E36 328i buying advice
Discussion
g3org3y said:
Bargain if in decent nick for £800.
Iirc, brake lines are a bit of a bugger on the E36. I think one would be looking at around £200 to get them replaced.
Bit more than that these days unfortunately, the parts are cheap (£20 or so for new cunifer lines) but it's about a five hour job if done properly so the labour is the real stinger. I think I paid about £350 at my local specialist to have them done on my coupe. Iirc, brake lines are a bit of a bugger on the E36. I think one would be looking at around £200 to get them replaced.
£800 is definitely good for a genuine Sport in good shape though, I'd go for it.
vsonix said:
Bit more than that these days unfortunately, the parts are cheap (£20 or so for new cunifer lines) but it's about a five hour job if done properly so the labour is the real stinger. I think I paid about £350 at my local specialist to have them done on my coupe.
£800 is definitely good for a genuine Sport in good shape though, I'd go for it.
The front to rear brake pipes should go over the top of the fuel tank and so a lot of labour is needed to drop everything out of the way to do the job properly.£800 is definitely good for a genuine Sport in good shape though, I'd go for it.
The cost at BMW breaks down as:
72 AW units labour (each AW unit is 15 mins so that's 4.8 hours): @£635
Brake pipe: £18.95
Fitted with VAT: @ £670
At other garages you can get the brake pipes re-routed around the fuel tank for a lot less (BMW will not do this!), but make sure they are securely fitted to the car or it will be an MOT failure!
(Also make sure that if they've tapped holes in the floor or used self tapping screws, they've also used an anti-rust sealant to prevent rust from starting).
I was given a 1998 328i sport by my mate and I've spent the past few months making it into a track car.
I've had most of it apart so have found most of the scabby bits!
The bit I would look carefully at are the jacking points. Water tends to get trapped under the plastic jack pads and rots out the metal beneath...
Here's mine:
I've had most of it apart so have found most of the scabby bits!
The bit I would look carefully at are the jacking points. Water tends to get trapped under the plastic jack pads and rots out the metal beneath...
Here's mine:
sparks_E39 said:
Bogracer said:
Probably been covered, but replace the plastic water pump straight away, it will fail.
Pretty much good advice for any BMW of the era. 
d if you bought it for £800 then spend another £600 on it. The swap over for nikasil was march '98 and there were a fair few sat around and sold after march so a 98S could be effected. The tab check is the only way to be sure. BMW did recall loads of cars though so there are lots of pre-98 cars without nikasil.
They all benefit from a suspension refresh at anything over 100k. RTAB's are about £200 at an Indy as are front wishbones. There are loads of other bushes dotted about.
It's been a few years since I checked, but when I last did the consensus was that if nikasil-related issues had yet to arise, they probably wouldn't.
It sounds like you could be getting a good enough price (again, I'm a bit out of touch) that even if it was a nikasil unut, your mate could probably get more than £800 elsewhere.
Have you had a drive yet?
It sounds like you could be getting a good enough price (again, I'm a bit out of touch) that even if it was a nikasil unut, your mate could probably get more than £800 elsewhere.
Have you had a drive yet?
S50B32 said:
It's been a few years since I checked, but when I last did the consensus was that if nikasil-related issues had yet to arise, they probably wouldn't.
It sounds like you could be getting a good enough price (again, I'm a bit out of touch) that even if it was a nikasil unut, your mate could probably get more than £800 elsewhere.
Have you had a drive yet?
I've only been in it a few times (once drunk) so I don't know that much about it. I'm hoping to make it over this week to kick the tyres and draw my breath over my teeth...It sounds like you could be getting a good enough price (again, I'm a bit out of touch) that even if it was a nikasil unut, your mate could probably get more than £800 elsewhere.
Have you had a drive yet?
Holy thread bump Batman!
So, after telling me he was selling his car in November, I'm off to pick it up tomorrow morning. The MOT has expired, so the first thing to do is head straight to an MOT centre to get the bad news.
I'll start a Readers Cars thread when I get a chance. From never owning a BMW by tomorrow I will own 2 of the things!
So, after telling me he was selling his car in November, I'm off to pick it up tomorrow morning. The MOT has expired, so the first thing to do is head straight to an MOT centre to get the bad news.
I'll start a Readers Cars thread when I get a chance. From never owning a BMW by tomorrow I will own 2 of the things!
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