Maitenance costs for a E36 M3?

[m3f_Sammyzuko_f27405666b]

I was pretty concerned about this when I was looking into buying a M3. This forum, along with Bimmerforums can help you do almost anything to your car. I never would have bought my M3 if it weren't for the forums. Now I have the confidence that I can do almost anything to my car without taking it to the dealer(yeah, BMW parts are high priced, but from what I hear the stealer is what makes these cars so expensive to own). Just make sure you are getting a well taken care of car and you'll be fine.

[m3f_porque]

Here's another question: How long will a M3 with around 75k miles last? I need this car to last through college, so that will be at least 5 years.

[m3f_Extrav.Dre_53c7fb859e]

Ohh it will last if it is taken care of no doubt.



I've spent about 2000 or so in the last two years of owning this car on maintanence items, including new tires, inspection I, fluids, filters, little things that break. However, being that I have 82k my car is turning into a nightmare Real fast. My entire suspension is shot including all bearings, my differential needs to be adjusted, my clutch needs to be replaced, my alternator is going bye bye, my radiator is starting to leak, and then there is the endless list of all the little things that are not quite up to par.



Being as I am a full time college student, I don't know how the hell I am going to pay for all of these up coming things. It's sad how I had so much more money to play with when I was in high school.

[m3f_mcselectro_7dbefcecfe]

just changed slave clutch cyl for $80

& just changed also the relese bearing & clutch fork for $250

[m3f_astan100_7ef66fbe89]

The WRX will no doubt be cheaper in a lot of ways including insurance.



It's just a newer car. Regardless of how reliable it is...newer car and still under warranty.



If you aren't going to have much income over 5 years (I always made a lot at internships and co-ops and stuff), I wouldn't suggest an old M3.



The nice thing about college though is that if something breaks...you usually don't NEED your car every day. Driving is a privelege and fun up here, not a necessity.

[m3f_Extrav.Dre_53c7fb859e]

I wish thats how it was for me. I Need my car Everyday

[m3f_porque]

Originally posted by Extrav.Dreams

Ohh it will last if it is taken care of no doubt.



I've spent about 2000 or so in the last two years of owning this car on maintanence items, including new tires, inspection I, fluids, filters, little things that break. However, being that I have 82k my car is turning into a nightmare Real fast. My entire suspension is shot including all bearings, my differential needs to be adjusted, my clutch needs to be replaced, my alternator is going bye bye, my radiator is starting to leak, and then there is the endless list of all the little things that are not quite up to par.



Being as I am a full time college student, I don't know how the hell I am going to pay for all of these up coming things. It's sad how I had so much more money to play with when I was in high school.



How many miles have you put on the car? Have often do you get your car checked? I'm just wondering if you've been neglecting it and so all that stuff that is going wrong could have been done earlier instead of all at once.

[m3f_mechguy]

Porque -



I don't post much anywhere and I'm not trying to put you down or anything, but I'm going to tell you what I know you



don't want to hear --



Buy the WRX (or other new/virtually new car) and drive into the sunset knowing that you made the right choice.



Ok, I've said it. Why? There are so many reasons...



I have a '97 M3 with about 68kmiles on it that I purchased new. Let me say that I think these cars are GREAT! I



bought it because I really, really, love to drive (very agressively), wanted something that could out-perform 99% of



the cars on the road, and was "affordable". I have restored cars by myself, including bodywork, paint, engine,



transmission, rearend, electricals, etc. (everything other than stitching new upholstery), and have more tools than



most people know even exist. When my warranty expired was one of my happiest M3 ownership moments, since I no



longer would have to put up with the dealer (I had long since discovered that I probably knew far more about M3's



and cars in general than anyone at all of the dealers in my area - I went through every single one!). 7 years



later, I still am amazed everytime I drive my M3.



BUT...



I have done (or soon expect to do) just about every single repair anyone has mentioned in this thread. My



maintenance has been meticulous. I can tell when one of my tires is (just) low on air by driving it, so I'm not



oblivious to its needs. E36 M3 owners tend to be "real car guys", so proper maintenance history shouldn't be an



issue. I would bet that Extrav.Dreams has not been neglecting his car, nor have the owners of most M3's. I have 3



friends who owned M3's, they loved their cars, and all but one of them was glad to get rid of it before repairs



buried them. I am not exaggerating here, and these were all properly maintained cars. Also, don't think that by



finding discount parts you can keep the cost of ownership reasonable. These cars (BMW's in general) have a lot of



expensive parts that wear out on a regular basis and will need to be replaced - more parts than should wear out in



the 50-100kmiles range. Even if you replace things early, "so all that stuff that is going wrong could have been



done earlier instead of all at once", this won't change the fact that you are replacing stuff on a regular basis and



the parts are expensive and take a lot of time to replace. This isn't negativity, it's reality for a used BMW. Anyone who thinks otherwise either drives 1000 miles a year or has their mom/spouse/butler/trust fund take care of all their maintenance, so they don't see how many things need to be replaced or what they really cost.



