Ski

Sorry for the non PCar content but as I recall several of you have had a 95-97 M3 and proclaimed how great the car was and almost bullet proof.

So, I'm going to list the listing, hope no one takes the car from my 16 y/o but would like some opinions, the car was a weekend toy at a vacation home from what I gather but the guy was a stickler for maintenance. Clean as a pin...and I think the B-Day present in the next two weeks if we can come to a deal, going to offer $15.5k

http://www.ebay.com/itm/311100058184?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

blade7

Nice looking car but the engine has nothing like the spec or output of the European version. If you want a proper M engine look for an E46 M3, or a 968 instead.

Ski

Its for a 16 y/o and the wife has nixed the 968. US version is fine.

blade7

Does the 16 year old want it, or is it more about what you want ?

Techno Duck

I sold mine over the summer, kind of regret i did!

Its 240bhp, not nearly as stout as the 300+bhp in the Euro version but still plenty of fast. I think its actually the perfect amount of power.. plenty to get yourself into trouble on the street and enough to get by on the track. The only thing that killed me about the car was the 5-speed. Its geared too low for the highway and is a bit 'buzzy' cruising at 70mph. It will still return 25mpg+ straight highway though! Solid build quality all around and handles great.

Despite only being 240bhp the engine has a great powerband, very flat on the power delivery and has fairly good response even at low RPM.

They are really easy to work on also, i found it a joy to do jobs on it compared to the turbo motor.

The car looks mint, but $15.5k is on the high end i think especially for an auto. Wish i had a E36 M3 as a first car.. it would have turned me away from the 944 series and saved me many dollars in the long run...

Ski

The last thing I want is 240 hp and an automatic transmission, he wants it. Our Fed Ex friend a block away has a 97 4 door manual. After having 320hp for the street and 370hp in the present track car...not quite up to the task for me. He and I are trying to get him something fun, reliable, and sporty without sticker shock for me on insurance.

Thanks Jon, how goes things on the Auriga...glad you made the big move? You still owe me a beer!

I had a nice blue 968 coupe, tiptronic, sport seats picked out but the wifey (mother) was, lets just say adamant that a P-Car would NOT be his first car.

Techno Duck

Bret, im actually on the Vela . We are sitting right next to the Auriga though at Grand Isle doing DP upgrades. And i do still owe you a beer!

Something to consider; at $15.5k you are into the low end of E46 M3 pricing. If your willing to spring a little more you can find a good E46 M3 for around $20k. 333hp, might be too fast for a first car but they made so many of these things they are easy to find so you can take your pick. Also probably a little safer than the E36.

blade7

Just be sure to carefully inspect the boot floor suspension mounts for stress cracking on E46's, BMW were replacing the floors up to 10 years old under goodwill/warranty.

Ski

This is on the watch list, one of the lower mileage ones around under $25k. Found it on Cars.com then this morning on evilbay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281441147137?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
I wonder if my wife would think that the M power was for Diesel...probably not, well at least not till Noah filled it up first time with 93 octane; she knows me better than that and has been to the track with us on track days.

SamGrant951

Thats a very clean E36 but I wouldn't pay the premium for that low of miles with an auto/95/lux package. I just bought a 97 E36 M3/4 thats an auto and its a dog, hate it. I have a E46M3 6 speed Im swapping in next month. I planned on this swap before I bought it though...just bought the color/condition I wanted.

engines are bulletproof (250-300k no prob), easy to work on, parts are everywhere, huge aftermarket, named the best handling car in the late 90s at any price. They have some common issues including door panels delaminating, window motors/arms breaking, rear shock mount issues, power steering leaks, radiator/waterpump issues (plastic water pump, end tanks, plastic thermostat housing, clutch fans taking out cooling parts). Its all pretty easy to fix and once fixed its good for a long time.

This one will likely end up supercharged just to try something different (for me).

Droops83

As someone who works on Porsches and BMWs for a living . . . .

That appears to be an insanely clean E36. The biggest problem with that generation of 3-series is that it was the first that was produced in the "modern," mass-produced era with water-based paint, ect. The clear coat on all '90s and early '00s BMWs peels readily if the car is not always garaged, and the interiors peel/fade/fall apart. The previous-generation E30 series and earlier BMWs were manufactured with the same care/paint/interior quality as our beloved 944s and other '80s Porsches and hold up much better. Mechanical issues can always be repaired, but it is almost impossible to find a BMW from this era in that condition cosmetically.

That said, $15.5K is a REALLY strong price for an E36 M3, no matter how nice or low mileage it is. It is up to you if it is worth it to pay that much. Make sure it is checked out by a reputable shop for any hidden issues. Here is a link to a list of shops in FL that are part of the BIMRS association of independent shops:

http://www.bimrs.org/cgi-bin/EaglePS...e=yes&rpp=1000

I can't personally vouch for any of the shops, but chances are they are OK, as the standards for membership in the group are very high.

All of this said, if your son wants/needs an automatic transmission, what is the point of getting him an M3? A normal E36 325i or 328i (or 318i!) would be perfect, and even a really nice one would cost about a third of the M3 and would be slightly cheaper to insure. The automatic transmission can also be a weak point on those cars (though fluid/filter changes at 60K mile intervals does extend the life of the trans).

No matter what type of car he ends up with, make sure to sign him up for a Street Survival course:

http://streetsurvival.org

I instruct at these courses and they are great. It should be a requirement for all drivers before receiving a license, but since we all know that will never happen, you should at least give your kid an edge against all of the idiots out there.

ekoz

+1 on street survival. Made my daughter do it at 16. As a senior she had to right a paper about a life changing event and she chose street survival. And no I didn't suggest it. Didn't even know about the paper till it was done. By the way she has 328i automatic....it's been good to us. Except for those window regulators but she knows how to replace them now.

Techno Duck

Droops makes a good point regarding the insurance. One of the big reasons i decided to sell my E36 was due to insurance... i was only putting around 3k miles on it and was paying nearly $500 a year. I couldnt believe how much it cost to insure that car; even with a clean driving record through USAA!

blade7

I had a 97 E36 2.8 manual Coupe, it was a great car. Not sure if the US cars are the same but Euro 2.8's were detuned to 190 bhp by using a 2.0 inlet manifold for some taxation reasons. Fitting a E36 2.5 inlet manifold bumped the power up to around 220 bhp and makes the engine pull to 7k easily, and not far short of US E36 M3's.

Ski

Trying to be a nice dad and get him what he wants but agree, after further research, the black one is too strong $$. Waiting on my insurance agent to reveal the $$ for the red M3 but wife and he are driving a 2011 328i today, 19,400 miles, CPO car.