2nd hand bmw M3 help please
 

Can anyone shed any light on what problems I would need to look out for when buying a N reg M3 4 door with 107k.
Only thing i've been told so far is that is has a bit of a lumpy tick over but I am considering it because it is in very good nick and its pretty cheap as they want to do a part ex deal for the car I am selling.
Any help from anyone in the know would be great.

lower mileage ??....

I'd say do a lot of homework. They may be cheap to buy but abused ones cost a fortune to put right. Any idea why the idle is lumpy? BMW have a reputation for building quality cars. When new it would have idled smoothly, I'm sure. At 10 years old it may be at a bargain price but the cost of putting it right if it goes wrong will reflect its original price. Get if professionally inspected otherwise you could be walking into a minefield. Good luck

What do you mean??
Don't touch it cos the miles are too high?
I always thought BMW's were pretty good for high miles and kept going for a good few miles. Am I wrong...
Should I stay away?

fcuk that. Major risk.

My old 325i had 137k on it and the tick over was as smooth as you like.

Lumpy tickover=AVOID

A car dealer friend says the variable cam timing goes faulty and is expensive to fix.
see here, http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/bmw_e36.html

Does the M3 suffer from the alloy block corrosion problem that afflicted the 540??

and see here, http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/home/index.htm
click on the car by car guide.

Cheers
MTR

Thanks for the coments guys. I'm still not sure what to do but I am thinking I should leave it alone but the only thing i'm thinking is that if I did do a deal on this I would be pretty much selling it strait on but I don't want to be left with a snotter that I would loose money on or even worse can't sell.
Although looking into it I can see that these motors can cost megga bucks to put right if there are any problems and anyone looking to buy from me should be as with all motors doing their homework and realising that there would be expensive problems ahead.
Do we all think I should leave it alone....

N reg, is it an Evo 321 bhp engine or the earlier 280 bhp one, could be either as they changed over around then, the earlier ones are cheap but I seem to remember reading they are less prone to problems, not sure if they have the Vanos thing that everybody seems to have problems with.

As for a lumpy idle, how lumpy,I would expect an engine in a higher state of tune like an M3 unit to perhaps not idle as smoothly as one in a lower tune like Scooby Doos 325i. You would need to listen to another one for comparison.

Rear subframe bushes go with mileage/age and are expensive to do.

Lumpy idle may mean it's only running on 5 cyls - obvious, but possible.

107k is nothing so no excuse to any problem.

If it's cheap (really cheap) then worth looking. Otherwise avoid. There are loads around as they were sooooooooo common and are now at basement prices.

if it has te faintest whiff of a misfire or lumpiness then avoid.
I didnt and I'm about to spend 3k on an engine rebuild.
astraboy.

Go to www.e36coupe.com Lots of help over there regarding e36 evo's.

Lumpy tickover can range from crappy plugs, to HG, so lets not go over board.

E36 evo's suffer from vanos issues, i.e. the variable timing goes wrong, but that is normally represented by the sound, performance.

Go to the e36 web site, have a sniff around. If your worried, then get an independant garage, who know evo's, to take a look.

107K isnt that high really for an evo, if its had good servicing. A well serviced 107K is a better buy than a poor serviced 46K.

Go get it checked out. Whether is a good deal or not depends on the price. If really cheap, then it's worth the punt !

Ive got one, love it ! Its a evo conv, lots of power, pulls well.

SBK

Nice cars, I used to have an e36 M3 evo saloon...superb car....but make sure you buy right....

Standard things to look out for ar FBMWSH (or reputable indy), vanos, clutch release bearing, rear shocker mounts.....other than that rock solid cars that are brilliant. Dont beleive all the horror stories, buy wise and enjoy!!

see www.bm3w.co.uk