Buying a used 98 M3...need advice on what to look for

[motosport3]

Hey everyone,

New to this board, and I am seriously considering getting a used e36 M3.

I had the car brought to a mechanic today and they thought they heard something with the timing chain (belt?) when revving the engine at idle? A clunking noise?

I don't believe that is normal but wanted to confirm.

I'm also thinking of bringing it to have it inspected by BMW for a PPI. Any thoughts on that and what else I should check, watch out for?

I'm concerned mainly about the engine..

The car is a 98 w/ low miles, has clean carfax, and no accidents according to the owner.

[GreenM3]

Rear shock mounts- check for cracks.

Toe-in bushings (?) - check for wear.

Engine compression check.

Look for oil leaks.

Do a search on this board, also.

I can't think of anything else. I haven't seen any recalls for anything that I can remember being significant on my 98 that I have owned since new.

How many miles is low, by the way? Just curious.

Good luck. They are great cars, and the support from places like this makes them a lot of fun to own.

[CrayzeeM3]

recall for side air bag. Its a bit sensitive. If you hit a curb it will go off.

[GreenM3]

You mean like sliding into a curb sideways at 40mph?






I just read your 140mph ticket post and had to ask, Crazy...

[motosport3]

Thanks for the response guys.

GreenM3, I trust a dealership is able to do the checks that you listed as part of a PPI?

As low as ~16k miles....:

[dieselm3]

you probably can get the PPI done at a BMW independant mechanic, they would do just as good of a job for less.

[motosport3]

Thanks I will be doing just that tomorrow. Anything else I should look for?

I did bring the car into a non-BMW specialized mechanic and he reckoned there was some noise coming from the timing chain area.


What type of noise is bad noise?

I'm just concerned about the reliablility of the M3, after I did a search for "tiiming chain" and reading some posts.

I will ask the BMW doing the PPI to check it out, but I'd like to be able to hear for myself.