BMW E36 Touring
Discussion
Hello all, first 'Readers' Cars' thread for me so go easy!
I'll get the little bit of a back story out of the way first.
For no real reason I've almost always preferred estates over saloons of the same car, I don't know why, but I just do. At one point in my life I had to buy a sensible daily driver as my Audi S2 coupe was in the hands of a garage for a very long time. I spent a week trawling the usual places for something reliable to run around in, preferably with more space than the coupe so that I could make tip runs and that kind of thing. As I was single and didn't need any back seats, I was initially looking at Caddy vans or similar, as one of those would likely be the most sensible vehicle that would satisfy my demands. So very early one Saturday morning I had a one way flight to Bournemouth booked and I drove this back to Glasgow:
A 1991 BMW E30 325i Touring. Not quite what I had in mind, but I thought it would be more fun than the Caddy I had originally been planning. I think that this was 2010, so that year it snowed a lot, so I bought these:
and it was business as usual:
This was a great car and by the time I sold it, had over 195k on it, although it did require new sills at the last MOT. It was supremely comfortable too, and one day I did 956 miles in it in 19 hours. To be honest though, it was starting to get a little tired and it was never going to be the nicest E30 touring ever, so a friend was interested in it and a deal was done.
What I really wanted now was a fast estate, as it had been a few years since I'd run a car that would make me want to get up early on a Sunday morning and go for a good drive. I had a few ideas of what I'd like, but my main stipulations were manual, naturally aspirated and rwd, which left not very much at all. I did look into C55's, even though they were automatic, but there wasn't a real love there for them from me. I thought about an S2 or RS2, but I've already been there with the S2 coupe and know how much they can cost to run.
A few friends have owned e36 M3's of various types and I always really liked the speed, sound and mechanical feeling of them. I also own a 328i Sport coupe that I use for the Nürburgring which I love, so I thought that I would re-direct my efforts into finding a nice Evo Coupe and running it over summer with a view to buying an e39 Touring in the winter for sensible duties. I thought that this would be the most sensible approach, although the GF was unconvinced as to how selling one car and buying two could be considered sensible.
However, I noticed that an e36 M3 Evolution converted Touring had come back on Pistonheads for sale. I'd seen it before and had gone to approach the seller only for the ad to be removed and I'd imagined that it had sold. It looked good in the photos, but I knew that to do such a conversion properly would take a large amount of money and I wasn't expecting much if I'm honest. I decided to get in contact with the owner and once I had time off from work, myself and a friend went down to look at it.
I met the owner, a fellow PH'er, and the car was exactly as he described; mint! The car really is a credit to him and he has put a load of time and effort into it. A deal was done and I drove back up from the West Midlands to Glasgow last Monday.
It's been a long time since I've cleaned a car this often, 3 times in the last week:
Spec is as follows:
1999 BMW e36 328iA Touring
Estoril Blue
S50B32
Evo Gearbox
Evo Differential and subframe
Evo Front and Rear Brakes
Evo Suspension with Bilstein dampers
Cabriolet Cross Brace
AC Schnitzer ARBS
AC Schnitzer exhaust
Evo Dashboard
Full black leather interior with Vader front seats
Staggered M3 'Contour' wheels
and loads of other parts that I can't remember just now!
Only getting used to it now, but I'm smitten. The noise and the pull of the engine are just fantastic and the whole car has been built and maintained so well that it feels very tight.
Plans:
Nothing major, I am taking it down to Le Mans in the summer, so will going to put it in for an Inspection II next month. The A/C compressor is leaking at the pulley, so will need to have that replaced or rebuilt before heading down the road. The front Vaders have been dyed black at some point, so would like to get a correct black set of front seats. I'm wanting to make the car exactly as if BMW would have made it, so I'm currently getting some of the smaller details such as various engine bay stickers made up to make it look 'factory'.
I've got a spare headlamp casing to replace the offside one currently fitted to the car which fogs up due to one of the tabs being broken too. I think I might also get a more factory looking exhaust as the AC Schnitzer currently fitted has upswept 'DTM' style tail pipes fitted, which are a little retro for my liking.
The main thing will be to drive it, which for the first time in years I did yesterday with a loop from Glasgow, up to Crianlarich, then down through Callander and back into Glasgow via Bearsden. Just what I was wanting a car for again!
I'll get the little bit of a back story out of the way first.
