SOLD
The time has come to sell my Cosmos Black 1997 M3 with 118k miles since I will be moving back home to Sweden due to work on the 22nd of January. I bought it in St. Louis August 2014, I am the sixth owner and the previous two owners used it almost exclusively for track days and some weekend driving. I intended to use it for autocross and some track days but never got the chance to, so it has served as a weekend car and occasional commuter for me. The car comes with extensive documentation of its service history from the previous two owners dating back to 2007. There is no rust to be found on the car.
The gauge cluster was replaced in 2009 at 104,000 miles, so the new cluster shows only 13,720 miles. Documentation and receipts of this swap are included.
The car had a safety inspection done by a local independent BMW shop last winter and the only note was a tiny leak in a power steering hose, though they didn’t recommend replacing it as it was only a very minor leak.
The Good
The stock radio packed it in and there seemed to be some interference with the HK amp, so I decided to replace it all with a JL Audio XD400 amp and Kicker 2-way speakers. I couldn’t find any head units that look good in an e36 so instead I relocated the OBC to the radio slot and fit a second sunglass holder where the OBC normally goes. If you have an iPhone the sound is handled by an HRT iStreamer (though this can be replaced with an AUX cable) so all you do is plug your phone in and hit play. Volume is adjusted by the small knob that sits between the seat heater and ASC buttons and the HiFi button functions as an on/off switch instead.
The Extra
The Bad
The worst damage on the car was a crack in the front bumper that happened last winter. While reversing through some thick icy snow the MM underpanel acted like a plow and the snow managed to tear the bumper half off, causing part of it to crack. Thankfully this is directly behind the license plate and can’t be seen with it installed. I routed out the crack and used flexible epoxy to bind it back together, the small zip ties you see in the picture were used to hold everything in position since there was no way to clamp that area. I would have had it done professionally but it happened on a trip out of state and needed to be mended quickly to get back out on the road. It can easily be sanded smooth and painted over but I have not yet had the time to give it the needed attention.
And in case anybody wants to see it, I found an old video of the car out on the track from a previous owner: https://vimeo.com/2131606
The quickest way to get in touch is via email or phone
mc.benson(at)me.com
(614) 264-8493
The time has come to sell my Cosmos Black 1997 M3 with 118k miles since I will be moving back home to Sweden due to work on the 22nd of January. I bought it in St. Louis August 2014, I am the sixth owner and the previous two owners used it almost exclusively for track days and some weekend driving. I intended to use it for autocross and some track days but never got the chance to, so it has served as a weekend car and occasional commuter for me. The car comes with extensive documentation of its service history from the previous two owners dating back to 2007. There is no rust to be found on the car.
The gauge cluster was replaced in 2009 at 104,000 miles, so the new cluster shows only 13,720 miles. Documentation and receipts of this swap are included.
The car had a safety inspection done by a local independent BMW shop last winter and the only note was a tiny leak in a power steering hose, though they didn’t recommend replacing it as it was only a very minor leak.
The Good
- Conforti Cold Air Intake
- Bilstein Sport Shocks
- H&R Sport Springs
- Ground Control Camber Plates
- Dinan Exhaust
- Short shifter
- Stainless brake lines
- Glass projector headlights w/ HID bulbs
- Clear euro indicators all around
- 18” ASA AR-1 wheels w/ Michelin Pilot Sport PS2
- TC Kline bolt-in roll bar
- Fluidyne Aluminum Radiator
- Motion Motorsports Underpanel
The stock radio packed it in and there seemed to be some interference with the HK amp, so I decided to replace it all with a JL Audio XD400 amp and Kicker 2-way speakers. I couldn’t find any head units that look good in an e36 so instead I relocated the OBC to the radio slot and fit a second sunglass holder where the OBC normally goes. If you have an iPhone the sound is handled by an HRT iStreamer (though this can be replaced with an AUX cable) so all you do is plug your phone in and hit play. Volume is adjusted by the small knob that sits between the seat heater and ASC buttons and the HiFi button functions as an on/off switch instead.
The Extra
- Two Schroth Rallye 4 harnesses
- A set of 17” winter wheels and tires with around 500 miles on them
- Brake duct hose (everything else needed to install the ducts is already on the car)
- OEM sway bars front & rear
- Interior pieces that were removed to install the roll bar
- Non armrest center console
- Jack pad adapter
- E36 Bentley Service Manual
- Lots of bits and bobs that for one reason or another aren’t on the car
The Bad
- Scrape on the right rear
- Dent in the right front wheel well
- Broken glove compartment damper
- Front BMW roundel has seen better days
- Some curb rash on the wheels
- Missing right front side skirt jack point cover
- For those that like the OEM toolkit there are a couple items missing
- Dent on the left side of the nose panel
- Missing left rear bumper trim
- Scrape on the left rear
- those last three being the result of terrible parallel parkers
The worst damage on the car was a crack in the front bumper that happened last winter. While reversing through some thick icy snow the MM underpanel acted like a plow and the snow managed to tear the bumper half off, causing part of it to crack. Thankfully this is directly behind the license plate and can’t be seen with it installed. I routed out the crack and used flexible epoxy to bind it back together, the small zip ties you see in the picture were used to hold everything in position since there was no way to clamp that area. I would have had it done professionally but it happened on a trip out of state and needed to be mended quickly to get back out on the road. It can easily be sanded smooth and painted over but I have not yet had the time to give it the needed attention.
And in case anybody wants to see it, I found an old video of the car out on the track from a previous owner: https://vimeo.com/2131606
The quickest way to get in touch is via email or phone
mc.benson(at)me.com
(614) 264-8493
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