Yet another rescued E36 328i M Sport project...

Yet another rescued E36 328i M Sport project...

Author
Discussion

RickBristol

Original Poster:

330 posts

117 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
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f1nn said:
But still, 11-12k...I was ex-edging much more.
Ex-edging... Don't you hate predictive text sometimes? I know I do...

Anyway, just doing my thing. I'm so far past caring about cost now. And I have to listen to friends complaining about having to spend £200 to get their car through an MOT... biggrin

RickBristol

Original Poster:

330 posts

117 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
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On another note. Although I'm keeping this car - will never be for sale after all the pain/cash it's cost me - I'm now turning my head to looking for a decent, totally sorted, e36 M3 EVO. Looking to spend around £9,000 to £13,000 for the right one.... Put the feelers out guys...

It's gonna have to be totally mint for that sort of m9ney AND with the wealth of experience that I've accumulated on this project, there'll be no pulling the wool over my eyes. Will be TOTALLY inspected to evaluate fully.

Edited by RickBristol on Sunday 5th November 18:58

iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
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RickBristol said:
Mate, thanks for the lesson, interesting, but understand this stuff. It wasn't an Alusil block, it refers to the upgraded bore liners....
The steel liner block was never known as Alusil.

The steel liner block was known within BMW as a steel liner block. Because that's what it is.

RickBristol

Original Poster:

330 posts

117 months

Monday 6th November 2017
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iSore said:
RickBristol said:
Mate, thanks for the lesson, interesting, but understand this stuff. It wasn't an Alusil block, it refers to the upgraded bore liners....
The steel liner block was never known as Alusil.

The steel liner block was known within BMW as a steel liner block. Because that's what it is.
OK. Then that's a lesson for everyone out there. I was only going by what others refer to it as... scratchchin

iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Monday 6th November 2017
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Now you can put others who say 'alusil block' right with authority!

I always wondered why BMW didn't use Alusil on the sixes and persisted with steel liners. I imagine it's to do with cost of manufacture on a larger scale as the V8 and V12 stuff was never made in vast numbers. I think Alusil has been dropped completely now.

On the body job, forget about just painting the front wings - ideally you'll need to paint both sides of the car again as silver is a nightmare to match, especially non original silver. It will only need masking up, scotchbriting and painting. One of those cars where it's quicker to just bite the bullet and do it all in one go. No need to do the roof/bonnet/boot/bumpers.

RickBristol

Original Poster:

330 posts

117 months

Monday 6th November 2017
quotequote all
iSore said:
Now you can put others who say 'alusil block' right with authority!

.........

On the body job, forget about just painting the front wings - ideally you'll need to paint both sides of the car again as silver is a nightmare to match, especially non original silver. It will only need masking up, scotchbriting and painting. One of those cars where it's quicker to just bite the bullet and do it all in one go. No need to do the roof/bonnet/boot/bumpers.
On the painting side of things, I'm expecting to get both sides of the car painted and blended-in. The guy who will be doing it has already seen the car and knows what's expected.

C70R

17,596 posts

105 months

Monday 6th November 2017
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RickBristol said:
I'm now turning my head to looking for a decent, totally sorted, e36 M3 EVO. Looking to spend around £9,000 to £13,000 for the right one.... Put the feelers out guys...

It's gonna have to be totally mint for that sort of m9ney
Good luck with that. £9k doesn't buy you anything close to a "mint" E36 M3 Evo. You're much more likely to be looking at (and beyond) your upper limit for your dream car.

RickBristol

Original Poster:

330 posts

117 months

Monday 6th November 2017
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C70R said:
RickBristol said:
I'm now turning my head to looking for a decent, totally sorted, e36 M3 EVO. Looking to spend around £9,000 to £13,000 for the right one.... Put the feelers out guys...

It's gonna have to be totally mint for that sort of m9ney
Good luck with that. £9k doesn't buy you anything close to a "mint" E36 M3 Evo. You're much more likely to be looking at (and beyond) your upper limit for your dream car.
I realise that actually. But I will see. Could actually look at up to around £16,000. But you never know...

C70R

17,596 posts

105 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
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I'd say that £12-13k should give you a good choice of decent cars (more so if you were prepared to look at a saloon in an unfavourable colour), if you're patient enough to wait a couple of months.

My only warning to you - don't expect too much.
I started driving in the late 90s, and the E36 M3 was the closest thing to an affordable 'supercar' that I could imagine as a teen. I idolised it, and had coveted it for many years - many years, until I drove one. The one I drove was a good example without being a mint, collectors' item, and it was disappointing.
It wasn't an excessively quick or special car at 6-7/10ths (where I do quite a lot of my driving in the real world), and the "M-ness" wasn't really apparent until you absolutely wrung its neck. Once you get inside, you may as well be in any other E36 (apart from those glorious seats), and it just didn't feel like the car I'd lusted after for so long.

In truth, for 99% of the driving I do (I don't drive daily), I'd have probably had as much fun in your 328 or my 330.

S3_Graham

12,830 posts

200 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
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Strange you say that. I had an E36 328 and a year or two later an M3 Evo. I utterly loved it. Yes you can get much faster cars these days but when you wanted to mess about the car just came alive. The 'm-ness' that you talked about made the car feel special and it made it an event to drive it.

iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
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C70R said:
I'd say that £12-13k should give you a good choice of decent cars (more so if you were prepared to look at a saloon in an unfavourable colour), if you're patient enough to wait a couple of months.

