E36 M3! Worth it?

http://www.ksl.com/auto/listing/1351037?ad_cid=4

Is this car even worth looking at. I've ALWAYS wanted an M3, but never seen a good deal that wasn't for an automatic one. This one looks decently clean. A few mods, but nothing too fancy. I asked if the cooling system had been revamped since 100k miles, and he said he didnt know, but that when he bought the car at 130k miles, it had a new radiator and aluminum thermostat, so he believes it has been.

Anyway, I offered him 6,800. Is that still too much for this car? It DOES have 144k miles on it... Thanks!

The "I've owned it for five months" part makes me wonder which expensive problem the seller may have discovered...

Did you ask about that and get a satisfactory answer?

Fair price for a clean, undamaged car with some paper trail.

I do like the color.

He supposedly has found a deal on another car he wanted since before the M3. He says if the deal goes through he will part with the M, but if it doesn't he wont sell it at all. It could mean anything...

bludroptop wrote: Fair price for a clean, undamaged car with some paper trail. I do like the color.

Agreed. I do wonder why only 5 months of owning..

I tend to mistrust anyone who is 'just testing the waters' or is 'unsure about selling' regardless of the reason they give.

Other than that, looks solid to this layman.

That too is keeping me skeptical. He says "it still pulls hard" which means hes probably beaten on it pretty decently during those 5 months. I do believe him tho. He says his deal is already final, he is picking up a 135i and needs to update the ad. He is officially looking to sell now.

Looks nice, has it been repainted? The strut towers look like a different color than the exterior, or is that just the low res pics? I'm pretty familiar with E36 M3 colors from the factory and that doesn't look like one.

Are all VIN tags present?

I'd say it's certainly worth taking for a test drive, I'd just be asking a lot of questions.

It should have been repainted. Gray was never offered in the E36 M3, unless it was a BMW Individual car.

I still think it's expensive for what it is. Try to knock at least $1k down.

That l/f strut tower does look like silver. Uh oh...

And it is definitely lowered- so the mods aren't just a chip and exhaust. For reference, I paid $8k three years ago for a '95 with 63k on it. Great shape. Sold for $11k and should have kept it. Last year I bought a '95 with 150k for $5500. I'll never get another deal like the first one.

That color isn't technoviolet? The pictures I saw were at night, so can't tell if grey or not.

I think that's too much for the car if the suspension is still stock.

I can't see very well on my phone, but I believe the nose panel is for a -96 or older car, which means it might have been in a front end damage.

I would pass.

Here is the mods list:

mod list includes: conforti chip active autowerks gen 3 exhaust uuc intake with k&n filter uuc ssk (no 5th gear lean) bmw motorsports x brace jtd front strut brace koni double adjustable shocks eibach springs and sways zkw headlights with 5000k HID's clear signal lights and tails all around. 10% tint all around

I am not happy about that. I hate it when kids lower these things to the ground and "stance" them. I don't know much about the mod brands tho.

Koni and Eibach are decent brands right? I know there are two types of suspension mods: the kind that are meant for performance and racing, and the kind that are meant for the "stance" kids (Raceland AHEM). Are these mods the former or the latter?

I'd bet they aren't Koni double adjustable, but probably koni sports (single adj) potentially with the ground control coil over kit. I don't know why anyone worries about the "5th gear lean"- really?

I personally don't like UUC parts, but the rest of the parts are very good. Comforti is very well known/regarded in the BMW community as is Active.

I agree with teh E36M3 that the shocks are probably single adjustable. Konis are quite good. I have the TCKline Konis and while they are not Motons or JRZs they are quite good for the money.

Just for reference, I paid $5k for my '97 with the exact same mods. Mine had shot bushings, not sure about this one.

Regarding the 5th gear lean. My car has it and to me it's annoying, I need to fix it which means removing the gearbox. I think it's a plus that the car you are looking at does not show signs of that problem.

There are two types of E36 M3 sellers: older folks who have owned one for a while and have generally maintained it well (and can produce maintenance records). Mods are usually done right and higher quality. These guys typically know about the cars.

The second is a younger owner, the car has some cheaper mods and the owner has little to no knowledge of maintenance.

These cars are old at this point. You want to buy one from the first type of owner if at all possible.

I'm the older guy with a '95 for sale. Black/black.

I dunno- I bought both of mine without maint records. I don't buy that they make a difference other than that the owner doesn't do their own maintenance. I do all my own, and therefore don't have maint records. I do agree that it'd be nice to buy from the old folks down the road, but these are pretty stout cars that as long as not modified.

As others have noted, it's not a standard e36 M3 color. I suppose it could be a BMW Individual (also noted above) but my money is on a respray.

I've owned 2 e36 M3s and miss them. What great cars.

The VIN listed decodes to: Arktissilber Metallic (309)

Which is Arctic Silver... a very light silver metallic.

This is what my Arctic Silver M3 looked like....

There is no flag indicating it's a BMW Individual optioned car. It has most certainly been painted. It is also wearing a different front bumper cover, and fog light block off plates from a 318ti (just like my track car...). Check for front end damage or heavy track use. Possibly both.

It is not worth asking price even if it has sweet dual adjustable Konis.

Teh E36 M3 wrote: I do all my own, and therefore don't have maint records.

I do my own maintenance and have records. When I buy a part for the car, the receipt goes into a folder and the mileage when the part was installed is written on it. From oil changes and light bulbs to timing belts and tires. I also have an Excel spreadsheet for fuel mileage with maintenance notes added at various mileage points.

Yeah, I've decided I'll wait for now. The car WAS in a minor collision, it took out the front headlight and side panel. Didn't look like it damaged the wheel much, or the frame. The title was still technically "clean". I still dont like the fact that its been "wrecked". So yeah, he said it was repainted for that reason.

I drove it and the car pulled fine, a nice, smooth kick in the butt. The gearbox was strange though. He had a short shifter kit, and I couldnt seem to shift into 3rd well, like it wanted to get stuck between third and fifth, or just go into fifth. Box felt nice tho, no grinds or fights to get it into gear.

I dunno tho, I feel like for the price, I could wait and get something better, so thats what I'm doing. You guys have been LOTS of help though, and definitely helped sway me to do the smart thing :D

DavidinDurango wrote: I'm the older guy with a '95 for sale. Black/black.

Link?

For that price...spend a bit more.. (not mine)

http://www.vadriven.com/forums/import-europe-67/1999-bmw-m3-silver-black-5-speed-125k-va-483322/

Oh yeah, I also have one for sale, a 1996 m3 White with black interior (but the front seats are not perfect). Around the same mileage, new rotors, pads, studs on e46 m3 wheels. Great condition, sound system was replaced with a nice 99 Hifi and all fluids recently changged..

Price is $8500.