Bmw e36 m3

[speeder]

Isn't there someone here who has a nice one? Being addicted to BAT, it's hard not to notice that they have quite a following and nice ones go for pretty strong $$ compared to even a year ago.

I've been tossing around the idea of getting one while they are still somewhat affordable, bone stock and mint, of course. They sold well but so many were owned by retarded teenagers and/or crashed that nice ones are desirable. That goes for all M3 cars.

I'm not a fan of E46es, I like the M3s on both sides of those, i.e. e36es and e90/92s. I know that e36 BMWs are not crazy fast but 240 hp and torque is not bad for a 3200 lb. car. Supposedly, they drive great. Pretty analogue cars as well that are still almost 100% owner serviceable.

Any real world experience?

[MysticLlama]

Haven't had one, but from what I know, they are pretty solid other than the interiors falling apart. Some of them have rear subframe issues, but not nearly to the extent of e46s.

I'm cleaning up and putting both my e46 and e92 for sale in the next couple of months, the pricing seems to be staying reasonably strong on both.

Unlike some reports, the e46 M3 has been my best and most reliable car ever, have had it for 12+ years now.

[jorian]

I thought widebody had one.

[MysticLlama]

Oh, and actually, serviceability wise, I didn't find much difference from the e36s I worked on to the e46 or the e92. In fact, even the e92 isn't that bad to work on once you figure out a few tricks.

[speeder]

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1995-bmw-m3-92/

[GG Allin]

I've had a few of them. Very easy and cheap to work on, at least when I was driving one regularly. It's getting harder to get parts for them now. I wouldn't want one as a daily driver at this point.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by jorian

I thought widebody had one.

He has an e46.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by GG Allin

I've had a few of them. Very easy and cheap to work on, at least when I was driving one regularly. It's getting harder to get parts for them now. I wouldn't want one as a daily driver at this point.

Interesting. What parts are hard to get, from your experience?

[speeder]

Originally Posted by MysticLlama

Haven't had one, but from what I know, they are pretty solid other than the interiors falling apart. Some of them have rear subframe issues, but not nearly to the extent of e46s.

I'm cleaning up and putting both my e46 and e92 for sale in the next couple of months, the pricing seems to be staying reasonably strong on both.

Unlike some reports, the e46 M3 has been my best and most reliable car ever, have had it for 12+ years now.

Let's here about the e92. Maybe I'm interested.

[ZOO]

Mine was fantastic. I’d own another in a heartbeat. My E46 M3 was better in every regard, though.

[GG Allin]

Originally Posted by speeder

Interesting. What parts are hard to get, from your experience?

I've had a couple of trim pcs. on order for close to a year. The black strip that covers the "rain cutter" on the coupes for lack of a better description. I actually called Turner recently to confirm that the order was still pending. Also, trim parts and bits like that have crept up in price quite a bit over the years.

10-15 years ago these cars were surprisingly cheap to maintain. Honda cheap.

[MysticLlama]

Well, the e92 isn't without stories, good/bad.

93k miles give or take, I bought it at about 85k.

2011.5, White, Competition Package, black wheels, grills, side grills, carbon splitters/spoiler, tinted windows, carbon roof, DCT, recent P4S tires, aluminum/black/tan interior (I haven't seen another like this and it's a great combo).

Somewhere around 65k it got a new engine under warranty, I have all the docs, just not in front of me for actual mileage. Crank bearings, which is super rare, so they called it a manufacturing defect.

New DCT gearbox <10k miles ago, which given it threw all the same codes a couple thousand miles later that seem to have cleared up after a new battery and battery cables means it might not have even needed the $16k spent... but at least it's new.

Replaced the tank breather to fix the idle, known common issue.

Rebuilt both throttle actuators with new gears. That's a 50/50 shot, but I have found a place to get rebuilds with lifetime warranties for less than dealer parts if it doesn't stick. Factory ones seem to last 50-80k.

Other than that, other stuff all works perfect. At least you know of a couple of things to watch for on them now.

On e36 and e46s there are Vanos things and subframes, on e92s there are throttle actuators, the breather, and rod bearings (this one seems overblown, and was complained about on e46s too, though I never knew of one IRL).

Anyway, on the e92, it's been bad luck for me and I've likely sorted most of it for the next person, but it was time to move on. I love driving it, but I needed something better for my slog of a commute, so I got a Tesla with Autopilot.

