95 m3(possible buy)

[318bud]

Hello fellow m3 owners
Im looking at a 1995 m3 and im thinkin bout purchasing
I just wanted to ask what kinda problems should i be expecting? if any
dont really know much bout the M cars and i know that 95 is the first year
The car has 145,000 miles and the radiator has been replaced
thanks everyone!:buttrock

[xcore]

M cars are problematic compare to normal bmw, oil change need to be done every 2500miles, snap shifter every 3k miles, cooling system always try to bust itself. M owner here are all trying hard to catch on maintenance. :redspot:redspot:alright:alright:D

[EricP]

M cars are problematic compare to normal bmw, oil change need to be done every 2500miles, snap shifter every 3k miles, cooling system always try to bust itself. M owner here are all trying hard to catch on maintenance. :redspot:redspot:alright:alright:D

Wat

[cgrphotos]

M cars are problematic compare to normal bmw, oil change need to be done every 2500miles, snap shifter every 3k miles, cooling system always try to bust itself. M owner here are all trying hard to catch on maintenance. :redspot:redspot:alright:alright:D
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TtiXaRFK_bY/Taer4mrm-KI/AAAAAAAACJo/EAuxHOp5d28/s1600/894_motivational_engrish%255B1%255D.jpg

[318bud]

haha. thanks. i understand oil change yes..but thats maintance. and the radiator has been replaced...and the transmission is auto

any problems engine wise? around this mileage

[Russell042]

M Motors are SOILD! Just make sure cooling is up to date and suspension. My Motor has 242k and still pulls hard.

Also, dont pay more then 6500 for that M3. 95 is the S50 (obviously) and lack power as opposed to the S52.Goodluck with the buy and post pics when you pick her up.

[318bud]

how much of a power gain is the s52 and which year does the s52 engine start?
and yes he wanted 6k for it but i got him down to 5k. trying to sell my 92 e36 than hopefully i can get this m3! very excited to see if i can get my hands on it!!
good to hear that they can go past 200k..like any bmw !

[E36BMW3series]

how much of a power gain is the s52 and which year does the s52 engine start?
and yes he wanted 6k for it but i got him down to 5k. trying to sell my 92 e36 than hopefully i can get this m3! very excited to see if i can get my hands on it!!
good to hear that they can go past 200k..like any bmw !


"Technically Speaking" the engine horsepower figures are the same. Torque is up on the S52 though. The S52 starts with OBDII, in 1996. Throw on the S50 manifold on an S52 though, and you'll feel a pretty big gain out of the S52, at least on the butt dyno.

If he has the right maintenance on it, it may be worth 5k, but honestly a 1995, Automatic M3 with 145k miles is about the most least desireable thing there is out there.

With an Auto, it's really your only "weak point", check the rear shock mounts and for rust and you should be good.


Honestly unless the car is in VERY good condition with a lot of maintenance/upgrades I'd think you would be able to find a better deal.

I recently got my 97 M3, Sedan, Estroil on Black for 6750 with only 20,000 more miles than yours. Manual Sedans are very rare and desireable, throw in the Exterior/Interior color and condition, it made it very desireable. Now, I knew it would need about 2-3k in maintenance when I bought it, but just something to keep in mind.

Moral of the story, you can spend a lot of coin to get these things up to mainteance, make sure it has been taken care of, or plan on doing it yourself.

Motor Mounts, Transmission Mounts, Cooling System, Shock and Strusts, probably springs, rear shock mounts, rear trailing arm bushings, control arms, other bushings under there. Rotors, Brake Pads, brake fluid, transmission fluid, diff oil, cabin air filter, fuel fitler, trying to think of other things. Just understand there are alot, and not to take on another persons project unless you get the right price and are willing to do the work yourself. I wanted a project, so I bought a project.

