thinking of getting an old M3
Discussion
Hi All
I am thinking of getting an M3, cant afford shiny new one, but looking at the older ones, but heard there was a problem with one of the engines, which has proven to be very expensive to resolve, was it the evo 3.2? Grateful if I could get a couple of pointers before I go looking
many thanks
I am thinking of getting an M3, cant afford shiny new one, but looking at the older ones, but heard there was a problem with one of the engines, which has proven to be very expensive to resolve, was it the evo 3.2? Grateful if I could get a couple of pointers before I go looking
many thanks
Your thinking of the Vanos and this is expensive if it goes wrong (£1500 from a BM specialist)... it is apparently the E36 Evo that suffered, however at 160k miles my Evo has never suffered and its had a hard life and is far from pampered.
I bought on condition rather than which model it was (over 3 years ago), of the many I looked at the best was my Evo and its proved the right decision so far....
I bought on condition rather than which model it was (over 3 years ago), of the many I looked at the best was my Evo and its proved the right decision so far....
Hi there 
This topic has been covered at huge length both here and on other BMW dedicated forums. However I'll try and put my own experiences into a nutshell.
Basicly if you buy the correct car you wont have a problem. The E36 Evo is ubiquitous, the main reason being, that it was designed to appeal to a larger audience. However, that brings with it the perils of unsympthetic maintence by those who had them as company cars or from those who simply didnt appreciate the car for what it is.
There are many on here who have >100k mile Evo's on their original VANOS units, others however have reported up to two or three replacement units in as little as 50k. I refuse to belive this has anything to do with build tolerances and instead put it down to maintainance or lack thereof.
Key points to look out for.
1. buy on condition, not mileage.
2. Make sure the VANOS filter has been frequently replaced (every service is overkill, but every second service would keep me happy)
3.Get to know the owner. If its had a few owners, be more wary and call them to get an idea of who they are. Mechniacal sympathy is the Evo's best friend. These cars must not be worked hard when cold and generally react badly to being neglected. That said, they are designed to be driven hard and will reward with fabulous performance for hundreds of thousands of miles if looked after.
Feel free to drop me a line if you need any pointers. I'm now just over a week into Evo ownership and I absolutely love it. Good on track too...
ETA: do bear in mind also that these cars were ~£40k when new. Therefore you should expect that an example for sale at £5-6k will perhaps leave you out of pocket if that is the limit of your budget. I Don't mean to sound patronising, but there seems to be plenty who will buy a >80k mile M3 evo instead of a Corsa and then moan when the debt collectors ring them dry
This topic has been covered at huge length both here and on other BMW dedicated forums. However I'll try and put my own experiences into a nutshell.
Basicly if you buy the correct car you wont have a problem. The E36 Evo is ubiquitous, the main reason being, that it was designed to appeal to a larger audience. However, that brings with it the perils of unsympthetic maintence by those who had them as company cars or from those who simply didnt appreciate the car for what it is.
There are many on here who have >100k mile Evo's on their original VANOS units, others however have reported up to two or three replacement units in as little as 50k. I refuse to belive this has anything to do with build tolerances and instead put it down to maintainance or lack thereof.
Key points to look out for.
1. buy on condition, not mileage.
2. Make sure the VANOS filter has been frequently replaced (every service is overkill, but every second service would keep me happy)
3.Get to know the owner. If its had a few owners, be more wary and call them to get an idea of who they are. Mechniacal sympathy is the Evo's best friend. These cars must not be worked hard when cold and generally react badly to being neglected. That said, they are designed to be driven hard and will reward with fabulous performance for hundreds of thousands of miles if looked after.
Feel free to drop me a line if you need any pointers. I'm now just over a week into Evo ownership and I absolutely love it. Good on track too...
ETA: do bear in mind also that these cars were ~£40k when new. Therefore you should expect that an example for sale at £5-6k will perhaps leave you out of pocket if that is the limit of your budget. I Don't mean to sound patronising, but there seems to be plenty who will buy a >80k mile M3 evo instead of a Corsa and then moan when the debt collectors ring them dry
Edited by Schnell on Wednesday 1st August 14:35
andygtt said:
Your thinking of the Vanos and this is expensive if it goes wrong (£1500 from a BM specialist)... it is apparently the E36 Evo that suffered, however at 160k miles my Evo has never suffered and its had a hard life and is far from pampered.
I bought on condition rather than which model it was (over 3 years ago), of the many I looked at the best was my Evo and its proved the right decision so far....
^^^^ what he said. Although mine ha done slightly less milage. Have had the VANOS units replaced and as above it came to £1500 - more preventative maintenance that nessary maintenance I bought on condition rather than which model it was (over 3 years ago), of the many I looked at the best was my Evo and its proved the right decision so far....
Tom55 said:
many thanks Guys, much appreciated, can now start looking with more confidence
Obviously check the car over, then check it again mate. Remember that these cars are now cheep enough to fall into the wrong hands and then get neglected.I'd settle for nothing less than a really good condition motorcar and a nice healthy thick binder of bills and recipts to back it up. A F.S.H. on these will be a little hard to come by now as the youngest of the lot (like mine) are getting on for 9 years old.
If you find a good one take it to a Indipendent specialists. I notice from your profile that your in the London Area so when you find a possiable purchase give Highams Park Motor Co. a call on 0208-523-3443. These guys have been looking after my car(s) for years now and they really know their stuff.
If you've any other questions then feel free to ask.
Hope this is of any help.
M3J.
I've had one for just over a week know and love it, only had about 5k to spend so went for a nice 3.0L if you've got more then 6 you should be able to get a nice EVO. ohh and also a EVO was about £400 more expensive to insure also witch was anuther reason
Edited by Cliffv8 on Thursday 2nd August 07:58
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