Any good reason not to buy an E36 M3 convertible? Updated: with photos.
 

I’m thinking about taking a chance on a ’99 M3 convertible. I’ve been having an itch for an open car recently, maybe it’s just spring fever. My old dad still has a 964 ‘vert I can drive whenever I like, but it becomes a hassle as he keeps it max detailed (think concours prepped). After shopping a few weeks for an S2000, and finding not a single one without dents dings, heavy wear and tear, and all asking 50%+ above book, started thinking about getting an E36 or E46 M3 convertible for the same, or less money. All the E46’s around here are SMG, which I don’t want. I’ve found a couple very clean looking ’98 and ‘99’s. So the big question for the pelican parts brain trust. Is there any big reason not to get one? (I’m aware of some of the common E36 issues – cooling system, vanos, trans mounts, rear shock mount)

No crappy headliner for an E36 M3. :p

Good luck. Seems most of the E36 M3s I see for sale are in the same maintenance category as the S2000s of which you speak.

My sister has one and she LOVES it!

I bought a 98 M3 vert recently. I've had in the garage for about 3 months, doing things all car guys do. It rides nice, but too firm on coilovers. It's in the shop now for a new cooling changeover, just want to. I love the look of the vert's compared to the sedan. I will change the suspension back to stock and get back to a nice ride; the way the factory meant. To answer your question, yes. They are great cars, ride nice, good looks, and easy to work on.

Im trying to remember what the setup was for boosting power in the US S50/52. Something about swapping the cams plus software?

I loved the constantly glowing dash lights on my 60K mile M3 and then a rod bearing went and I really loved it. Never, ever will I have another BM W.

Great driving cars. But not the best made.

I think it was cams and converting to OBD1.

Isn't it the M50 intake?

I've had an E36 M3 for 8 years. Approaching 200k on the odo. Tracked, autoxed, daily driven, driven by my teenaged son.

Brilliant car. But the interior is rapidly disintegrating. The above headliner comment couldn't be more accurate.

Buy a good one from a fastidious owner, and you will be very happy.

I recall it being cams, M50 intake, and a tune to make it work together.

They are great driving cars that will fall apart around you. I've had two E36s, never again.

I've had 2 E36 M3 coupes and loved both ....at the beginning.

When I decided to sell them it was like they heard me and started to fall apart.

Just stupid s##t.

Actually my E46 Touring is starting to do the same thing.

The one I'm looking at this afternoon is a convertible, with hardtop. I'll be sure to look at the head liner on it as well. Has new carpets, seats and dash look good in the pics, has a new in the box factory radio (and an aftermarket one installed), seems like a moderately loving and anal owner. Comes with a spare set of wheels, and all the OEM parts that he's upgraded. Doesn't sound like any power train mods done, which I'm fine with.

Yeah, I know their nickname, BMTrouble-you. Won't be a daily driver, just a toy, so I don't mind some down time.


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I don't think this generation BMW is any different than any other foreign car in that same time period. Plastic gets brittle and breaks, headliners fall down, mechanical parts wear out, etc...

If you don't expect things to break and don't have the money to fix them, move on and get something else. I hear Honda's are very reliable, but I wouldn't know because I prefer cars that have a soul and like to be driven. I do 95% of car repairs myself, so I don't mind getting my hands dirty and fixing things when they break.

Saying that, unless you do like fixing many small things that most people ignore, just pay up and get one where the previous owner was meticulous about the details.

Pretty car. Others may have had better luck, but mine was a pain in the ass - and it was a well tended low mile car. I spent about $7K in repairs over 3 years and only about 5,000 miles. Abs warning light glowed nearly the entire ownership and 2 different well respected mechanics couldn't fix it. Finally a third did at a cost of $1500. Good luck with yours.

Why not get an E30 vert?
http://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/im...i-Cabrio-7.jpg

FYI Pelicans are harsh toward BMWs. These cars are great fun and going up in value for a reason. Buy the best example you can find.

http://enthusiastauto.com

^^ absolute top of the market but IMO a low mileage, unmolested e36 M3 is worth every penny of 20k.

I have had both a BMW and a Porsche in my garage for the last 15 years and hopefully will never be without one of each (or 2)

I had a '97 Coupe that I bought new. It was a FUN car, no question, although underpowered for the chassis as everyone knows. It required thousands in warranty work, stuff like a replacement ECU and replacement (M3-specific) cats, and the interior was already rattling at 6 months. But it really was nice to drive and great looking. Maybe it was lucky in a way that I hit rough times financially around '99 and had to sell it.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/138/3...f28069ce_z.jpg1997 BMW M3 by cjcam, on Flickr

I miss mine everyday since I sold it back in August. It was a sedan, not a vert. It was so well balanced. The engine was powerful enough. I owned it for seven years bought used. It never let me down as my DD. Small maintenance things here and there, but it was fun to work on. It was like driving my old 911, but more comfy. what a car. I say go for it.

I love the dash on this. The angle of the controls towards the driver.

I have been eying the E46 convertibles. They are only 5k more than the E36 around here. Thoughts?

G

Watch the rims as those are E39 Style 5s and the offset is different than and E36 offset. That is why the rim lip is pushed out to the fender.

I have several E46s. The terror is light years better in my oldest E46 compared to my E36. I would not recommend an E46 M3 convertible for cruising around. Since a convertible is going to be a cruiser by nature I'd say a 330 would be a better option.

Don't dismiss an entry level E46, either. I love my 323 with the smallest, least powerful motor. It is a terrific daily driver.

