E36 M3 advice needed

[M3StuT]

Hello, this is my first post as a new member and I would like some advice please. I currently own a 1996 M3 Evo and have done for about 18 months. The car is currently sorned in a lock up for the winter as I use an old fiesta as my daily drive. The problem I have is that the fiesta is knackered, valve stem oil seals are leaking, the clutch is going and its generally just falling apart, I cant justify spending £800 ish on a £450 car. Instead of buying another old knacker I have been considering using the M3 as my daily drive instead as it seems a waste leaving it the garage when i could be using it.
I do about 20 miles a day on average and currently have the M3 on a classic policy, limited miles etc. I have done about 5000 miles in it in 18 month and the only thing that it has needed is a new battery and an oil service. Mechanically the car is very good as the previous owner was the farmer of the Glastonbury festival site so he could afford to throw money at it like it was going out of fashion. It has done 103000 miles and seeing as values are not going up etc I dont think it will do any harm adding lots more.
I would like some advice on whether its a good idea to use it a daily drive or sell it and buy another cheapish run about. If I do use it as a daily drive what costs should I expect/are there any preventative measures I should take for reliability/things to watch out for? Cheers Stu

[M3John]

M3StuT said:

Hello, this is my first post as a new member and I would like some advice please. I currently own a 1996 M3 Evo and have done for about 18 months. The car is currently sorned in a lock up for the winter as I use an old fiesta as my daily drive. The problem I have is that the fiesta is knackered, valve stem oil seals are leaking, the clutch is going and its generally just falling apart, I cant justify spending £800 ish on a £450 car. Instead of buying another old knacker I have been considering using the M3 as my daily drive instead as it seems a waste leaving it the garage when i could be using it.
I do about 20 miles a day on average and currently have the M3 on a classic policy, limited miles etc. I have done about 5000 miles in it in 18 month and the only thing that it has needed is a new battery and an oil service. Mechanically the car is very good as the previous owner was the farmer of the Glastonbury festival site so he could afford to throw money at it like it was going out of fashion. It has done 103000 miles and seeing as values are not going up etc I dont think it will do any harm adding lots more.
I would like some advice on whether its a good idea to use it a daily drive or sell it and buy another cheapish run about. If I do use it as a daily drive what costs should I expect/are there any preventative measures I should take for reliability/things to watch out for? Cheers Stu

First off - welcome to PH !

Reading through your post I'd check your insurance details carefully regarding the M3. Mine is on a classic/collectors policy, limited to 4.5k a year BUT it has to be garaged, I have to have a primary vehicle and strictly speaking, i'm not permitted to use it for commuting to and from a place of work.
If you can, why not spend a few hundred £££ on your Fiesta and keep the M3 simply as a play thing and in tip top condition. Trust me on this, you'll appreciate the M3 a whole lot more !
I spend 99% of my time driving around in a 1997 Pug 306 DT that cost me all of £700 around 3 years ago. I used the M3 the other day for the first time in nearly 6 weeks just to "give it a run" seen as the weather was dry.

As an everyday car the M3 is a VERY capable machine. I used to use mine for the 37-mile-each-way commute and it coped effortlessly. It did at times even return around 30 to the gallon.
What you will have to consider though is the running cost of the M3 as a daily driver. The service intervals will become more frequent and if your not aware of this yet, the parts and labour can command some eye watering prices !

Hope this is of some help.

M3J.

[998420]

Out of interest, Michael, Ben or Emily Eavis ?

I only ask as I met them through work and had some "interesting" times putting up with faux hippie bs down there, I knew he had a Land Rover Discovery, but wonder how many of his Friends of the Earth type friends knew he ran an M series ?

