Another new '95 M3 owner intro

[majl]

Well I’m back and this time to stay! Over a month ago, I posted for the first time here:

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...e-that-I-found

I received a lot of good insight on that post from the forum and decided to pass on that first E36 M3.

I continued to search for a vehicle that met my needs, not ruling out the E36 M3, but not looking specifically for one either. I was most leaning towards a nicely spec’d 128i, but there was just nothing available that I liked. I began to look upmarket and figured I owed it to myself to look at the M2 and possibly even a Cayman 987.2 since I am so enamored with my Boxster. I found a 2018 M2 6MT at a local BMW dealer with only 16k miles and went to test drive it. I assumed I would love it, wanted to love it, but didn’t. I didn’t like the electronic steering and the auto rev matching made me feel like I was driving a video game car. Don’t get me wrong – the car was really nice and if someone gave me one I would gladly take it in a heartbeat but it just didn’t feel like the right car for me. I’m in my 50s and the styling with the wide fender flares and aggressive front air dam just felt a little too youthful for me. As far as the Cayman 987.2, well I didn’t get very far after looking online for them. Used pricing has gone through the roof since I got my Boxster 18 months ago, and I didn’t want another “look at me” car. I knew I wanted something more discrete and so my search continued.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago and a really nicely spec’d 128i popped up locally. Low miles with some tasteful mods (suspension, brakes, intake, SSK). Went to test drive it and really liked it. Car was nimble, fun to drive and clean. I clicked with the owner and decided to get a PPI the following day and the car checked out as clean by a local shop.

But, there was also an E36 M3/4/5 locally that I was interested in and had been communicating with the seller. He was out of the country and wasn’t available to show the car until the weekend after I saw the 128i. Despite the clean PPI, I also wanted to see the E36 first just to make sure I was making the right decision. The day before my appointment, I contacted another shop (closer to the owner of the E36 and also recommended by him) for their availability to do a PPI the following week if it turned out that I liked the E36.

Well that turned out to be quite the serendipitous phone call!

The shop owner’s wife told me they were down a mechanic and would not be able to do a PPI the following week. She then asked about the car I was looking at, and when I told her it was an E36 M3, she replied, “well my husband who runs the shop is just getting ready to sell his E36 M3. We just got it detailed for a photo shoot since it was accepted by BaT and we were planning to list it there. We would be happy to show it to you if you are interested. 1995 Cosmos Black coupe 5MT with 110k miles.” I figured I could not pass up the opportunity to see a BMW shop-owned example of an E36 M3, and so scheduled an appointment with them for after the M3/4/5 appointment.

I went to see the M3/4/5 first and while it looked great (silver sedan is one of my favorites for the E36 M3) and was more sorted than the first one I saw over a month ago, it still had more issues than I wanted to deal with upfront. It was also a 9-owner vehicle and had spent a number of years on the east coast – both of which gave me pause. I thanked the seller for his time and then made my way over to the garage. When I first saw the ’95 coupe, I couldn’t believe the condition of the exterior – it was stellar!

I spent the next 2 hours with the shop owner. He put the car up on a lift and showed me everything underneath that had been done and what I needed to pay attention to down the road. He did the same with the engine bay. Showed me the measurements of the brake pads and the tires. And then we took it out for a good 20-min test drive. Told me not to be afraid to wind it out.

It was a used car buying experience unlike any other that I have ever had. Shop owner was an older gentleman in his early 70s. He works on BMW, Porsche and Mercedes. Owns several vehicles including an E46 M3, E46 325i (daily), E24 635 CSi, and Porsche 993.

It’s a 3-owner vehicle and he had owned it for 13 years, having purchased it from one of his customers so he had service records dating back almost 20 years to 2003. The only reason he was selling was because he just bought another Cosmos Black ’95 E36 M3 from another one of his customers with only 47k miles. He is planning to retire soon and sell his shop so will need to downsize his fleet but said that the E36 M3 would be the last one he keeps because of all his cars, it’s the one that is most dear to him.

