Maitenance costs for a E36 M3?

[m3f_porque]

I'm looking to get a E36 M3 in April. My main concern with the car is how often it breaks down and how expensive repairs are. I assume it doesn't need work that often, as BMWs are quality cars, but I know that repairs are generally pretty expsensive. My budget has me looking to get a 95-97 M3 with about 70k-90k miles. I went to look at a beautiful 97 M3 with 85k miles at a place near me, and the guy I talked to said even something as simple as an oil change is $100. That's not even from a dealership, but from an independent mechanic that specializes in BMWs. (AutoAdvantage in Manassas, VA)



What I want to know is how often you guys need to bring your car in for work, how expensive maitenance and repairs can be, and if possible if you could give me an estimate as to how much you spend on maitenance and repairs on your car monthly.



Here's my situation: I'm 17. I've been driving for a year and a half and this will be my first car. My parents are going to pay for it, but I have to pay for insurance, gas, and maitenance. Insurance won't be a problem because we will list my mom as primary and myself as secondary which will save a lot. So how much maitenance will be will either make or break my decision to get this car. I have to get a job to pay for my car. Not just a M3, but any car period. It'll definitely be a minimum wage (or close to it) job, so I need to know whether I'll be able to afford the maitenance with that kind of salary.



Also: Would the cost of owning a 328is or 323is, of similar year and mileage as I listed above, be any cheaper than the M3? Aside from the insurance, of course. If I find the M3 will be too expensive then I would definitely consider a 328 or a 323 as an alternative.



Thanks!

[m3f_toopercentmlk]

its not that bad, i go to a place taht specializes in euro cars and i get an oil changed and fluids checked and or changed for about $30. as long as u take good care of your car, your bmw will alst forever. but yea, stuffs more $$ for m3, a clutch is about 500 when a jap cars clutch is 200ish.

[m3f_Ripped_Glutes]

Few repair examples on my old '95 M3:



-My driver side window actuator broke (not the motor but the mechanical piece that raises the window) was ~$500. Door won't close with window all the way up so I had to go to the dealer because they could fit me in on a saturday.



-I went to have the water pump replaced with a metal impeller pump. Mechanic suggested I replace all my pullies and belts while he was in there and I agreed. $740



-Left front wheel bearing went bad. $430



-Oil changes with BMW synthetic. $65



-New grill assembly, hood and paint. $1100. My brother backed into the car and barely crumpled the front end. Insurance covered it.



This was my first M3 and I have to admit, I didn't check the car out as much as I should have. Turns out that the previous owner did not take care of it



My advice: do your homework on the car. Go for as low mileage as possible. Ask for service records and have at least one independant mechanic check it out ($70-$200). Don't jump on the first one you find/drive like me



Good Luck!

[m3f_ubersnax]

The $100 oil change is BS. Anyone that charges you that much and looks you in the eye (other than the dealership) is a crook. Most of us here change our own.. 7 quarts of Mobil1, varying viscosities.. 35 bucks for oil + filter .. 5 bucks? $40 bucks and about 30 minutes..

[m3f_hammerk]

I get an oil change at a regular service place mobile 1 and filter for like $46. Had my car for like 7 months and nothings gone wrong yet. Tires r kind of expensive though. But all in all its not bad. Go with the m3 the otherbmws u mentioned r not even close in proformace. Like wrtten above a lot of the general mantaince u can do ur self to save some $.

[m3f_BlkBimM3R_4c5ffa766f]

didn't you ask the same question a few months ago and already got replies on the costs? or was it someone else w/ the same/similar screen name?



anyway being that your 17, not earning much and have to pay for your gas, insurance, and maintenance.. I would suggest INVESTING in a good set of tools, and a Bentley shop manual. you can save A LOT of money if you do it yourself...



when I was 16 and started driving.. I'll be honest.. I didn't know $hit about cars... I thought an oil change was intimidating because it involved taking out a bolt and draining oil and an oil filter Lol... then I started doing little things here and there.. and now I don't even take my car in for service unless I get stumped... worked on my japanese car for over 8 yrs and when I got the BMW I just bought the bentley manual, already had a HUGE supply of tools.. but keep on saving..



when I got my car.. I wanted a clean slate/start off new... so I wanted to change ALL the fluids, lubricants, replaceable filters and plugs, etc (all the normal wear/maintenance items).. I wanted to know that from the day I got it.. everything was in check and nothing was in question as to whether it needed replacement or not.. basically did an inspection II and maybe a lil more... I went to get a quote and pre-liminary was like $750... they said if they find more wrong they would "let me know" and tell me the additional cost... I was like umm ok...



