Seriously looking for E36 M3 Convertible

[akurei_2000]

Hi All,

Not sure where i should be posting this so apologies if its in the wrong place....

I'm a serious buyer, looking for a good condition E36 M3 convertible around the £6-7k mark (can stretch to 8k but would have to be in Mint condition!)

any advice or suggestions as to good cars available now?

Based in Bedford but willing to travel distance for the right car on the right recommendations :-)

any help appreciated - i'm trying to not get too hung op on the old 'Vanos' issue, but it is in the back of my mind with each one i look at!

as i said, any help appreciated - thanks

[akurei_2000]

adding to this - does anyone know of, recognise, or have any opinions on this car?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

[tjw110]

I may be selling my car, I've got some pictures if your interested

1999 M3 Evolution Convertible (“V” plate)
Carbon black (individual)
Modena interior (individual)
84k miles (Daily motorway drive)
FSH
6 speed manual
Harmon Kardon sound up grade with BMW professional head unit
Electric / heated / leather
Parking sensors
12 months MOT
New vanos unit @ 74k miles
Eibach pro kit / power flex bushes
Scorpion exhaust (Original available)
Induction kit (Original available)

[akurei_2000]

Hi,


definitely interested, if you can, can you post pics up here, or let me know if not and i'll drop my email address on here for ya.

[akurei_2000]

tjw110 said:

I may be selling my car, I've got some pictures if your interested

1999 M3 Evolution Convertible (“V” plate)
Carbon black (individual)
Modena interior (individual)
84k miles (Daily motorway drive)
FSH
6 speed manual
Harmon Kardon sound up grade with BMW professional head unit
Electric / heated / leather
Parking sensors
12 months MOT
New vanos unit @ 74k miles
Eibach pro kit / power flex bushes
Scorpion exhaust (Original available)
Induction kit (Original available)

Looks nice, what were you looking for price wise? (had a slight jump when i saw the pics of the smased car - they are not one and the same are they??? - just checkin)

[dazren]

Try the classifieds here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=833

[tjw110]

akurei_2000 said:

tjw110 said:

I may be selling my car, I've got some pictures if your interested

1999 M3 Evolution Convertible (“V” plate)
Carbon black (individual)
Modena interior (individual)
84k miles (Daily motorway drive)
FSH
6 speed manual
Harmon Kardon sound up grade with BMW professional head unit
Electric / heated / leather
Parking sensors
12 months MOT
New vanos unit @ 74k miles
Eibach pro kit / power flex bushes
Scorpion exhaust (Original available)
Induction kit (Original available)

Looks nice, what were you looking for price wise? (had a slight jump when i saw the pics of the smased car - they are not one and the same are they??? - just checkin)

Not the same car, the first one is black with grey leather on an "S" plate, the latest one is carbon black with Modena on a "V" plate, as for price I'm not sure, make me an offer?

[Travis Mcgee]

Personally, i would scour the ads on PH and Autotrader, go and see the car obviously, but also look at the seller, does he have a passion for the car, how long has he owned it, and in that time has it been looked after properly. Avoid anyone claiming to be selling for a friend or relative, 99% of the time that will be BS, and really they are trying to avoid explaining why the V5 isnt in their name. Sadly, due to the economic times we live in, the prices have dropped to a level that means people can afford to buy the car, but not the maintenance that comes with them, as a result this is then ignored. Take your time, there are some good ones out there.

[Travis Mcgee]

check this out http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/981390.htm

[shamrock]

I'd echo what has already been said.

Make sure you see plenty as they do vary in condition and finding a mint one is like finding a needle in a haystack.

As a rule of thumb I tend to check the minor things such as:

Tyre wear and brand
Recent service history
Recent bills
Minor problems

If the owner is cutting corners on the minor costs as above then I avoid taking it any further as it could suggest more important preventative maintenance has not been carried out.

Make sure you get one with a hard top (one that doesn't rattle and squeak though) too as it makes a huge difference.