For no real reason I've almost always preferred estates over saloons of the same car, I don't know why, but I just do. At one point in my life I had to buy a sensible daily driver as my Audi S2 coupe was in the hands of a garage for a very long time. I spent a week trawling the usual places for something reliable to run around in, preferably with more space than the coupe so that I could make tip runs and that kind of thing. As I was single and didn't need any back seats, I was initially looking at Caddy vans or similar, as one of those would likely be the most sensible vehicle that would satisfy my demands. So very early one Saturday morning I had a one way flight to Bournemouth booked and I drove this back to Glasgow:
A 1991 BMW E30 325i Touring. Not quite what I had in mind, but I thought it would be more fun than the Caddy I had originally been planning. I think that this was 2010, so that year it snowed a lot, so I bought these:
and it was business as usual:
This was a great car and by the time I sold it, had over 195k on it, although it did require new sills at the last MOT. It was supremely comfortable too, and one day I did 956 miles in it in 19 hours. To be honest though, it was starting to get a little tired and it was never going to be the nicest E30 touring ever, so a friend was interested in it and a deal was done.
What I really wanted now was a fast estate, as it had been a few years since I'd run a car that would make me want to get up early on a Sunday morning and go for a good drive. I had a few ideas of what I'd like, but my main stipulations were manual, naturally aspirated and rwd, which left not very much at all. I did look into C55's, even though they were automatic, but there wasn't a real love there for them from me. I thought about an S2 or RS2, but I've already been there with the S2 coupe and know how much they can cost to run.
A few friends have owned e36 M3's of various types and I always really liked the speed, sound and mechanical feeling of them. I also own a 328i Sport coupe that I use for the Nürburgring which I love, so I thought that I would re-direct my efforts into finding a nice Evo Coupe and running it over summer with a view to buying an e39 Touring in the winter for sensible duties. I thought that this would be the most sensible approach, although the GF was unconvinced as to how selling one car and buying two could be considered sensible.
However, I noticed that an e36 M3 Evolution converted Touring had come back on Pistonheads for sale. I'd seen it before and had gone to approach the seller only for the ad to be removed and I'd imagined that it had sold. It looked good in the photos, but I knew that to do such a conversion properly would take a large amount of money and I wasn't expecting much if I'm honest. I decided to get in contact with the owner and once I had time off from work, myself and a friend went down to look at it.
I met the owner, a fellow PH'er, and the car was exactly as he described; mint! The car really is a credit to him and he has put a load of time and effort into it. A deal was done and I drove back up from the West Midlands to Glasgow last Monday.
It's been a long time since I've cleaned a car this often, 3 times in the last week:
Spec is as follows:
1999 BMW e36 328iA Touring
Estoril Blue
S50B32
Evo Gearbox
Evo Differential and subframe
Evo Front and Rear Brakes
Evo Suspension with Bilstein dampers
Cabriolet Cross Brace
AC Schnitzer ARBS
AC Schnitzer exhaust
Evo Dashboard
Full black leather interior with Vader front seats
Staggered M3 'Contour' wheels
and loads of other parts that I can't remember just now!
Only getting used to it now, but I'm smitten. The noise and the pull of the engine are just fantastic and the whole car has been built and maintained so well that it feels very tight.
Plans:
Nothing major, I am taking it down to Le Mans in the summer, so will going to put it in for an Inspection II next month. The A/C compressor is leaking at the pulley, so will need to have that replaced or rebuilt before heading down the road. The front Vaders have been dyed black at some point, so would like to get a correct black set of front seats. I'm wanting to make the car exactly as if BMW would have made it, so I'm currently getting some of the smaller details such as various engine bay stickers made up to make it look 'factory'.
I've got a spare headlamp casing to replace the offside one currently fitted to the car which fogs up due to one of the tabs being broken too. I think I might also get a more factory looking exhaust as the AC Schnitzer currently fitted has upswept 'DTM' style tail pipes fitted, which are a little retro for my liking.
The main thing will be to drive it, which for the first time in years I did yesterday with a loop from Glasgow, up to Crianlarich, then down through Callander and back into Glasgow via Bearsden. Just what I was wanting a car for again!
deltashad said:
That's gorgeous. Why did they never produce these?
If I see you driving around I'll give you a flash and wave
I guess you like the sleeper look, I'd be tempted to make it look very stock with the chrome kidney grills and M3 badge for the tailgate.