[318bud]

This is probaly the best deal ive seen around. its desirably for me lol
5k for an m3, plus i kinda wouldnt mind having an automatic right now

I thought the car had conderately low miles, so im thinking about buying
The only thing holding me back is the color...had my heart set on a estoril(5 spd):) haha
its an alpine white coupe with minor clearcoat peels ...interior is perfect and has a magnaflow catback

i know about pretty much all the parts you meotioned and your right i need to find out if its been taken of exactly by looking at it. Basically did that whole game with my 318is..which had over 230k on the body.hopefully i wouldnt have to do ALL that stuff again..which i was pretty much wandering about the 140k this car has. is that consideratly low?

[EricP]

5K for an automatic with clearcoat peels... adding that the paint is bad takes me down to not wanting to pay more than 4000-4500 for that car now.

Plus, you just said "had my heart set on a estoril(5 spd)," this car is neither of those things. Why?

[318bud]

well i couldnt find one in my price range..and ive always been lookin, for quite a while now.
Yea theres a little peel on roof and a peel on rear panel
i was thinkin bout trying 4500 at him, maybe even 4000, and see what happens after that
i mean most of the m3's i see for sale are in the 8-10k price range lol
when there really worth half that

[EricP]

well i couldnt find one in my price range..and ive always been lookin, for quite a while now.
Yea theres a little peel on roof and a peel on rear panel
i was thinkin bout trying 4500 at him, maybe even 4000, and see what happens after that
i mean most of the m3's i see for sale are in the 8-10k price range lol
when there really worth half that

Location: DE

Rust?

[RRSperry]

These things are so full of fail...

It's an E36 M3, it has all the normal E36 problems, plus the extra special M costly parts...

There really isn't enough of a difference between the S50 and the S52 (S50b30US and S52b32US) to even worry about. A whopping 8 lb-ft of torque? Really?

Buy the best car you can find and afford. You can buy cheap, but it's probably gonna be a money pit, or you can buy expensive and just delay the money pit. It's a 16 year old German sports coupe, it's never going to be cheap...

[318bud]

lol..so snotty
heres the ad
http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/2459903043.html
i just wanted to know what can/should i expect around this mileage..how is this fail?
i do not know anything bout the M cars really
he claims no rust, no leaks

when i say most are worth half of their price..i mean the actual value of the car

[RRSperry]

See post 2... complete stipid bs... ALL of it...

Post 6 second part. wrong.

The problem with that car is it's got 140K on a really crappy GM designed automatic transmission that probably has never had any maintenance. It's a time bomb just waiting to die.

Other than that, and nobody has really even laid an eye on that thing, nothing.

[EricP]

http://images.craigslist.org/3p33o73l25Y25Z35P3b6oa6b227187d661d90.jpg

Uhhhh what the hell is that under the dash?

Knowing the paint problems, seeing the car in those pics, auto.... my offer is now $3K. lol

[Russell042]

An M3 is an M3... HUGE improvement over your 318 lol.. And sometimes i kinda wish i had an Auto (altho i would never actually buy one)... Go for it, just be ready to spend some cash on small repairs.

[BradR127]

http://images.craigslist.org/3p33o73l25Y25Z35P3b6oa6b227187d661d90.jpg

Uhhhh what the hell is that under the dash?

Knowing the paint problems, seeing the car in those pics, auto.... my offer is now $3K. lol

CB radio?

[NOCO M3]

Theres a good video on youtube that shows what to look for. Search for "buying an e36 m3" or something like that and you will find it.

Common problem areas: Motor/trans mounts, front suspension linkages, rear shock mounts, cooling system, etc, just search for that video on youtube and it will tell you a lot.

One big thing to look for is the vin #'s on each body panel and door, do they all match? If not it's been hit.

Around here that thing would sell in a day for 5k. I paid 6k for a 2 door 5spd cosmos black/black with 120k. I've driven it a hard 10k more in a year and have only had to replace a wheel bearing(20 minutes, $140) and change the oil 3 times. I am now however dealing with a cooling problem that I hope is just the thermostat.