Went to look at an E36 M3 - a few questions

[_g_]

I went to have a look at this M3:
[quote]Manual, 57,000 miles, Mauve, 57k, hpi clear, techno violet, full service history, last service 3/12/07 heated black leather, e/windows, e/mirrors, air con, abs, computer, mint 17" evo wheels, good tyres, cd player. very clean low milage example. any test drive welcome. £7,495.
[/quote]

The headlights misted up a bit which he said that was common; Is it?
Revving the car up while warming, a slight vanos rattle could be heard as the revs lowered, but it wasn't very loud etc - I presume this isn't an issue?
While accelerating a slight (rather hard to describe) shuushh-shuushh-shuushh-shuushh sound could be heard at points. Should I be worried about this?

Also, front seats leather wasn't perfect, but not unexpected for a car of this age.
The exhaust looked like it had some bits of corrosion on it, but nothing too bad. The outer of one of the wheel arches was also a bit rusty, but only slightly.
The mud-flap thingy infront of the front right wheel was loose and rubbed on the front wheels at full left lock.

Mileage seems to be genuine, he'll knock £500 off, but tax is out.

So, as well as the above issues, does this generally sound ok for the money?
Anything else I should have looked out for?

[ASBO]

_g_ said:

I went to have a look at this M3:
Manual, 57,000 miles, Mauve, 57k, hpi clear, techno violet, full service history, last service 3/12/07 heated black leather, e/windows, e/mirrors, air con, abs, computer, mint 17" evo wheels, good tyres, cd player. very clean low milage example. any test drive welcome. £7,495.

The headlights misted up a bit which he said that was common; Is it?
Revving the car up while warming, a slight vanos rattle could be heard as the revs lowered, but it wasn't very loud etc - I presume this isn't an issue?
While accelerating a slight (rather hard to describe) shuushh-shuushh-shuushh-shuushh sound could be heard at points. Should I be worried about this?

Also, front seats leather wasn't perfect, but not unexpected for a car of this age.
The exhaust looked like it had some bits of corrosion on it, but nothing too bad. The outer of one of the wheel arches was also a bit rusty, but only slightly.
The mud-flap thingy infront of the front right wheel was loose and rubbed on the front wheels at full left lock.

Mileage seems to be genuine, he'll knock £500 off, but tax is out.

So, as well as the above issues, does this generally sound ok for the money?
Anything else I should have looked out for?

What was the general condition of the car like? Did it look like it could do with a bit of TLC or are the items you highlight really the only points to note?

Is the seller knowledgeable about the car?

Perhaps you could illustrate the noise under acceleration a bit more?

Wouldn't worry too much about the VANOS. If it is really loud and the car wont pick up until ~5000rpm then you're in trouble.

Of course, you could always raise your budget slightly and buy mine

It has 34k miles on it, is minter than mint and is about to take to the stand at the PH show in January.

Edited by ASBO on Sunday 23 December 17:04

[_g_]

Thanks for the thoughts.

The trim by the drivers door lock is slightly cracked and the wheels were slightly tatty (especially the centre), but other wise I think I listed pretty much everything.
The bloke selling it is a trader who goes under 'm-power newbury', so should have a good idea about M3s (has an E36 as his own car too, he says.)

The noise I heard was a sorta warbling sound, frequency of maybe half a second. Possible it was just engine noise reflected off trees we were driving past etc, or something.

Had a quick look, but couldn't find details of your car on here.
To be honest, I'm not too bothered by mint and was actually a bit worried as this seemed to be up at a fairly cheap price for it to be /really/ nice.
However, wanna give me a link to your car anyway?
I'm not massively bothered by the colour and wouldn't have chosen techno-violet really (would prefer black or green), but afraid I'd go for the brightish blue even less (looking at the m3 in your profile).

Edited by _g_ on Sunday 23 December 17:33

Edited by _g_ on Sunday 23 December 17:46

[ASBO]

I haven't listed it yet. I'm planning to get some pics of it at the PH show and use the exposure from that to sell it.

Mine is almost concours, so perhaps it's not what you're after. However, if you like I can send you pics.

Anyway, with the M3 you're looking at I'd suggest you try contact the previous owner. I wont buy a car from a trader if I can avoid it as I like to get an idea of who the previous owner is.

