info on used E36 newbie
 

Hi,
I am looking for info on buying a used BMW 3 series.

I currently have a 93 nissan maxima. lets say that car is getting tired of me and I am getting tired of it..
I am in market for a used car. leaning towards 1996-98 3 series mostly sedan or coupe

I did not like later models and they are out of my budget. my budget is around $10K. Older ones I am not sure how tough it would be to maintain.

I need to know
- what are pluses (+'s) for these years (if any)
- any potential or likely problems (big or small)?
- what is a good way to look for used BMW (i am looking at autotrader.com). any good bmw user sites

I did search internet for good info on old BMW 3 series. but the sites I found weren't good enough.

I have some experience in driving and maintaining used cars. I have changed brake pads, bearings, ABS pumps, AC condenser etc.

I do know older BMW cars need time and money. But i need get a better idea. Small repairs I can do my self.

But bigger ones like replacing a sensor buried deep in engine or transmission or work that needs two or more persons will be a pain for me..!!!

Any inputs will help :worship

When you are looking, try to find one with a recent water pump change to start Welcome to UB.C :wave

hey man,

an E36 is deff a good choice :) are u planning on modding the car anytime in the future? if so u may want to look at 95 or older since it has the obd1 ECU system wich was easyer to boost using a chip. as far as problems go the only major one i can think of with the E36 off the top of my head is that the ECU is prone to frying if u go through an auto carwash. ummm..... i think there is a semi comon problem with rear subframe going to hell if u really spank your car..... other then that tho just understand that BMW's in general can be expensive if u dont maintain them and or dont do work yourself. sorry for the rambling format its quarter of 12 and im a little drunk lol but that is most of what i can think of off the top of my head! i hope it helps man and welcome to UB.C we have a great community here.

-Hutch-

You might consider diving into our knowledge base and check out the contributions by "Dudesky". (He's like the resident librarian on the E36 - 3 series) The majority of members here are also 3 series owners and can give you a ton of good info & tips before and after buying. You won't regret getting into BMWs.

PS welcome :iwave

Try to find a car with good service records intact; helps out a lot if you know what you're dealing with and can see what work had been done. If you're lucky, you may find one with the inspection booklet still in the car- the regular BMW inspections can be cross referenced with manufacturer's recall campaigns & service bulletin dates to give you an idea if the car may have had them taken care of. It's not a sure sign, but it's a good bet that the work was performed if the car service was still in the dealer's hands.

Sincerely,
"The Librarian" :lol

I would only get an e36 if you don't mind throwing money down the drain on parts that cost so much, and do a lot of the work yourself. It seems that as soon as I replace something, another problem occurs shortly after, most other cars don't do this... I am not speaking for everyone here.

+1

as dudesky mentioned, check for a service history. then also look for cars with lower mileage of course, I have had my car for about 18k miles, and it hasn't skipped a beat, but that's because I take care of it.

also, once you find one that you think might be a winner, take it to a mechanic, spend $100, and have him/her inspect it as best as they can to get a professional's opinion on the condition of everything.

but if anything ever does break, chances are, someone here can help you fix it :)

Some e36 tips
 

===as a e36 newbie myself, i would be interested to know.



===On hindsight I failed to check on a few obvious and yet often neglected features of the e36. Check for rust, especially at the battery compartment located at the boot. most of things i mentioned are small ticket items.

==check The waterpump, I reckon that spoils pretty fast.

==check The radiator for corrosion.

==check the window switches.

==and if the car jerks if you switch gears, you might be able to bargain for a better price as the gearbox might be failing.


==I am based in Singapore, so can't help you. Good luck!

also check the radiator for weakness in the plastic. But more importantly either find yourself a good mechanic (I use an independent BMW mechanic. It is all he does) or get really good at doing everything. I can do 90% of the things I need but there is always the bit that requires special parts.

Join the BMWCCA when you buy your car cause it will say you on parts that you need to get from the dealer.

Anything plastic or rubber will wear out starting with bushings and ball joints and things like the radiator and water pump impeller.

Finally, you have to love it. If you don't, you won't take care of it. And you know what that leads to.

what is most annoying of E36 for you
 

It is very nice to soo many replies. It did clear up most of my doubts.

Hey 94bmw325i, I am sorry about your experience
I want to know more of your car problems. As a owner of used 93 Maxima I could certainly relate to that.

Could you be more specific about what breaks?
what is expensive parts or service ?

If there is some thing specific to look for while I check out I would like to know..!!
From my experience in a 8+ year old car there could be three general categories of problems, make it four:blahblah

- Normal Wear and tear
Tires, break pads and rotor, struts, ball joint

- Sudden death
Alternator, Fuel pump, window motor, radio, sensors etc

- rare but happens
Exhaust system, bearing, A/C system

Then there are catastrophic failures - engine/transmission.. which haven't happened to me...

well yesterday my passenger side window regulator sliding pivot broke so I can't drive my car till the part comes because nothing right now can hold up my window unless I welded in a piece of metal to keep the regulator arms up (I think that is what they are called).

Tie rod ends froze up on me, ac broke, control arms and balljoints, but that could be considered wear and tear. Front shocks blew completely.... My car is a 94 with I think around 131500 last time I checked. Brake light circuit failure switch that can be common, the part came in the mail yesterday, it has been on and off for me, some weeks it wont happen then others it will be all day everyday). So I am just going to replace it. Oil leak, semi bad, loses about a quart every 10 days or so, I need to keep checking it often. Also my steering wheel is way off, but that will be fixed once I replace my tie rod ends, they came in the mail yesterday. Most of these issues will be fixed by next week so then I can afford some mods... All will be done by me, not sure if any DIY's are needed?

Where is your oil going to?

looks like it is dripping from the oil pan, I tried cleaning up the mess a few days ago. So I will check it soon.

test drove 98 328is
 

I finally put one step ahead. I test drove a 328is here at BMW dealer. I just wanted to drive a E36 BMW.

After ride I have couple of questions.
I have a 2004 Accord along with 93 nissan maxima. So I compare against those.

I did feel the horse power and kind of heavy(no floatness). But did'nt experience much of BMW ness (ultimate driving)...
Of course I did not drive on curvy roads, freeway. I know that in curves,quick turns BMW sticks to road pretty well.

I would like to know how can I experience or feel BMW...in a better way. I also want to know unique traits characterstics of BMW 3 series.

Of course I don't want to damage the car. I don't want to antagonize the seller also:woot

Any tips from pro s...