Very nice....
Thanks, I'll keep a look out. Do you have a thread for the Delta? Always a childhood dream car.If I see you driving around I'll give you a flash and wave
I guess you like the sleeper look, I'd be tempted to make it look very stock with the chrome kidney grills and M3 badge for the tailgate.
Very nice....
Chrome kidneys are already on order from Douglas Park BMW! Not sure if I could go for an M3 badge on the back, the number plate at the moment kind of gives it away anyway!
OlberJ said:
Nice conversion, i was looking at something similar on ebay last night.
I see you're local and you've got an S2? Will it be up for sale now you have this?
Thanks. It has been done very well.I see you're local and you've got an S2? Will it be up for sale now you have this?
Correct, S2 will be going up for sale.
jones325i said:
Lovely motor, what more could you need?
Enjoy.
It ticks all of my boxes, still don't understand why BMW never made one themselves.Enjoy.
63np said:
Looks ok I suppose!!
So last year.. Lol
Glad your enjoying it Ciaran.
Not missing it at all
It's almost as good as the Big Red Audi! So last year.. Lol
Glad your enjoying it Ciaran.
Not missing it at all
Sf_Manta said:
I saw this when it was on sale... sooooooooooo damned tempted to trade up from my E30 Touring, Jealous!
Good luck with the car though, it looks a absolute peach
If my e30 had been nicer, I would have kept a hold of it and possibly had a different engine put in, unfortunately it wasn't to be! I'm looking forward to many happy miles behind the wheel of this one though!Good luck with the car though, it looks a absolute peach
ciaranthemurph said:
Thanks, I'll keep a look out. Do you have a thread for the Delta? Always a childhood dream car.
Chrome kidneys are already on order from Douglas Park BMW! Not sure if I could go for an M3 badge on the back, the number plate at the moment kind of gives it away anyway!
I don't Ciaran. I kind of started one when I took it off the road after it self-perforated, but the resto was put on hold when I crashed my Elise. I need to start it up again. When the Elise and integrale are back I'll do a proper thread and get some nice photo's put together. Chrome kidneys are already on order from Douglas Park BMW! Not sure if I could go for an M3 badge on the back, the number plate at the moment kind of gives it away anyway!
When it's fixed up I'll happily take you out for a blast in the Lancia. Performance will be similar to your car, gives a lovely feedback driving experience.
I have owned an S2 Coupe, then I went to an RS2 and eventually onto an E46 M3.
I loved every single one in their own way but always wished I could have combined the M3 with the usability of the RS2.
They missed a trick by not producing that. It looks lovely and makes me want one. Do you still have the S2?
I loved every single one in their own way but always wished I could have combined the M3 with the usability of the RS2.
They missed a trick by not producing that. It looks lovely and makes me want one. Do you still have the S2?
deltashad said:
I don't Ciaran. I kind of started one when I took it off the road after it self-perforated, but the resto was put on hold when I crashed my Elise. I need to start it up again. When the Elise and integrale are back I'll do a proper thread and get some nice photo's put together.
When it's fixed up I'll happily take you out for a blast in the Lancia. Performance will be similar to your car, gives a lovely feedback driving experience.
Excellent, I'll hold you to that!When it's fixed up I'll happily take you out for a blast in the Lancia. Performance will be similar to your car, gives a lovely feedback driving experience.
mak2503 said:
I have owned an S2 Coupe, then I went to an RS2 and eventually onto an E46 M3.
I loved every single one in their own way but always wished I could have combined the M3 with the usability of the RS2.
They missed a trick by not producing that. It looks lovely and makes me want one. Do you still have the S2?
I was tempted to get an RS2, but finding a good one is a lot of hard work and Audi aren't the best for parts for the older stuff. Keeping one of them 'right' in daily use would have been a real struggle I think. I still have the S2, but it will be going up for sale in the next couple of months.I loved every single one in their own way but always wished I could have combined the M3 with the usability of the RS2.
They missed a trick by not producing that. It looks lovely and makes me want one. Do you still have the S2?
A small update although not huge amounts has been happening.
I've put approximately 2000 miles on the car since purchase and according to the onboard computer I've been averaging about 29-31mpg on longer runs, which I am happy with.
As the car was new to me, i decided to get an inspection II done at the local BMW specialist:
The list of the work done is as follows:
"Inspection II" Service.
