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I'd highly recomend a manual over the auto....I'd be willing to bet this is why your local used dealer is willing to deal so much w/ ya. BMW makes a very solid car, and all things being equal, they spend more time developing their 3 than any other car in the lineup....needless to say they spend the most time w/ the ///M series car.
however, there are a few problem areas in these cars, and as I've owned several BMW's, here's some sound advice to someone looking to join the club:
1. Buy a manual. While the auto's aren't typcially failure prone, they do fail and are very costly to have re-manu'd. Depending on the age and condition of a given BMW, tranny problems can in some cases total a car. Besides, your buying a BMW -a driver's car- buy a manual and thank me later.
2. The coolant systems. Not only should you replace the water pump every 60K, you should also swap out the thermostat and thermostat housing. While your at it, wouldn't hurt to replace drive belts and any hoses that appear weak. Short of having records or confirming w/ a trusted previous owner....there is no way to confirm such maintenance has already been performed, as BMW has waffled back and forth on recomending plastic v.s. metal impellers (they both fail, but for different reasons)...these are fairly cheap items to replace and will ensure a long and healthy engine life. If you plan to track the car at all, i'd also recomend upgrading the radiator to an all alluminum unit (as a permenant fix), or a simple oem replacement every 100k.
3. Control arms/bushings/sway bars/end links/shocks/springs, are all things to look into upon purchase of a 10 year-old BMW....replacement of these parts are not rediculously expensive, and if you have any ability to wrench yourself, you can do most if not all of it yourself. Replacing these often worn parts will completely transform your car....trust me on this one.
4. Lastly and probably most importantly, when looking for a used BMW, i can't stress enough, how much a complete set of maintenance records is worth. I'd much rather have a car w/ 100k and a complete service history v.s. a 65k car w/ none. These cars are built very well and last forever, but only if properly maintained... a car neglected is a car fraught with needed repairs. There's no sense in buying someone else's problems.
You guys rule...I am looking up some manual cars right now! I found one 97 purple in color with 170K on it...but looks exceptionally clean...not really fond of the 'chick' color with a white interior...but whoever had it did tasteful upgrades blistien shocks, angel eyes...and took great care of the interior...I am gonna call this guy tomrrow. Plus it is a 4 door...but at this point I'd rather have a 4Dr than an automatic...
I agree, but 170K ?? is the price right ? cause that is alot of miles . If you are patient you can find a great deal. I spent countless hours combing ebay and I had chances to bid on really great cars .. If I would have had a bigger wallet I coulda got some really really nice cars. So be patient do the searching.. and BTW... DAKAR FTW
Anyone following this thread keep your eyes open for a Decent 95-99 M3 Not made of cash but will pay a 'fair' amount for the right car. Prefer a higher mile, lower cost car since this will be a 'toy' I'd put whatever work necessary to get it up to snuff. I checked the Internet all night long found several I live in Toledo So I'd travel to NY, Phila, Pitts, Buffalo, To Lexington KY, St. Louis to Chicago...don't want to go much beyond the 500Mile radius. Put out several calls and no one was home or returning calls.
Where abouts in Toledo do you live ? I'm attend The University of Toledo. I'll keep an eye out.. Every once in a while I search through ebay for a decent looking M ... What is your pricerange ?
I found an E46 for $18,000 would be nice...Just talked with some guy on the West side of Chicago...he has a 96 for 10K silver 5speed sounds like it is in great shape with 122K on it...I will probably take a look at it soon...
im not a fan of buying a car with a lot of mods, or buying from a dealer...i prefer to buy a car from the current owner, not a car that's been processed and through a auction or two.
with that in mind, here's a list of a few i found that looked good at first glance. there might be one or two that are at a dealer, these were clean enough to fore go the aforementioned. all are within 500mi of Toledo. some are above your price range, but asking price is a starting point....i've never paid even close. my current car was purchased for $2300 less than the asking price.
btw, an e36 M3 and an e46 330ci are two different cars. I prefer the later, hence my current car, but im not saying it's better...just my preference. feel free to PM me if you wish to discuss further.
Yea you have alot to work with. I mean if your willing to spend 14k on an M you should def not be worried about getting an Auto.. 14k will get you almost any kind of E36 M you want. So you don't exactly have to wait on something. When I was on the market I had about 7 grand to deal with and it took a little long for me to find a car.
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