By the time we were wrapping up, I was sold. I have always been partial to the sedan over the coupe, but decided that it was more important to buy a car that has been well looked after and told him I wanted to do the deal. There was a tear in the driver’s side door seal and he agreed to replace it as part of the sale. Picked up the car two days later and am now the proud owner of a 1995 E36 M3!

It was a blast to drive the 30 miles from SF to my home on the peninsula down I-280. Got it up to 100 mph and it was rock solid. Strong, quiet and no endless rattling, unlike the other two that I had test driven.

Not sure what was standard vs. options on the ’95 but the key specs of the car are:

• Cosmos Black/Black leather
• S50
• 5-spd MT
• Electric Sunroof
• OBC
• Manual climate controls
• Manual seats (not heated)
• Fold-down rear seats
• Square contour (style 23) wheel and tire set-up

Mods to the car:

• Dinan Stage 1 suspension
• 3-button garage door opener
• Alpine Bluetooth/CD head unit
• Outside bolster on the driver’s seat was just refreshed with new leather

There was also a Dinan chip at one point installed by the 2^nd owner (I have the invoice) but it is no longer on the car. Not crazy about the looks of the Alpine head unit (lighting is blue) but it does provide me with modern features such as Bluetooth audio and phone capabilities. The seller gave me the original radio from the ’95 that he just bought so I can decide if I want to revert to the original spec down the road. He also included a car cover which was helpful because I need to rearrange my garage before I can park it inside.

Super excited to start learning more about this car and from you folks here on the forum!

[jaimerod]

Wow! Love the car. It looks fantastic.

Welcome to the family!

[RRSperry]

Do not, under any circumstances, store the car outside under a cover if it rains where you are. It will potentially cause more damage than it will prevent. Yep, that’s my opinion. What did you pay for it? Just curious where the market is.

[Hagasan41]

What a great example! Welcome from a newbie to the platform just having picked up a ‘99 Hellrot Coupe. ��

[jaysonx]

Great buy, car looks like a real gem. The 95's are coming out in force as of late!

[blckstrm]

Ha! That's so great!

I have no feedback for you other than don't baby it. Drive it hard and often. You'll have more trouble over time the more you baby it. They're really no different than people - sitting around is worse than moving. Running is great exercise and will keep it healthy. Let it be your daily (at least sometimes).

I wouldn't cover it either. A couple days in the sun will cause less damage than a car cover will inflict.

Welcome! You're going to love it!

[E85STI]

What an amazing example you managed to find! Contrats!!

[DrftKingIII]

Looks immaculate. Congrats and welcome to the club.

[majl]

Thanks for the welcome! Good to see some other new members on here too.

Took the cover comments to heart and got the garage cleaned out so it’s in alongside the 987.2.

And no plans to baby it. Drove it to work on Thursday and hoping to get it out for at least 3 commute days/week.

As for pricing, well I’d rather not be specific but will say that used car prices are still inflated and I had to pay to play.

[notMpowered]

Seeing cars like this make me go hmmm, should I have kept mine stock?
Looks incredible, and glad to hear you aren't planning on tucking it away. I drive mine to work basically every day. Makes the moment you walk out of work that much more enjoyable.

[GG///M3]

OP I have a dinan ews1 turn for a 95 m3.

1995 M3 Dinan EWS 1 chip
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/top...ink_source=app


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MParallel]

Looks pretty fresh. Not sure on that HomeLink install under the lightswitch, but that panel is easy to swap out.

I'd personally fit a rearview mirror with HomeLink. There are versions with the same shape as OEM mirror so for all intends and purposes, looks factory.

[hakentt]

Seeing cars like this make me go hmmm, should I have kept mine stock?
.

The more your trash yours the more my mint stock M3 goes up in value. So keep it trashing bro

[tiMASTER]

Congrats on a nice example!

