Cost of running an E36 EVO For 12 months / 10,000 miles ?
Discussion
Hi all ...
As you may have seen from my previous topic , I will soon be in the market for a '98 M3 saloon. So , as part of my homework prior to purchase , I'm curious to hear feedback from anyone with a similar car ( or coupe ) on expected running costs for 12 months, Taking in to account that it will be my main car , and will be used every day , thereby totalling a mileage over the year of around 10 - 11,000 miles.
Disregarding the VANOS issues ( as it seems that this is just pot luck ) , what is the ideal car I should be looking for with regards to service history / mileage ?
I'm guessing I would be wise to buy a car that has recently had a full Inspection II right ?
Also , would the standard AA or RAC inspection , prior to purchase , be carried out by someone who knew the specifics on an M Powered car ?
Any help from anyone in the know would be greatly appreciated :-)
As you may have seen from my previous topic , I will soon be in the market for a '98 M3 saloon. So , as part of my homework prior to purchase , I'm curious to hear feedback from anyone with a similar car ( or coupe ) on expected running costs for 12 months, Taking in to account that it will be my main car , and will be used every day , thereby totalling a mileage over the year of around 10 - 11,000 miles.
Disregarding the VANOS issues ( as it seems that this is just pot luck ) , what is the ideal car I should be looking for with regards to service history / mileage ?
I'm guessing I would be wise to buy a car that has recently had a full Inspection II right ?
Also , would the standard AA or RAC inspection , prior to purchase , be carried out by someone who knew the specifics on an M Powered car ?
Any help from anyone in the know would be greatly appreciated :-)
You're right that the inspection 2 is the biggy, £400/500 at an indi and maybe not quite double at a main dealer.
We ran one on these for a year and tbh, it's one of the best cars we've had.
MPG will be low 20's running round, high 20's on a run.
Insurance can be a problem, most will want a tracker too. Try Liverpool Victoria who don't need one and aren't bad.
Tyres are only 17 inch and not an expensive size - £100 ish for F1's or similar and you should get 10K out of the rears
Vanos isn;t the end of the world either - just been quoted £800 from our local indi to do it on our 65K miles Z3m.
We ran one on these for a year and tbh, it's one of the best cars we've had.
MPG will be low 20's running round, high 20's on a run.
Insurance can be a problem, most will want a tracker too. Try Liverpool Victoria who don't need one and aren't bad.
Tyres are only 17 inch and not an expensive size - £100 ish for F1's or similar and you should get 10K out of the rears
Vanos isn;t the end of the world either - just been quoted £800 from our local indi to do it on our 65K miles Z3m.
Making sure you go for one that has had a recent Insp II and getting an AA/RAC inspection will be the key. Just after I bought mine it had an Insp II at an indy, and with new brakes and bushes the total was just shy of £1000 - but I knew it needed doing when I bought it so can be used to negotiate the price.
Reckon on sub-20mpg when hooning, and mid to high 20s on a run and you'll get a reasonable estimate of fuel costs.
Are you only intending on keeping it for a year then? If so, then avoiding an Insp II is a must.
It'll never be cheap, but you'll quickly see that it's worth it!
Reckon on sub-20mpg when hooning, and mid to high 20s on a run and you'll get a reasonable estimate of fuel costs.
Are you only intending on keeping it for a year then? If so, then avoiding an Insp II is a must.
It'll never be cheap, but you'll quickly see that it's worth it!
Duckypoos said:
......RAC inspections are a MUST BEFORE PURCHASE then ..
Will the RAC Inspection pick up the usual E36 M3 niggles such as bushes / arms / etc etc ??
No. They haven't a clue and if I recall correctly they don't do 3.0l cars anymore.Will the RAC Inspection pick up the usual E36 M3 niggles such as bushes / arms / etc etc ??
Get it to the steralers or along to a well respected indy.
This is a difficult question this. There is no guide. You buy a good reliable car or you buy a car which breaks constantly.
Mine can regularly get well over 30mpg on a motorway run just cruising but, if you worry about the petrol then you can't afford the car.
My running costs for the last 12 months & 10k miles have been (insurace aside) £280 for a set of rear tyres. She's going to need an inspection2 soon but I have a mate who's a technician so he'll do the lot for me (inc valve clearances) for less than £300.
Mine can regularly get well over 30mpg on a motorway run just cruising but, if you worry about the petrol then you can't afford the car.
My running costs for the last 12 months & 10k miles have been (insurace aside) £280 for a set of rear tyres. She's going to need an inspection2 soon but I have a mate who's a technician so he'll do the lot for me (inc valve clearances) for less than £300.
E36GUY said:
Mine can regularly get well over 30mpg on a motorway run just cruising but, if you worry about the petrol then you can't afford the car.
Yes, I seem to remember being able to average 35mpg on a relaxed motorway run on my old EVO.I can only get 30mpg in the E46 at the same sort of speeds, but the average is about the same.
Vixpy1 said:
E36GUY said:
Mine can regularly get well over 30mpg on a motorway run just cruising but, if you worry about the petrol then you can't afford the car.
Yes, I seem to remember being able to average 35mpg on a relaxed motorway run on my old EVO.I can only get 30mpg in the E46 at the same sort of speeds, but the average is about the same.
My 'best' mpg is no higher than 25. Damn those lead boots
To the OP, budget around a grand for a year's ownership. More so if you need to have an insp. II carried out. In reality it's impossible to properly budget for running a 10 year old M3.
