Greg111 13 Report post Posted March 2, 2008 So the clutch is the only major expense on an M3 then?Haha, think not, tyres are also very expensive, (as i now know) that's still a issue with all cars. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3 Cab 0 Report post Posted March 3, 2008 Well nearly $5k for a new clutch and dual mass flywheel is a fair wack! Say a blown engine might be abit more. An overhall of a smg gearbox might be more than that though ay Doug No doubt but at 40000k i think its a wee way of for me Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted March 3, 2008 No doubt but at 40000k i think its a wee way of for meYep another what...3-4 years before you get that milage haha. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liam02 6 Report post Posted March 3, 2008 I should hope so! Doug do you remember what happened to the purple M3 convertible that was sale for ages I think it was a 93 with something like 25Km on it. It was an Auckland car on trademe? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3 Cab 0 Report post Posted March 3, 2008 I should hope so! Doug do you remember what happened to the purple M3 convertible that was sale for ages I think it was a 93 with something like 25Km on it. It was an Auckland car on trademe? Not sure if it sold or not or who owned it but it looked great. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr E34 11 Report post Posted March 3, 2008 Well nearly $5k for a new clutch and dual mass flywheel is a fair wack! Say a blown engine might be abit more. An overhall of a smg gearbox might be more than that though ay Doug You 'M' guys must have deep pockets, a mistress might be cheaper in her own apartment! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3 Cab 0 Report post Posted March 3, 2008 You 'M' guys must have deep pockets, a mistress might be cheaper in her own apartment! Ha the key to cheap M running is not to daily them. So far the cab has cost $900 in 3 years not including the depreciation Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazyarab 6 Report post Posted March 3, 2008 (edited) I called "Guido Locher" this morning and booked the M3 in for tomorrow. He is going to give it a complete check over and quote me any required repairs that may pop up. So hopefully will hear back tomorrow afternoon with the results... Edited March 3, 2008 by crazyarab Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
R90S 2 Report post Posted March 3, 2008 Ha the key to cheap M running is not to daily them. So far the cab has cost $900 in 3 years not including the depreciation I'd agree. We've had our E36 M3 cab for almost four years and it has been one of the cheapest cars to run that we've ever owned. It's a 3 litre five speed, so a little less "fussy" than the Evo models can be (theres' a potential debate!!). I took it for a run to Taupo yesterday with my daughter, and although the weather was crappy on the way down, it was good enough on the way home to drop the top and take the back roads through to Mangakino, Kihikihi, Te Awamutu, Whatawhata and past the Huntly power station. Trips like that make the car worthwhile Ours clicked over 100,000 miles this morning on the way to the airport. There's not the same sense of "occasion" with a digital display somehow! Ours is a NZ new car, and I questioned the MPH speedo before we bought it, since there was a suspicion it was a UK import. A guy I spoke to at BMWNZ said that the first run of RHD production cars were always UK spec (at that time anyway), and the purple M3 cab for sale on TM a few years ago also had a MPH speedo and a chassis number not far away from ours. I do bring ours to work at times, but it's virtually all open road travel - no stop/start/crawl stuff at all. :>) Nick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cainchapman 0 Report post Posted March 3, 2008 Good call carzyarab. Nice drive R90S. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted March 3, 2008 (edited) And yeh, I know of pretty much every M3 for sale on trademe at the moment (don't we all?). No...my searches always brings up M5s!.. A lot quicker than searching M3,s! Edited March 3, 2008 by kiwi535 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazyarab 6 Report post Posted March 3, 2008 (edited) No...my searches always brings up M5s!.. A lot quicker than searching M3,s! Hehe, don't worry I also search "M5" almost as much but yeh still a bit early for one of those monsters! Edited March 3, 2008 by crazyarab Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
