'92 E36 325ic Convertible M-technic - Rack and Pinion busted?

[mboverload]

PREFACE: I'm not sure if this is an E30 or an E36. If you could shed some light on this it would be great.


Right now I'm considering buying a 325ic BMW m-technic. You can read the listing Here.

Hello everyone, In order to afford a trip to Europe this summer, I am sadly going to have to sell my baby This is a 1992 BMW 325ic with the Euro M-technic body kit. This is a RARE car, especially to find in the US! About the car: It has 123,000 miles, automatic transmission, new white leather interior with HEATED seats! power windows, AC, CD player, 1/2 manual-1/2 auto convertible and cruise control. It is white on white, with a black convertible top. It really is a beautiful car! The car has a few scratches, but no dents, therefore may just need a little touch-up paint in a few places. It needs a new rack and pinion, but it is not an urgent fix if you continue to monitor the power steering fluid levels. I have been told this could cost up to $13,000 BUT I have a mechanic who would fix this for only $700! I would do so myself if I had the money! Because this has a mechanical problem and a few scratches on the outside, I would say this is in "fair condition" on Kelly Blue Book. They price it at $4,525....HOWEVER...this does not take into consideration that this is a very rare car, with a Euro body kit, which would add at least $1,000 to it's value, so I'm pricing it at $5,000 because I MUST SELL THIS CAR!

Pictures are in the listing. From what I have read, many, many parts should have been replaced by now. However, I am concerned about the rack and pinion and the mileage. More information from an email exchange:

I am actually not the first owner of the car, I got it at about 100k miles, so I'm not exactly sure what things were replaced/upgraded as far as things that were recalled. Do you think a mechanic would be able to figure that out?
As far as what has been done on the car since I've had it, I recently had the break pads re-done (with full break service), and looking at my service receipts I know I've had some gaskets replaced (oil filter housing gasket, intake manifold gasket set), the thermostat replaced, the air flow meter was replaced, and all other maintenance is up to date.
I will take the pictures that you requested once I get a hold of my roommates camera, probably later today or tomorrow. I'm not sure where you are located, but I'd also be happy to drive the car to you tomorrow or later in the week.
Let me know if you have any more questions!
My mechanic's name is Mo, and he is at Lamorinda auto care in Moraga (east bay)[...] Again, the rack and pinion does need to be replaced and whereas other places have quoted me at over $1,000, Mo said he could do it for about $700.

So...I was wondering if this was a good buy. From what I understand M-Technic actually IS a ///M (correct me if I'm wrong) plus I'm just in love with the styling of it.

I know people hate posters who don't want to do any work so over the last few days I have been looking up tons of BMW information and didn't have much luck finding actual information about the rack and pinion.

I really do not want to install it myself, but I might be able to pull it off if I got my father to help me out (used to run a body shop) though I'm pretty sure he has gotten rid of most of his tools...

Basically what I'm asking is "Is this a safe buy. Is it a car that I could fix up and love or should I play it safe with a nice 1998 Civic?"

Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated!

- mboverload

[Dudesky]

Welcome to Ub.c

First, a minor correction . . . that's an E30, not an E36; convertible E30's were produced up till '93 (I believe), although the E36 began production with MY '92. I don't know about the validity of it being an M-Technic; just because it has the body kit doesn't mean it is a geniune M. Maybe someone more knowledgeable here can answer that better. But an added body kit or any accessories should really not factor into the value of a car. For example, just because you slapped on $3000 wheels doesn't mean you can tack that onto the selling price.

And the steering rack & pinion itself should run you about $300. Then figure an extra hundred or so for other stuff, like tools you might need for the tie rods. If you want to save money, installing it is not too difficult, if you're willing to take your time with it.

As far as the Civic, you can't really fault it for a great all around, get around practical car. It's no BMW, but they're popular for a reason. Your choice

[celsdogg]

i am not 100% sure but i dont think BMW sold E30's with a M technic kit on them. if it was put on, it was aftermarket.

if you do indeed need a new steering rack, my last E30's was replaced prior to my owning it. the previous owners always went to the BMW dealer for service. they replaced it with a refurbished rack for almost $1000, keep in mind tho, this is the bimmer dealer parts and installed, if you take it to someone else it will be cheaper, and if you do it yourself its all parts like dudesky said.

in respects to buying an E30, they are awesome bimmers. you just have to be careful because there are plenty of abused ones out there. and versus a newer honda civic, you will definatly pay less to maintain the civic than the aging E30, but you get what you pay for. with the E30, you get an awesome drive, a strong engine, powerful brakes, solid suspension, and a classic Bimmer

[celsdogg]

o yeah, and check out bmwe30.net article and tips section. tons of good E30 stuff there

[Storamin]

I'm not sure if you would want to rely on it as your ONLY transportation, but a lot of people on this site do that. It is, afterall, a 13 year old convertible. Even with my 6 year old low mileage z3, it leaks a little bit.

The Rack and Pinion... never actually did it, but if it's anything like changing tie rods and the like, anybody who is handy with wrenches or the ability to read the internet and jump in and learn you could do yourself.

http://www.bmwe30.net/cgi-bin/datacg...118&Section=05

I wouldn't go anymore over 4.5k as the starting point. Look for 4k if you can, but if it's nice 4.5k...

[mboverload]

Somebody hold me

I have to drive a Civic........NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !

[celsdogg]

man, i know the feeling. . .

[Spieluhr]

thats too bad dude. anyway, to be honest I do not know if I would pick that car up anyway. the guy didnt sound like he knew what he was talking about, which is always scary when you are dealing with a 14 year old car and $4k of your own money.

hopefully one day you can move up to the Bimmer man!

[Storamin]

if you could get a pre purchase inspection why not check it out. for all we know the car could be nice aside from that.

[nick_318is]

I dont believe the m-tech kit makes it an ///M, if it was well maintained I would say It would be a good car but I would be trying to get it for less, also its a vert so there are other possible problems.

With the rack i think you could toss a z3 one in and reduce the number of turns lock to lock but there is some modification that needs to be done to get it to fit correctly, this probably would cost more then you want to spend.

Good luck with your hunt and hopefully you will come out with a Bimmer at some point.

Might also want to check out e30tech.com if you are looking for an e30 they usually have some cars up for sale and lots of good info.