Two months ago mine needed a new ECU which cost me the thick end of £2k. Before that the old girl had ran like clockwork, only costing the price of an insp 1 and a set of front pads and rear boots.
'Tis a lottery, but without wanting to sound desperately pedantic, if you have to ask...
ASBO said:
My 'best' mpg is no higher than 25. Damn those lead boots
My average is no higher than that. Try re-setting the MPG counter on your obc when you are cruising and watch how high you can get the average. Drops right off as soon as you hit the A roads and town though obviously.I have my average on the number2 counter and it's 24mpg since the day that I bought it.
I managed to keep mine at 28mpg from the day I bought it..
On the original question though.. If you buy just after an inspection 2 then your going to have a couple of years where assuming nothing serious breaks £1000 a year will more than cover it.
These cars can run without a hitch for years and then you'll spend £3k in 6 months it's really a lottery.
But in the main they are reliable cars which won't give you many problems and will give hours of hooning pleasure..
On the original question though.. If you buy just after an inspection 2 then your going to have a couple of years where assuming nothing serious breaks £1000 a year will more than cover it.
These cars can run without a hitch for years and then you'll spend £3k in 6 months it's really a lottery.
But in the main they are reliable cars which won't give you many problems and will give hours of hooning pleasure..
Slurms said:
I managed to keep mine at 28mpg from the day I bought it..
On the original question though.. If you buy just after an inspection 2 then your going to have a couple of years where assuming nothing serious breaks £1000 a year will more than cover it.
These cars can run without a hitch for years and then you'll spend £3k in 6 months it's really a lottery.
But in the main they are reliable cars which won't give you many problems and will give hours of hooning pleasure..
Clearly not trying hard enough. On the original question though.. If you buy just after an inspection 2 then your going to have a couple of years where assuming nothing serious breaks £1000 a year will more than cover it.
These cars can run without a hitch for years and then you'll spend £3k in 6 months it's really a lottery.
But in the main they are reliable cars which won't give you many problems and will give hours of hooning pleasure..
E36GUY said:
Slurms said:
I managed to keep mine at 28mpg from the day I bought it..
On the original question though.. If you buy just after an inspection 2 then your going to have a couple of years where assuming nothing serious breaks £1000 a year will more than cover it.
These cars can run without a hitch for years and then you'll spend £3k in 6 months it's really a lottery.
But in the main they are reliable cars which won't give you many problems and will give hours of hooning pleasure..
Clearly not trying hard enough. On the original question though.. If you buy just after an inspection 2 then your going to have a couple of years where assuming nothing serious breaks £1000 a year will more than cover it.
These cars can run without a hitch for years and then you'll spend £3k in 6 months it's really a lottery.
But in the main they are reliable cars which won't give you many problems and will give hours of hooning pleasure..
My M3 ownership has been a mixed financial experience. It was the first proper car I've ever bought, driving golfs and some other crappy french hatches whilst going through uni & the start of my career.
I do absolutley love it to bits and have owned it now for 2 1/2 years. In this time I have had to have the following done;
Oil Service
4 New tyres
New Discs & Pads
New Brake Caliper
Brake Caliper Refurb
Heater Control Panel
New Plastic rear windscreen for hood
Exhaust Heat Shield
It's fair to say that coupled with high insurance costs it has cost me a small fortune, on the other hand I have had it serviced at some of the more prestiguous indi garages; Birds & Muncich Legends. I've put just over 20K on it. Despite all this it still keeps my grinning. We all know that sports cars are expensive. I challenge you to find a car for less money that costs less to run and will deliver style, class & performance. That means no tacky Jap motors!
I'll be selling mine soon, to free up some cash for the deposit on a house, otherwise I'd keep her.
Hopefully I'll have enough money left to buy a coupe!
I do absolutley love it to bits and have owned it now for 2 1/2 years. In this time I have had to have the following done;
Oil Service
4 New tyres
New Discs & Pads
New Brake Caliper
Brake Caliper Refurb
Heater Control Panel
New Plastic rear windscreen for hood
Exhaust Heat Shield
It's fair to say that coupled with high insurance costs it has cost me a small fortune, on the other hand I have had it serviced at some of the more prestiguous indi garages; Birds & Muncich Legends. I've put just over 20K on it. Despite all this it still keeps my grinning. We all know that sports cars are expensive. I challenge you to find a car for less money that costs less to run and will deliver style, class & performance. That means no tacky Jap motors!
I'll be selling mine soon, to free up some cash for the deposit on a house, otherwise I'd keep her.
Hopefully I'll have enough money left to buy a coupe!
don't get too hung up on insp 2. Any 10 year old M3 needing any service 1 or 2 will throw up a few extras (bushes, suspension brakes, disc etc) eg consumables - and consumables are expensive on an m3!
just buy carefully on condition, and does it "feel" right - there are some ropey old dogs out there. it will not cost you less than £1k pa to run (incl service) on average. if it cost you nought in the first year it will be £2k in the next year! remember it is a performance car, not a fiesta so it will need a bit of care if it goes wrong.
buy, enjoy and smile. there are all getting old and not many unabused ones will be around soon.
just buy carefully on condition, and does it "feel" right - there are some ropey old dogs out there. it will not cost you less than £1k pa to run (incl service) on average. if it cost you nought in the first year it will be £2k in the next year! remember it is a performance car, not a fiesta so it will need a bit of care if it goes wrong.
buy, enjoy and smile. there are all getting old and not many unabused ones will be around soon.
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