QuickSilver 0 Report post Posted March 3, 2008 a friend of mine (allegedly) fixed his OBC screen with contact cleaner, or glass spray I cant remember what it was, but he said it fixed it a treat. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted March 3, 2008 You 'M' guys must have deep pockets, a mistress might be cheaper in her own apartment!Expensive to buy maybe but well worth it in the end, anyone here with one will back me up on that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Georgebyett 0 Report post Posted March 4, 2008 Hi All, Back to pick your brains again. I am seriously thinking about getting this M3: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=140778457 Basically I was up in Auckland a few weeks ago and decided to go and see it, ended up having a chat with the dealer and discussed a trade in option on my car. We eventually came to an agreement which I felt was fair and hence am now seriously thinking of going ahead with the deal (basically getting it for $22k). The car looks a million time better in real life (those photos on trademe don't do it justice). From what I could tell the interior / engine bay and exterior looked mint however, unfortunately I never got the chance to test drive it. It's basically stock apart from the strut brace and a complete exhaust system with a 5zigen tip. He got the car AA appraised and apparently it has come up clean (yet to view it). So I have a few questions for those of you in the know: Are there any common faults I should look for? Is an AA check going to be enough (I was thinking of getting a BMW specialist to look at it also) ? Anyone have a recommended BMW specialist in Auckland that can test the car for me and roughly how much will it cost? It's a Singapore import should I really be worried seen it has very low kms and been in NZ for a while now? I have never driven an M3 before... and hence have very high expectation of it i.e. 0-100 in sub 6sec plus amazing handling etc.. am I wrong to think that ? This is no small purchase so I want to be sure of it before I go ahead, so any feedback would be much appreciated! Cheers in advance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Georgebyett 0 Report post Posted March 4, 2008 Hi I am a previous owner of a E36 M3 SMG. The E36 platform SMG is a dog. It wil not perform to what you want. The local dealers are not capable of repairing the the SMG drive. The repaires are hidiously expensive.e.g. the hydralic pump and motor was replaced in my car,cost $7000.00. I took my dealer to the motor vehicles disputes tribunal under the consumers guarantees act. My claim failed,due to the fact I waited to long to make my claim. The dealer sold the car rego XA1301 to a gentalman in Tauranga. This gentelman took the same dealer to the motor vehicles disputes tribunal,and his claim was successful. This particular car would suddenly stop driving leaving you stuck. My advice to you stear clear off the E36 platform SMG. You can find further details on Bimmerfest Australia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazyarab 6 Report post Posted March 5, 2008 Hi I am a previous owner of a E36 M3 SMG. The E36 platform SMG is a dog. It wil not perform to what you want. The local dealers are not capable of repairing the the SMG drive. The repaires are hidiously expensive.e.g. the hydralic pump and motor was replaced in my car,cost $7000.00. I took my dealer to the motor vehicles disputes tribunal under the consumers guarantees act. My claim failed,due to the fact I waited to long to make my claim. The dealer sold the car rego XA1301 to a gentalman in Tauranga. This gentelman took the same dealer to the motor vehicles disputes tribunal,and his claim was successful. This particular car would suddenly stop driving leaving you stuck. My advice to you stear clear off the E36 platform SMG. You can find further details on Bimmerfest Australia Thanks for the advice! I was very iffy about SMG from the start. Thankfully the one I am currently looking at is a manual . Still waiting for Guidos pre purchase check to come out >.< Will post results up once I get them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liam02 6 Report post Posted March 5, 2008 5 Iron,is the car you are referring to an estoril blue one always sitting at coombes johnson tauranga? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3 Cab 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2008 Hi I am a previous owner of a E36 M3 SMG. The E36 platform SMG is a dog. It wil not perform to what you want. The local dealers are not capable of repairing the the SMG drive. The repaires are hidiously expensive.e.g. the hydralic pump and motor was replaced in my car,cost $7000.00. I took my dealer to the motor vehicles disputes tribunal under the consumers guarantees act. My claim failed,due to the fact I waited to long to make my claim. The dealer sold the car rego XA1301 to a gentalman in Tauranga. This gentelman took the same dealer to the motor vehicles disputes tribunal,and his claim was successful. This particular car would suddenly stop driving leaving you stuck. My advice to you stear clear off the E36 platform SMG. You can find further details on Bimmerfest Australia Maybe you just bought a dog. Cant say mine has ever just stopped driving. