Looking @ a 1996 M3

[Hastings]

Found a 1996 M3 nearby - up until now, I've been a diehard Volvo fan, had a 2000 C70 Coupe until it got rear-ended, been stuck with a Mountaineer until now - That mountaineer is up for sale, and as soon as it sells, I'm nearly positive I'm going to get this baby.

My general questions on the car include:
- What kind of maintenance is required? Anything that's known to break around 100k etc?
- What modifications seem to be most popular? It already has a m50 air intake manifold and K&N air filter, but past that I only plan on exhaust & chip...
- I'm going to look at it tomorrow, but how are the stereos in these cars? It has an aftermarket deck hooked up to the stock speakers... are they any good?
- Any other words from the wise?

[Hastings]

...Not a very active forum are we? O.O

[AlpineSixAndSeven]

lol not in the m sections the cost of Parts is ok do you plan on doing the work yourself?

[witeshark]

Do you have access to full service records?

[saltshaker185]

here is one link that you should scan over to get an idea of the problem areas to ask about/ look into...

United Bimmer - BMW Enthusiast Community and Forums : Bimmer Technical Help

another site is,

Trials and tribulations of BMW ownership: E36 BMW Common faults and fixes


lastly, one of the better ones would be this one,

edge motorworks - 3 Series 1992-1999 (E36 & M3)

hope this is some help

also keep in mind as far as modifications go, these suspensions are very very tight from the factory, because of that they wear out pretty quickly so going to suspension as far as mods go might not be a bad idea after checking out any maintenance...

stereo is no world class... if you like to just listen to music itll do fine but you cant really fit a decent set of speakers in the car with out a little bit of fab work because the stockers are pretty small...

[e36surge]

Where to begin... here's a good link for you... BMW E36 DIY (Do It Yourself)

- Rear shock mounts, replace them if they are factory. Get the newer reinforced ones
- Rear trailing are bushings... can't remember how many times I changed these
- Check the rack and pinion
- Inspect the rear subframe
- Water pump... make sure it was replaced with a pump that has a metal impeller... stockies werre plastic

Stock speakers are okay, normally driving too fast to listen to music. I never changed the speakers on both my e36s. Head units were changed on both.

- watch for rust in the rear wheelwells towards the back of the car.
- inspect the wiring in the trunk coming out of the rear deck lid. some wires get kinked, some get exposed from rubbing eachother
- rear trunk lid locking mechanism may go haywire from time to time. In part related to frayed wires
- collision sensor likes to play games with your head when you hit bumps. repeatedly opens and closes \locks and unlocks\ doors while you drive
- electric windows like to stop half way and go. sometimes related to window switches sometimes related to position sensor in door (if I remember correctly)
- door latch on B pillar needs if locking becomes an issue. Visual inspection will reveal wear and tear
- wiper linkage needs to be inspected
- exhaust system needs to be inspected. not cheap to replace

I'm sure there is more. e36s are solid cars and I always wanted an e36 M3 but it never happened. The e46 came along so...

Good luck.

Surge

before you buy put her up on a lift and do a visual