stevie1982

iTrader: (16)

Need to replace my stb forester as its getting tiered and have a post regarding the mondeo st, vectra Gsi n 330 sport as a potential replacement in which the st seems to be the best out of the bunch, but

Out of curiosity anyone driven a e36 m3, always wanted one as a kid so have a little soft spot for them., a mate sent me a link for one with 101k on the clock full history and it was up for 3.8k which seems a lot of car for the money, it was a 3.2ltr 6 speed too.

Am I being stupid to think it would be trouble free motor!

Any big issues with these, I know the vanos systems can be troublesome but surely by this age and miles it would of been sorted? Any other issues with them?

Any advise will be appreciated.

scoobyc

iTrader: (2)

i got the evo and its a cracking motor for the money. I track mine so it may not apply.

But its still pretty quick for its age. And dont forget it is an old car now.

I believe vanos is an issue but is over stated. 6 speed gearboxes are not the strongest if tracking it. Apart from that i think they are solid.

Rust on the rear arches and bottom of bootlid is common. Window seals can perish due to age. Rear camber bolts can rust stopping adjustment. Steering rack tie rod linkages can have a bit of play. Just normal old car stuff really. Manifold flexi joint and flange can rust through, CPV can cause oil leak. But all relativly cheap and easy DIY jobs.

Tons of cheap parts for them out nowadays, and lots of weight can be removed from them to turn them into real track toys

Frosticles

iTrader: (1)

Very nice cars and the 3.2 "Evolution" is the better one.

falkster

I'm not really sure it is! Even if the vanos issue is exagerated they do still suffer and the gearboxes are made from chewing gum!
Neither of these were an issue on the B30 car and they were more likely to make the 'claimed' power and better rather than failing to make the 321ps claimed out of the B32.

bighead

iTrader: (1)

budget another £3K for the work that it will need and you'll be fine as any car that covered that amounts of mileage will defo need some sort of work doing to it .

Tidgy

e36 at 3k will be lower end of the quality cos there still pulling top money for a decent one.

there pretty bullet proof as a general rule but you do get the odd lemon. the bigger the history the better as per most cars.

fuel economy will be pretty poor though

scoobyc

iTrader: (2)

actually fuel economy is pretty good. surprisingly so. i get 35mpg on the motorway, compared to me 46's 30 and my old v4 sti's 28.

i went for the extra power of the evo as i know i will always want more.

They are pretty much at the bottom of their drop. Good examples i think will hold their value or start to go up as the crap and cheap cars are scrapped or written off.

Great car. If tracking, big end bolts can be crap, also PS leaks from the pipes. But they come with twin pick up sumps, oil coolers, baffled sump etc so much more track capable out of the box than the scoobie lump.

Mine does track work, 99k miles and is still on it on its original gearbox. So not exactly made of chocolate . And with all BMW's everything can be bolted on. 6 speed goes, then bolt on the bullet proof 5 speed. Very manageable RWD chassis as well.