1998 M3 Sedan for $13.5K good deal?

[frankc]

While I was looking for a 96-98 328i, I stumbled across a 98 M3 Sedan that looks interesting. It has higher mileage than I would like - 94K, but that is only about 10K more than the 328's I've been looking at. And the price is only about $2K more than I was planning on spending. Plus, the M3 comes with the features I was looking for in the 328 (Sport Pkg++, Ltd slip, ASC+T), which was not easy to find.

I drove the car and it drives well. The shifter is very sloppy (hard to find 3rd), but I'm hoping this is nothing more than shifter bushings that I had to replace in my E30 when I got it. I'm going to have a PPI done on Monday.

I've been looking for 4 door M3 for a while (occasionally have to take the family along when the van's in the shop), but the prices have always been too high for me to buy as a daily driver. From what I've seen, the $13.5 is very reasonable. Any thoughts?

Also, what types of things should I be sure to have inspected during the PPI? I'm going to try to have an independent BMW shop where I know the owner do the PPI. Otherwise, it will be done at the dealer.

thanks,
Frank

1986 325iC euro

[DR.WA///M]

1998 BMW M3 for that price is good. As far as knowing what to look for just make sure to ask for prevoius mantinance reports in addition to this have more than one person check out the car becuase u really can not decipher a car based on a post. The miles on that M3 are not important as many of us may know these cars last for ages. They are exceptionally engeineered and made.

Key Points:
Have 2 or more people check out the car (mechanics prefered) Mention to them your concerns (shifter)
Look for owner and car maintenance history.

[bimmerdog]

Hey dude wassup? FYI.....check/inspect the balljoints,tranny mounts,shock tower mounts,driveshaft, and lastly, but but leastly, are the rear trailing arm bushings. When everything checks out and the purchase is made, you can start trouncing the wannabes. Trust me, there will more than your fair share of 'em so choose wisely. Good luck braah!!

[frankc]

Well, the dealer (Acura) let me take the car home for the weekend so that I take it to the inspection monday morning (the dealer is about an hour's drive from my home - 2 hours in rush hour). I'll get a better look at it in the morning.

Hey Bimmerdog, I'm on my way to Cleveland next month. I took a new job there. This is the reason I wanted the ltd slip, traction ctrl, etc. on the car. I will buy a set of winter wheels/tires - any suggestions? I lived in NE Ohio before, so I'm familiar with the winters. I remember the worst part (car wise) being the salt. I assume they still use it in the winter up there? The thought of the M3 in the salt disturbs me greatly, but it was either an M3/4 or 328i. Perhaps I'll try coating everything with WD40 (well, not the rotors), and frequent washes to reduce corrosion. I want to buy the car down here (TX) to so that it has never been in salt, and then either ship or drive it up.

After I find a car, I'll need to prep it to ensure it will be safe for the 1400 mile journey up north, so I don't have a lot of time.

Thanks for the advice on things to check. I'll make sure I hand the list to the mechanic(s) on Monday.

btw, did all E36 M3's come std w/keyless entry? How about alarm? The car I'm looking at now does not have the remote, so either the PO lost it, or there is none. I noticed there is a micro-switch for the hood opening. Does this mean it has the alarm, or could it be simply pre-wired for it?

thanks again,
Frank

[Jeron]

It is prewired for alarm but alarm is not standard. You can buy OEM or Stellar and install it yourself. It's plug and play but you might need to have it activated by a mechanic, I'm not sure.

The price is very good. I paid 15k for a 97 M3/4 with 87k this summer, and 15k is a good deal too...

Definately get a PPI. If your in DFW area I can recommend some shops.

My shifter is very sloppy also but I haven't found time to install new bushings I purchased yet. Remove the CDV (clutch delay valve.)

[frankc]

After getting a relatively clean bill of health from the PPI, I decide to buy the M3 today! The PPI did reveal that it needs a flex disk replaced which the dealer has agreed to pay for.

Thanks for the info on the alarm. I'll probably pick up the OEM kit and install that.

I didn't know about the CDV. Now I know why I was having a hard time synchronizing some of my shifts, even though I've only owned manual tranny cars for the last 25 years.

[Jeron]

Congratulations!

I don’t think Pelican sells alarms. The best alarm prices are at http://www.************ but http://www.autotechalarms.com also has good prices for Stellar.

If you are going to replace the guibo you should do the shifter bushings while you have the drive shaft loose. Pelican sells a "Shifter Bushing Super Kit" but it is priced higher than the sum of its parts and they still haven't fixed the price even after I told them. I think Pelican's guibo is $80 which is a great price.

While replacing the bushings and guibo you should consider a short shifter. Http://www.understeer.com has good info on cheap short shifters. I wish I had found understeer.com before I bought my shifter. Oh, BTW you can make a clutch stop for <$5 and about 15 min of work.

I thought my clutch was going when I test drove mine. It wasn't until a month ago that a fellow BMWCCA member reminded me about the CDV. It took me about 30 min to remove it. Here are my notes:

[M3 CDV Valve Removal]

http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/html_techtip/techtips/check_valve.htm

The check valve on my 97 M3 was on the last bracket before the clutch slave cylinder.

You will need 11mm, 14mm and 17mm open end wrenches. Also a drain pan, a hose clamp or hose clamp substitute and possibly clutch bleeding equipment.

First, use the 14 and 17 to loosen the rubber hose from the CDV, don’t actually try to unscrew it just break it loose. Put the hose clamp on the rubber hose. Take the 11mm and remove the hard line nut on the slave side of the bracket. This nut actually is threaded onto the CDV which sticks through the bracket and acts as a stay. Once the nut is off the CDV will separate from the hard line and you can use the 14 and 17mm to finish removing the CDV from the rubber hose. Then stick the male fitting of the rubber hose through the bracket and attach the hard line going to the slave with the 11mm nut. Work quickly to reduce the chance of needing to bleed the clutch.

It’s a little messy because fluid will be leaking from the slave on the hard line side. Hopefully, afterward you will not have to bleed the clutch but be prepared just in case. Bleeding the clutch may require the removal of the slave and hand actuation of the slave piston.

[frankc]

Jeron,
Thanks for the tip on replacing the shifter bushings with the guibo. The mechanic who did the PPI also mentioned this.

Does anyone have any experience with the UUC Double Shear Selector Rod (DSSR)? This looks like a nice solution to getting rid of some additional play in the shifter linkage. I plan to go with the DSSR and a UUC Evo 3 shift kit.

[bimmerdog]

Hey Frank. Yeah the winters here can really beat you down but I think of it as a character building experience As far as tire/wheel setup, you will have to obtain wheels that are at least 17". Anything smaller will not fit over the brakes. I dont drive mine in the winter but I believe steel wheels are cheaper. I had Dunlop Graspics on my e-30 & they worked beautifully.

[bimmerdog]

...BTW salt is still used & is necessary in NE OH winters unless you plan on snowmobiling from place to place.