Looking to buy an E36 M3

[MooseFever 0]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy an E36 M3. My budget is 14 - 20K.

I've never owned a European car before, so if anyone could give me any advice, or point me in the direction of any useful resources that would be greatly appreciated.

Specifically:

Assuming the car has been well looked after, are they still good after ~150,00 kms?

Is there anything I should be looking out for or asking the owner about before purchasing?

Could anyone recommend a good mechanic I could use for a pre-purchase inspection?

I'm not naive, I realise an older, exotic European car will require I spend a bit in preventative maintenance... but am I just going to be wasting my money buying an M3 of this vintage?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and apologies if this is the wrong forum

Cheers,

Nick.

[MoJoJoe 46]

I always saw look at a cars condtion before you look at its millage.

Assuming the car has been well looked after, are they still good after ~150,00 kms?

There are many that will tell you 200,000 Km is considered a baby motor. The motors are bullet proof as long as it has seen the avarage maintenence.

Is there anything I should be looking out for or asking the owner about before purchasing?

You need to do a lot more homework,( not saying this in a way to sound rude) But check the cars service records. I guess at this point of life it doesn't matter too much if its Jap or Euro import but a owner who has taken care of the car as changed all fluids and coolants between intervals as they should. See if the car had any overheating issues and if the owner has overhauled the cooling system, if not you can do it yourself. The radiator, fan clutch, tstat, water pump. Hopefully the differential was also taken care of and saw fluid changes.

The interior is what I cared about the most, the E36 is notorious for the crappy interiors but once its done its done. depending on the car you may beed a new headliner, A & C pillars, door cards and sagging glove box redone. I did most of those stuff myself on my previous e36. Currently I own a 328i which unfortunately ran into some problems I am trying to figure out,

This forum has 2 and a half camps, 1 is the E30 Camp and the other is the smaller E36 camp. IMO brother, The E36 M3 is one of the best drivers cars out there along with the E30 but I rather pass that since I prefer the looks of the E36 more and it has the better engine. Buy it, you will love the car, for 16K I think you should be able to get a VERY good E36 M3.

[MLee 35]

+1 the above.

Awesome machine. A modern classic, you won't regret it. I don't think you could purchase another vehicle in the same price range that provides such pedigree and performance.

If you can spin a wrench you should have no trouble. It's not that the car is all that different from any other with four wheels and a motor, it's simply the price of parts that is quite steep. Steep enough that you shall not want the cost of too much labour on top. And in any case, definitely not labour from a stealership.

I agree. The interior is also hugely important to me, and is a vital indicator as to how well it's previous owners have cared for it.

Again, the cooling system - has been described as the 'Achilles heel' of this, and other euro motors.

Too much rattle from the VANOS can indicate expensive preventative maintenance,

and check the suspension for play as best you can as there are quite a few bushes that like to wear.

I, personally, would stay away from something that has been raced unless the owner seriously knows what they are doing - as certain areas of the car are recommended for strengthening and reinforcement if the track is to be frequented (although someone else can probably tell you more about this as I'm no expert).

Maintenance records are key, and ideally NZ new. Some Asian imports in particular are prone to problems related to high humidity.

Otherwise:

www.bmwmregistry.com - Excellent website full of info. Especially if originality matters to you.

http://www.bmwarchive.org/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html - Self explanatory, always worth a look.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30931 - More good info.

http://bimmerzone.com/category/tip_and_tricks_inspection.html - The BMW Inspections I & II - albeit from the US version which is a bit different (and something to be aware of in general - they came with many different bits). Should act as good buying inspection list (as far as practicable).

Look online for a copy of the Bentley (publisher) maintenance guide - which is pretty comprehensive reference material if you so desire.

And a solid google search of E36 M3 buyers guide. Tons of information out there, many people have asked after E36 M3s.

There are some neat looking examples on Trademe at the moment, more than I've seen in a long time.

Good luck! I hope you come away with a gem.

[MooseFever 0]

Thanks for all the great replies everyone... I've learnt a lot and have plenty of reading to keep me busy.

I'll keep you all posted, should I make a purchase.

[handgrenade 189]

I picked up a high kms e36 m3. like previous people have said .. look at the condition first before looking at the kms.

I was reluctant to pick up my car, but after looking at it in person, I decided to take it. Also I took it on the euro spin today and really made it work hard and it behaved perfectly fine.

bear in mind, coming from a turbo silvia, you will have to change your driving style. I forget and keep short shifting before the max torque range .. too used to turbocharged cars spooling around 3k.

[MoJoJoe 46]

one thing I forgot to add, for those who really push and edge out their e36's both non m and and the m3's at the track or out in the twisty mountain road's. The e36 has a chassis tearing issue (google it) which was addressed in the m3 by adding chassis reinforcements around the rear. what happens is if your car has old worn out bushing and you dont replace them and keep pushing your car it will eventually have this issue, even M3's have had them, or thats what I read. But repalcing the bushings avoids this issue entirely.

I picked up a high kms e36 m3. like previous people have said .. look at the condition first before looking at the kms.

I was reluctant to pick up my car, but after looking at it in person, I decided to take it. Also I took it on the euro spin today and really made it work hard and it behaved perfectly fine.

bear in mind, coming from a turbo silvia, you will have to change your driving style. I forget and keep short shifting before the max torque range .. too used to turbocharged cars spooling around 3k.

I am curious, how much did you pay for your m3? and what kind of km / service history did it have?

[handgrenade 189]

Under 10k. Full service history from nz new through all authorised BMW dealerships. Jerry Clayton's and coombs and team McMillan 280kms

[handgrenade 189]

Was repainted and reupholstered too .. Most ks here hot. Long distance commute. Ask the guys who were at the meet today to have an idea of the condition

[MoJoJoe 46]

Did you buy that black one that was up on trademe asking price was around 12K? A bit high at 280kms but still pretty good deal. Wish I could had that I bought my 328i for around 6K, so far will have spent nearly 8K on my car (now these unfortunate sensors and wheel curbs came up) and I am ready to call it enough as I plan to leave nz in a few years. Most of the "good" M3's I saw here are around 15K.

Still good buy

[handgrenade 189]

Did you buy that black one that was up on trademe asking price was around 12K? A bit high at 280kms but still pretty good deal. Wish I could had that   I bought my 328i for around 6K, so far will have spent nearly 8K on my car (now these unfortunate sensors and wheel curbs came up) and I am ready to call it enough as I plan to leave nz in a few years. Most of  the "good" M3's I saw here are around 15K.

 

Still good buy

Nah private sale .. Picked it up for under 10k couldn't pass up that deal