e36 M3 reliability

Im thinking of buying an old 95-97 M3 with around 120k + miles....

I am pretty new to BMW's therefore I dont know how reliable or how long this car will last me....

Any ideas on how many miles I can pull out of this car ?

[Cruzin 323is]

first off... welcome to the forums...


95-97 m3... depending on the previous owner(s) and how well they keept it... its good for prolly 200,000 miles... getting a car with 120k miles on it will cost a lot of money to get back into shape..

well you just have to gauge how the car looks, does it look like they ran the shit out of it, or was it babied and never raced? that will make a big difference.

I just bought a 98 m3, 62K miles, and the thing is like new. keep in mind, i paid out the wazoo for it, but like i said, the car is perfect.

good luck.

[SHAHAB323IS]

well i don't know about e36's reliability although i've seen alot with tons of miles that still run good, but i my uncle has an e30 with like 250k+ miles and it still runs good

[skawful]

Originally posted by bitchincamaro@Sep 7 2004, 12:01 PM
well you just have to gauge how the car looks, does it look like they ran the shit out of it, or was it babied and never raced? that will make a big difference.

I just bought a 98 m3, 62K miles, and the thing is like new. keep in mind, i paid out the wazoo for it, but like i said, the car is perfect.

good luck.

how much did you pay?

aww now this is america...you know we dont like to give up that kind of info. but what the hell...

around 20K.

well worth it.

[MrChance]

My 79 733i has 462k miles (200k I put on myself, the other 250+ my uncle put on it) on it and still runs like a monster and all I do is regular oil changes, etc.

I didn't have any reservations about buying a 97 328iS with 80k on it. BMW's run forever if you take care of them.

[skawful]

20k for a 4dr with 60k is a good deal not overpaying!!!!

[catalyst.]

Originally posted by skawful@Sep 8 2004, 11:19 AM
20k for a 4dr with 60k is a good deal not overpaying!!!!

i would shoot for more like 18 or 19.

[skawful]

a 98 convertable with 50k mi was 26,000
so a 98 sedan with 60k mi sounds correct for around $19-20,000

yeah this thing has a lot of upgrades on it. Dinan cold air intake, Dinan software, clear lights all around, ac schnitzer spoiler... service records are all there too...oil changed every 2000 miles, this guy was a nut.

plus everything is spotlessly clean...leather is like new, no dings or scratches, and i mean NONE.
the paint is like new, its unbelievable. I checked the service records, and the last 2 years the guy drove it only about 3,000 miles.

i knew i had to have it when i saw it.

[bitcore]

It shouldn't take lots of money to put it back into great condition. If a major component like a transmission or diff is screwed up, then obviously that's going to cost a lot.
The M3's don't suffer from the crappy bushing's I know for sure, the RSM's I think should be good. If they are bad, replace with E46 M3 convertable mounts. They shouldn't be.

and the last 2 years the guy drove it only about 3,000 miles.

That can mean two things:
1. He kept in in a garage most of the time
2. He tracked it and used a different car as a daily driver.

Looks hot dude, all those upgrades mean he had to drive the car to some degree, but he got good parts so he probably at least took care of it

[NeverLeaned]

Originally posted by bitchincamaro@Sep 8 2004, 04:06 PM
yeah this thing has a lot of upgrades on it. Dinan cold air intake, Dinan software, clear lights all around, ac schnitzer spoiler... service records are all there too...oil changed every 2000 miles, this guy was a nut.

plus everything is spotlessly clean...leather is like new, no dings or scratches, and i mean NONE.
the paint is like new, its unbelievable. I checked the service records, and the last 2 years the guy drove it only about 3,000 miles.

i knew i had to have it when i saw it.

I hear that, those cars do command a much higher value, I paid what many would say is too high for my 328is, but to own a Bimmer with zero dings/stratches, never driven in winter, mint interior, and a perfect BMW service history... is very worth the extra $$$ IMHO

[97alpineM3]

I have a 97 M... 157k... all of my highway miles... and a little track time.. its a well worked engine.. and it still kicks like hell... 7 years later...

Les