emericanmilitia
06-10-2012, 01:05 AM
I am considering selling my new-to-me 1998 E36 M3. I'm sure many of you have seen the car up for sale recently, as I'm the 3rd to list it within the past few months.
Here’s a bit of background: I first saw this car up for sale on BimmerForums in late March, fell in love with the color combo, and quickly put my Avus Blue ’95 M3 up for sale in order to free up the funds to purchase this one. It sold within a few days of the listing being posted, and I decided to keep my ’95. My ’95 was totaled a few months afterwards, and I got back back to the M3 hunt, and this just happened to come back up for sale. The new owner had bought the car, but decided to sell it in order to attend Skip Barber Racing school to drive the open-wheel Formula 2000 cars. I drove up to Massachusetts, bought it on the spot, and drove it back down to NYC with no problems whatsoever.
I have now figured that as nice as Technoviolet is, it is just too attention-grabbing for me. I’m not the type of guy that likes everybody staring everywhere I drive, and that is all that this car gets. Its really such an awesome color with so much class and personality, I’m sure someone else will enjoy having it.
1998 M3 (05/02/1998 prod. Date – ’98.5 model with the 3-spoke wheel and side airbags)
5 speed manual
Technoviolet / Modena - I’ve searched Bimmerforums/eBay/M3forum/craigslist/etc. daily(religiously) for the past 3-4 years, and this was the first time I had ever seen this color combo. Gets tons of looks and compliments everywhere it goes.
VIN: WBSBG9331WEY79785
148k miles on the body, only about 75k on the rebuilt motor
Carfax is 100% clean with no accidents or problems (I can provide you with a copy or a link to the site directly). I do not know details of any accidents, though the driver’s side front fender appears to have been resprayed at some point. This was done very well and is only noticeable by an eye trained in body/paint work. All VIN tags are matching.
Here is some info about the car’s past:
The car was originally purchased brand new by a wealthy man down in North Carolina(I have the receipt from when he paid the $43k purchase price in cash) and kept it for just over 8 years. He originally had the car turbocharged by Korman Autoworks, though being OBD2 in the late 90’s, it was very difficult to tune correctly. Because he wasn’t getting the gains that he wanted, he had the turbo removed and the engine rebuilt. I have the receipts for all of this work.
The car later ended up under the ownership of BF member “meseetree” down in Maryland, and he owned it for about 5 years, in which he only put a few thousand miles on it. He sold it to BF member “tystager93”, who owned it for a few months before I purchased the car from him.
Included with the car is the original window sticker, M3 brochure, binder full of receipts, etc. This car has been enthusiast owned and cared for since new.
There have been a few modifications to the car:
Suspension/steering:
Racing Dynamics Front Strut Bar
Racing Dynamics Sway Bar Kit -
(Front/Rear 27mm/22mm)
Rear AC Schnitzer Strut Bar
H&R Race Spring Set
Bilstein Shock Set (revalved by korman autoworks)
Stainless Steel Brake lines (Front & Rear)
BBS RX 17x8 with brand new Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec tires – 245/40/17 all around
Engine:
M50 Manifold
LTW GT OIL PAN (w/ dual pickups)
M-Roadster Short Shift Kit
UUC V1 Catback exhaust(DTM tips)
75% Limited Slip Diff Conversion (Korman Autoworks)
Active Autowerkes Lightweight Flywheel (Best mod in the world, by the way)
Active Autowerkes O2 Simulators
Exterior/Interior:
Clear Corner Lights w/ stealth bulbs
Blackout Kidney Grills
Smoked side markers
DEPO HID headlights with angel eyes (Stock OEM headlights will be included, too)
Clear Euro Rear Tail Lights
M-Roadster Shift Knob Style
VDO Gauges & Face Plate (vacuum, oil pressure, oil temp)
- Motor is very healthy and runs with no problems at all. I want to do a compression test, but it has been raining every day that I have any free time. You are welcome to have a shop do one before purchase, though I’ll get around to it soon enough.
- I do not know exactly when the cooling system was last overhauled, but it appears to be in ok condition. I know that it has a metal impeller water pump, as well as an aluminum thermostat housing. All hoses are in good condition, fan clutch is good, and the fan itself has no cracks. I’d suggest a fan delete mod and new radiator/t-stat at the least, but that’s just something that I’d do to any E36 that I buy.
