Discussion
Having read Classic and Sportscar this month with Frankel waxing lyrical about how this is one of the unsung Mtec cars I must admit it has reawakened my desire to have one (I almost bought one last year but thought it not practical enough), I have an Impreza Sportwagon at the moment and it is a great car but it is not an Mtec BMW and I am getting withdrawal symptoms...does anyone have one or can tell me what they are like, this may sound like a bizare questions but does anyone know how big the boot is?!
EVO issue 16 M3 buyers guide:
"It was the development of the four door that highlighted changed priorities within BMW's M-division. The coupe could never be described as overly flash, but the felt the need to tone it down further and soften the edges a little. The suspension now had a greater "comfort" bias and the interior gained bum warmers and bits of wood and chrome. Sitting on wider M5 wheels it weighed 15Kg more then the coupe (but cost was the same)."
Although its not mentioned, I seem to remember that they were made(assembled) in South Africa.
Things to look for (from the article):
Misfire under 2000 rpm can be HT leads, ECU or bent valves.
Oil leaks from the front of the engine (walk away).
VANOS (revs cleanly through the range)
Timing chain at 100,000 miles.
Suspension bushes.
Exhaust mountings and manifold cracks
Make sure central locking initiates all doors as water ingress is a problem.
From my own experience of an E36, make sure all the window seals are in good condtion, and that the suspension doesn't clonk over speed humps.
"It was the development of the four door that highlighted changed priorities within BMW's M-division. The coupe could never be described as overly flash, but the felt the need to tone it down further and soften the edges a little. The suspension now had a greater "comfort" bias and the interior gained bum warmers and bits of wood and chrome. Sitting on wider M5 wheels it weighed 15Kg more then the coupe (but cost was the same)."
Although its not mentioned, I seem to remember that they were made(assembled) in South Africa.
Things to look for (from the article):
Misfire under 2000 rpm can be HT leads, ECU or bent valves.
Oil leaks from the front of the engine (walk away).
VANOS (revs cleanly through the range)
Timing chain at 100,000 miles.
Suspension bushes.
Exhaust mountings and manifold cracks
Make sure central locking initiates all doors as water ingress is a problem.
From my own experience of an E36, make sure all the window seals are in good condtion, and that the suspension doesn't clonk over speed humps.
douglasr said:
EVO issue 16 M3 buyers guide:
"It was the development of the four door that highlighted changed priorities within BMW's M-division. The coupe could never be described as overly flash, but the felt the need to tone it down further and soften the edges a little. The suspension now had a greater "comfort" bias and the interior gained bum warmers and bits of wood and chrome. Sitting on wider M5 wheels it weighed 15Kg more then the coupe (but cost was the same)."
Although its not mentioned, I seem to remember that they were made(assembled) in South Africa.
Things to look for (from the article):
Misfire under 2000 rpm can be HT leads, ECU or bent valves.
Oil leaks from the front of the engine (walk away).
VANOS (revs cleanly through the range)
Timing chain at 100,000 miles.
Suspension bushes.
Exhaust mountings and manifold cracks
Make sure central locking initiates all doors as water ingress is a problem.
From my own experience of an E36, make sure all the window seals are in good condtion, and that the suspension doesn't clonk over speed humps.
many thanks, good info to have.
Quote
HT leads ?
I thought they had coils mounted directly into the head.
All the same I ran a 3.0 Saloon for about 6 months 5 years ago.
A truly excellent piece of kit (don't skimp on tyres) A bit heavy on fuel but an absolute hoot to drive.
Fast discrete and practical.
douglasr said:
Misfire under 2000 rpm can be HT leads, ECU or bent valves.
HT leads ?
I thought they had coils mounted directly into the head. All the same I ran a 3.0 Saloon for about 6 months 5 years ago.
A truly excellent piece of kit (don't skimp on tyres) A bit heavy on fuel but an absolute hoot to drive.
Fast discrete and practical.
slippydiff said:
Quote douglasr said:
Misfire under 2000 rpm can be HT leads, ECU or bent valves.
HT leads ?
All the same I ran a 3.0 Saloon for about 6 months 5 years ago.
A truly excellent piece of kit (don't skimp on tyres) A bit heavy on fuel but an absolute hoot to drive.
Fast discrete and practical.
Sorry, you are right - its says HT coils.
Here are some from the classifieds:
www.pistonheads.com/sales/64503.htm
www.pistonheads.com/sales/61798.htm
www.pistonheads.com/sales/50585.htm
>> Edited by douglasr on Tuesday 7th February 10:47
www.pistonheads.com/sales/50585.htm
This is my car and if you are interested give me a call, the car is the best i have ever had and only for sale as i want to buy the new shape m3.
This is my car and if you are interested give me a call, the car is the best i have ever had and only for sale as i want to buy the new shape m3.
Boot's big enough and ski hatches help as well (roofrack can take care of daft loads). They are defo underrated. Probably best value super saloon out there at the moment. Liked them on the road when they were launched but LOVED them on a handling day, when you can see how exploitative they really are... real donut mobile if you know how to drive them. If you don't know how to drive them they understeer quite a bit. Steering's a bit overassisted and lifeless as well, especially compared to old E30 M3. But overall a real steal. I'd have one over an E30 M3 for various reasons.
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