Looking for a PPI in NJ and some general questions

[Kraftwerk]

Does anyone know a good PPI wrench in Northern NJ?
I also have a few questions for you experts out there.
I am looking at a 1996 M3, A one owner car. His mechanic at Motor Works West has full service records for it on the shop computer, (the last five years anyway after the dealership warrenty period ended) Maybe I will bring it there for a ppi, the shop seems reputable to say the least but he might be biased slightly on the side of the seller.
More: The car has 80,000 miles on it. Needs tires and an oil change from what I can tell. It is in really great shape very persnickety owner. Only mod's are an after market muffler a dinan intake and new chip. no other mods/junk has been attached to the car. The only downsides from what I can tell:
The car was tracked quite a bit with no off track incidents. That's what the car was desinged for anyway , right? The guy loved to take the car to go skiing so road salt could be an issue, he had alot to say about winter driving the car being fun and challenging in the snow with ACS on ofcourse. Comes with a new set of Blizzaks.
One odd thing considering the car was driven pretty hard, the guy wouldn't let me bring the tach over 3500 rpm's when I hit 4000 he said, "You should shift up! Its not like your Porsche. You can shift it like a Honda Civic,." I told him I had never driven a Honda Civic, I arrived in my SC. But true, there seemed to be power everywhere whereas the P car needs to be in the sweet spot to get the most power from the engine, something I adore about the Porsche by the way, because at higher rpms the engine growls- a lovely note. But I did want to get the revs up in the M3 to see what it sounded like,what with that fancy exhaust and all, although I understand his concern, I still wanted to rev it high just once, but no dice.
Lastly he mentioned a few recent repairs like the 5 (!)oxygen sensors ($500!) On the p-car thats a 78 dollar item, self-installed. He also put in a new climate control system at 500 bucks as well. Does one need to fill the trunk of this car with cash in order to keep driving it ?
Any thoughts on this stuff also price on a one owner 96 M3?
Does Waynes book cover the M3? "101 Projects for your Porsche" Rules, by the way!
Thanks for any insight..
JT

[dboyles]

For the price I would say $14,000-16,000. A one-owner car with no accident history or paint work can command a premium, though. Ditto with the full service records and whatnot. Other things that inflate the price are desirable colors (typically the colors that were not available on other 3 Series) and lack of a sunroof (lower weight, more headroom). Things that lower the price would be the luxury package and non-desirable colors (green tends to fall in this category), to name a couple.

I wouldn't have a problem buying a car that's seen track time, so long as the owner has kept on top of maintenance. But some folks don't see it that way, so you may be able to use that to your negotiation advantage. At 80,000 miles I would take a good look at the suspension and drivetrain bushings. I usually think of those as being 100,000 mile items, but on a car that's seen its fair share of laps, they may wear prematurely. I assume the rear shock mounts and the suspension has been replaced at this point or both are likely due (or overdue). The clutch could be on its last leg or it could go to 200,000 miles - it's hard to know. If the cooling system hasn't been overhauled yet, it needs to be. Most folks recommend changing the radiator every 60k miles, and some of the really anal among us do the water pump at that interval too. It's rare for an E36 radiator to make it to 100k miles. If it needs to be done, you may want to go with an aluminum radiator (the OEM one has a plastic neck that cracks) that should last the lifetime of the car.

Unless I'm mistaken, there are four oxygen sensors, but it's still a somewhat pricey job. Has he followed the Inspection schedule? He should have records for an Inspection I at 20k and 60k, and for an Inspection II at 40k and possibly 80k. While there are plenty of good cars out there that have deviated from that schedule, I really, really like to see those scheduled maintenances performed at the right time.

Was the car cold when you test drove it? That could explain him not wanting you to take it over 4000 RPM. I generally stay below 3000 until the water temp has been at operating temperature for about 5 minutes. Since we don't have an oil temp/pressure gauge you've got to guess. And while you don't have to take it to redline to feel the power, there is a lot between 4000 and 6000 RPM. I do find his comment about the Civic ironic though - I drove one for 8 years and you have to rev the hell out of it if you want to accelerate at a pace resembling "quick."

[Kraftwerk]

Thanks for your response! I believe it has a new-er water pump. The 80,000 mi service has not been done but he claims to have kept up with the every scheduled maintains bringing the car in when his mechanic told him to. The shock mounts have been done. I appreciate your information.
JT

[dboyles]

The Inspection II service, if you have to do it, runs anywhere from about $300 (what I paid at an independent shop after knocking out some of the DIY stuff) to $1000 (what the dealership quoted me for the entire job). An indie shop should be able to do the whole thing for $500-600, but I'm assuming you're the type to change your own fluids and the like. While these inspection services could be considered optional for a good DIY mechanic, it's nice to have an expert give the car a good once-over occasionally - at least that's my thinking. But if you know what to look for, you could do the whole thing in your garage.

http://www.bimmerzone.com/inspection.htm

Oh, you asked about Wayne's upcoming book covering the M3: there are very few jobs that are specific to the M3 as compared to a non-M 6-cylinder E36. If the articles that are online are any indication, the book will be great for both the M and non-M cars.

[Kraftwerk]

Hey-- Thanks again d.boyles. I was able to get all the service records since the car began its post warranty maintenance. So the rear has been done
shocks and bushings etc. The mech has been recommending a new radiator since about the 50,000 mile mark but the owner has not done it for some reason. I may switch it out with the OEM part as this one has certainly lasted a reasonable amount of time. I did my 1986 VW's radiator, easy as pie. The BMW has a bit more 'stuff' in the way but now I own the car ( !) So it's time to find out all about it... By the way I find it impressive to drive. Really solid comfortable and Fast! Faster than the 1983 SC, but alot more refined, something I will have to get used to..pure luxury! Thanks again for your advice. Jt

[Jeron]

Sorry, I ignored your original post because it said "PPI in NJ."

It looks like dboyles gave lots of good info.

The radiator is not hard to replace. You might consider replacing the thermostat housing with an aluminum one.