[blckstrm]

The more your trash yours the more my mint stock M3 goes up in value. So keep it trashing bro

Yup, hakentt, the more you don't drive your car the more you don't enjoy it for what it is and the more miserable and jealous you'll become of those of us who can drive ALL we want without losing a penny.

You'd be better off investing in the stock market. Yeah, maybe your car has appreciated. Maybe it's even worth more now than it was new. Maybe double!

Wow. A 100% return!!!

Apple stock closed at $138.98 today. Let's say you bought that same share in Nov 2009, when I got my car. Accounting for numerous stock splits, that share would have cost around $7.00. That works out to almost a 2000% return. Even a super conservative Dow index fund has grown 300% since then.

Let's say you bought that same share on Jan 2 1995, roughly when you could have first bought an E36 M3 new off the lot. A share of AAPL cost $0.35 on Jan 2, 1995 (not really, again, but accounting for the various stock splits since then). That's an almost 40,000% return. A Dow index fund purchased on the same date would have returned 750%.

So we're ALL on the same page and the people like hakentt can stop being douchebags, at ANY TIME you would be better off financially to sell your car and invest in the stock market. Also at any time you'd be better off both financially and happier selling your low- mileage car, investing half in the stock market, and spending the other half on a high- mileage car you can drive all you want.

Because it's abundantly clear to anyone here that you, hakentt, are not happy.

By and large we all get along.

[E85STI]

This is very well said regarding our cars as an investment. I definitely don't want the value of my car to tank but at the same time I bought it to drive it and enjoy it. It is my car so I will do whatever upgrades or mods I feel I want to do on the car. If it drops the value a bit, so be it. But to each their own.

Yup, hakentt, the more you don't drive your car the more you don't enjoy it for what it is and the more miserable and jealous you'll become of those of us who can drive ALL we want without losing a penny.

You'd be better off investing in the stock market. Yeah, maybe your car has appreciated. Maybe it's even worth more now than it was new. Maybe double!

Wow. A 100% return!!!

Apple stock closed at $138.98 today. Let's say you bought that same share in Nov 2009, when I got my car. Accounting for numerous stock splits, that share would have cost around $7.00. That works out to almost a 2000% return. Even a super conservative Dow index fund has grown 300% since then.

Let's say you bought that same share on Jan 2 1995, roughly when you could have first bought an E36 M3 new off the lot. A share of AAPL cost $0.35 on Jan 2, 1995 (not really, again, but accounting for the various stock splits since then). That's an almost 40,000% return. A Dow index fund purchased on the same date would have returned 750%.

So we're ALL on the same page and the people like hakentt can stop being douchebags, at ANY TIME you would be better off financially to sell your car and invest in the stock market. Also at any time you'd be better off both financially and happier selling your low- mileage car, investing half in the stock market, and spending the other half on a high- mileage car you can drive all you want.

Because it's abundantly clear to anyone here that you, hakentt, are not happy.

By and large we all get along.

[Gene V]

Love to drive my moderately modded '97 and am happy that could be worth not too far from what I paid for in 2001...win, win...

[majl]

Hey all,

Hoping to get this thread back on track with some honeymoon updates a new pic! It's been 3 weeks since I picked up my M3 and almost 1000 miles later, it has brought me many smiles. Smiles per mile or something like that?

There are a couple of things I have noticed and the seller owes me a new driver's side door seal which was backordered so when I take it back to him to install, I'll have him look at the other items as well:

• Airbag light comes on at start-up and then goes away after about 1-2 minutes
• Rubbing noise from one of the front tires when making a hard left (like a u-turn) but I do not hear this when making a hard right
• Intermittent squeaking noise from the steering wheel when turning to the left

I was not super excited about the style 23 contours when I got the car but they are starting to grow on me. The seller had a set of staggered style 24 LTW "BMW Motorsport" stamped wheels on the car when he owned it, but he moved them to the other '95 M3 that he just bought. He took the contours off the new one and put them on this one before he sold it to me and these wheels supposedly only have 47k miles on them. I asked if he would swap back to the LTWs but he said he wanted to keep them. Anyway, I always thought the style 23s were more for sedans and luxury package editions, so we'll just have to see how motivated I am to make a change. If a nice set of DS1s were to come my way, I don't think I would pass them up so if anyone has a lead on a set, let me know.