[duff]

I would say use it everyday. I had the same as you - an M3 and a cheap daily. If the M3 is a real low mile minter then it's worth running 2 cars, otherwise it's very hard to justify the costs. I spent 95% of my time driving a rubbish car that needed money spending on it and quite a bit of money on the M3 which hardly moved! Also having the M3 sat created problems of it's own - flat battery, seized brake calipers etc. Tax, insurance etc on 2 cars soon adds up so I would just drive the M3 and enjoy it, they're very reliable - most of the costs are on things that wear out and need replacing rather than breakdowns that leave you stuck at the side of the road.

[M3StuT]

I bought the car of the dairy farmer of the 1000 acre site not of one of the Eavis family. You might know the farmer, he has a number plate with COW 1 on his 4x4 and also now has an E46 M3?

Thanks for the replies, it does seem a waste to have two cars one an old wreck and having the M3 just sat there costing money whilst not being used. The M3 is no show car although in good condition it does have some rust coming through and has been been modified with upgraded suspension etc so not standard either. I have checked with the insurance and it isnt even that much more, I cant see my licence lasting long if used as a daily! I only paid £3700 for it so I cant see how adding miles to it will affect the value, it will prob cost more just leaving it the garage. Hmmm seem to be talking myself into it, what can go possibly go wrong with running a 17 year old M car every day!

[MGR]

I use my E36 M3 as a daily driver, in fact I bought it just for that purpose - Mileage varies but I'm on track to do about 25,000 miles per year in it.

Why are you concerned? Its designed to be used as a daily car.

Budget about £1.5 - 2k per year for servicing / tyres etc and you will be fine.

I've recorded my running costs so far in my profile.

[TEKNOPUG]

It's a £40k+ BMW designed to barrel up and down the autobahn all day, every day. Have BMW ever made a car that didn't meet the exacting German standards of a daily-driver? It's not some low volume, hand-cobbled exotic, that needs to be constantly fettled and only driven on sunny weekends.

You've bought the car, drive it. Bin the Fiesta and enjoy your commute.

[VinceFox]

i use my evo as a daily driver with no issues. my commute is less than 10 miles each way. the only thing is that it never really warms up fully so needs a longer run occasionally, but your journey sounds a little longer. it's perfectly fine to use it for this sort of thing though imho. theyre a surprisingly tough car, just keep it well washed and waxed through winter.

any pics?

[andye30m3]

as others have said the M3 makes an ideal daily driver if you can live with the running costs.

I've used an E30 M3, E36 M3 Evo and E46 M3 CSL as daily drivers and all have been great cars overall, even if the Evo was a little unreliable at times.

[nonuts]

TEKNOPUG said:

It's a £40k+ BMW designed to barrel up and down the autobahn all day, every day. Have BMW ever made a car that didn't meet the exacting German standards of a daily-driver? It's not some low volume, hand-cobbled exotic, that needs to be constantly fettled and only driven on sunny weekends.

You've bought the car, drive it. Bin the Fiesta and enjoy your commute.

This.

When I owned the e36 was getting excellent mpg on long journeys 35 was actually possible if sticking to the speed limit on the motorways. Makes the amount of fuel the M5 uses for similar performance shocking.

[M3StuT]

A few pictures, dont mind the garrish interior it does grow on you!! Thanks for the advice, im going to put it on the road when the fiesta either dies or the mot runs out in April, whichever happens first.

[VinceFox]

i fking hate that colour.

[M3StuT]

[M3StuT]

[VinceFox]

has it been lowered?

[M3StuT]

[M3StuT]

Yes, its on coilovers, apparently very expensive according to the previous owner, I havent checked myself so not sure what make. It does have some mods that will be going back to standard eventually as im not overly keen on them, standard exhaust has already gone back on.

[VinceFox]

dibs on the coilover kit if it's a good one! mine's standard ride height.

[TEKNOPUG]

An uber rare "MPower" M3

Never seen an interior combo like that.

[M3StuT]

The badge is not my responsibilty, it shall be gone in good time. The previous owner wanted the tired leather interior refreshed but the company suggested something different instead altogether hence the interior, probably why it cost £800!