I'm looking into getting one of these, been looking around and the prices for the Evo's are generally more, but not much... so what's the pro's and cons? can I use a car like this daily and hope to just get away with servicing and usual wear and tear items, or am I venturing into a whole world of unreliable expense and off the road time?

I decided that I wanted one a while ago, the Williams is great fun and fast with the mods it has, but after being victim to one of these and already having a long standing admiration for them (and the £500 insurance quote) I thought it's time to get one!

 

Best idea would be to check for some quotes on replacement consumables like exhaust, brakes, suspension etc. Ring a local independent for a service quote. If you can handle those costs then you should be ok.

Evo's have a vanos problem that costs thousands to fix. It needs to have been replaced.

 

yeah, good idea, I think I'd prolly change things like the exhaust, as every car I have had new or old they have rusted to bits fairly quickly... rear tyres could be a worry though... lol

If I go for an Evo I'll look into that and if I buy one i'll have to get one that's already replaced it I guess. can they be run as a daily car reliably you think?

 

Stick a post up in here...and have a browse

http://www.bmwcarclubforum.co.uk/for...ics.asp?FID=18

Of course they can be run as a daily car, which is one reason why they command such good re-sale values for an "old"car

3.0 and 3.2 both have VANOS issues(valve timing), the Evo much more so than the 3.0


A VANOS assembly costs roughly £1,200 - certainly not thousands IF it goes wrong

As Richard said, have the car looked after by a BMW independant, plenty of them about and most know there stuff

 

thanks guys, i'll check it out now. the vanos thing is a worry, but i dont think i'll buy it unless the engine has been replaced or the VANOS unit... seen a couple for sale where the people have ended up spending £10k at BMW getting a new engine, but still have warranty remaining now

The other option is a classic Scooby... could get a newer one, but if I'm honest they are too heavy and I couldn't live with the looks, so what classic is the one to go for around 7k? I can easily insure an import or fairly heavily modified one, but want something reasonably sensible that wont cause me a lot of trouble. I'm trying not to mod whatever I get next, so something like an STi 280bhp std model running basic mods is as far as I want to go, but picking the model is a bit of a minefield, so what do people reckon? No arguements please guys, I want to be getting a replacement asap, so no 15 page threads ta!

 

The 3.0 M3 has next to no vanos issues,really rare the single vanos goes wrong.Same cant be said of the double vanos on the Evo tho..about every 60k it will need a new one,there £1200 from dealers but can be sourced cheaper from elsewhere.The evo also has a 6 speed box,these can and do go faulty and CANNOT be repaired..be warned!!!

IMHO...the 3.0 is a better "everyday" car.Its quick and is fairly economical if you drive them steadily.Of course,its still a 10yr+ old 300BHP car..Look out for rear cradle bushes,all suspension components and exhaust is in good condition..Apart from that,just check what you normally would on any older car..Also if it has digital AC,make sure all the functions work correctly and the fan speed works 100%..

HTH

 

Yeah That - couldnt have really put it better. People are scared by the VANOS issue, but its not as expensive as people seem to make out!!

Also the 3.0 are available at some unbelievable prices at the mo! Well worth looking at!

Cheers

J4CK50N

 

Ah I had heard somewhere it was over £2500 for a new vanos, £1200 ain't so bad, means a cheap evo is worth picking up and taking the risk.

How big a job is replacement?

 

From what i have read up about it is either a Specialist or BMW dealer job!

Hope this helps

 

cheers for all the info guys. i'm really undecided... I fancy the extra power, better suspension and extra cog from the Evo, however the Vanos and weak box are a big put off for me... read some bad things and my pal's had a couple and had vanos and box issues

on the plus side for the 3.0 it does weigh a bit less, so power to weight is not far off... no doubt a quiet stainless exhaust, decat and visit to chip wizards will see it running more near the Evo in terms of power... but there's no saving in buying them, the prices seem all over the place!

currently owning an unreliable French pocket rocket I'm not sure I can be bothered going through any reliability problems to have a bit more power... the 3.0 is sounding like it's going to be the one

 

In the real world driving there is very little in the performance of the two.

the 3.0 are obviously a bit older now, but also cheaper, but as people say no VANOS issue.

Saying this if you want the Evo, try find one with BMW warranty and a car that has had it done. However just because it has been done does not mean it wont happen again.

Good luck!

 

what you want is one of the ltd edition M3 3.0GTs, only came in BRG and had 295bhp and uprated suspension etc, I have been reliably informed that you basically get the best of both worlds

 

I've heard of the GT's, but where the hell do you find them!? like rocking horse ****! lol

 

Were there about 50 UK cars? That means there are roughly TEN times more RS500's roughly on the roads.....................assuming roughly the same proportion have been written off/terminated.

 

et voila!

http://www.m3gtregister.com//http



bit leggy this one but I saw another one with 100k for sale recently:

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/58235.htm//http

anyway should get you going, great car, the M3 in Evo mag is one of these I believe, with the mods they had done went round Bedford quicker than a new M5.

 

I used to own a E36 M3 EVO, just be warned repair bills can be expensive. Mine had a dealer invoice with it for VANOS replacemet grand total £2300! I had to have a new clutch and flywheel in it that was £800. New water pump was about £350. A friend of mine also had one which required a new manifold on one side was £800.
Servicing isn't cheap either BMW prices - oil service £160. inspection 1 £530. Inspection 2 £850. Nice motors but dealers just screw you on everything and it just wasn't fast enough.

 

That is all dealer prices surely....Water pump is £120 job..tops!!!!Indy's can reapair Evo's a lot cheaper than the stealers.

Like Jackson says earlier...A nice 3.0 is the one to own,i ran with many many Evo's in my 3.0 and the performance difference is next to nowt!!

If you go for a 3.0 in a nice colour,with the right spec,it will be a very pleasurable experience.I actually made a few quid after owning mine,ok it was only 6 months,but the potential is there if the right car is bought.

Just my 2p worth