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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Best BMW for under $8k?

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May 24, 2011 2:34 p.m. speedblind Reader

I agree with those that say look in the E36 direction. With BMWs, well maintained trumps all else: mileage, year, etc. You're more likely to find a well maintained E36 for under $8k than anything else.

I bought this a couple months ago. $7,300 for a 99k mile 97 M3. Fairly stock except for Bilstein/HR suspension. Just needs the basic bushings, cooling system, etc. but that can all be done over time.

With a lower budget, the more time/patience you can have, the better your result will be. If you don't have a ton of cash for maintenance, you're probably best off buying something a little older with all the typical work done.
May 24, 2011 3:00 p.m. 1988RedT2 Dork

Joe Gearin wrote:

For $8K I think I'd search for the cleanest most un-molested E30 325is in the world. Then I'd go about molesting it!

The E36 M3 would be great, but a nice one will cost a bit more. I prefer the driving size / flingability of the E30 to the E36, but the E36 M3 is a different animal. I'd rather have a nice E30 325i over an E36 325i, or 328i.

your mileage may vary

This.
May 24, 2011 3:22 p.m. fastEddie SuperDork

Update - Currently have my eye on a nicely modded 318ti with a DASC. Waiting on the seller to decide if he'll take cash though.... He had it listed for a trade.

Anybody in Indy willing to check it out for me if/when it comes to that?
May 24, 2011 7:21 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

if I went.. I would come home with the car
May 25, 2011 6:53 a.m. 02Pilot Reader

nderwater wrote:

E39's make great daily drivers (my wife loves hers), but note that gas mileage is mediocre - we average 19-20 mpg in mixed driving.

Depends a lot on model, options and maintenance. My 525i gets 26 in mixed driving easily. Manual transmission and up-to-date maintenance, including VANOS seal replacement (which added almost 2mpg). The cruise control is really excellent in these cars, and helps mileage a good bit in my experience.
May 25, 2011 7:34 a.m. Ian F SuperDork

speedblind wrote:

With BMWs, well maintained trumps all else: mileage, year, etc. You're more likely to find a well maintained E36 for under $8k than anything else.

This is really true for just about any car, but it seems to affect German cars in particular. My TDI has 250K on it and I wouldn't think twice about driving it across the country. Of course, I bought the car new and know that it has been serviced by the book. I bought my E30 for similar reasons: enthusiast owned and folder full of service records. Its condition hides the 200K+ miles well.
May 25, 2011 8:05 a.m. WilberM3 HalfDork

fastEddie wrote:

Update - Currently have my eye on a nicely modded 318ti with a DASC. Waiting on the seller to decide if he'll take cash though.... He had it listed for a trade.

i have to say i don't understand this side of cragislist. i see it in listings all the time but i'm honestly not sure i would ever considered trading a vehicle with strangers on CL. i suppose in the (for me anyway) unlikely event both parties actually have something interesting to the other it eliminates a second transaction of selling, but how often does that happen? are there really that many people that do it?
May 25, 2011 8:11 a.m. Giant Purple Snorklewacker SuperDork

The E36 M3 is an absolute blast, dead sexy, seats 4 with a decent trunk and can do well at track days and auto-x in stock form. If you spend $7500 on one you should get a nice car that needs some refreshing.
May 25, 2011 8:15 a.m. John Brown SuperDork

Josh wrote:

I may be biased, but I'd rather have a sub-8k E36 than an E46 in the same range. Reason being that you can get a perfect late E36 for that price, or a beat early E46. They have almost the same drivetrains, but the E46 is heavier, softer, and the steering is numb. The '03-on E46s are better, but out of that price range.

As for the E36 cooling fan, there are a few options. Lots of people remove it and run a colder thermostat. You can replace it for about $30 if you are worried about an old brittle one blowing up, but my experience is that the real problem with the cooling fans is bad motor mounts that allow it to hit the shroud or radiator. New motor mounts and maybe upgraded tranny mounts, and it likely wont be a problem. Certainly nothing worth ruling out the car over.