then I went to the parts dept, bought the replacement filters and parts and did it myself... probably around $150+/- or so in parts, fluids, filters, etc and about 3-4 hrs of my day.. but $150 or so sure beats the hell out of $750... I'll put in 3-4 hrs of my saturday to save like $600 or more.. how about you?



oil change costs me 7 qts of Mobil 1 + filter catridge



so you figure 7 qt x $4/qt = $28 in oil + approx $6-8 for the filter... so about $35-40 depending on the prices you get on parts and taxes in your state.. and about 20-30 minutes of time/labor (mostly waiting for the oil to drain and getting it up on stands securely...



my advice to you.. if your worried about money or tight on money (which is sounds like so from your post).. buy quality tools (I have Craftsman), buy a manual (I have a Bentley E36 manual) and learn to do stuff yourself.... it will not only pay off from the $$$ saved from paying labor.. but you'll also be able to apply this to other/future cars and keep saving money off your initial investment (investment in tools, manual, and yourself)... it keeps paying/saving you money each time you do something.. and the tools are reusable.. and so is your knowledge... keeps the costs down too and your car will be in tip top instead of "putting off an inspection or repair cuz your low on funds"... win win situation..



:beer: :thumbsup:

[m3f_astan100_7ef66fbe89]

Check the FAQ section about buying used also.



Man, 430 for a wheel bearing ripped glutes!!! Mine was only 250 or so at the stealer then my warranty picked up 150 of it.



A 328is might be cheaper just because they may not have been driven as hard. It is all luck of the draw though which is why you really should buy from a private owner. If the owner is someone like us on the forums...don't buy it!!!! I'm kidding, we drive cars harder, but we also probably maintain them better--another tradeoff.



The cars shouldn't be THAT bad if you have a BMW mech. inspect it first. There's nothing worse than buying a car and fixing stuff right away. Something that an inspection could have caught.

[m3f_custom_6b7ab27928]

Honestly my M3 hasn't cost that much over its life. It is a 97 with 46K on it. The Inspection I was covered under warrantee and the Inspection II cost $415 at BMW of Richmond on Midlothian. I also had to replace the door striker(window not working), $140, and my tie-rods froze, $330 for both with labor plus $90 for alignment . Besides that it was just oil changes. Not too bad over 7 years.

[m3f_bonzkrushe_08b74dc7e3]

http://216.118.86.224/m3forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15850

[m3f_astan100_7ef66fbe89]

but custom...now that you have 47k, aren't you going to have to replace Shocks, Rear Shock Mounts, RTAB's?



All those fail about...well...now.



I have bilsteins, but I haven't replaced the other two things yet and I'm just waiting for it.



The first 50k of ownership shouldn't be bad, but things will start breaking after that.



If the clutch was treated badly, you might need a new one of those by 60k. Brake pads may only last 50-60k depending on use.



The list goes on and on, but that's why you have BMW check it out and tell you what expenses you should be expecting.

[m3f_Tpb31_67f747186d]

Another question then. I just bought my car, and the check engine light came on. Also the service interval is about over and I have to take it in for regular maintence. I don't think it is, but is the regular checkup included with the extended warranty? How about the check engine light, if I brought that in to be looked at, is that under the extended warranty?

[m3f_astan100_7ef66fbe89]

Maintenance is never really part of any warranty, CPO or otherwise unless you have a contract with your dealer somehow.



Get your engine checked out ASAP because that will be covered probably. Unless you did something...like misshift it.

[m3f_porque]

Originally posted by bonzkrusher

http://216.118.86.224/m3forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15850





Yeah. Sorry about posting the same topic again, but I jumped the gun when I posted that one. It's getting close to when I'm going to get the car now, so I need to figure out whether I can be serious about it or not. I was hoping to get some more info.

[m3f_tamum3]

How much the car will cost you each month depends on the condition of the car you get, how well you take care of it and if you can do things yourself.



Things I have done in 5 months of owning the car:



Oil Change $30 bucks (I'm lazy and its just as cheap at the dealer)

New Tires $600 total (depending on how you drive/how many miles a year you may have to buy tires each year)

Replace broken fog light $50 bucks with stoneguard covers



Insurance is the killer on the car....mine goes down in a few months when I hit 25. I have an inspection 2 coming up, but I'll probably do that myself...



Good luck!

[m3f_porque]

Thanks for all the replies so far. I'm still pretty stumped about what to do. I really want the M3, but I'm scared it will turn into a nightmare.



Would anyone anyone else like to chime in in response to my first post? Especially someone with high mileage (75k+), that would be most helpful.



I'm also considering a WRX and I think a WRX would be cheaper to maintain than a M3, but I'm not sure.