E36 questions, oh boy.

[dude8383]

It's wicked fast off the line, gutless over 80 ... I don't like the roll-over like feeling of driving an SUV and if anyone of you saw my Jeep cornering, it'd give a new definition to bodyroll. Steering sucks, it's definitely not rack and pinion steering, and the brakes in all ZJ's are horrendous, feels like stopping a semi truck. While fairly decent for off-roading and AWD launches on pavement, I'm ready to move back from the SUV world and onto a much more enjoyable car world.

An ETA would be great for gas mileage, but I'd like to replace the Jeep with an E36 that gets double the fuel economy of the Jeep and still is somewhat reliable and overall a nicer car (without modifying it.)

I'm also being taunted by M3's, it's a possibility I could shell out a few grand in the form of a loan and buy one of those suckers...

soooo basically what you are saying is that you don't think an E30 would be a reliable choice...

getting an E36 would be more un-reliable and more costly to fix..

[Digitalwave]

E36's are generally a lot cheaper to fix than E30's, the parts are more abundant.

[dude8383]

E36's are generally a lot cheaper to fix than E30's, the parts are more abundant.

i take my statement back..but aren't they less reliable?

[Rob]

they are indeed more complex, with hypothetically more stuff to go wrong.

I think its a wash between $$ and reliability (non-M at least), but I do think that E30s are much easier to work on compared to E36s.

[Digitalwave]

i take my statement back..but aren't they less reliable?

Haha, why are you even putting out such statements if you have no experience with E36's?

I think early model E36's have many more 'bugs' than E30's due, but once fixed they are reliable cars. Add to the fact that most E36's are a lot newer and arguably better designed, I'd say they are more reliable than E30's.

[dude8383]

Haha, why are you even putting out such statements if you have no experience with E36's?

I think early model E36's have many more 'bugs' than E30's due, but once fixed they are reliable cars. Add to the fact that most E36's are a lot newer and arguably better designed, I'd say they are more reliable than E30's.

my friend has a 96 328is, im familiar with the car dude

[catalyst.]

The M's are just as reliable as the other e36's, other than the early 95's that had the retainer failures. The bushings and suspension components are most likely slightly more expensive though.

I own a 93 325 myself and its a great car for the money. I get 29 to 30 MPG on the highway with the cruise set at 75, and depending upon how i drive.. 22-26 in town.

The cooling system is the weak link in any e36 though, make sure that everything has been replaced before you buy it.. i mean everything, radiator, wp, thermostat, all hosing, thermostat housing. Or be prepared to drop some cash into it early on if its been poorly maintained.

Balljoints, and CAB's need periodic replacement as with many other bmw's, so be ready for that..

Theyre great cars all the way around.. good power, pretty reliable, good handling. Whenever i get into mine in the morning.. it feels like a completely modern car, the cockpit is ages ahead of its time, and feels like it could have been designed a year ago, not 14 years ago :)

Im going to get flamed for this post, but whatever.. e30's are fantastic too and i hope to eventually own one.

[Digitalwave]

The M's are just as reliable as the other e36's, other than the early 95's that had the retainer failures. The bushings and suspension components are most likely slightly more expensive though.

I own a 93 325 myself and its a great car for the money. I get 29 to 30 MPG on the highway with the cruise set at 75, and depending upon how i drive.. 22-26 in town.

The cooling system is the weak link in any e36 though, make sure that everything has been replaced before you buy it.. i mean everything, radiator, wp, thermostat, all hosing, thermostat housing. Or be prepared to drop some cash into it early on if its been poorly maintained.

Balljoints, and CAB's need periodic replacement as with many other bmw's, so be ready for that..

Theyre great cars all the way around.. good power, pretty reliable, good handling. Whenever i get into mine in the morning.. it feels like a completely modern car, the cockpit is ages ahead of its time, and feels like it could have been designed a year ago, not 14 years ago :)

Im going to get flamed for this post, but whatever.. e30's are fantastic too and i hope to eventually own one.

Flamed for what? You speak the truth.

[Rob]

M3 specific parts (both e30 and e36) are more expensive than non-M. *shrug*

[Charlie]

Find yourself a 96-99 318i, 'is or Ti. Good mileage, easy to work on, and there's practically no maintence items on an m44 motor. Stock for stock they handle better than an e30, have much better brakes and a nicer turn in.

I average ~34 mpg highway in the ti.

-Charlie

[dude8383]

Find yourself a 96-99 318i, 'is or Ti. Good mileage, easy to work on, and there's practically no maintence items on an m44 motor. Stock for stock they handle better than an e30, have much better brakes and a nicer turn in.

I average ~34 mpg highway in the ti.

-Charlie

Ti's are the shizzle.. i love the short look of it, there was one on ebay that was in really really NICE condition that sold for about $3600..if only i had the money that thing would have been mine.

[catalyst.]

So, yeah. E36's sound like a reasonable upgrade from my old E30 in terms of general daily-driveability. A 325i/s would be pretty neat to drive, but looking at the M3 and statistics about it make me want to own an M3 much more so than the 325. Also think about insurance!

I've just started some research in average prices and such of E36's and I find they're overall pretty nice cars. But, again, looking at the M3's ... it's almost worth it to go all the way and keep a stock car then investing money into a 325 to soup it up.

The M3 and the 325 shouldnt even be considered together, the M is much much more expensive than any 325 is going to be. M's go for 10-15k and 325's go for less than half that, 3500-6000.

325's are really a good deal for the money these days, i got mine for 4500 with 124k on it, ive so far put 15k on it since november and done nothing other than new tires and brakes and such.

If you do buy one, i highly recommend budgeting 17 inch rims into the cost of the car, because they are such an incredible improvment over stock.. i could never go back to 15 inch rims after putting M contours on my car.

0-60 in a vanos 325 is between 6.3 and 7 seconds, they have plenty of power. The top speed is 148 MPH. I cant think of any other 4500 dollar car with these specs, can you? :)

[Rob]

0-60 in a vanos 325 is between 6.3 and 7 seconds, they have plenty of power. The top speed is 148 MPH. I cant think of any other 4500 dollar car with these specs, can you? :)

Just about any 80s V8 pony car :p

[RobertK]

I personally think $6-7,000 is on the low side for buying a nice E36. There are TONS of E36's for less than that available, but they are going to be trashed. Interiors falling apart, worn suspension, probably a cooling system in need of a major overhaul. I would look for at least a 95+, but definately stay away from 92-93's.

I would say $4500-$5000 should get you a fairly nice e36. My mom got her 95 325i for $4200 but she spent $800 on new shocks, cd player, wheel bearing, oil change, wheel alignment & tune up.

[Rob]

there's a difference for sure, the gap opens up a lot more on the track. Both handle excellently on the street, as they should, since Handling was BMW's claim to fame before they decided to start making heavy luxury cars.


If I was in the market for a fun to drive car for $10k, I'd go 93-95 325i. you can get a nice one easily for that, with money left over for repairs, as well as light mods. I'd probably fix anything that was broken, then springs/shocks, trackpipe/M3 catback, intake, and short shifter, and have fun