E36 328i buying advice

[theboyfold]

A good friend of mine is seeing his S plate E36 328i 2 door, M Tech kit (I believe).

What should I look out for? My plans are to run it as a toy and eventually have it in a shape for trackdays, but not fully stripped etc

[theboyfold]

BorkFactor said:

Rust, cooling systems, and nikasil related issues on the pre 98 cars. Besides that, mostly wear and tear - suspension will probably be a bit tired now, and a decent service history is always nice.

Good cars, but hard to find a good one these days.

Thanks. Is there a way of telling if it's a nikasil engine or not? I think it's an S plate.

I'm doubtful it will have the tightest history in the world, but he's a good mate so I trust him to be honest with the state of the car, he's had it for some time now.

Where are the weak points for rust? What would the rough cost be for overhauling the suspension and other bits that will be tired on a car of this age?

[theboyfold]

Thanks again.

I've just been having a flick through the classifieds and they seem to be quite high for the age of the car IMHO:

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

His has the same kit and wheels as that one, but it's in blue, still a good looking car.

[theboyfold]

So pretty much everything

Thanks for that list, I'll have a chat with him to find out what issues he's had. I know the passenger window doesn't work anymore which is common.

[theboyfold]

Finally, my mate has offered me his car. He's said that the brakes need some work and I can have it for £800. I'd be silly not to wouldn't I?

[theboyfold]

It is a genuine sport. He's had it for years.

What's the damage likely to be if it's the rear brake lines are gone? Is it a big job?

[theboyfold]

I don't know for certain if it's the brake lines, he's said a light has come on the dash. So it might just be pads / discs, which is ok as I'd replace them anyway with the plan to get it on the track.

[theboyfold]

vsonix said:

ABS sensor or Pad Wear sensor? The latter cost like £9 or something... cheap & easy fix.

Don't know, I'll find out when I have a look at it.

[theboyfold]

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...

[theboyfold]

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!