M3s in general remind me of SCs and Carreras, there are specific known issues, and they are manufactured to such excellent tolerances, most cars will have them, so everyone knows how to address them.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by ZOO

Mine was fantastic. I’d own another in a heartbeat. My E46 M3 was better in every regard, though.

Can you elaborate? I've looked at e46es but ultimately realized that I don't like the styling and friends who owned them new told me that they were underwhelming cars, a little too heavy and not sports-oriented enough. That plus their known issues has moved them off of my list. E36es are 200 lbs. lighter and have the best factory seats ever put in a car.

[MysticLlama]

I think that's mostly from people who have e36s and try to justify them. The e46 at times even feels faster than the e92 (it's not) because it's just the right amount 'angrier'. Throw on some lowering springs and they are plenty fun, the weight isn't that apparent.

I suppose I technically didn't even stray that far, plenty of people call their model 3s M3s, haha. They blew it naming the new 2door the M4, couldn't hang.

[javadog]

I had one of the '95 lightweight models. I took out the original engine and replaced it with a brand new Euro 3.2. With good tires, it was a hell of a lot of fun. I thought it could've used slightly wider front wheels to tame a little bit of corner entry understeer but that's about the only complaint I had. The build quality of the E36 M3 didn't seem the same as the E30 M3s I owned but the E30 cars had their share of little niggling problems. If I had to fault the E36, I'd have to say the interior wasn't trimmed as well as it could've been. I also didn't like the hideous rear wing that they put on the lightweights, but I don't think the E30 M3 has aged well, either.

If I were considering any E36 M3, I would probably try to find a halfway decent car and build a hot rod out of it. I don't think a bone stock E36 M3 would be all that interesting.

[GG Allin]

Also, something to think about, the Euro spec E36 cars are going to start getting a little easier to get in to the U.S. Those are a whole different animal.

[jorian]

Great little car. Decent power, styling that has stood the test of time and Hagerty says their time is coming. I have a bit seat time in a 95' and found it to be as much fun as my G-50. A friend has had one since new and it still looks good after all of this time. A few years ago he cartwheeled the car down a city street. Both front shock towers were bent to hell and I thought that car was done. He had it repaired and you can't tell he balled it up. His is the Estoril blue with Vader seats. I am a fan.

[wildthing]

I had thought about it... I might've started a thread about it before. But it's hard to find an unmolested one. And if it was, it would be double the price. Like $7,500 for a driver, and $18K for a low mileage garage queen.

[Mahler9th]

I have a late-production 1999 E36 M3. Has about 186k miles. I have owned and maintained it for over a decade, and it is in very good condition. It has Koni sport shocks and some unknown springs (they are pretty mild-- I suspect Dinan or Eibach). And 8 inch stock wheels in all four corners. Otherwise it is stock.

It has some of the usual issues like seat wear, a sagging headliner (which I will fix soon), weak catalytic converters and a few other typical odds and ends.

Just worked with a friend (retired BMW master tech) to replace the head gasket.

Two things I recommend at minimum on these cars:

1. Check the rear shock towers. The factory sheet metal is weak and rear shocks can and do rip through. Mine was like that when I bought it used from a reputable dealer. Very bad design.

2. I'd ping contacts in the BMWCCA for what may be the best choices. Even if you have to do a cold-call, this can be a leveraged approach as there may be some 'CCA E36 M3 owners that eschew seller resources like Autotrader and Craigslist. Might find a better car from a proud club member (I give that advice on Porsches too).

[cashman]

I have a 95 M3 I purchased 2 years ago with 140K miles. Been my DD and track car since retiring my 911 from track duty. It's actually a couple seconds faster than my 911 on track. It's like the old saying back in the day that all 911's are $25,000 cars. Buy a $15,000 car and you'll need to put $10K into it or buy the $25K car and be done. For the M3 I'd say they are all $13K - $15K cars.

My case, I paid 8K. I'm currently doing the head gasket and upgrading the cams and exhaust. Will be close to $3K when done. haven't replaced all bushings and control arms yet but that will be another 1K. The coolant system usually needs done at 1K. Redid the headliner etc etc. However , when done with my intake, cams, exhaust, chip, I should be 280 HP.... Ish which will make it a very fun car. At 240HP it's still a fun car as is the 911.

Bushings, Headliner, engine coolant pump/radiator and head gaskets seem to be the weakness. With 100,000 plus miles and 25 years age anticipate those items needing addressed at some time.

I still enjoy the car (160K miles) and have no regrets.