- Suspension is tight, though I do not have exact replacement mileages. I planned on swapping out the H&R Race springs for the yellow H&R sports, because A. They are too aggressive for my style of driving, and B. They sit low in the rear, which gives it a sagging appearance that looks horrible in my opinion. This car handles SO much better than my old ’95 M3, which had a full suspension overhaul and BC racing coilovers.
- Transmission shifts smooth and has no problems. The short shifter takes a bit of getting used to, but is awesome afterwards. I do not know when the clutch was replaced, but it grabs hard and never slips, even through my uphill 5th gear tests. I assume that it was replaced when the lightweight flywheel was put in, though I don’t know exactly what mileage that was done at.
- Interior is overall in great condition, though it shows wear typical to a 14 year old car. Once I get a chance, I will be removing the entire interior in order to give it a thorough cleaning.
- Exterior looks great, though it has a few flaws(mentioned below). It is not quite a garage queen, though it gets nothing but compliments and stares while driving down the street. I wash it 2-3 times a week and give it a wax every weekend. There is absolutely ZERO RUST anywhere on the car! Southern car(NC to MD) up until 2-3 months ago. Never seen any salt or snow.
The BAD – Just about everything here is cosmetic. This isn't so much a "bad" section as it is my "to-do list". None of this was mentioned in the previous owner's ad, and I doubt most sellers would even list this stuff. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my cars and get bugged by any small flaw, so even if this list gets a bit long, please be assured that the car really isn't in bad shape. Depending on how much longer I have the car, everything will be getting fixed when I have the free time to do so.
* Front bumper has a hairline crack around the passenger side headlight area. I refuse to settle for a crappy quality Chinese DDM bumper, or risk bad paint matching, so I am actively searching the forums(have wanted posts up) for an OEM/original paint Technoviolet bumper from a car being parted out. The crack isn’t bad and there’s no reason that it must be replaced, but like I said, I’m a perfectionist.
* The sunroof panel has a line of scratches about 6in long, 1in wide. They aren’t too deep, and I think they should buff/wetsand out, but I may end up buying a new sunroof panel(OEM/original TV paint, only $100-$150 from partout cars) if that does not work.
* The headliner has the notorious fabric sagging. I have a headliner piece from my old M3 that was recently redone, but I have not yet put it in, as I am waiting to see if I will buy a new sunroof panel before doing anything.
* Front end has the typical rock spray from the highway, nothing out of the ordinary for a used car.
* Passenger side door window seems to rattle over large bumps when it is rolled down. I will be removing the door panel to figure out what the cause is.
* Power steering reservoir cap appears to have a small leak(onto the top of the reservoir). My old M3 had the same problem and I just topped the ATF off every 3-4 months to avoid a moaning noise, though I’ve never needed to top this one off in the time that I’ve owned it.
Asking price is $9500, which is somewhat negotiable. This is not the typical $8k M3 that needs a bunch of work to make it right, and I do believe that my price is fair. I would consider a trade for a similar E36 M3 in a more subtle color, but a cash sale would be much preferred unless you happen to have exactly what I want.
Please no dreamers, tire kickers, etc. I would be glad to take you for a ride and do whatever you’d like, but no test drives unless you are here with cash. In other words, kids looking for a joy ride - please do not bother contacting me.
Shoot me a PM if you have any questions or would like to schedule a time to take a look. I did not want to list my phone number on here, but I can give it to you via PM.
Car is located in Little Neck, NY(Queens/Nassau border). It was driven from Mass to NYC just a few weeks ago, and from Maryland to Mass just a few months earlier, I don’t see it having any problems going anywhere.