These cars (E36's) were designed in a different era (late 80's) and engineering and manufacturing have made quantum leaps in that time (I design products for a living, so I know this). A new car was designed after things like CAD, electronics, fuel injection, ABS, etc. had long since been in use. A new car does not have 5-7 years of corrosion, friction, thermal cycling, ultraviolet weathering, shock, vibration, and road hazards on it ANNNDDD a new car has a WARRANTY! While I hated to go to the dealer, there was comfort in knowing that (hopefully) someone else would have to pay the bill if something broke (not that they always did pay for repairs!).



So buy the WRX (or similar) and drive into the sunset.



OR...



Work your butt off trying to figure out what's wrong with your car, working to pay for new parts, installing those parts on your car, struggling through school with no sleep or attention span (since you're dead tired from working on the car and thinking of all the other things you have in store for it). While doing this, you'll curse the person who sold you the car, your parents for buying it for you, and yourself for wanting it in the first place.

BUT...

You will also love working on your car, working at your crummy job just so you can afford parts for it, and driving it when you worked so hard to put it back together. Years later, you'll realize how you didn't know any better, your parents should have known better (but why they didn't save you from yourself), how much you learned from the whole experience, how you wouldn't do anything differently if you were given the chance to do it all again, and how that guy on the m3forum who said not to get the M3 didn't know what he was saying.



Or maybe he did... ;-)

[m3f_Ripped_Glutes]

"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. "



Yeah I forgot to mention that I went in for an alignment, the bearing problem was discovered so the cost was for bearing and alignment (still a little high though).



Good post Mech and I think if I were in Porque's situation I would follow your advice.



But, as you mention, learning everything about your car because your 'financially forced' to do so is invaluable experience. I was in a similiar situation with my first M3, a 95' that was not well kept. I was fortunate enough that when a repair/replacement was beyond my skill level I could afford to call in a pro (and a good one at that, very important to find a good, trustworthy, non-dealer mechanic).



Now I'm not a master mechanic by any means but for the 4 years I had that car I learned alot, accumulated a lot of the right tools and am generally wiser when it comes cars. I'm hoping the experience will carryover to the new '99 and all other cars that follow.

[m3f_porque]

Originally posted by mechguy

WISDOM



Thank you so much for this post. This was exactly what I was looking for when I posted on these forums.



Just today I was thinking about the car and I was thinking "I think I'll take the plunge and go for it." Now I'm thinking, "Holy hell, I should probably stay away." I'm still not 100%, but your post has definitely had an affect. If I hear anymore similar to what you've said, I think I'll definitely avoid the M3. Hell, I'm 17, there's plenty of time for me to get a M3 down the road.









Ok -- so who agrees or diagrees with mechguy? I'd love to hear some input from the others in response to mechguy's great post.

[m3f_///Munky]

I agree with him. I don't know about you, but I had to spend a lot of time in college doing schoolwork (one downside to a ME degree!) And I did have to worry about automotive maintenance when I was in school, and didn't know much about cars then.



I guess what I'm trying to say is that you need a relatively headache-free car for school. After you graduate, buy something you can wrench on and have fun upgrading.



Just my advice...

[m3f_Edgy_592e912c16]

Porque:



First off I'll put my cards on the table -- a M3 is not a good candidate for a first car. Your insurance will be sky high, and personally I think more of a beater car would be better for school. There's so much to experience at college, you don't want to be worrying about condition-where parked-dings-etc.



So having said that, back on thread to your original question -- IMHO the biggest differentiator re maintenance is whether you have a trusted mechanic, taking to dealer, or like some of these boarders like MechGuy can do lots yourself.



Luckily I have a mechanic who has been great to me. Scheduled maintenance 1's and 2's hundreds less than dealer, and he was HUGE in helping me store and strip my water-damaged first M3 and stored in until the insurance company got around to collecting. Then he helped put my after market stuff -- clears, exhaust, bulbs -- back on my new 99.



His name is Glen Johanson, runs his own shop in Sterling VA. That sounds close to you since you mentioned Manassas.



So if you ignore the first bit of advice --



let me know and I'll get you the number. He'd do a cheap and thorough pre-inspec for you as well, FYI.



Edgy

[m3f_mechguy]

Dear Porque,



I'm pleased that you enjoyed my reply to your question and am happy to help you to come to your first car purchase decision. One's first car is a big move, and sometimes it can have far more significance than expected.



In my case it was not so much my first car, but my first car project that I walked blindly into. In the end it required much more time, effort, and money than I had predicted. Fortunately, it ultimately gave back to my knowledge, abilities, interests, career, and life in ways that I never could have considered.



Despite my saying, "buy the WRX", it was not my specific intention to tell you, "do not buy a used E36 M3". Rather I wanted to help you envision what your first car might lead to, both good and bad. From your comments I know I have been successful and you can be sure that whichever direction you take will be the right one for you at this point in time.



Good luck with your selection - I really wish I could be in the market for a new car right now. There are so many interesting possibilities these days and like you said, "there's plenty of time to get an M3 down the road." Or who knows what other car...



Best regards,



mechguy