Plus you can change the battery ;)
May 25, 2011 8:25 a.m. pigeon Dork

I still vote early E46. There's a dozen E46 coupes (even a couple 328s) in apparently good condition under $7k within 100 miles of me on c-list. For a daily driver I'd take that over an E36 M3, and even for autocrossing my old bone stock E46 328i ate up more than a few E36 M3s on the autocross course. It's often been said that the E36 was the car where BMW found the floor for cheaping out on their cars' materials by crashing right through it. When I sold my '99 328i with 168k miles on it the interior was like new and it drove almost like new, no squeaks, rattles, falling headliners, unglued door panels, etc.
May 25, 2011 8:40 a.m. nderwater Dork

The E36 interior is an order of magnitude nicer and more comfortable than the E36. The ride in an E46 328i is also a lot more compliant than an E36 M3. On the flip side, the 328i lacks limited slip, makes significantly less power and torque, has smaller brakes and tires, and sits on softer springs & swaybars. The fact that pigeon's bone stock E46 beat a few M3's at an autocross is anecdotal - the exception rather than the rule.
May 25, 2011 8:45 a.m. mad_machine SuperDork

driver ability over car ability. If Pigeon had said that he had driven both the E36 M3 and the E46 328 on the course and the E46 was faster.. then it is a tangible truth.

That said.. the e46 is a NICER place to sit.. the interior is a lot better.. but the underpinnings of the E35/E46/E9X is more or less the same with minor differences
May 25, 2011 8:55 a.m. WilberM3 HalfDork

In reply to mad_machine:

the e90/92 front suspension shares nothing but a mcpherson strut type with the previous 3 series actually. it's become a smaller control-arm/thrust-arm setup like the 5s and 7s have been for a long time, 1 series uses it too now. e46 and first generation Z4 were the last of the one-piece L-shaped lower control arm suspension.
May 25, 2011 9:04 a.m. mad_machine SuperDork

I stand corrected. I was just going by what I read on the E9X on how several magazines noted that the chassis was similer.. just a LOT bigger
May 25, 2011 9:40 a.m. m4ff3w SuperDork

http://mcallen.en.craigslist.org/cto/2376709999.html
May 25, 2011 11:48 a.m. fastEddie SuperDork

http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/2397451731.html ???

I'm a little nervous about the mileage and the V8 engine. Thoughts?
May 25, 2011 12:08 p.m. nderwater Dork

lol - this is where we tell you Go drive some cars!
May 25, 2011 12:53 p.m. pigeon Dork

fastEddie wrote:

http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/2397451731.html ???

I'm a little nervous about the mileage and the V8 engine. Thoughts?

The only think that makes me nervous about that car is the color
May 25, 2011 12:54 p.m. pigeon Dork

nderwater wrote:

lol - this is where we tell you Go drive some cars!

QFT!
May 25, 2011 1:12 p.m. Ian F SuperDork

pigeon wrote:

fastEddie wrote:

http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/2397451731.html ???

I'm a little nervous about the mileage and the V8 engine. Thoughts?

The only think that makes me nervous about that car is the color

+1 Wow... that seems cheap for such a cool car. Although the color could be a value killer. I've only seen those in dark colors.

Again... it a BMW... records, records, records... starting to feel like a broken record here...

I agree... Go drive some cars!
May 25, 2011 1:15 p.m. ppddppdd Reader

fastEddie wrote:

http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/2397451731.html ???

I'm a little nervous about the mileage and the V8 engine. Thoughts?

170K is nothing, really. My E34 '91 535i has 230K miles on it and you would think it was 75K miles old. It gets driven stupid hard and just shrugs it off. My dad has a '90 with 290K miles on it and the head has never been off. My old E28 had 230K. That's all completely unremarkable for old 5-series cars. The E39 V8 cars are probably just as reliable if they're maintained well.

And by maintained well, hope to see scary records. Dealer maintained cars rack up some big bills. Both my 5ers had way over $20K in repair bills. IIRC the E28 was way over $30K in receipts. They're cheap to maintain if you do it yourself, but daaaaaaaaamn you need to avoid the dealer.
May 25, 2011 2:36 p.m. 02Pilot Reader

ppddppdd wrote:

The E39 V8 cars are probably just as reliable if they're maintained well.

They aren't from what I've heard and seen. The V8s all leak oil and, more worryingly, the timing chain guides are reaching the end of their service life and disintegrating; if the timing chain rattles, run away.

Now, if you include timing chain guide replacement in the maintenance category, I'll agree with your statement, but I'll still avoid M62-equipped BMWs. The I6 cars are easier to maintain.
May 26, 2011 7:24 a.m. AngryCorvair SuperDork

i'm no fan of beige, but for the right price and with the right records, i'd rock it like a hurricane. and when was the last time you saw a beige car pulled over by the man?
May 26, 2011 8:54 a.m. jrw1621 SuperDork

Pictures of the 540 show it parked on a concrete driveway. Look at the car at the owners house and while there be sure to observe the concrete for signs of oil leaks.

If interested, have a pre-purchase inspection done at this place - good work.
http://www.bestmotorwerks.com/

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