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Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy
The E36 interior is crap, I've had two and have been very disappointed in the quality, or lack thereof. Lots of snaps and cheap hard plastic, the headliner will droop, the glovebox lid will sag, the leather will wear quickly, the door panels will fall apart, etc. I'm on my 2nd E36, but this will be my last. They drive nice, but the build quality is lacking compared to the German competition.
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by vinman
I had a '95. One of the most dissapointing cars I've owned. The interior and overall build quality makes a late '70s GM product look like a Rolls Royce by comparison. I went through 4 power window regulators. Interior trim pieces would just fall off. Would never buy another one.
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My experience through 2 yrs/30k miles has been the opposite. The vinyl cove panels on the doors shrank, that's about it. The glovebox lid sag is fixable at minimal cost. I don't think it's any worse than a 70s or 80s Porsche and their dash cracks, cheap switches, cheap leather, etc.
I would suggest spending the extra $1000 and going for a 328 if you decide to get an E36. The VANOS seems to be less troublesome, you get much more low end torque than the 325, and you get the M3 transmission.
For price-performance-reliability, there is no better BMW (car) than the E36 328/M3. A 540/6 or E34 M5 would be awesome, but are also more trouble and more $$$ when mechanical things go wrong. Much as I love the look and character of the E30, every one on the market is rotting, sold before you can pick up the phone, or overpriced for the comfort/performance you're receiving.