another m3 thread....

[swifty]

i know you guys probably get alot of these, sorry, but i had to ask someone. if there are any other threads like this, please link me.

i want to get a used m3, and an e36 is in my price range.

how many miles would be considered high mileage?

what kind of problems do they start to have?

thanks in advance.

[clt-m3]

High mileage depends on the previous owner's care of the car. I have seen M3s with 150k+ miles on them with no prob.

Problems? The main one I see is people ricing them up

Seriously, check out the E36 M3 FAQ for more answers at...

http://www.eurospeed.org/

[swifty]

Originally posted by clt-m3
High mileage depends on the previous owner's care of the car. I have seen M3s with 150k+ miles on them with no prob.

Problems? The main one I see is people ricing them up

Seriously, check out the E36 M3 FAQ for more answers at...

http://www.eurospeed.org/

cool, thanks man.

[Anfanger]

Older BMWs are for the most part pretty solid, and if treated well will last for a long time (like all vehicles). However, if there is a problem, prepare to shell out money... BMWs are still imported and cost an arm and a leg for parts. Nothing to really be worried about, but keep it in mind.

As for the M3 specifically, the '95s are known to have a few small problems, but nothing much. For the most part the E36 M3 is one of the most bulletproof cars ever made. Most people love their M3s and baby them, so higher mileages aren't much of a worry. Still, do the normal check to make sure they haven't smuggled cocaine in it or anything . Good luck with your shopping and purchase.

[///Mracer]

I am sure you will hear this many times but make sure you have the updated water pump, the original will definitly go bad. The 95 M3 is the easiest to mod because of the OBD1 compared to the 96 and up. I drive my M hard and demand a lot from it on the auto-x and street (soon the track also ) and as long as you take care of it with proper maintanence etc., it should last a long time. They are great overall cars. I am really impressed with these cars. I would drive my old 944 turbo hard and I kept breaking things (rear axel, stearing rack etc.) and would spend thousands to keep it on the road.

I hope this rant helps,

[swifty]

thanks. when im looking around, is there anything else i should ask for besides the water pump thing?

and also, is http://bmwcca.org/services/svcfset.shtml a good place to look? i heard the cars there are rather well maintained, and mostly good people over there.

[Holeshot]

I just bought my '97 last week I can't offer too much advise, but I can tell you what I know.

Check all panels for the VIN# tag, that will let you know if the car has had panels replaced from a major wreck. The tags are black.

Look at the power steering lines, they tend to sweat in thier old age and need to be replaced $300

Look at the rear subframes for cracks as well as the shock towers

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. This site is a great resource, so be sure to look around. Don't let the parts costs scare you away, if you can work on your car and get parts through the internet it isn't too bad. If not, well I was quoted $50 for an oil change! LOL! Learn to work on it yourself for sure...

Matt

[frayed]

Check this thread

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...highlight=pump

And this one

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...ght=water+pump