My only warning to you - don't expect too much.
I started driving in the late 90s, and the E36 M3 was the closest thing to an affordable 'supercar' that I could imagine as a teen. I idolised it, and had coveted it for many years - many years, until I drove one. The one I drove was a good example without being a mint, collectors' item, and it was disappointing.
It wasn't an excessively quick or special car at 6-7/10ths (where I do quite a lot of my driving in the real world), and the "M-ness" wasn't really apparent until you absolutely wrung its neck. Once you get inside, you may as well be in any other E36 (apart from those glorious seats), and it just didn't feel like the car I'd lusted after for so long.

In truth, for 99% of the driving I do (I don't drive daily), I'd have probably had as much fun in your 328 or my 330.
I have the same feelings about them; nice car but I never thought they were massively special. An E46 M3 manual Coupe is a much better place to put £13'000. Even though they weren't much faster, they were a lot more special as a car. Of all the M3's, the E36 is the least desirable with only the LHD GT being collectable.

TroubledSoul

4,600 posts

195 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
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iSore said:
C70R said:
I'd say that £12-13k should give you a good choice of decent cars (more so if you were prepared to look at a saloon in an unfavourable colour), if you're patient enough to wait a couple of months.

My only warning to you - don't expect too much.
I started driving in the late 90s, and the E36 M3 was the closest thing to an affordable 'supercar' that I could imagine as a teen. I idolised it, and had coveted it for many years - many years, until I drove one. The one I drove was a good example without being a mint, collectors' item, and it was disappointing.
It wasn't an excessively quick or special car at 6-7/10ths (where I do quite a lot of my driving in the real world), and the "M-ness" wasn't really apparent until you absolutely wrung its neck. Once you get inside, you may as well be in any other E36 (apart from those glorious seats), and it just didn't feel like the car I'd lusted after for so long.

In truth, for 99% of the driving I do (I don't drive daily), I'd have probably had as much fun in your 328 or my 330.
I have the same feelings about them; nice car but I never thought they were massively special. An E46 M3 manual Coupe is a much better place to put £13'000. Even though they weren't much faster, they were a lot more special as a car. Of all the M3's, the E36 is the least desirable with only the LHD GT being collectable.
C70R, it must not have been quite as good an example as you thought! laugh

E36 WAS the least desirable M3. It's not anymore.

iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
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What's the less desirable version?

RickBristol

Original Poster:

330 posts

117 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
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Anyone else want to contribute to this discussion? Really want lots to think about before I commit to buying an e36 M3. Definitely not a bad investment, financially, BUT, perhaps I need to test drive a few before making my mind up. Maybe an e36 Alpina B3?... I don't want an e46 M3 - to common, people have said they're a much heavier car to drive and just doesn't have the same appeal for me...

TroubledSoul

4,600 posts

195 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
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iSore said:
What's the less desirable version?
E46 SMG. E36s are now sought after else the prices wouldn’t be on the up would they?

RickBristol

Original Poster:

330 posts

117 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
quotequote all
TroubledSoul said:
iSore said:
What's the less desirable version?
E46 SMG. E36s are now sought after else the prices wouldn’t be on the up would they?
True. E36 M3s are commanding, quite frankly, ridiculous money. Whereas, similar e46s are substantially cheaper... Just don't fancy the e46 myself.

Might be opening myself up to some pretty heavy machine gun fire here, but they're very common and a bit of a hair-dresser's car in the 'M' world. Even my neighbour's cat has had one...

RickBristol

Original Poster:

330 posts

117 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
quotequote all
Anyway, all joshing aside. The latest discussion has given me some things to think about. Keep my money in the bank, and perhaps spend a little more of that on upgrading my 328 further? Look for a decent e36 Alpina? AC Schnitzer's are usually not much more than a 'branded/badged' version, or are still ludicrously expensive for a 'bells and whistles' version... I won't be rushing into a decision.

Escy

3,940 posts

150 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
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After you've sunk all this time and money into yours I can't understand why you'd want a second E36. If you're in the market for a mint M3 what's the point in also having a 328 Sport?

RickBristol

Original Poster:

330 posts

117 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
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Escy said:
After you've sunk all this time and money into yours I can't understand why you'd want a second E36. If you're in the market for a mint M3 what's the point in also having a 328 Sport?
Good point. However, I didn't start out looking to go this far with the 328 and always hankered after an e36 M3. Just never had the lump sum to buy a decent one in the past. Always fancied the extra horses, amongst other things. Perhaps it goes back to a number of years ago, when driving to work in my e46 328 SE, got absolutely spanked by an e36 M3 on the motorway. I remember thinking " what the..."

MitchT

15,877 posts

210 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
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RickBristol said:
MitchT said:
Is that for the whole job thus far? I'm trying to get an idea of what mine's going to cost.
No. That should be for the whole job. Panels, welding, making good and painting - including blending-in. Doesn't include my time spent removing the interior and doors, wings and bonnet. Or, refitting the interior.

However, the guy is only charging £30 per hour, instead of his normal rate of £55 per hour. He did this because it's a big job...
Cheers - good to have some numbers with context. I have £3k-£5k to spend on mine.