Let's Talk About The e36

[anabolice30]

I have an oppurtunity to buy a higher mileage (220k) e36. A 1997 328is autotragic for daily duty. My friend bought the car one of his friends, who was an engineer, who bought it from another engineer, so I'm confident that maintenance was kept up with pretty well.

All in all it is a pretty clean car, but I'm just wondering how are e36s standing the test of time? I've driven the car before and everything seems pretty solid, I just want to avoid throwing myself into the money pit six months from now.

I've read that the achilles heal of the e36 is the cooling system, which is something I could easily and gladly attend to. Anyone with e36 experience here care to speak to the reliability of the car?

Thanks!

[kickinindian]

make sure the cooling system is done ASAP, even if their is evidence of it being done recently still replace all the plastic cooling stuff. the engine should be fine at that mileage, tranny flush and change the filter might help the auto, if not just find a cheap 5 speed to throw up in there.

[Hooffenstein HD]

The 328i is a pretty fun car with a manual.

I've got a 328i that has been sitting for two years, any thing I should attend to before daily driving it besides an oil change and coolant flush? It was pretty well maintained before I got it, just wondering if the sitting for extended period could cause any problems.

[anabolice30]

make sure the cooling system is done ASAP, even if their is evidence of it being done recently still replace all the plastic cooling stuff. the engine should be fine at that mileage, tranny flush and change the filter might help the auto, if not just find a cheap 5 speed to throw up in there.

Would probably throw in the fivespeed eventually. I really dislike the auto. Thanks for the help.

[kickinindian]

The 328i is a pretty fun car with a manual.

I've got a 328i that has been sitting for two years, any thing I should attend to before daily driving it besides an oil change and coolant flush? It was pretty well maintained before I got it, just wondering if the sitting for extended period could cause any problems.

every single plastic coolant piece they are like fucking glass! my best friend had a 97' 328is he changed the thermostat housing that is plastic with a new OEM bmw one and within a year it already had cracked and caused a severe overheat... they make metal replacements i think but probably pretty expensive to get.

[TobyB]

Yeah, the plastic, everywhere. Interior, too, if you live below the 45th parallel.
Headliners. Buy BMW (or OE supplier- no "Cooling Depot") cooling and sealing plastic. It's
not cheap, but it's cheaper than the consequences.

The autoboxes are consumables, so get looking for that 5- speed sooner than later.
Sadly, bummerforums seems to be one of the better online resources, or was a few years back.
97 is only year 2 of OBD2, and it was problematic, if you have to keep your CEL off for emissions reasons. Likewise, the airbag system if THAT has to be light- free.

If the suspension is worn out, especially in back, it is expensive to fix. The bushings are
$50 a pop, and there are about 18 of them. And it's a lot of work to change them all
(except in the ti, where it's trailing arms as usual, and the entertaining handling to go with)

I daily 2, one a ti. I like they way they drive. I like the way they stop. I dislike the way
I'm always fixing one little pissy thing or another, especially inside the doors.

They'll soon be classics, but I doubt they'll be E30's. Probably not as bad as E21's, though.

t

[anabolice30]

Sucks about the bushings? Nowhere to get a bushing kit for less than $900

[Hooffenstein HD]

I daily 2, one a ti. I like they way they drive. I like the way they stop. I dislike the way
I'm always fixing one little pissy thing or another, especially inside the doors.

I hate to say it but I probably like the way my ti drives even more so than an E30 but pulling door cards off every other week gets old real quick.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

dont forget the rear subframe bushings that like to rip the chassis apart

[jrossowvue30]

I have a 96 M3 with 220k. I've owned it for about 4 years and at this point there really isn't much I haven't had to address maintenance-wise. I love mine but it is just a toy so I do not DD it, thus I am not dealing with the nagging little annoyances most guys who DD theirs are dealing with. I do feel confident that I could DD mine though because I took the plunge and did anything and everything that could be done to it in about a 5 month period, now I just do a yearly service to make sure everything is in good order. I often think of getting another e36 (non-M) to DD, there is a clean 318ti on craigslist near me that has been begging to be bought...

[1992mtech2]

I daily drive a 1994 325i picked it up with around 215k have over 230k on it now it has been relatively trouble free other than some electrical issues but overall I really enjoy it as a daily driver and have found it pretty easy to work on.

[Das Delfin]

imo the only e36 that's better than an e30 is one with low miles, dealer maintained, 9/10 condition. Aka the one I slung into a '99 Audi S4 :'(

[graveshaker]

I've owned several and never ran across a coolant issue. One 318is, one 325is, and two m3s. I did have to do subframe repair on the 325is however. I will only own m3 e36s for this reason, m3 comes with the reinforced subframe from factory. Overall very fun cars, the 328 can be very fun with the added power.

[anabolice30]

imo the only e36 that's better than an e30 is one with low miles, dealer maintained, 9/10 condition. Aka the one I slung into a '99 Audi S4 :'(

I think Exodus would like to have a word with you..

[e30onBBSs]

What else to look for on an e36 to tell if it's good or bad?