@GG///M3 thanks for the offer on the Dinan chip. I need to do a little more homework to see if that is something that I want to add.

@MParallel yeah I haven't even programed the homelink device yet - just been using a remote transmitter. Will consider a homelink mirror.

Overall, super happy with the car. In addition to shared commuting duties, I have taken it on some spirited outings and it is just a blast to drive! The engine loves to rev! And the visibility is outstanding! Most cars these days have huge blind spots but this one does not at all. My son is a 19-y/o sophomore in college and was home for an extended weekend these past few days. He has learned how to drive a manual and was instrumental in helping me choose the E36 M3 over some of the other vehicles I was considering. We had a really fun drive together with him in the M3 and me in the 987.2. Priceless when I can do that with my kid and both of us have huge grins on our faces!

[bmwstephen]

How does the homelink garage door opener mod look like in your car? Any pics of the setup?

[majl]

How does the homelink garage door opener mod look like in your car? Any pics of the setup?

You can see it in one of the first photos I posted of the interior. It's on the lower panel and in the photo, is just above the clutch pedal.

[ChuckDizzle]

Hey all,

Hoping to get this thread back on track with some honeymoon updates a new pic! It's been 3 weeks since I picked up my M3 and almost 1000 miles later, it has brought me many smiles. Smiles per mile or something like that?

There are a couple of things I have noticed and the seller owes me a new driver's side door seal which was backordered so when I take it back to him to install, I'll have him look at the other items as well:

• Airbag light comes on at start-up and then goes away after about 1-2 minutes
• Rubbing noise from one of the front tires when making a hard left (like a u-turn) but I do not hear this when making a hard right
• Intermittent squeaking noise from the steering wheel when turning to the left

I was not super excited about the style 23 contours when I got the car but they are starting to grow on me. The seller had a set of staggered style 24 LTW "BMW Motorsport" stamped wheels on the car when he owned it, but he moved them to the other '95 M3 that he just bought. He took the contours off the new one and put them on this one before he sold it to me and these wheels supposedly only have 47k miles on them. I asked if he would swap back to the LTWs but he said he wanted to keep them. Anyway, I always thought the style 23s were more for sedans and luxury package editions, so we'll just have to see how motivated I am to make a change. If a nice set of DS1s were to come my way, I don't think I would pass them up so if anyone has a lead on a set, let me know.

@GG///M3 thanks for the offer on the Dinan chip. I need to do a little more homework to see if that is something that I want to add.

@MParallel yeah I haven't even programed the homelink device yet - just been using a remote transmitter. Will consider a homelink mirror.

Overall, super happy with the car. In addition to shared commuting duties, I have taken it on some spirited outings and it is just a blast to drive! The engine loves to rev! And the visibility is outstanding! Most cars these days have huge blind spots but this one does not at all. My son is a 19-y/o sophomore in college and was home for an extended weekend these past few days. He has learned how to drive a manual and was instrumental in helping me choose the E36 M3 over some of the other vehicles I was considering. We had a really fun drive together with him in the M3 and me in the 987.2. Priceless when I can do that with my kid and both of us have huge grins on our faces!

Nice '95!

DS1s would look great.

[Steve1998]

Good thing you passed on the others. It looks like you bought the right one this time.

My 95 also has the airbag like for the first few minutes. It seems to be a common issue, and there are numerous threads about it.

I love all the different e36 wheels, but a major plus for the Contours is how easy they are to clean.

[tiMASTER]

I think contours look particularly good on the compact, but nice on any E36 for sure.

[jayjaya29]

This guy is selling some DS1s:

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...re-DS1-s-worth

[propcar]

wow that looks beautiful.