E36 3.0 M3 Advice
Discussion
I've been hankering after an E36 M3 for some time but have struggled to find anything that fits my rather fussy criteria:
1. Low owners
2. Low Miles
3. Completley standard in every way
4. Not blue or purple
5. Cloth seats or A1 condition leather (not shiny or cracked)
An Evo would have been ideal but most of the ones that are for sale look like they have been around the block more than once. However I saw a Dakar 3.0 car on here and went to look at it today. On the whole its in very good condition but will need disks/pads/tyres all round and there was no sign of any suspension/bush maintenance so I'm assuming it will all need replacing in the not too distant.
The car is at the top end of the price bracket so I'm looking to avoid having to spend a small fortune on maintenance right after purchase.
There are a couple of things I would like some help on. The car has hardly moved in 8 years and the last owner has had the car for over 10 years and during this time its unlilkey that the engine has been anywhere need the redline. Should this be a concern and will I need to carry out any preventetive maintenance on the engine?
Secondly I noticed some bubbling (1-2 inches) of paint on one of the rear arches (the other was OK). Is it likely the rot is worse on the inside or is this the norm for a car this age.
Lastly. I had a look under the car (not on ramps) and what looks the oil sump?? was covered in what looked and felt like oil (didnt smell like oil though). I mentioned this to the seller who said he would get it on the ramps later to check it out. There was no oil on the spot were the car had been parked so I was wondering if something had either leaked or been spilled at somepoint and just not been cleaned??
Thanks in advance.
Paul
1. Low owners
2. Low Miles
3. Completley standard in every way
4. Not blue or purple
5. Cloth seats or A1 condition leather (not shiny or cracked)
An Evo would have been ideal but most of the ones that are for sale look like they have been around the block more than once. However I saw a Dakar 3.0 car on here and went to look at it today. On the whole its in very good condition but will need disks/pads/tyres all round and there was no sign of any suspension/bush maintenance so I'm assuming it will all need replacing in the not too distant.
The car is at the top end of the price bracket so I'm looking to avoid having to spend a small fortune on maintenance right after purchase.
There are a couple of things I would like some help on. The car has hardly moved in 8 years and the last owner has had the car for over 10 years and during this time its unlilkey that the engine has been anywhere need the redline. Should this be a concern and will I need to carry out any preventetive maintenance on the engine?
Secondly I noticed some bubbling (1-2 inches) of paint on one of the rear arches (the other was OK). Is it likely the rot is worse on the inside or is this the norm for a car this age.
Lastly. I had a look under the car (not on ramps) and what looks the oil sump?? was covered in what looked and felt like oil (didnt smell like oil though). I mentioned this to the seller who said he would get it on the ramps later to check it out. There was no oil on the spot were the car had been parked so I was wondering if something had either leaked or been spilled at somepoint and just not been cleaned??
Thanks in advance.
Paul
paulmon said:
VinceFox said:
oil thing is a bit tricky to diagnose without more info but there's a seal on the top rear of the engine that lets go with age. it's not expensive but is a bit of a bugger to get at.
can i ask what you mean by it being the top end of the price range?
£7K on the window.can i ask what you mean by it being the top end of the price range?
Vixpy1 said:
paulmon said:
VinceFox said:
oil thing is a bit tricky to diagnose without more info but there's a seal on the top rear of the engine that lets go with age. it's not expensive but is a bit of a bugger to get at.
can i ask what you mean by it being the top end of the price range?
£7K on the window.can i ask what you mean by it being the top end of the price range?
jesus f
king christ, that's proper ridiculas. Gueesing it is this one,
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3499012.htm
if not, maybe look at this one if dakar is your kind of thing.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3499012.htm
if not, maybe look at this one if dakar is your kind of thing.
E30M3SE said:
Yep that's the one.paulmon said:
E30M3SE said:
Yep that's the one.The work on that you've mentioned will not see much, if any, change out of £2k, in which case surely this one makes more sense,
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3208571.htm
assuming it is as nice as it is advertised to be "IT IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION".
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3208571.htm
assuming it is as nice as it is advertised to be "IT IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION".
E30M3SE said:
The work on that you've mentioned will not see much, if any, change out of £2k, in which case surely this one makes more sense,
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3208571.htm
assuming it is as nice as it is advertised to be "IT IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION".
I've seen that one and it does look nice.http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3208571.htm
assuming it is as nice as it is advertised to be "IT IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION".
Tbh I wouldnt worry too much about mileage on a car that age,I would be more concerned with condition
I purchased the lowest mileage,mintest 3.0 avus blue M3 I could find, 2 previous owners and 58k on the clock, I paid £6200 for it and it had black leather (7 years ago) and a few months later a close friend purchased exactly the same car except he went for alcantara, and paid £4.3k although his had 122k on the clock.
From the driving seat his was better than mine in every way tbh and I was pissed off at the time! If you drive an M3 properly the leather lets you slide around everywhere as apposed to his alcantara that held you in place,and due to the age his had already had the bushes replaced in a few places so it was tighter to drive!!
I purchased the lowest mileage,mintest 3.0 avus blue M3 I could find, 2 previous owners and 58k on the clock, I paid £6200 for it and it had black leather (7 years ago) and a few months later a close friend purchased exactly the same car except he went for alcantara, and paid £4.3k although his had 122k on the clock.From the driving seat his was better than mine in every way tbh and I was pissed off at the time! If you drive an M3 properly the leather lets you slide around everywhere as apposed to his alcantara that held you in place,and due to the age his had already had the bushes replaced in a few places so it was tighter to drive!!
How Much??? I paid £4500 for my totally original 3.0 with 70k on the clock and it had just had an inspection 2 done at Munich Legends, 6 months MOT and tax, as well as an M3 plate. That was 3 years ago. Since then the only thing I really had to do was to replace the bushes which I did with powerflex and rouge engineering as well as the rear top mounts. I have fitted KW suspension, but only because it was still on the original springs and shocks and I wanted something adjustable for going to the Ring with. Might stick it up for sale and see if someone is silly enough to offer me big money for it. It's Avus blue with Alcantara.......na who am I kidding I would never sell it. £7k seems like a lot to be spending on an E36 M3, ok maybe if it was a GT or a GT2 yeh
3.0 avus blue coupe with airport lounge cloth seats, bought 5 years ago, 69k miles - 9 owners, rough and ready to go, paid £1,950 for it.
now 149700 miles still rough and ready and the scrap yard have offered me £250 for it when i have had enough, been fun and is still going strong, rear wheel arch starting to rust out, front end looks like a beirut taxi with the number of stone chips, on my 3rd fog light, smashed by stones from gritting lorries.
Ideal commuter into London, returns approx 26mpg, it also amazes me how many 318 with M3 kits are still on the road
now 149700 miles still rough and ready and the scrap yard have offered me £250 for it when i have had enough, been fun and is still going strong, rear wheel arch starting to rust out, front end looks like a beirut taxi with the number of stone chips, on my 3rd fog light, smashed by stones from gritting lorries.
Ideal commuter into London, returns approx 26mpg, it also amazes me how many 318 with M3 kits are still on the road
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