Just bought a 98 M3 could use some info.

[Luftwaffe1O1]

Hi all,

About 2 days I bought a 1998 M3. 5 speed of course, it was a late 98 since it had the 3 spoke 99 steering wheel. The car was sold in i believe august or september of 98 according to carfax. Either way its silver, with dove grey leather, power seats etc, moonroof. Had 56k miles. Although i put about 250miles in the past 2 days on it heh... been goin a little road crazy.

The car is in extremely good condition, i was amazed when i saw it, i took it to a BMW dealership for a pre sale inspection to make sure everything was good, or rather find out if anything obvious was wrong. They gave it a clean bill of health. The only thing that is kind of wrong with it is the driver side door mid-range speaker seems to have blown out. It has a premium sound system btw. I would ideally like to replace it with just a factory one to match the rest of the system but can't think of places other than $tealership to do it.

I could also use some info of things to watch out for, strange sounds, overheating early warning signs etc.

[Serious]

get an x brace and tme's (aftermarket tranny mounts)

replace the water pump and t stat. precaution all water pumps should be changed every 60k.

sounds like a nice car. post some pics

[Luftwaffe1O1]

the previous owner actually replaced the waterpump about 2k miles ago. It started leaking so he had it replaced. I am planning on getting some goodies at the end of summer. The car is completely stock right now, so i am debating whether i should even start any work on it yet, as i am pretty sure once i start i won't stop. My friend took some pics of my car yesterday i still gotta get them though. However this saturday me and a buddy of mine (he drives a 2004 350z) we're gonna take our cars to a place with some nice scenery and take some sweet pics of them

[apex003]

Luftwaffe,
Just wondering how much you wound up shelling out for your 98. I'm in the market for a 98 m3/4 with similar mileage, and on average sellers want 21K, but buyers say 18K. I know that's the way it always is, but just wondering what actual buyers are having to pay. Thanks...

[toddman35]

Sounds like a great car. Make sure the thermostat housing has been replaced with an aluminum one and watch the radiator. Just because the waterpump has been replaced doesn't mean the rest of the coolant system won't crap out. I know what you mean about going road crazy. I find myself making up errands to run just to drive my car. :

[surfacewound]

Heh, good luck with finding any info about the sound setup. When I got mine I tried EVERYTHING to find the specifications, and it was all futile. Dealer's don't know shit, Harman Kardon refuses to even SPEAK to end users (they only deal with business clients etc). I couldn't find out ANYTHING about them.

As for things to watch out for, only thing that comes to mind is the knocking sound. When you drive it hard you can eventually hear a knocking sound, most easily heard from the outside of the car. The sound is the oil lifters not getting oil as it has been splashed all around the oil pan. For this reason some people add an extra quart of oil (usually people tracking the car).

[Luftwaffe1O1]

I paid about 21 for mine. I was looking around for a while. About 6 months, its hard to find reasonable prices in socal. But usually at cheaper prices there was something odd about the car i didn't feel like taking a chance on. This car was in really good condition. When i first saw it i was shocked how well preserved the leather and everything was.

I did take it to BMW for a presale inspection though, they said the vehicle is in excellent condition, but you know im still careful when i drive it listening for odd things all the time. I just can't be sure, so until i have had it for a few months and now the car a little more i will worry about it

I am going to give Cunningham BMW a call see if they can replace the mid-range speaker. If it costs me an arm and a leg, im just gonna replace the entire system. Something i dont really want to do though, because i dont trust some jackass in circuit city etc to sit in my car lol.

And god i love driving. It's ridiculous, i cant sit anywhere for more than 30seconds without thinking about my car, or curvy mountain roads. This is worse than crack. I mean at this rate my gas bill will be much more than the car payments.

[nasty50]

you paid 21k @50k something miles?i got ripped,i paid 23k with 70k miles.all
stock.

[///MBailey]

I picked up my 98 M3/4 last June for $15900(including shipping) on ebay. It did have 107K miles on it but it's been great! I had to clean out the ICV because it was jammed shut with buildup but I don't consider that a big deal for the mileage and what I paid..

[///M_Peror]

Lemme see...check your RSMs and RTABs. Your radiator might go in the next 20-50k. Mine just did at 70k. My thermostat blew around 65k. The suspension starts getting tired too around 50k according to the general consensus on the board. Overall though, you won't regret getting an M3.

[Walt_S]

Congrats.

I"ve had a '98 for about a year. It's the best car I've ever driven and I plan on keeping it for the long haul. Many on this forum say sell at about 70K to 80K to avoid problems.

I now have 67K miles and I've changed out the muffler for a Borla and added a cold air intake. Just put new rotors and pads on. The only other chronic maintainence issue is the climate control module. Don't be surprised if it stops working intermittently. The solder in them goes south. There are some people who can rebuild them rather than spending $250-$300 for a new one.

Go luck. These are marvelous cars, with a very classic look.

Walt '98 M3/4

[M3boarder]

try going to an audio place rather than having the dealer fix ur sound system. a good place i was refered to in san diego was Streetnoyz, ive been to three audio places about my speakers and they were the most knowledgable, im gonna bring it in there next week. try giving them a call (619) 260-1747

[AndrewM3]

Congratulations on the M3 and Welcome to Bimmerforums!

Yeah, we all need to go crazy sometimes. If I were you i'd go MB Quarts all around and upgrade the headunit if it hasn't been done already. If your looking for performance, get an OBD-I conversion kit, M50 manifold, AA exhaust, AA chip, AA track pipe would give the car a 'nice' kick. As far as weird noises, etc only thing I wouldn't worry about is the 'BMW' thump, whenever you go into gear you'll hear a bump as your going into gear. Other then that, post any weird noises that may be of some concern.

It is the Ultimate Driving Machine,
Andrew

[Luftwaffe1O1]

Thank you

I'll check streetnoyz this weekend i suppose. I still can't believe how ridiculously fun this car is.

I was planning on saving up some money during summer, and just going and getting all sorts of stuff replaced, metal waterpump, new shocks, new brakes, only front ones are a little worn, but might as well swap them both out.

As for selling it i don't plan on doing that. I know some problems are gonna come my way, but you lose money selling it regardless. And when all is said and done id rather hang on to it

[AndrewM3]

Yeah, you need a metal water pump as soon as you can get it. Don't hesitate to replace it.

Peace,
Andrew :