I must say though, that if the car really is clean then that sort of price is excellent for the mileage. Just make sure it hasn't been clocked. The wear on the drivers seat would make me suspicious if it was excessive.

Have you got a link to or pictures of the car?

[_g_]

This is the link.

Don't worry about the pics for the mo, this one does sound a bit more suitable for me.

The previous owner for the last few years was apparently the son (or something around that, if it wasn't the bloke himeself) who does the valeting for the person selling it. He hadn't, I'm told, done much mileage since he got it. The MOTs and servicing records correspond to that.
I might see about giving him a shout, but of course if it had been clocked, he'd be 'in on it' anyway.
I don't think the wear on the driver's seat is really /that/ bad - suspect general use plus sunlight would explain it. Definitely still in a lot better nick than my 100k mx6.

[M3Kevin]

It looks very tidy mate!

[joesnow]

The noise you mention may be a leak in the flexible part of the exhaust - manifold to b pipe. Mine does it a bit.

Just visited the link, it's nigh on identical to mine apart from the leather.

Edited by joesnow on Monday 24th December 09:48

[_g_]

Thanks for the thoughts all. Didn't notice that sound again, so it might have just been sound reflecting off stuff at the side of the road, etc.

I went through all the electrics thoroughly and the passenger side window was a little iffy at points, however I got a bit of money knocked off for this.

Now I just need to wait for some weather I can actually try and use it in .

[poshgit]

look i don't mean to piddle on your fire - but all those niggly points would have me running screaming from that car.

bear in mind you are buying a high performance engine, not just an eveyday saloon - someone will have been giving it the full beans for a lot of its life so it needs careful maintainance - i would expect it all to be perfect. who sells cars with all these bits still needing doing?
i have a great e36evo convertible that was mint inside and out that i bought for a song last christmas. there are loads out there, take your time and find a good one.
rusty arches, elec problems, vanos worries, tatty leather - christ there is not much more that could be wrong......
expect worn bushes, shocks, etc etc - these are the bits you can't see....if he has not looked after the outside, what is it going to be like underneath.
i apologise if this car is sold by a pistonheader, but there are loads around cared for and loved by their owners. Walk Away!!!!

[_g_]

Sitting on my driveway when you posted, so a bit late now I'm afraid. Cheers for the thoughts anyway.

It does have a full BMW service history (though I will know that official dealers aren't always the best).

The previous owner had obviously had it sitting around (if the story is to be believed), rarely using it and then not for much. To be fair, the issues I've mentioned are all generally pretty minor (ie, it was only a tiny bit of rust on the arch, etc).
Maybe I just didn't try looking hard enough, but any 'perfect' ones for this kind of mileage seemed to be going for a fair bit more - if anything I was slightly relieved when I found some small issues, as otherwise I'd be more worried why it was being sold at this price.

Time will tell now if you're right, though finding suspension issues later might just be an excuse for me to convince myself to get some tein remote adjustable shocks :P.

I haven't driven it too much so far, but it generally seems to be good.

Edited by _g_ on Wednesday 26th December 10:04

[poshgit]

_g_ said:

Sitting on my driveway when you posted, so a bit late now......

oops - well i hope i have not completely demorolised you - it is after all only my opinion and not having seen the car i am no position to claim i was right or wrong.

well the least i can do is offer a few "helper hints"

1. don't worry about the lights misting - mine did that and it drove me nuts. they just need a bit more airflow seems to be the general concensus. So open the bonnet and reach behind the light and pull back the top of the clip that you remove to change the light bulb. after a day or two the misting will clear. i now leave mine slightly unclipped all the time - i accept that dirt and grime could get in but seems ok. some people suggest drilling holes in these plastic plates to increase air flow but unclip them first and see how you get on.

2. keep it under 2 - 3k revs until the OIL (not the water) is at least 75 - nearer 90 if you can before ragging it. i know it sound obvious but it has been suggested it will help prolong the life of the Vanos.

3. why not find a specialist BMW Indy and ask them to give the car the once over (an hour can't cost more than £50+/- can it?)- much better get proper advice and they can advise on any gremlins etc. Also ask for the "what was done" sheet from the last BMW garage that serviced if just the book was stamped - worth a look

4. decent rear tyres are a must - especially in the wet. Goodyear F1 are good compromise between price and performance

5. run the air con on full cold (regularly if you can) to see if you have any leaks/problems - often easier to get it sorted now than in June when you really need it!

