SoCal E36's

[m3f_undertow999]

Hey there,

Im a newbie to the forum and sad to say I dont even have an M3, YET. RIght now im just looking around for one between 15-20k. I am not too familiar with alot of the mechanical lingo you all talk about on this site, but I would like to say that all the discussions I have read have been incredibley helpful in narrowing ndown my picks.



I was just wondeirng if anyone knew of specific dates of any auctions down here (SoCal), or if anyone had any suggestion when I consider buying my E36. I haven driven a million BMW's because I am a valet, and the first time i drove an E36 i fell in love with it. SUre it would be nice to afford an E46, but I am only 20 and paying my way through college.



So if anyone has any information on where to look for an E36 in the Socal area, I would be greatly appreciated. :bow: M3 owners, one day i'll be one.

[m3f_bimmer95]

for 15 to 20K, you can get an e36 m3.....

what are you exactly looking for, just an e36 or an m3. stick or auto, 2 door or 4

[m3f_undertow999]

M3 (haha im an idiot) 2dr, either black, blue or silver, manual, non-luxury (i want the vader seats and no wood) thats bout it. i guess it narrows it down but i have time so any suggestions would be helpful. thanks Bimmer95 for kickin me in the a$$, im an idiot some times.

[m3f_BlkBimM3R_4c5ffa766f]

for your price range.. you can find many out of auction.. for your max of $20K you can find many 97 or so's w/ around 70K mi....depending on what your mileage cap is your price range should be able to secure a deal... when I was shopping in June 2002-January 2003 I saw plenty sold by private owners in the 20K range.. but I wanted a 98 or 99 w/ low miles so I waited quite a while... after 1/2 year.. I finally found a 99 cosmos blk w/ blk vaders and the contours (exactly what I wanted) w/ 36K... car was perfect.. onthing thing wrong was it had bald tires and the guy had a baby on the way and his wife said he HAD TO see it talked him down from $27.5 to 25.... just keep looking and eventually you'll find one...



as for your auction question.. sorry I don't know where they hold those..



btw I thought this post was going to be about a so cal E36 meet..

[m3f_undertow999]

btw I thought this post was going to be about a so cal E36 meet..



sorry about the misunderstanding with the title, but when i get mine i am all for a meet, anyways, i appreciate the information BlkBimM3R, that helps alot. Ya i have some time so I am not going to rush into anything. Just out of curiosity, if maintained correctly, how long will an M3 E36 last, and at what mileage point should someone stop modding the engine, because I know that I am going to want to Mod my M3 when i get it, so I of course want to be able to buy something thats worth modding. I know BMW's can go forever, but at what time would you stop modding one. Just an opinion question for anyone reading this thread.

[m3f_DSK M3/4_7bd32f4682]

i would try to stay away from auction M3s. try to find one that has all the service records. get copies, and chart out when maintenance was done. look for regular oil changes and inspections. did he take it to jiffy lube or a good independent mechanic? call the guy who worked on it. did the owner make needed repairs, or did he try to get out as cheaply as possible? was it garaged? detailed? ever raced (i'm talking real racing at a track)? if so, did he ever use slicks? accident? how bad? who fixed it? little things like this help me decide on a car. the ideal car has the right answers to all these questions, but just because the guy raced it or waited 1000 miles too long for one oil change doesn't mean it's a bad car- just be careful.



M3s regularly go 150k+ miles without the cylinder head coming off or major tranny work. 200k miles is starting to push it in my book. if you have plans for forced induction, you may want a high mile car so you can rebuild with low compression pistons and do the f/i at the same time. if you aren't going to do f/i, you probably want lower miles. check the faq- there are a bunch of good threads (including one by me) about buying an E36 M3. there is lots to learn, so take your time and find the right car.



remember, with interest rates so low it's a buyer's market. be patient and you will find one that fits you like a glove.

[m3f_undertow999]

DSK thanks a bunch for all those questions, some of those i probablly would have skipped over, I really appreciate it. Ya i am not in a hurry and I probablly wont buy for about 4-6 months, but im just starting to look around to get good ideas, and all you guys at this forums have helped a ton.



NOw by forced induction do you mean superchargers and turbo's? Probabllyt a dumb question but Im not too mechanically inclined. thanks

[m3f_TeknoM3]

Check this guide I got from totalbmwmag.com - http://www.totalbmwmag.com/Pages/Buying.html

look for a buying guide for e36 M3. Enjoy and Goodluck.... Oh BTW, check http://www.pkbimmerz.com/ to get a quality M3.... I got mine from the back in 2000....

[m3f_M3-4-Life310]

what kind of rims are on that m3? BBS wat?

[m3f_BlkBimM3R_4c5ffa766f]

I only have around 40K cuz I only drive this car on the weekends... don't need it sitting 8 hrs in the sun and getting bird crap on it while I'm at work on weekdays... but my friends brother has like 180K on his 95... I don't know his brother that well.. so I'm not exactly sure what he had to replace.. but I don't recall my friend saying it was a lot of trouble or not to get one when I told him I wanted to buy one and how was his brothers car after all these yrs...



DSK has some good advice for you there...



also make sure you get a pre-purchase inspection... a qualified mechanic will be able to see what you overlook... hundred or 2 for the inspection will be worth it if you avoided a potential nightmare....



Tekno: nice rims... I'm near burbank and shop there sometimes.. maybe I'll see you driving around sometime...

[m3f_TeknoM3]

what kind of rims are on that m3? BBS wat?

Yup! BBS Type CH 19" :thumbsup:

[m3f_TeknoM3]

I only have around 40K cuz I only drive this car on the weekends... don't need it sitting 8 hrs in the sun and getting bird crap on it while I'm at work on weekdays... but my friends brother has like 180K on his 95... I don't know his brother that well.. so I'm not exactly sure what he had to replace.. but I don't recall my friend saying it was a lot of trouble or not to get one when I told him I wanted to buy one and how was his brothers car after all these yrs...



DSK has some good advice for you there...



also make sure you get a pre-purchase inspection... a qualified mechanic will be able to see what you overlook... hundred or 2 for the inspection will be worth it if you avoided a potential nightmare....



Tekno: nice rims... I'm near burbank and shop there sometimes.. maybe I'll see you driving around sometime...



Thanks for the compliment BlkBimM3R! I will be at Bob's Big Boy 2 night.... The Big Blocker's shows up every Friday night like a mini car show..... u might wanna show up..... lets represent the M Power!