LOL at wanting $12k for that car. Did he just pull that price out of his stupid fucking ass?

Sure thing:

"First off, don’t even look at 95’s. They’re crap. I could list all the reasons why, but that would make this email twice as long. BMW US division brought the 95’s over in a hurry, and just threw the OBD1 3.0L S50 in there since they knew the next year they'd have to switch to OBD2 either way. In 96 they brought over the OBD2 3.2L motor, which is much stronger and has a bit more torque and was more refined; more on that in a minute.

I’d look for 96-99, but the later the better. There were a ton of things added on as the years went on – rear headrests, side airbags, center arm rest, nicer steering wheel, nicer wheels, 18 button OBC, etc etc. Full list broken down can be found at http://www.bmwmregistry.com/model_faq.php?id=15 (actually, I suggest reading that entire page, as it is very informative and should answer many of your questions). I’ve got a 98.5 and couldn’t be happier.

If I were to do it over, I’d find a well maintained car from an informed seller on one of the forums rather than a bone stock one. I got mine from an older doctor, and although I know it was pampered, there was a good amount of maintenance items that are discussed on the forums that he had overlooked. I’ll give you the run down on most of them.

Main problem areas:

Cooling system: Plain and simple, its crap. Luckily it’s also small and easy to fix, as well as cheap. Some will say that the 95’s had the plastic impellers, but in reality, any year water pump will fail eventually before 75k miles. Other problem areas in the cooling system are the radiator end tanks, the thermostat housing, and the mechanical fan clutch. Luckily, you can get an upgraded cooling system for under $300.

Rear shock mounts: They fail every 30k miles (stockers) and if not replaced, can tear out the rear shock tower. They have aftermarket ones that last 150k+ though and are relatively cheap.

Suspension bushings: Being that the cars are 10+ years old now, the stock rubber bushings are all going to fail on most of them. Refreshing them is pretty inexpensive, but just labor intensive. If you can do the work yourself, you’ll be fine. I went urethane all around, which is much easier to install, and when done correctly (lubed), can’t be distinguished from stock.

Clutch delay valve: Slows shifting down and is a nuisance. Free to remove, 10 minute job.

Oil pan nut: Not a huge problem, but worth mentioning. On maybe 5% of the cars at most, the oil pan nut wasn’t tightened enough. It would back off, causing a loss in oil pressure and if not caught in time, a seized engine. Most people don’t worry about it, and just pray they catch the oil light if it ever happens, but me and some other guys pulled the oil pan just to be sure, and welded/safety wired the nut. Good time to install a baffle while you’re in there. If you can find a car that has already had this taken care of, that’s awesome.

Stock s52 manifold: The 95 engine was the s50, and the 96-99 is the s52. This represents the size – 3.0 and 3.2 (respectively). The s52 is much torquier, but kind of dies down towards the top end. An easy solution to make some extra power is to add on the intake manifold from the s50 motor. The manifolds can be had for $100, and the adapter kits are like $150-200. The power band shifts up, and I noticed about a 15-20 whp gain. Not a problem area, but just something you might want to know.

Differential Bolt: On cars that have been beaten on, make a good amount of power, or are launched hard, there have been times where the front diff bolt snapped. There’s few kits out there that will reinforce it, or you can just put a new bolt in there, but unless you’re launching it hard at the track its not something to really worry about.

As far as other things… Insurance isn’t that bad at all, cheaper than my Civic Si. Gas mileage is pretty good – 19 mpg if I beat on it, 23 if I’m nice around the city, and 29- 31 on the highway. It does take premium though. Stay away from salvaged title cars, check the VIN’s on any car you look at (M3's VIN's start with WBS). They’re kinda rare to find in really good shape so you might have to open your search ranges and travel to buy one. I got lucky with mine…"


Hope this helps...

All the OBD1 hate...it's pathetic. The cars are nearly identical in all ways. The 95's have less smog crap and are a bit lighter. The ride is also a bit more harsh on the 95's, I've owned both and sold the 97 to keep the 95.

Not hating on OBD1, but the car itself. If you know anything about e36's you'd agree.

-First model year of sorting issues out
-2 or 3 of the colors in 95 were single stage paints with no clear coat
-s50 is a much less powerful motor than the s52 (proven many times)
-OBD1 no longer has any tuning advantages over OBD2
-Valve retainers on s50's were bad
-Primitive HVAC
-Subframes didn't have the reinforcements
-Different suspension setup (offset bushings instead of offset arms)
-Crappy wheels (DSI's) with only 235's in the rear
-No headrests, digital climate control, center arm rest, side air bags
-Lesser quality leather was used
-Longer gearing (3.15 vs 3.23)
-All rubber parts (bushings, trim, etc) are a good 3-4 years older

Etc etc etc.