6. upto 4000-5000rpm it feels like a 328 - get it on to 7000rpm and that is where all the action happens!

7. ring bmw cust serv and ask what recall work (if any) was done on it.

8. "to buy" list
short shifter and storm gearnob
dave F kit (or similar)
gliptone leather restorer
HID headlights
cross brace (from a convertible)

8. join e36coupe.com (yes i know the registering process is a hassle but stick with it - loads of usefull help)

9. find a nice quite but of (dry!) dual carriage way and drive it like you stole it - you will be grinning from ear to ear.....

sorry if all the above sound like muppet hints and you know of them already - but they were passed to me and helped me a lot.....
i hope you really enjoy it.....

[_g_]

Don't worry, I've had much worse said about some of my choices in the past .

Also, I can be quite a muppet at times, so muppet-tips are welcomed, ta.

Having fast bikes I appreciate warming up is important, but it's good to get some figures (and be reminded that I get an oil temp gauge too).

From the bikes too, I definitely know about making full use of the revs (my race bike has a fairly low redline of 14,000 rpm for a supersports bike!) And I'm not expecting it to feel that amazing, but I'm sure I'll still have plenty of fun when the roads are a bit less slimy. Definitely need to get a bit of confidence in how a decent car handles - bikes I'm fine with, as was I with (relatively) pushing my 8v laguna on backroads, but this is all new to me.

Good point on getting a BMW specialist to check it over, I'll have to find who's good around here.

I'm going to be treating it very gingerly for the moment (ironically, a lot more so than a bike, probably), but have budgeted in for a new set of half-decent tyres at some point.

Do you recommend e36 couple.com as the best resource for these cars? I was actually going to ask where I should go and hassle people about all the many questions I will undoubtedly have .

Oh and I was telling my self I'd just keep it stock for a while, but some of your suggested mods would make sense...
Oh dear, I'm not sure my bank balance can really handle much more .

[poshgit]

yes ignore the water gauage - use the oil guage only for warm up advice!

if you are used to a 14k rpm bike then the m3 will seem like a snail but get it round to near the red line and all the fun happens there

i found e36copue.com really helpful. a bit of a hassle to join - but stick with it. don't p*** everyone off with "which oil, which tyres etc" posts, they have been done to death on there, use the search and you will find everything you need. Originally i thought it was a bit of a Chavtastic site, but it's not, and the amount of knowledge is mind blowing. it has saved me loads of time/money.

short shifer...V1 storm gearnob....dave F kit....x brace...xenons...but still looks "stock" on the outside....i can hear your bank balance emptying from here......

[autotrader]

e36coupe.com is unbelievable. the guys on there know every inch of an e36. i bet if you post pics of your car someone will say ' i know that car...didnt that bloke used to own it' .ive seen it a million times

[_g_]

Don't worry, I'm generally capable of using search functions .

Still waiting for registration to be accepted after a couple of days - I presume it's just a case of the bloke who'd click 'yes' is away at the mo?

[M3Kevin]

Just Drive it mate enjoy!

[breezy]

_g_ said:

This is the link.

Looks like a good car at reasonable money. Spitting image of mine in fact.

Everything you've described sounds fairly template Evo and not serious. Niggling bits and pieces are to be expected from the vast majority of cars on the market and will only really be put right by an enthusiast. Mine has had all the common fixes (clutch hose/bushes/exhaust manifold etc) done but these things take time and money.

My advice is to ignore cosmetics, make a couple of sensible tweaks to the chassis/brakes and get it on track. They're quite good fun when properly set up...

[naetype]

_g_ said:

Don't worry, I'm generally capable of using search functions .

Still waiting for registration to be accepted after a couple of days - I presume it's just a case of the bloke who'd click 'yes' is away at the mo?

Don't sign up with the username you've used here. They manually vet every signup and yours would fail. I've previously posted the rules they use to vet new users: use the search function here

Sorry for the sharpish post but I'm dying a death here and haven't managed to get out the door since before Xmas. Dont'cha just love kids at times

[_g_]

naetype said:

Don't sign up with the username you've used here. They manually vet every signup and yours would fail. I've previously posted the rules they use to vet new users: use the search function here

Cheers, all sorted now once I emailed them.