You can view pictures at the link below. These are from the previous owner, but nothing has really changed on the car in my ownership. I will be getting more detailed pictures as well as close-ups of all of the flaws ASAP.
https://plus.google.com/photos/106319722147219093833/albums/5735770471765212577?banner=pwa
(Please note, the car no longer has the french fogs installed and will come with brand new OEM clear fogs installed)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2294.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2296.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2295.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2297.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2298.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2299.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2301.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2302.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2303.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2304.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2305.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2306.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2307.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2308.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2309.jpg
Here’s a bit of background: I first saw this car up for sale on BimmerForums in late March, fell in love with the color combo, and quickly put my Avus Blue ’95 M3 up for sale in order to free up the funds to purchase this one. It sold within a few days of the listing being posted, and I decided to keep my ’95. My ’95 was totaled a few months afterwards, and I got back back to the M3 hunt, and this just happened to come back up for sale. The new owner had bought the car, but decided to sell it in order to attend Skip Barber Racing school to drive the open-wheel Formula 2000 cars. I drove up to Massachusetts, bought it on the spot, and drove it back down to NYC with no problems whatsoever.
I have now figured that as nice as Technoviolet is, it is just too attention-grabbing for me. I’m not the type of guy that likes everybody staring everywhere I drive, and that is all that this car gets. Its really such an awesome color with so much class and personality, I’m sure someone else will enjoy having it.
1998 M3 (05/02/1998 prod. Date – ’98.5 model with the 3-spoke wheel and side airbags)
5 speed manual
Technoviolet / Modena - I’ve searched Bimmerforums/eBay/M3forum/craigslist/etc. daily(religiously) for the past 3-4 years, and this was the first time I had ever seen this color combo. Gets tons of looks and compliments everywhere it goes.
VIN: WBSBG9331WEY79785
148k miles on the body, only about 75k on the rebuilt motor
Carfax is 100% clean with no accidents or problems (I can provide you with a copy or a link to the site directly). I do not know details of any accidents, though the driver’s side front fender appears to have been resprayed at some point. This was done very well and is only noticeable by an eye trained in body/paint work. All VIN tags are matching.
Here is some info about the car’s past:
The car was originally purchased brand new by a wealthy man down in North Carolina(I have the receipt from when he paid the $43k purchase price in cash) and kept it for just over 8 years. He originally had the car turbocharged by Korman Autoworks, though being OBD2 in the late 90’s, it was very difficult to tune correctly. Because he wasn’t getting the gains that he wanted, he had the turbo removed and the engine rebuilt. I have the receipts for all of this work.
The car later ended up under the ownership of BF member “meseetree” down in Maryland, and he owned it for about 5 years, in which he only put a few thousand miles on it. He sold it to BF member “tystager93”, who owned it for a few months before I purchased the car from him.
Included with the car is the original window sticker, M3 brochure, binder full of receipts, etc. This car has been enthusiast owned and cared for since new.
There have been a few modifications to the car:
Suspension/steering:
Racing Dynamics Front Strut Bar
Racing Dynamics Sway Bar Kit -
(Front/Rear 27mm/22mm)
Rear AC Schnitzer Strut Bar
H&R Race Spring Set
Bilstein Shock Set (revalved by korman autoworks)
Stainless Steel Brake lines (Front & Rear)
BBS RX 17x8 with brand new Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec tires – 245/40/17 all around
Engine:
M50 Manifold
LTW GT OIL PAN (w/ dual pickups)
M-Roadster Short Shift Kit
UUC V1 Catback exhaust(DTM tips)
75% Limited Slip Diff Conversion (Korman Autoworks)
Active Autowerkes Lightweight Flywheel (Best mod in the world, by the way)
Active Autowerkes O2 Simulators
Exterior/Interior:
Clear Corner Lights w/ stealth bulbs
Blackout Kidney Grills
Smoked side markers
DEPO HID headlights with angel eyes (Stock OEM headlights will be included, too)
Clear Euro Rear Tail Lights
M-Roadster Shift Knob Style
VDO Gauges & Face Plate (vacuum, oil pressure, oil temp)
- Motor is very healthy and runs with no problems at all. I want to do a compression test, but it has been raining every day that I have any free time. You are welcome to have a shop do one before purchase, though I’ll get around to it soon enough.
- I do not know exactly when the cooling system was last overhauled, but it appears to be in ok condition. I know that it has a metal impeller water pump, as well as an aluminum thermostat housing. All hoses are in good condition, fan clutch is good, and the fan itself has no cracks. I’d suggest a fan delete mod and new radiator/t-stat at the least, but that’s just something that I’d do to any E36 that I buy.