Edited by shamrock on Wednesday 8th April 13:56

[shamrock]

Travis Mcgee said:

check this out http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/981390.htm

New clutch within 40k

I'd expect to have the fully automatic soft top, parking sensors, parking aids, Harmon Kardon speakers & Sub, lotus cream leather and hard top for that sort of money.

Edited by shamrock on Wednesday 8th April 13:57

[akurei_2000]

Off to look at another tonight, mileage is a bit higher than i would like @ 117k but if backed up by a full BMWSH it shouldn't be a problem should it? also its an SMG version i've no experience of these and having read the forum posts am not totally confused as to whether they're ok or not!!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

why oh why cant i just buy a sensible car? (oh yeah, i remember, its coz they're boooring!)

[dan101smith]

Mmmm, wish I had Ventus tyres on the back of mine...

All personal taste, but I wouldn't touch an SMG car with a barge pole. And I'd certainly want money off for crap brake disks and tyres.

Weird how many FBMWSH cars suddenly turn into BMW specialists, too - worth double-checking. And don't be put off by >100k miles, just make sure all the right work has been done (suspension refresh etc).

[akurei_2000]

dan101smith said:

Mmmm, wish I had Ventus tyres on the back of mine...

The first thing i noticed too!

Going to have a look really just to see what a car with smg box is like - dont want to write it off until i've tried it (and certainly dont want to write it off WHILE i'm trying it!). Unfortunately due to my lack of mechanical knowledge i will have to rely pretty heavily on the full service history aspect of this one - lets hope Full means full......

[dan101smith]

Without wanting to repeat 10 years of SMG vs Manual posts, make sure you go in with your eyes open on potential repair costs - bills of £2k for gearbox failures aren't uncommon, usually because they only get replaced rather than repaired.

Otherwise, enjoy!

[mat205125]

shamrock said:

Tyre wear and brand

These cars are quite low, and can hide their tread from easy viewing, especially on the back.

They can wear their tyres more on the inside too, due to camber, also especially on the back.

DON'T just check the tread depth with a feel on the outside edge ... get down on your hands and knees and inspect all the way across all 4 tyres!

[Travis Mcgee]

dan101smith said:

Weird how many FBMWSH cars suddenly turn into BMW specialists, too - worth double-checking. .

you make a good point there Dan. My experience, thus far, is that the from the point where the FBMWSH stops, is normally the length of time the current owner has had it, and hasnt bothered having it serviced, or BMW specialist, is a euphemism for took it to a local mechanic, who knows probably as much as me when it comes to servicing these cars, and that aint a lot i can tell you.
IF the car looks worth a punt, it would be worth going and seeing the so called BMW specialist, and judging whether they are genuine and knowledgeable about BMW's. If the most complicated thing they have serviced lately is a Mondeo, run a mile.

[akurei_2000]

well, had a look, walked away smiling which cant be a bad thing.....

only thing i noticed was the display came up on the test drive saying check brake light circuit (or something similar) anyone know if this is just a gremlin etc. Brake lights worked so dunno what the problem is.

full BMWSH, looked genuine, only had the last two MOTs but mileage matched up ok. HPI check clear.

the airbag light was on though, he said its because he removed the seat to get the bolster re-worked and theres a sensor that is some way related to the seatbelt tensioner etc - any clues as to whether this was b***ocks?

before i make any descisions i'll be getting an AA inspection or similar i think, anyone got any ideas or reccomendations for who to use.

once again, thanks for all the advice guys, feeling a lot better about buying an M3 after all the useful advice on here!

[Travis Mcgee]

akurei_2000 said:

before i make any descisions i'll be getting an AA inspection or similar i think, anyone got any ideas or reccomendations for who to use.

see following thread.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[dan101smith]

Brake light circuit error is the £12 switch under the brake pedal.

Airbag light from taking seat out ties up.

I'd ask the vendor to sort both within the price, though.

Where is the car? Rather than the RAC, you'd be better taking it to a real BMW specialist for a check over.