E36 Buying Advice
Discussion
Been lusting after a nice E36 coupe for a few years as a cheap track/ fast road car. But it seems that by the time I can afford to insure one, prices have gone mental for a nice manual 328i Sport - ranging from 4 - 10k and that's not far off M3 money. I'm wondering what the wise move would be, getting a slightly more shagged car for 1-3k that would need a bit of love or biting the bullet and paying the premium for a nice one, or even buying a 318is and swapping the engine for a 6cyl. Any advice or info on what to expect in terms of rust and other repairs is much appreciated.
I'd can the idea of doing an engine swap - it won't be worth it.
All E36s need work - they're old cars now.
I'd suggest trying to find one at the cheaper end of the market that's fundamentally sound, that you can improve as you go. They're simple cars to work on, and there are a whole host of tried-and-tested upgrades that are worth doing, so you may find that rather than just repairing things, you can improve them too.
All E36s need work - they're old cars now.
I'd suggest trying to find one at the cheaper end of the market that's fundamentally sound, that you can improve as you go. They're simple cars to work on, and there are a whole host of tried-and-tested upgrades that are worth doing, so you may find that rather than just repairing things, you can improve them too.
gj1245 said:
Been lusting after a nice E36 coupe for a few years as a cheap track/ fast road car. But it seems that by the time I can afford to insure one, prices have gone mental for a nice manual 328i Sport - ranging from 4 - 10k and that's not far off M3 money. I'm wondering what the wise move would be, getting a slightly more shagged car for 1-3k that would need a bit of love or biting the bullet and paying the premium for a nice one, or even buying a 318is and swapping the engine for a 6cyl. Any advice or info on what to expect in terms of rust and other repairs is much appreciated.
If you're looking for a track car, I don't think there's much point in looking for a minty mint example. You are likely to want to replace a lot of the suspension, bushes etc anyway I'd have thought?. Sport is nice because of the bodykit, lovely wheels and Avus suspension but again if you're planning on tracking, that might not be so relevant.I'd look for a solid 328i coupe or saloon (saloon is considered stiffer) without a sunroof.
Rust is an E36 weak spot, worse for the earlier models. Arches (front and especially rear), sills and around the boot. IME, bodywork is a lot more bothersome to sort than mechanical parts.
Difficult to give any general advice as they’re all likely to have rust. Body rust is neither here or there - it’s all the other places. Find one with the least rust and get that but it’s difficult to see why you wouldn’t have an E46 instead as it might be marginally less rusty but will be a better drive.
Billy_Whizzzz said:
Difficult to give any general advice as they’re all likely to have rust. Body rust is neither here or there - it’s all the other places. Find one with the least rust and get that but it’s difficult to see why you wouldn’t have an E46 instead as it might be marginally less rusty but will be a better drive.
An E46 is a good shout but it seems the vast majority are as rusty if not even more rusty than the E36's, also wouldn't be able to insure one on a classic car policy, which could be done with an E36 and potentially save me money to spend on upgrades/repairs.
With E36's, some are rust buckets, some aren't. Some of the worst I've seen with sections of sill missing have been 1998/9 cars. Those with the plastic sill covers are invariably worse. By the time the rear sills are rotten, it's party over unless you have a decent budget or are a very patient welder.
I'd go for a 323i without the sill covers. The sunroof makes little odds but those without it and the pesky drain tubes *can* be less rusty. Non sunroof cars are rare now though. In fact they all are. Production ended over 20 years ago and a large percentage have already been cubed. Forget about scabs on rear arches and minor cosmetics, it's sills and the rear trailing arm mounts that are paramount.
Most E46's are 15 year old scrap now - rusty, ruined bushes, leaking oil - just bangers. The old 'cheap BMW track car' thing is a bit of a myth unless you can drop on a genuinely good car for 1500 quid and do all the work yourself. E36's are much, much easier to work on than the E46.
In the right hands (i.e if you can drive) a 318iS makes a decently quick track car to start with.
I'd go for a 323i without the sill covers. The sunroof makes little odds but those without it and the pesky drain tubes *can* be less rusty. Non sunroof cars are rare now though. In fact they all are. Production ended over 20 years ago and a large percentage have already been cubed. Forget about scabs on rear arches and minor cosmetics, it's sills and the rear trailing arm mounts that are paramount.
Most E46's are 15 year old scrap now - rusty, ruined bushes, leaking oil - just bangers. The old 'cheap BMW track car' thing is a bit of a myth unless you can drop on a genuinely good car for 1500 quid and do all the work yourself. E36's are much, much easier to work on than the E46.
In the right hands (i.e if you can drive) a 318iS makes a decently quick track car to start with.
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