- Suspension is tight, though I do not have exact replacement mileages. I planned on swapping out the H&R Race springs for the yellow H&R sports, because A. They are too aggressive for my style of driving, and B. They sit low in the rear, which gives it a sagging appearance that looks horrible in my opinion. This car handles SO much better than my old ’95 M3, which had a full suspension overhaul and BC racing coilovers.
- Transmission shifts smooth and has no problems. The short shifter takes a bit of getting used to, but is awesome afterwards. I do not know when the clutch was replaced, but it grabs hard and never slips, even through my uphill 5th gear tests. I assume that it was replaced when the lightweight flywheel was put in, though I don’t know exactly what mileage that was done at.
- Interior is overall in great condition, though it shows wear typical to a 14 year old car. Once I get a chance, I will be removing the entire interior in order to give it a thorough cleaning.
- Exterior looks great, though it has a few flaws(mentioned below). It is not quite a garage queen, though it gets nothing but compliments and stares while driving down the street. I wash it 2-3 times a week and give it a wax every weekend. There is absolutely ZERO RUST anywhere on the car! Southern car(NC to MD) up until 2-3 months ago. Never seen any salt or snow.
The BAD – Just about everything here is cosmetic. This isn't so much a "bad" section as it is my "to-do list". None of this was mentioned in the previous owner's ad, and I doubt most sellers would even list this stuff. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my cars and get bugged by any small flaw, so even if this list gets a bit long, please be assured that the car really isn't in bad shape. Depending on how much longer I have the car, everything will be getting fixed when I have the free time to do so.
* Front bumper has a hairline crack around the passenger side headlight area. I refuse to settle for a crappy quality Chinese DDM bumper, or risk bad paint matching, so I am actively searching the forums(have wanted posts up) for an OEM/original paint Technoviolet bumper from a car being parted out. The crack isn’t bad and there’s no reason that it must be replaced, but like I said, I’m a perfectionist.
* The sunroof panel has a line of scratches about 6in long, 1in wide. They aren’t too deep, and I think they should buff/wetsand out, but I may end up buying a new sunroof panel(OEM/original TV paint, only $100-$150 from partout cars) if that does not work.
* The headliner has the notorious fabric sagging. I have a headliner piece from my old M3 that was recently redone, but I have not yet put it in, as I am waiting to see if I will buy a new sunroof panel before doing anything.
* Front end has the typical rock spray from the highway, nothing out of the ordinary for a used car.
* Passenger side door window seems to rattle over large bumps when it is rolled down. I will be removing the door panel to figure out what the cause is.
* Power steering reservoir cap appears to have a small leak(onto the top of the reservoir). My old M3 had the same problem and I just topped the ATF off every 3-4 months to avoid a moaning noise, though I’ve never needed to top this one off in the time that I’ve owned it.
Asking price is $9500, which is somewhat negotiable. This is not the typical $8k M3 that needs a bunch of work to make it right, and I do believe that my price is fair. I would consider a trade for a similar E36 M3 in a more subtle color, but a cash sale would be much preferred unless you happen to have exactly what I want.
Please no dreamers, tire kickers, etc. I would be glad to take you for a ride and do whatever you’d like, but no test drives unless you are here with cash. In other words, kids looking for a joy ride - please do not bother contacting me.
Shoot me a PM if you have any questions or would like to schedule a time to take a look. I did not want to list my phone number on here, but I can give it to you via PM.
Car is located in Little Neck, NY(Queens/Nassau border). It was driven from Mass to NYC just a few weeks ago, and from Maryland to Mass just a few months earlier, I don’t see it having any problems going anywhere.
You can view pictures at the link below. These are from the previous owner, but nothing has really changed on the car in my ownership. I will be getting more detailed pictures as well as close-ups of all of the flaws ASAP.
https://plus.google.com/photos/106319722147219093833/albums/5735770471765212577?banner=pwa
(Please note, the car no longer has the french fogs installed and will come with brand new OEM clear fogs installed)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2294.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2296.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2295.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2297.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2298.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2299.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2301.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2302.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2303.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2304.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2305.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2306.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2307.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2308.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/meseetree/IMG_2309.jpg