Best BMW for under $8k?

Still scratching my head on the Maxima replacement. Thanks to this board I'm now looking at E30's, E36's pretty hard and some early E46's. I want to keep it at or under $8k with TTL and any maintenance issues addressed - this will be my DD so basic reliability is a concern. I'd prefer a two door (coupe or Ti) but that isn't a huge deal. Manual transmission is preferred as well, especially on a Ti.

So feel free to suggest options (Dayton/Cincinnati/Columbus, OH C-lists if you are bored) and give your opinion.

What about this one? Has higher miles but seems to be in decent shape (ignore the wheels, I wouldn't be keeping the pimp rims) - http://bit.ly/jWoE5Z

Or this one? http://dayton.craigslist.org/cto/2396708830.html

The engine mounting cooling fan on the E36s can definitely be a problem. I also don't like the interior, maybe if I had bought a better example.

I was going to suggest an early E46. I loved my '99 328i and drove it from 99k to 168k with minimal problems - split a coolant overflow and had a replacement water pump fail. Looks like that one has had all the usual maintenance stuff done - dump the wheels and it'd be a fine car.

$8K should get you a nice E46 daily driver. It will lack LSD and won't be quite as responsive as an equivalent E36 or E30, but will likely be quicker and more comfortable. If you prefer something more track-ready, look for an E36 M3 or an enthusiast-tuned E30.

If you're looking at a BMW..what about an IS300? Or an SC300 or SC400? This might open up your options a bit therefore giving you a better shot at getting more car for your cash.

the TI is an altogether different beast from regular E36s. It's more unforgiving rear suspension design combined with (a lot) less weight makes it feel more like a newer E30 than an older E36.

It is lively and fun to toss about.. but the interior is lower rent than the already low rent regular E36s (it is harder wearing though) and with less to go wrong with the car.. it is more reliable. No mechanical cooling fans (on the later M44 engines) to destroy the radiator/hood. No massive On board computer to go nuts and brown out pixels. No subframe tearing...

but it is also only availible as a 140hp Four.. and that turns a LOT of people off.

The good news is.. BMWs are also like Legos.. you can take the best bits from high models and add them to your car. This includes brakes from the 8 series

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

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.

the worn engine/tranny mounts ARE the issue behind the "exploding" cooling fans. Plastic parts spinning around at 6tousand RPMs do NOT like to hit things

Been there, done that. If you have an E36, get the mounts changed as soon as they start to go off and save yourself a lot of hassle.

I vote early E46 as well unless you can find a good deal on a E36 M3.

I'm quite fond of my '99 328i. Aside from the usual BMW issues its been a pretty reliable car. I don't care for E36 interiors, they look dated IMO are normally pretty beat up.

In reply to mad_machine:

Yes, it is the mounts and a clearance issue. I am not sure if it is mount deterioration or just a design issue. My mounts looked fine, but the engine could rock a lot when I had the transmission out. I definitely wish I had done something about it.

The plastic fan itself is actually quite tough. I took it off and looked at it because I had heard of them exploding. I doubt they break just spinning in air. I found one of the blades bent 90 degrees and wedged against the radiator, but it didn't snap.

E39 528i stick/sport? here's one for $6k, north of Detroit

Our E39 makes a great family car, but it gives up a lot in terms of handling response to the 3-series. My E36 M3 is a fantastic autocrosser, the 530i... not a car you would want to autocross.

mad_machine wrote: the worn engine/tranny mounts ARE the issue behind the "exploding" cooling fans. Plastic parts spinning around at 6tousand RPMs do NOT like to hit things

QFT.

The fans do not explode on their own ever. Engine and trans mounts start to give. They don't need to tear - just have a little too much play. When the mounts are new that motor barely moves even if you use a pry bar.

These motors are so smooth that you will barely notice NVH so buy nylon replacements and never worry about it again.

mad_machine wrote: the worn engine/tranny mounts ARE the issue behind the "exploding" cooling fans. Plastic parts spinning around at 6tousand RPMs do NOT like to hit things

The fact that its made out of FRP and not nylon like oh every other engine mounted fan I have ever seen does not help things. But yeah I had a new one on my door from Rockauto for $24, gotta love having a German Civic!

What purpose? If "large" family car with reasonable fuel economy is your thing, I'd look for something like this. $3200 E39. I'd buy better wheels and tires, and drive it.

E46 prices have come down a lot: 8k gets a nice one. We just took ours to Washington DC and back (from Ontario) and it was a pleasure on both the interstate and the back roads.

The E36 M3 is a more capable/sporting car, and prices for decent examples are getting close to your price point. Ours was the best car we've ever had.

8k will build you a quick and clean Ti. I'd be looking at a 6 cylinder swap - preferably an aluminum blocked motor. It would be a lot of fun.... OR: Buy a Ti and my S38 (M5) engine. That should do it.

For 8K you could have bought a few nice examples of ti's, with forced induction. Heck, for 8K, you could buy a clean one, replace everything, and put a DASC on it.

Ive got a whopping 3K in my ti, including purchase price. Not perfect, but good for a beater DD.

Is the auto (and probable lack of Sport package) going to sap the fun from this guy? http://bit.ly/inOpSz
Assuming I could get them down to my range...

That would be an excellent car for my wife's next daily driver. It's a great looking and practical commuter, but the auto does sap a lot of the fun if you ever intend to do any driving events with the car.

This is my primary DD so not really planning on tracking it.

That said, hmm.... http://bit.ly/kfr1Ur A little rough cosmetically and some rust spots (see driver's side door pic) though.

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.

206k mile E36 M3 a concern? http://tippecanoe.craigslist.org/cto/2400063423.html

Depends entirely on how well its been maintained. Consider yourself warned:

I bought an old, tired M3 for cheap four years ago with 163K miles. By 175K miles my car has needed: new cooling system components, replacement of all rubber driveline and suspension mounts/bushings, new alternator, all hoses & belts, new a/c compressor, new stereo, front speakers, and misc interior repairs, including the headliner. The car still needs a valve cover gasket and tune up, and will likely need a new clutch within the next year. My friend, a BMW certified mechanic, says that I should also replace the head gasket as a precautionary measure if I plan to start taking the car to the track.

Four years ago I couldn't afford an M3 that had been well maintained, but would have saved myself a load of maintenance and repairs if I had.

In reply to nderwater:

+1. If the car hasn't had most of this replaced by now, it will definitely need them soon. I replaced most of the same soft parts on our '97 (back in '04) when the car had 75K miles.

If the seller has service records, it doesn't look too bad. Otherwise it's a crap-shoot. I'd consider a car like that as a toy, but not as my only car... says the guy who DD's a VW Mk IV w/ 250K miles - but I have back-ups to drive if needed.