E36 325i Coupe

[BGarside]

I see Old Colonel Cars have a nice-looking 325i coupe for sale. In fact, a car they sold fairly recently which has come back again.

http://www.oldcolonelcars.co.uk/

I've quite fancied a 6-cylinder BMW for a while and might consider this one.

Does anyone know this car or has anyone viewed it?

Any views on this car as a purchase?

Thanks,

Ben

[BGarside]

I'd actually been considering Merc 190s but decent ones also seem to go for about £3k so the price doesn't bother me much. I'd sooner pay £3k to get a car in good nick that doesn't need loads spending on it than take a chance on a £1k private sale - I'm sure there's lots of thrashed rubbish out there.

I actually quite like the fact that the spec. is pretty basic as it's less to go wrong and I'm really more interested in the mechanicals.

Apart from the well-publicised cooling system issues (I'd probably get a new rad, water pump, expansion tanks and hoses fitted as a precaution) I gather these are pretty reliable otherwise?

Would the M-sport suspension be too harsh? Would I fit in an E36 at 6ft5 tall?

Are there any good BMW specialists that would carry out an inspection on the car? - I'd be buying unseen as I live in Aberdeen.

Cheers,

Ben

[BGarside]

A 328i (Sport or non-Sport) would be nice but can't find any in good condition or with low mileage.

Realistically I'm not expecting to buy an appreciating classic for £3k, but just something in decent nick without rust and mechanically sound, to run for a while and probably make some low-key upgrades to to improve the handling and performance. I like to modify my cars mechanically to suit my requirements - so originality will go out of the window along with any 'classic' potential - but am not bothered about silly styling mods.

In the absence of decent 328is, a good 325i would still be worth owning, no?

[BGarside]

Thanks for the info. I fit OK in modern hatchbacks but the E36 is considerably smaller and lower than most of them so wasn't sure!

[BGarside]

Hmmm, thanks for the replies. I'd been looking out for a 328i for a while but most of them seemed to have seen better days.

Agree I'd sooner buy cheaper and have some cash in hand for refreshing/upgrading bits, but I guess it's a fine line between buying something decent and something too cheap and having to spend thousands to get the car up to standard. I'm not that handy so anything more complex than routine servicing and brake maintenance would be a garage job...

Considering I was prepared to drop £3.5k on a decent Merc 190E at MTSV, spending 3k on a decent rust-free, low-miles E36 doesn't bother me too much (plus £200 on an inspection and another £150-odd getting it home). I figure the basics are sound so would just need money spent on the cooling system and refreshing suspension parts.

Needless to say, if anyone on here has a good 328i up for grabs, Sport or otherwise, I'm all ears

[BGarside]

Thanks for the feedback. I can get it for £2.6k which si tempting so I think an inspection will be in order.

I'm not too worried about the basic spec. - less weight and less to go wrong on a 20-odd year old car.

If it feels too gutless after my remapped diesel I may try to find a good 328i later - they seem hard to find as most have been driven far and hard, not surprising I guess if they are as good as the road tests suggested back in the '90s....