Well, I bought the car, Wheels don't have any rub issues. Its on Bilstein Coil-overs (hoping they're the PSS9's - need to investigate further). You are correct about the offset. it is a tad off. The car came with the OEM 17" contours, with good rubber. I will probably swap to those once these tires are done, and sell the style 5's. It also came with a hardtop (not original to the car, in good shape (but will need a headliner) that I think I'll sell. The seller didn't have a ton of receipts with the car, but the coolant hoses look fresh enough to be replacements, as does the radiator, but it is an OEM one with plastic end tanks. It drives good, has good power - very much more punchy than the S2000's I was looking at. Steering, Brakes, Suspension are tight. There's no rattles (with the top down - the hardtop creaks and groans). The convertible top is in good shape, and is only a couple years old.

Since it has the "Modena" interior, the baby poo color carpet was replaced with a new OEM black carpet kit, with black mats. It gives a much better two-tone look to the interior. The trip computer was recently replaced with a new one because of dead pixels. It has an aftermarket stereo head unit installed, and also came with a new in box OEM stereo. Also has a new 3 spoke "sport" steering wheel, pictured, and came with the original steering wheel.

I have seen a couple gremlins though. approx 30sec after turning on headlights, warning light comes on stating error with license plate light. And occasionally after holding foot on the brake, warning light says brake circuit failure. All lights work. The license plate light is an LED, and I suspect the brake bulbs are as well. The taillight assembly is aftermarket. I'll hop on the BMW forums and googles to see if this is just an impedance issue from the bulbs, or if its more serious.

E36's are notorious for melting the single ground on the tailight assembly-check it, cut it off, and use a screw. The license light is likely impedance.

Dirty contacts caused similar issues on my E36 lights, I cleaned them with Emory cloth and it was all good. LEDs, unless they have the correct resistance value, will throw codes. Cheap aftermarket lights will throw codes. So you have a few potential culprits.

Seems like I had a similar issue with the brake light and it was the level sensor on the master cylinder.

Sounds like a pretty good car overall! Our old E36 M was a great driving car. I'd love to have another!

I had those brake circuit errors and they were usually the brake switch.

I had an E30 that threw those errors (and burned up control modules). Turned out to be a PO who added the circuit in the first place liked to leave sharp points on solder, which quickly wore through the electrical tape and would ground out. Ask me how many days I spent figuring that one out....

Chances are the LEDs thatare on there don't have the right resistance- test that, and hopefully that's all it is. Then just use real bulbs, or get the resistors you need to make things right. Good luck.

I had similar issues with one of my e36's. In my case the right side running lights quite and started popping fuses. Drove me nuts and I couldnt find the cause. Cleaned contacts, ground...

Good luck, I really like that car

Congrats on purchase! They are fun cars. Some of the above mentioned comments ring so true. Just had to re-glue exterior padding on glove box since 20 year old glue dried and became brittle.

Took her out last night after changing out the clutch slave cylinder. She's only got 72K on the clock. Handles tight and sings a great note through the gears....

Happy Motoring!

Get the E36 101 Projects book from our host and you will be on your way to happy ownership....
I got a signed copy!

BTW there are tons of sensors on this car and one seems to need replacing per year at over $100 a pop if I do the wrenching. Not a big deal but like any 15+ yr old car you have to be willing to get your hands dirty or it won't be healthy on your wallet. Parts are plentiful as is support on various forums. Parts are not cheap but it is a car you can work on still. It looks better than almost every new BMW IMO.

Dan's advice is good: " Buy a good one from a fastidious owner, and you will be very happy."

Mine was so well cared for I feel like I should send to PO a 'thank you' letter every year. I am the second owner.
Very important:
Change the belts! Make sure they are healthy and the pulley's are good.

5 speed manual shift convertibles are kinda rare and Estoril is a very special color (I love my coupe). Great find! Enjoy.

Thanks for the comments, and yes, she's fun to drive.

I will check this out soon, as well as other possible culprits.

The list of things I have for the car is fairly short, but growing:

Check brake light fault
Check license plate light fault
Verify PSS9 suspension
Change Oil
Check other fluids (power steering brake/clutch)
Bleed clutch & brakes (flush if needed)
Clean & condition leather – find a good cleaner that won’t remove any dye
Vacuum
Clean Convertible top
Find way to protect / preserve rear window
Determine if rear shock mount reinforcement is required for convertibles – then install if needed
Buy small sized pink polo shirts with permanently popped collars
Front strut mount reinforcement
Inspect front subframe and reinforce if needed – This car will scrape over tall speed bumps.
Install Kraftwerk CD
Clean & detail engine compartment
Add Velcro to the removable rear armrest thingy – it tends to get loose with top down at freeway speed. At least its tethered.
Clean & detail wheels – should only take about 4 hrs each.
PDR on a couple little dings.
Clay-bar paint, inspect and paint correct if required, polish, wax.
Get windshield sealed
Address cooling system – acquire aluminum radiator, water pump, t-stat. . . and wait for failure?

Being that this is a street cruising convertible, I don’t see the need to do the swaybar reinforcements and other track related structural improvements.

Oil changes are fun. There is a cross-brace that is right where the oil drips from the pan. It usually makes a big mess with oil splattering all over the place. I gave up the old fashion method and used a top side oil changer.

Never a problem when changing the oil on mine. No obstructions. It's quite easy and clean.

Got her all detailed up and went out and took some photos. Looks pretty decent if I say so myself.

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Love it! Love me some estoril Blau!

She's lookin sharp there, Dan!