for that much would you expect more motor under the hood?

You decide!

New York, New York, , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to Whatsupdohc for the hookup!

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