Check valve clearances, oil and filters, plugs and general poke about.
Renew both front lower arms (the inner balljoints had developed play and were knocking).
Repair a loose driveshaft and renew the output seal and circlips.
Check the fuel tank breathers (I thought that these might be blocked or disconnected as it would quite often take ages to fill the tank up, with fuel backing up the filler neck and stopping the pump).
The car was dropped off at 8am on Monday morning and I picked it up 5pm last night after they had been waiting for the circlips for the differential from BMW. Happy with the service and Owen was happy to explain any additional work that was to be carried out. When I first went down there were plenty of other M3s (e46's and e9x's) sat outside, so that must be a good sign, also he'd been recommended through M3Cutters. I was even given a courtesy car:
Result!
When I purchased the car, the previous owner had pointed out that a bit of the boot trim was missing, so I ordered it from the local dealer who had it in in a couple of days from Germany. It fits in the right hand side of the boot over the battery.
Before:
Part:
After:
With boot side trim back in too:
I also ordered some original chrome grilles, which I wanted to swap the black ones for (I had also noticed that the black ones had a couple of stone chips in them when I was cleaning the car at the weekend):
Black ones off and nosecone cleaned out:
Chrome ones on:
Done:
Part numbers for anyone interested:
Battery cover for boot: B51.47.8.170.476
Chrome Grilles: B51.13.8.195.152/1
Anyway, as you can see, not much to report on, just some general housekeeping. I'm all booked up for Le Mans though and will be needing to order a Thule Bike/Roof rack type arrangement this week.
I've put approximately 2000 miles on the car since purchase and according to the onboard computer I've been averaging about 29-31mpg on longer runs, which I am happy with.
As the car was new to me, i decided to get an inspection II done at the local BMW specialist:
The list of the work done is as follows:
"Inspection II" Service.
Check valve clearances, oil and filters, plugs and general poke about.
Renew both front lower arms (the inner balljoints had developed play and were knocking).
Repair a loose driveshaft and renew the output seal and circlips.
Check the fuel tank breathers (I thought that these might be blocked or disconnected as it would quite often take ages to fill the tank up, with fuel backing up the filler neck and stopping the pump).
The car was dropped off at 8am on Monday morning and I picked it up 5pm last night after they had been waiting for the circlips for the differential from BMW. Happy with the service and Owen was happy to explain any additional work that was to be carried out. When I first went down there were plenty of other M3s (e46's and e9x's) sat outside, so that must be a good sign, also he'd been recommended through M3Cutters. I was even given a courtesy car:
Result!
When I purchased the car, the previous owner had pointed out that a bit of the boot trim was missing, so I ordered it from the local dealer who had it in in a couple of days from Germany. It fits in the right hand side of the boot over the battery.
Before:
Part:
After:
With boot side trim back in too:
I also ordered some original chrome grilles, which I wanted to swap the black ones for (I had also noticed that the black ones had a couple of stone chips in them when I was cleaning the car at the weekend):
Black ones off and nosecone cleaned out:
Chrome ones on:
Done:
Part numbers for anyone interested:
Battery cover for boot: B51.47.8.170.476
Chrome Grilles: B51.13.8.195.152/1
Anyway, as you can see, not much to report on, just some general housekeeping. I'm all booked up for Le Mans though and will be needing to order a Thule Bike/Roof rack type arrangement this week.
Boobonman said:
Absolutely love that. E36 M3 saloon is one of my favourite cars of all time, but this is incredible. I've always loved estates too...
Thanks. It's so rare to find any of them in good condition these days too.mattrg said:
That's really really nice!
ThanksNelsonR32 said:
Oh my that is lovely!
(from an E36 EVO Saloon owner )
Thanks, any links or information on the Evo?(from an E36 EVO Saloon owner
)TheDoggingFather said:
Stunning, a tragedy that BMW were so short sighted in not producing this car!
I know, I'm sure that they would have sold plenty, in all the different generations of the 3 series.Aphex said:
Very handsome.
Prefer the black kidney grills personally
Thanks. I personally think that they didn't go with the Estoril Blue, as it is more of a luxury colour (such as Techno Violet, Oxford Green, Santorini Blue (or an of the Individual Colours)) than say silver, dakar yellow, red or white, where they would have been better black. I think that the black ones will probably end up on my track 328i (Titan Silver).Prefer the black kidney grills personally
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