YIKES.

id prefer a '96+ (S52) i do believe.. anyone know of any hot deals? i might sell the R32 (although id cry for a week) to free up some money so i can become a responsible adult and buy a house, etc, etc

11/16/2005 2:28:44 PM

saw you on western the other day - i honked but to no avail

11/16/2005 2:30:57 PM

I fucking loved my ///M but I jumped to the e39 boat when a hot 540 came my way. Awesome car if you plan on tracking it otherwise I dont think I would want one again as my daily.

11/16/2005 2:34:42 PM

I love my M3 as a DD...it's a fuckin' blast to drive. i don't know of any good deals since i'm not in the market but check the BMW message boards, like bimmerforums.com, and autotrader. do some research as to the most common problems like thermostat housing and rear shock mounts, etc. take yoour time and find a good car. i've included a list of the questions that i asked all of the sellers when i was in the market.

I have a few questions that I would like to ask about the M3 for sell:

1. In what conditions are the rear shock mounts? Are they cracked and if not have you installed a stiffening plate?
2. Has the OEM water pump been replaced with a newer water pump that has metal impellers instead of plastic?
3. Has the OEM thermostat and housing been replaced?
4. With your head inside the engine bay while reving the engine do you hear anything suspicious…any rattling, tinging or something that sounds like a bunch of BB’s rolling in a tin can (i.e.VANOS rattle)?
5. What is the build date of the car? If it is an Oct+ build date on a ‘95 has the gearshift spring been replaced?
6. Do you have an intermittent break light circuit failure light on?
7. Have you replaced the VANOS?
8. Is there any play in the steering box?
9. Have you done a compression and leak down test recently?
10. Does it have aftermarket swaybars?
11. Have you replaced the timing chain and timing chain tensioners?
12. If the build date for a ’95 M3 is Sept. or earlier, has the valve spring retainers been replaced?
13. Are their any noises coming from the drive train especially during tight turns?
14. Are their any squeaks, groans, knocks, etc. coming from the suspension?
15. Has the OEM radiator been replaced with an aluminum one?
16. Have you had any fuel line leakage problems?
17. What type of engine oil do you use?
18. Have you replaced the clutch and if so when?
19. What condition is the interior in (ie. Tears, rips, cracked leather, missing buttons, etc)?
20. Do all electronics work (ie. Windows, sunroof, dual climate control, A/C, etc.)?
21. What other maintenance have you done on the car if not covered?
22. Do you have all records?
23. Would you consider the M3 a reliable daily driver?
24. Why are you selling the car?

11/16/2005 3:34:56 PM

good Qs, thanks

11/16/2005 4:06:12 PM

Why S52?

I almost bought one last month. Here are a few things I picked up...Feel free to disagree if I'm wrong on any of it:
- The 95's with OBD1 respond much better to mods than the 96+.
- Cooling systems are junk, but the motors seem to be good. Look for cars with new radiators, water pumps, and thermostat housings. If it hasn't been done already, just add that to the cost of the car and do it asap because they will be failing and probably sooner than later.
- A lot of people complained about soft valve retainers on the early production 1995 models. I think the ones with build dates up to 10/95 were affected.
- People seem to complain about the VANOS on 96 and 97 models which might be another good reason to go with a 95 model.

11/16/2005 4:20:53 PM

^hrm i didnt know that. what year is yours, sparky? i just assumed bigger was better.

11/16/2005 4:23:41 PM

http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e36m3/ has a lot of good info.

11/16/2005 4:32:45 PM

yeh a quick search says S50 = rev happier and S52 = gruntier. ill read up

11/16/2005 4:39:28 PM

I think the real problem was the MAF on the S52 that doesn't allow you to (easily) upgrade the intake.

11/16/2005 4:47:43 PM

s52 > s50. With a simple replacement of the manifold on the s52 you will find it far superior to the s50. It cost me 200 to replace and the diy kits are 250 i think.