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westy 614 Report post Posted March 5, 2008 Witch is surprising considering the amount of Foreigner you play in it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazyarab 6 Report post Posted March 6, 2008 Got the report today so now it's time to make some decisions! From my initial glance through it's definitely not "mint" however there does'nt seem to be anything huge, at this stage I think the plan is to re negotiate my offer to allocate for the repairs required, in other words still keen. Then again I really want this car so my brain is probably trying to make excuses. This is where you guys come in to reel me back to reality, what are your thoughts on the report? What should I really be worried about and can you spot any tell tale symptoms? Cheers in advance guys, BM Workshop "Pre-Purchase Check" Report The Good - after market exhaust (sounding good) - after market sound system - strut brace - after market front shocks - after market alarm - after market breaks (good but also could be costly in future) In general he said the drive was very good, engine and transmission seemed fine and he assured me it was a very quick car as you would expect from an 3.0 M3. The Bad - tyres wearing on edges - service due - water in left front indicator - drivers door seal split - drivers door panel slight de lamination - left rear panel de laminating - headlining loose - interior light on left c pillar loose - boot rubber split - after market boot mat - tools missing - old weak BMW battery - needs wheel alignment - small marks on paint all around - alarm remote broken and taped up - still on original fuel filter - Actually a 1994 (explains why it has no passenger side airbag) The Ugly - air hose to air pump splitting - euro airbag light flashing while on road test (only happened once) - QUOTE: replacing unit costs up to $1600 + GST - passenger window dropping down and up every start up - OBC display faulty - QUOTE: $800 + GST - Rear shock mounts and stops worn - QUOTE: $350 + GST - Rear trailing arm bushes torn - QUOTE: $350 + GST - Drive donut cracked - QUOTE: $350 + GST - Heat shield rubbing on drive shaft QUOTE: $40 + GST The Possible - Brake light cirquit warning once QUOTE: $90 + GST (for switch) - ABS lit on startup (happened once) END Well I know one thing for sure, that report was money well spent. He seems very meticulous in his analysis (as you can see from the things he pointed out). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr E34 11 Report post Posted March 6, 2008 (edited) Keep looking for a better one, be patient. What about this M3, posted on Bimmersport earlier. http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....showtopic=15033 $3500 approx in your ugly box not counting your bad box, sorry my opinion which may break your heart is walk away. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=142736227$ Edited March 6, 2008 by mr E34 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Creaver 55 Report post Posted March 6, 2008 Keep looking for a better one, be patient. What about this M3, posted on Bimmersport earlier. http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....showtopic=15033 http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=142736227 He is in CHCH too, perhaps save a bit of money on transport to offset the higher cost? Also if you sell your e36 separate, without trading it in, you'd almost definitely recoup some more money. Just a thought. Ian. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark 178 Report post Posted March 6, 2008 The Bad - tyres wearing on edges - service due - water in left front indicator - drivers door seal split - drivers door panel slight de lamination - left rear panel de laminating - headlining loose - interior light on left c pillar loose - boot rubber split - after market boot mat - tools missing - old weak BMW battery - needs wheel alignment - small marks on paint all around - alarm remote broken and taped up - still on original fuel filter - Actually a 1994 (explains why it has no passenger side airbag) That is a very meticulous check!!....most of the above is weekend fix-its when you have spare time. As for servicing etc, you could ask for a full service to be done before you drive it away. The Ugly - air hose to air pump splitting - euro airbag light flashing while on road test (only happened once) - QUOTE: replacing unit costs up to $1600 + GST (this could be the seat sensor???) - passenger window dropping down and up every start up (weird...electrical short somewhere??) - OBC display faulty - QUOTE: $800 + GST (DIY fix available on Bimmerforums.com) - Rear shock mounts and stops worn - QUOTE: $350 + GST (DO these first!!!! That could get nasty!) - Rear trailing arm bushes torn - QUOTE: $350 + GST - Drive donut cracked - QUOTE: $350 + GST (Mmmmm donuts!) - Heat shield rubbing on drive shaft QUOTE: $40 + GST The Possible - Brake light cirquit warning once QUOTE: $90 + GST (for switch) (easy DIY fix) - ABS lit on startup (happened once) (Has happened on my car once too... never again though) END Well I know one thing for sure, that report was money well spent. He seems very meticulous in his analysis (as you can see from the things he pointed out). Hmmmm, I guess whether you buy or not depends on how much you want the car and if it's worth eating noodles for the rest of your life to pay for car repairs! From the above list it looks like the car hasn't been serviced very well throughout it's life, so there may be scarier things that pop up in the future that could cost big bucks! Anyway.... good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gus 5 Report post Posted March 6, 2008 nothing seems too hard to fix yourself, very thorough report, am impressed Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
