E36 3 series

[Mark S]

Hi All

i am considering getting an E36 as an everyday car, must have 4 seats.

has anyone on here had one or running one now?

are there any models to steer clear of?
I quite like to look of the original 2.0 or 2.5 up to 1992 or may even consider a 316 after 1996 as I believe these are simple mechanicals and have the chain drive.

thanks in advance

mark

 

[IainP]

My lad has run e36 Tourings since he was 19, (estates are cheap for young males because they're 'an old people's car', less accidents).
The original 323i is now super slammed. Went from old cloth, to M Sport leather, to red Boa Boa and extended leather..


He's on his second 318 daily,


This one is fairly standard, new Bilstein suspension all round.

The 316 is underpowered, if you fill all four seats it would struggle. His first 318 still had 170 psi on all 4 cylinder at 170K+. Brilliant engines.
The 4 cylinder cars are all solid disc, my son's is going to vented all round next time he's home. Upgrades are bolt on.
Need to watch the same problems as Z's. Water pump, thermostats and the plastic pipe at the rear of the head.
Can get leaks from the front crank seal, easy but time consuming fix.
Leaks from the cam cover and oil filter housing.
Need to make sure the jacking points and sills are ok.
My lads:

Mint as. One tiny little bit we had to fix.

Loads have been lost to drifting.

There's a 318 tds Compact and 325 tds Touring on ebay at the moment.

 

[Mark S]

Hi

thanks for the quick response, I will have a look at the cars on EBay

 

[g8jka]

My first BMW was an M red E36 325. It was a great car and had a really nice amount of power. Just 1 bhp short of the 2.8 from what I remember. The 2.5's were not that common. The 2.8 is the one to go for now but they fetch a premium for a decent one especially if a sport. The 4 doors are probably cheaper but tend to be smaller engined. As mentioned above the jacking points are a weak spot, I had to have one of mine welded. My Dad @gookah has had a couple of E36's and my brother is on his second 328 sport coupe.

Here's my old one, I do miss it.

I'd get shot down by the ///M police now with that badge!

 

[Mark S]

thanks for the input from both of you, what are your views on manual vs auto?

i would prefer a manual for driving but how do the gearboxes compare?

my Z3 is only a 1.9 manual but that is plenty for me

 

[Ianmc]

My wife has had a 1997 E36 323i (2.5 ltr, 6 pot, chain drive) convertible for more years than I care to remember. It has all the good things (full leather, fully auto hood, heated seats, manual gears, cruise, aircon, OBC and so on). Now on 140K miles and (touch wood) have had no significant issues.
A key point to watch when buying is rust on the rear arches; all E36s rust here and can be easily "botched" for sale. I am very fond of this car and it's a great drive. Buy a good one without mods and you should enjoy the experience.

 

[g8jka]

thanks for the input from both of you, what are your views on manual vs auto?

i would prefer a manual for driving but how do the gearboxes compare?

my Z3 is only a 1.9 manual but that is plenty for me

Mine was a manual so can't comment on the auto. I did have problems towards the end as it used to jump out of first gear. When I traded it in for my first Z3 it had done around 145,000 if I remember.

 

[D R Oldfield]

Have had two E36 one was a immaculate 318 4 door saloon manual with 40000 miles on the clock it was ultra reliable but totally uninspiring that bought a a 320 touring i paid £200 for it it was superb and made me fall in love with Bmw 6 cylinder engines i did 50k miles in it and it never missed a beat it had to be driven to get the best from it you had to" roll the power on" in the four years i had it it needed a water pump and a front spring and the usual consumerables i swapped it for a volvo v40 t4 but thats another story