11/16/2005 7:52:51 PM

I have a few questions that I would like to ask about the M3 for sell:

11/16/2005 7:55:02 PM

I don't mind mine as a DD but will probably pretty soon either replace or possibly just add an S4 as my DD/fun car. Personally it depends on what you want to do with the car but I'd say that in most aspects the s52 is a better motor. My car still put down a good bit more power and torque with I/E than jared's did with chip and perhaps intake?

11/16/2005 9:16:31 PM

someone who drives a dark blue e46 M3 likes to gun it everytime from trailwood coming onto avent ferry.

thats cool and all but something with his exhaust doesnt sound very good (tinny, vibrationy?)

the s2000 and G35 who gun it through there sound much nicer

11/16/2005 9:19:02 PM

all e46 M3's have a weird raspy sound in the exhaust...the only way to change it is to get a new midpipe

11/16/2005 9:29:46 PM

I thought they were supposed to have some kind of heavenly i6 sound

11/16/2005 9:34:17 PM

nah their raspy as poop

11/16/2005 9:36:39 PM

still fun as hell to drive though, an e36 is just much more practical for the track though

11/16/2005 9:38:17 PM

i saw a m3 today that i bet you could get for cheap

lollers

11/16/2005 9:40:12 PM

Theres a chic on NCAudi.org thats selling a 97 M3.

11/17/2005 12:11:48 PM

Quote :

"^hrm i didnt know that. what year is yours, sparky? i just assumed bigger was better."

i have a '95 M3 with the S50 motor. some people like the S50 and other s like the S52 better. stock for stock the S52 has a little bit more torque but they are rated at the same hp. the nice thing about the '95 is OBD1. the best of both worlds would be an S52 w/ OBD1 conversion. either way for me it doesn't matter b/c i plan on turboing my car eventually.

11/17/2005 1:27:26 PM

^^i think hers is a '95 w/ a rebuilt motor. and theres another guy on there w/ a '97 i think.

i think ive decided to keep my car though. id sell it if the price was right, but id be giving up too much to get rid of 'er i think. i couldnt fit my track wheels and mountain bikes and guitar amps and other fun things in an M3 :/ but id save a lot of money.. thus the debate. gar

11/17/2005 1:48:53 PM

lol.

11/17/2005 6:10:01 PM

My best advice;

NEVER look at or consider sunk costs in economic decisions. Unless you truly have a sentimental attachment to your car, how much you have IN it is irrelevant, just as with any other investment/economic consideration.
Ahmet

11/18/2005 12:23:13 AM

cars are by nature money pits anyway

11/18/2005 12:32:03 AM

Well yes, but it's possible to play w/them w/out much of a loss. A good start would be buying a car that won't depreciate or depreciate heavily. I would say an e36 M3 WILL continue to depreciate, but not as heavily as pretty much any "normal" car that's newer.
Ahmet

11/18/2005 12:34:14 AM

best way to buy is the ones that are fucked up by the gf and fix them up. unless you like pink interior and "FUCK YOU" all over the car. Its a custom job of course.

11/18/2005 12:46:55 AM

well the R32 is holding its value well. its *possible* for me to sell it now for as much as i paid for it new. especially if i include the wheels, etc. so im definately right side up on the loan. but yeh, cars arent investments.. we found out yesterday my company is spinning off our division. so i have about a year of a sure job and after that who knows. so the question is.. should i jsut go w/ the flow as it is? or should i use this year to batton down the hatches and save up a lot. hrmm one sounds fun, one doesnt

11/18/2005 9:31:01 AM

you should be looking for another job. that would be my first goal. once you've found something else then i'd look at my money situation.

11/18/2005 9:42:50 AM

well, id agree. except a) this job is sweet and its very unlikely a new job would be as good so i'm tempted to ride it out and b) we wont be independent utnil July and then we're on our own to try to survive. its kind of an interesting "entrepreneurial" adventure. itd probably take atleast a year for us to officialy 'fail' if we did just horribly so i guess its closer to two years of security worst case. best case, we'd do well and last for awhile

11/18/2005 10:03:19 AM