Jason L

Has anybody owned one of these recently and what are their thoughts as compared to a UK scoob...

Had one passed my way and thinking it may be worthwhile for a few years...

Anybody ??

Jason

AWD

What is the spec/year/mileage of the car and how much are you being offered it for?

Also what sort of info are you after regarding the E36 M3 Evo? What would you use it for - people carried, mileage per year, etc.?

Jason L

AWD,

Cheers for the reply.. its 97 P from a TVR dealer for 20K 42,000 miles...

Haven't had chance to drive it yet.. wondering what the driving experience is like compared to me scoob... i know its gonna be totally different coz of the RWD but is it gonna be as quick in real terms.... all the figures point to it being quicker than UK scoob..

Just interested from a real perspective from someone who may have driven one...

Jason

DMB

Jason - great car with a fantastic engine, good on the twisty bits (not quite as good as a scoob though when you push it but forgiving all the same).

Here's a bit of insider knowledge though - at 42k make sure the thing has been serviced correctly by a main dealer - should run oil sv, inspection 1, oil sv , inspection 2 then starts again. If there is no full history walk away, lots of m3 owners can afford the car but not the services (eg inspection 2 is £600 to £800) belive me you don't want to be playing with one that has been neglected.

Also make sure you get a good warranty with the car - there are bits that go wrong that can and will cost you upto £1500. If poss get it checked out by a bm dealer (if that isn't an option then at the very least give it a good test drive and listen to the engine (esp on overrun - you are listening for a chain rattle / growl).

One last point - 20k is about what you would pay at a bm dealer anyway, if you really want one then thats the place to go.

Hope this small essay helps , if all of the above is in order then go for it, it will put a smile on your face every time you press the loud pedal

AWD

I agree with the stuff in DMB's post. I have a bit more to add:

An oil service is about £100, Service 1 is about £400-£500 depending on which BMW dealership you go to. Service 2 is about £600-800 depending on which dealership you go to. (Different dealerships charge different amounts for labour - e.g. inner and outer London, etc.)

It is RWD so you have to be careful in the wet - especially with 321BHP going to the 2 wheels. Great fun in the dry though.

0-60mph in 5.2 secs. 0-100mph in 12.2 secs.
245 rear wheels, 225 front wheels.

Thing to remember with an M3 is - you are buying a great engine - everything else just happens to come with it.

Pretty practical car - will seat 4 quite happily. Auto climate control a/c is useful. Auto-dim rear view mirror is a bit odd at first.

For £425 per year you can get a BMW warranty that covers pretty much everything (including MOT insurance that covers even stuff like bulbs) as long as your car has done less than 100k miles.

For this reason I'd recommend getting the car from a BMW dealership. You know that it will have a full BMW service history (regular servicing is vital for a highly tuned engine - over 100BHP/litre), you will get a decent 1 year warranty to start with - renewable up to 100k miles as stated above, and the peace of mid will be worth it.

For the £20k that the TVR dealer is offering you can get a car with lower mileage and same year from a BMW dealer. Walk away from the TVR dealer. It is always best to buy a car like an M3 from a BMW dealer.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

AWD

Go to

Jason L

Guys,

This is exactly the type of help and experience i needed.. thanks VERY much..

By the sounds of it i should walk away as the car is over priced and will probably lack the BMW warranty that i oh so need for this type of car.. when it goes wrong it goes wrong big style.... maybe when i grow up a bit i'll look again at beemers...

Sounds a top car.. maybe not as good all round as the scoob but still a good car... really i'm looking to fill a 1-2 year gap until the STi comes out in UK.... never even contemplated a BMW till i saw it... but then sitting next to it was an Elise and i think that may be a better route to take

AWD... a photo copy of that buying guide would be great.. if you could scan and email even better just so i know...

Thanks again guys... info like this is why the BBS is so great

Jason

DMB

Jason glad I could help

AWD who do you work for then ??

AWD

JasonL

Likewise - glad to help. Email me your address and I'll photocopy and send off the Evo buyer's guide tomorrow. It is from the Feb 2000 issue so the prices are a bit off but the principles are correct.

DMB

I'm actually nothing to do with the car industry - even though I may have come across as very pro-BMW main dealer. I actually work in IT.

[This message has been edited by AWD (edited 14 February 2001).]

AWD

Jason

I've emailed you. Send me your postal address and I'll photocopy and post off the guide later today.

I am at a client site so I don't have any scanner access I'm afraid.