Where have all the cheap E36 328is gone??

[TroubledSoul]

Looking for a base for a track car and finding that the once plentiful supply of these seems to have dried up. Almost all of the ones for sale are auto and the manual cars are mostly priced above £2000.

I remember being able to buy these readily for a grand. Didn't realise they were so sought after with the M3 being the one people used to want.

I'd quite like to get into the Trackday Trophy series next year, so the 328i would fit in with that very well.

Probably the best I have seen so far from a price and potential condition perspective is a saloon that is a 7hr train journey away.....

[billzeebub]

They are going up in value because so many have been butchered for track use and the ones remaining are increasingly the good uns. The Sports, if in original condition, will certainly be not far behind the M3s ultimately

[snotrag]

They stopped making them about 15 or 16 years ago.

No doubt the same was said about all the cheap E30 325i M-tech coupes you could buy for a few hundred quid about ten years ago.

[sleeky]

A lot seem to have been turned into 'drift' cars much like what happened with 200sx's a few years ago.

[TroubledSoul]

Indeed, it's a shame. I'd be perfectly happy with a saloon to be honest, so that's not a big deal, but they are extremely thin on the ground right now.

There's a fairly nice one in the PH classifieds but it's a Cat D. While that's not a big deal in itself, the fact that it's over a grand puts me off in light of that.

[80quattro]

billzeebub said:

They are going up in value because so many have been butchered for track use and the ones remaining are increasingly the good uns. The Sports, if in original condition, will certainly be not far behind the M3s ultimately

^This. Loads have been pulled apart and the engines ended up in E30's as its such an easy conversion.

Maybe worth bearing in mind an earlier E36 325i has the same horsepower as a 328i and doesn't suffer the same bottom end issues.

[TroubledSoul]

80quattro said:

^This. Loads have been pulled apart and the engines ended up in E30's as its such an easy conversion.

Maybe worth bearing in mind an earlier E36 325i has the same horsepower as a 328i and doesn't suffer the same bottom end issues.

Yeah I know. Nikasil etc. I have owned a couple of E36s in years gone by and it's all coming back to me now

325i is a different enough experience to keep me from looking at those. The 328i with the manifold mod is where it's at.

[decadent]

I've had a 325i coupe , would like one again or a 328i. How much different are the two to drive; I remember by 325i being "revvy" and linear. Nice noise too. Is the 328i a similar experience?

Not in a position to buy yet so haven't driven one.

[danjama]

Check this page on facebook

Driftcarsnparts

Yes they are 'druft slags' but no reason you can't convert them back to former glory. Theres a decent 328i just been posted, very minor changes for a drift car and easily converted IMO. Only 1k.

Fine as a base car.

Also keep an eye on the driftworks forum classifieds, as people often sell clean stock examples on there (strangely).

[TroubledSoul]

danjama said:

Check this page on facebook

Driftcarsnparts

Yes they are 'druft slags' but no reason you can't convert them back to former glory. Theres a decent 328i just been posted, very minor changes for a drift car and easily converted IMO. Only 1k.

Fine as a base car.

Also keep an eye on the driftworks forum classifieds, as people often sell clean stock examples on there (strangely).

Cheers

I'm looking everywhere right now. A dealer is preferred as I can use my CC to pay, or a private seller that willt ake Paypal but they are a rare breed (understandably).

Means I can get one before I sell one of the other cars

[TroubledSoul]

Can't find that Facebook page at all!

EDIT: Found it as Driftcarsandparts! That car looks OK but 186k is way more than I'm comfortable with!

Edited by TroubledSoul on Thursday 15th January 14:47

[Renn Sport]

I tried looking for a e36 328i also but as has been already said, are a bit thin of the ground. So I bought a E46 328i and to be honest its ok but somehow the E36 was just a better feeling car.

[rallycross]

there were never many manual 328's and a combination or rust and cars being modified for track or drift means there not many left, prices started going up for good ones in the past couple of years.

[BGarside]

I've got a nice early 325i coupe but I'd like to try a 328. Apparently much torquier at low-to-mid range revs.

The 325i needs revving over 4k to go, really.

It's a shame so many E36s are being stripped out and drifted / tracked to death.

[Dannbodge]

I love the fact they are getting drifted and crashed
Makes my mint 328i sport worth much more money.
Already gained 1k in just over a year.

It doesn't help that in the real world, the 328i is a better daily than the M3 and the repair/upkeep bills are no where near as high.
Which makes it as desirable as the M3

Edited by Dannbodge on Thursday 15th January 18:45

[Baryonyx]

They've all been wrecked by tramp drifters.

[raceboy]

This sounds about right as I sold my 1998 328i Sport a few months ago for £900
It was a bit rough around the edges with a few warning lights and plenty of rust but other than M3 mirrors and wheels it was pretty standard, seemed to be the going rate and I was happy to move it on.
I can see the values of a TVR Chimaeras going through the roof in about 6 months as I'll hopefully be selling that soon.

Edited by raceboy on Saturday 17th January 14:22

[S3_Graham]

out of interest, why do you want a sport? and why do you want a coupe?

I had a 328is. Brilliant car. I paid extra as I wanted an M3 but couldn't justify the costs at the time so got 80% of the car for a fraction of the cost.

For a track car though... you will rip out the suspension and replace it I presume. I'm willing to bet that the sport bumpers weigh more and if you have an off it'll cost you 10x as much to replace. On top of that a saloon will be more rigid and much MUCH cheaper to buy

before anyone says its got an LSD. 9 out of 10 don't.

[getawayturtle]

Baryonyx said:

They've all been wrecked by tramp drifters.

Tramp drifters is certainly a large reason. Loads of them have also gone abroad from my experience. I've owned a couple, and both times when I sold them it was the same Polish lot who would snap them up. They arrived in a big artic with a double-deck transporter trailer. On both occasions there were other 328s sat in the trailer, he told me the 328s were highly sought after in Poland, and worth much more. They had a second lorry, so would export 12 of them a week. Both the ones I sold were quite rough, they offered above what the car was worth and handed the cash straight over without even looking around the car. Just loaded it straight on the trailer. A hassle free sale is a rare thing these days.

[TroubledSoul]

S3_Graham said:

out of interest, why do you want a sport? and why do you want a coupe?

I had a 328is. Brilliant car. I paid extra as I wanted an M3 but couldn't justify the costs at the time so got 80% of the car for a fraction of the cost.

For a track car though... you will rip out the suspension and replace it I presume. I'm willing to bet that the sport bumpers weigh more and if you have an off it'll cost you 10x as much to replace. On top of that a saloon will be more rigid and much MUCH cheaper to buy

before anyone says its got an LSD. 9 out of 10 don't.

I don't care if I get a Sport or not and would actually prefer a saloon so that I can fit perspex windows etc.

The title was referring to 328i cars as plural, not 328i Sports

Unfortunately it looks like I need to find a manual saloon with no sunroof to be MSA compliant.

I know what Liam Neeson might say....