BADMOON

In the market for a new DD. I have about 7k to spend and wanna know if someone has 1st hand experience with them. In other words are they **** after 100k? Dependable cars? My DD is fine I just want somethin with 4 doors and lil more room.. Thanks

avengedws6

iTrader: (15)

Bo call me I know a service writer at Autobahn in Ft.Worth.

onspeed

iTrader: (3)

we've got a 93 325 (e36) that's been fairly solid for the past 17 years. only a few times did it need more than 1 day's worth of work. the main issue that i think affects all e36s would be that the stock water pump is plastic, and will usually wobble and hit the fan and break it.. but i don't think you need to worry about that since at this age, and with 100k miles, i'm sure it's already broken on the PO. bimmerforums.com is like the ls1tech for bmws.

JoeKnowsBaseball

iTrader: (5)

I work on E36s all the time. They are good solid cars, if you get one that has been taken care of. The best way to tell if a BMW has been taken care of, is to look at oil leaks. It sounds stupid, but it's legit in my opinion. The suspension on those cars can get f*cked up pretty good so when you test drive it, listen for knocks, rattles, clunks, etc. Also, if you can't stand squeeks and rattles inside the cabin, don't get this car! Go for an E46. And in my opinion, I'd get a 325 instead of the 328. The 323 & 328 motors are slow and have no power.

If you ever need some work done, give me a holler. I can do labor for way cheaper than any shop or dealer and I can usually get parts for cheaper as well.

DAVE00

iTrader: (10)

I've got an 04 330I as my DD. Very solid car and extremely fun to drive, only issues I have is they eat tires and brakes and the windshields are prone to rocks and crack real easy. I love this car tho and I'd deff recc one if you are looking. The only major issue with the E46 line that I would have checked before you buy one is they had a problem with the SubFrame developing cracks in the welds and tearing away from the body. It's pretty rare and BMW was sued and lost last year and they have to fix and repair any E46 free and will inspect it for free as well. A great forum I use for help (like LS1tech) is bimmerfest.com great guys and a world of knowledge.

Domsz06

iTrader: (2)

they are a nice car, but if you want to do anything aftermarket to them you will pay the price...

DAVE00

iTrader: (10)

Correct, but the funny part is that aftermarket CAI kits and other typical upgrades we do on our cars actually don't work on most BMW's and in some cases they reduce HP. These motors are tuned extrememly well from the factory and make an excellent/fun DD car. Make sure to get a good maintance history on the car you are looking at as if these cars are maintained well and the service intervals followed then they will last a very very long time.

Domsz06

iTrader: (2)

i know they are tuned very well. Just have some of my friends in the m3 scene and they just complain about how high stuff is, whether it gives hp or just makes it sound better/look better.

I have never owned one. I like em, but I also like my domestic beasts

also the maintenance is higher. You can find that in consumer reports or what not... but if you like it then who cares

redz_02

iTrader: (4)

If you are looking to get an older daily driver, I would get something domestic. Much easier to find parts. Hell, you can find older tohoe's for 7-8k. At 100K miles you're going to have a few things break.

DAVE00

iTrader: (10)

How do you figure? Almost all maintance parts on my BMW - waterpump, radiator hoses, fuel pump, tires, brakes - etc.... can all be had at AZ or Advance Auto parts. Also, there are plenty of online vendors that will have better quality parts to your door with in 2-3 days for cheaper just like our sponsors on here. Also, these older BMWs are built wayyyy better then older domestics and the quality has held up much more and this is why they have retained their value much better. Now, new domestics that's a different story as the build quality has come along way and in some cases they are better then most imported cars.

buddyleex

iTrader: (4)

water pumps go out easily past 70k miles...they made the internals with plastic therefore they crap out and can cause your **** to overheat and cause further damage so it is important to have that checked. Aftermarket water pumps will/should come with non-plastic internals for more durability.

JoeKnowsBaseball

iTrader: (5)

I work on these cars on a day to day basis and I disagree. I have a '96 Geo Metro for a beater and all it's engine stuff is holding up with almost litterally no maintainence until I got it 2 months ago. Find me a '96 BMW anything that hasn't had at least $3-4k worth of maintainence on it since the warranty expired. And that's if no one ever did extra maintainence except what HAD to be done.

Actually, the theory behind bimmers is that the parts are built to go out after a certain milage and that's what makes them quiet. If all the bushings, hoses, etc were as hard and durable as domestic cars, they'd be as lound and rough ride as a domestic car. BMW has never denied the fact that they require much more maintainence than most cars.

At the same time, yes they will last a very long time. The shop I work at has several clients with 200k+ miles, but those are only the cars that do all the maintainence.

BADMOON

Lots of good info from all you guys and thanks for the offer Joe. I only have about 7k to spend I just like the way the 4 door BMW cars look. The plastic water pump info was good to know I will definatley ask the owners if they have been replaced.

DAVE00

iTrader: (10)

Hey don't let the plastic pump concern you as it's really not that big a deal. Only the impellor is plastic and they tend to last until 70Kish so with the amount of money you are looking to spend, odds are it has already been done. Working on these cars is very easy as I just replaced my pump 2 weeks ago and it took me 1 hour - probably the easiest water pump replacement I've ever done. Replaced the control arm bushings last year and took 1 hour as well (and doesn't require an alignment). BMW's are very reliable and IMHO very easy to work on. The cost of parts is nominal as for example the pump and BMW antifreeze cost be around a hundred bucks and got them from an online BMW parts supplier. Don't let what he says scare you as I've had mine for 3 1/2 years and love it. Here's what I have:

Texfinn

iTrader: (39)

Also check out www.bimmerforums.com. Lots of good info there.

jaysan

iTrader: (8)

yeah I was going to buy an m3 but you have to pay to play . The design flaw is the cooling system because it plastic . I highly suggest you get maintenance records @100,000 miles is when a lot of things need to be replaced .

adamc

iTrader: (1)

areas in need on the e36 '98ish.

plastic radiator inlet breaks
plastic impeller in waterpump comes apart
secondary air injection pump fails
control arm bushings need replacing
miscellaneous sensors like cam position, o2's, etc
window switches fail
pixels in ac control unit fail
small HK speakers in upper door are often blown
the headliner fell down in my 98 Cosmos/dove M3coupe
When it needs a clutch, it aint cheap
etc.

Probably one of the best handling cars ever produced but it will beat on you for maintaince after about 70k.

94LT1420

My wife drives an 02 328i and it has 165k and is still running perfect.

BADMOON

Thats a good lookin car man.

mondols1

iTrader: (2)

my son had a e46 for a while before it was totaled. we had a oil leak that would leak oil into the spark plug wells (coil on plug). i replaced all those o rings twice and still could not stop the leaks. oil would work its way down and leak onto the exhaust manifold giving off a little smoke plus you could smell it in the cab. after doing some research i found this to be a common problem which is fairly difficult to fix. if i where to buy another i would have to look under the covers into the spark plug wells for signs of oil.