If you can name ONE advantage that 95's have over 96's, I'll take back everything I just said. And don't mention tuning, because thats crap now with all the OBD2 tuning solutions.

One advantage of the '95 is the 3L motor, which in SCCA rules can be forced induction and still in SM. The blown/turbo 3.2 goes to SM2 where it has to compete against Vettes and blown Miata's.

Ok so to refute a few of your negatives. I prefer the "primative" HVAC system to the problematic digital system of the newer years. They fail often and are $$$.

The only single stage paint was Dakar yellow.

Power output is nearly identical with the s50 making more peak power up top (stock or with cams) and the s52 having more peak torque.

The 1995 subframes DID infact have the reinforcements. (I've replaced the subframe bushings on 3 95's and my 97).

Offset bushings provide a better road feel than that of the offset arms (i've owned both the 95's have better steering feel/response).

"Crappy wheels" which are lighter than DSII's and don't promote understeer with offset tire widths.

The center arm rest was an option on all years (my buddies 11/94 build came with a center arm rest).

No headrests in the rear for better rearview viewing (who carries people back there, it's tiny). More added weight.

Side airbags only came around in 98 and all airbags in an e36 are probably suspect being 10 years old (or more). More added weight.

The leather across all years is nappa leather.

If people want better gearing they go with the 3.38 diff from the automatic cars. I believe that the only reason they changed the ratio for the 96+ cars was to keep the performance on par with the 95's as to avoid the embarrassment of the newer car being slower than the older one.

Mileage and driving style have more to do with bushing wear than age, plus 95 to 99 is only a 4 year max age difference.

I know a lot more than most about the e36 m3's. I think you should do a little more homework (or actual work on a car?) I've done all repairs on my own and done many modifications (valves/cams/suspension/clutch/vanos overhaul ect...) and I've owned both a 95 and a 97.

Benefits of the 95:

-faster steering rack
-no clutch delay valve
-better road feel
-less smog equipment
-less weight
-No digital climate control
-No traction control
-Hand pulls are same color as the door on the dove cars (just think that dark grey pulls look out of place)

The 1 disadvantage are the valve retainers which only happen to a very small percentage of the cars. Small enough that BMW didn't do anything about it and I don't know anybody who's had it happen including all the 95's in the BMWCCA chapter in san diego. I think it's safe to say that if the 95 is still going now (100k+ miles) the retainers are fine.

I don't think that there is enough differences between the two to say that 1 is superior to the other, they are equal. And if you want to track it, stick with the 95. =]

Are you serious? Thats the going rate for them right now.

Fuck what any NADA or KBB says, the going rate for a clean stock unmolested low mileage is higher than what any of those will say. Most of the rare ones (non sunroof + cloth interior, or individual packages, or M3/4/5's, etc) with low mileage will go for $17k+.

If the car is all up on maintenance, and is in good condition, $12k is a fair asking price. Most M3/4's came in auto's, and to find one with a 5 spd is rare. The reason these cars are going for so much is because theres a market for them now that they're so cheap, and the good ones are far and few between, so people don't mind spending $12-15k for a nice example after months of looking.

If you can get the car for $10k, you're getting a killer deal. That car is done depreciating, and should hold its value for a while now.

Dude, it's been driven across the United States 33 times. Do you have any idea the level of maintenence required on a 100k mile, 10 year old German luxury car?

Twelve grand is fucking retarded. Maybe with 60k miles. Maybe.

Do you have any idea the level of maintenence required on a 100k mile, 10 year old German luxury car?

I did forget about Mugello, but hellrot did come with a clearcoat. I know because the 11/94 car is hellrot and the CC is pealing where the fender got keyed.

You are lying about installing the subframe reinforcements on 95 M3's. Maybe you worked on a few 325's. As I stated before all M3's came with the reinforcements (even my buddies 11/94 car).

325i - worst 3 series to date, step back from the e46, my 9 year old e39 had less rattles, better fit/finish, and was much smoother - did GM build this thing?

Congratulations on a fine automotive purchase. When will your first autoX or track day be?

Ha, reading this thread a couple days late makes it seem like a fucking suspense novel. I wanted to shout at the screen "BUY IT! BUY IT!!!" KBB is shit for awesome rare drivers cars in great condition, I could easily see paying 12k for an m3 in mint condition.

One day, when I have a bigger garage, more time to enjoy them, and more disposable income, I'll own either an ITR in awesome condition or and e36 M3 in awesome condition, or, preferably, both.

good luck getting anything over 9k for your 540. People wont even come look at mine for less than 11.5 or so.

Joins the club.

I have the xenons. Do you have any pics? From the website it just doesnt look like those lights look as good as stock angel eyes.