E36 Beemer advice

[chrishill 0]

A change of job means that I'll need to be visiting clients and have to travel outside of major bus routes to get to the office, so I'm in the market for a set of wheels again.

 

A corrado is out of the question this time around, insurance on a VR is prohibitive and I want something a bit newer than a valver or g60, so I've been looking at late model (98/99) e36 BMW's.

 

My budget will get me a decent enough car and so long as I stick to the 1.8's the insurance is pretty good, although the engines are the 'lesser' 4 pots.

 

Thing is, I know very little about them other than the fact they're a really good drive.

Anyone got any tips, advice, interesting facts or anything else remotely related to say?

[vr6storm 0]

you going for coupe,saloon,estate(touring) or hatchback(compact)?

 

I had an E-36 318ti Compact prior to getting my Storm,decent performance and economy as its a 1.8 16v(upto 96)then 1.9 16v from 96 onwards,the 16v engine is pretty rare on the saloon btw and was only available for approx 1year(98/99)...on the coupe and saloon the 16v engine'd model is the 318is

 

quite nice looking if you have bigger alloys had nothing major go wrong during the 2.5 years ownership,other than a ISV making starting/idling a pig,they do need rear suspension/subframe bushes every 3years or so tho

[chrishill 0]

I fancy either the coupe or the saloon, the coupe looks a lot nicer but there don't seem to be as many good ones about where as I'm spoilt for choice with saloons and there's even a few within budget with 60k miles on them!

 

Most of the ones I've looked at have been the '1.9' versions, I wasn't sure what the deal was there, did they just up the cc in the later engines? I've also seen a few with 'rare' m-tech kit/wheels, is that as rare as a corrado with a karmann interior? :lol:

[vr6storm 0]

I fancy either the coupe or the saloon, the coupe looks a lot nicer but there don't seem to be as many good ones about where as I'm spoilt for choice with saloons and there's even a few within budget with 60k miles on them!

 

Most of the ones I've looked at have been the '1.9' versions, I wasn't sure what the deal was there, did they just up the cc in the later engines? I've also seen a few with 'rare' m-tech kit/wheels, is that as rare as a corrado with a karmann interior? :lol:

 

 

on the coupe and compact the 1.9 was just an newer version of the 1.8 16v power was the same but torque was improved(the 1.9 16v certainly feels more lively)...............and to confuse matters more,the 316i(saloon/coupe/compact/tourer) from the late 90's was actually a 1.9 8v ..............m-tech kit is worthwhile having as it gives it the M3 look..........rare-ish but not that rare.if that makes sense

[chrishill 0]

m-tech kit is worthwhile having as it gives it the M3 look..........rare-ish but not that rare.if that makes sense

 

not worth paying over the odds for then ;)

 

I'm finding it hard to find anything negative about them on the internet, I guess that proves they're the sort of thing I'm after :)

[rado-steve 0]

Is the coupe the one where it looks like someone has chopped the arse end out of it????

[vr6storm 0]

Is the coupe the one where it looks like someone has chopped the arse end out of it????

 

that'll be the compact.............the coupe actually has slightly longer front wings than the others

[Andy665 0]

You would be better off with a nice E30, something like this would be ideal:

 

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2007/06/bm ... p-bmw.html

[rado-steve 0]

Is the coupe the one where it looks like someone has chopped the arse end out of it????

 

that'll be the compact.............the coupe actually has slightly longer front wings than the others

 

Ahhhh Sorry but the Compacts just look terrible!

[dinkus 10]

m-tech kit is worthwhile having as it gives it the M3 look..........rare-ish but not that rare.if that makes sense

 

not worth paying over the odds for then ;)

 

I'm finding it hard to find anything negative about them on the internet, I guess that proves they're the sort of thing I'm after :)

 

Does that include indicators, or are they still extra? :lol:

 

You would be better off with a nice E30, something like this would be ideal:

 

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2007/06/bm ... p-bmw.html

 

Yeah that probably goes alright :lol: Might be a bit lairy round the twisty bits tho! :?

[chrishill 0]

Does that include indicators, or are they still extra?

 

I wondered how long it'd take before that one came up! I can assure you I wont be a stereotypical bmw driver ;)

 

You would be better off with a nice E30, something like this would be ideal:

 

I do prefer the look of the e30 to be fair, its a bit more 'classic', but finding a good one is alot harder than finding a good e36

[rado-steve 0]

There are good bmw's??????? :lol:

[double-6s 0]

You would be better off with a nice E30, something like this would be ideal:

 

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2007/06/bm ... p-bmw.html

 

Very nice. Reckon the lump may upset the dynamics a wee bit though!

[dinkus 10]

You would be better off with a nice E30, something like this would be ideal:

 

I do prefer the look of the e30 to be fair, its a bit more 'classic', but finding a good one is alot harder than finding a good e36

 

Heh heh, did you see what engine it's got in it tho ;)

[Bendy 0]

i had a 318is a few years back, was a 98r. m-tech kit, half leather sports seats, climate control. had it for a couple of years and the only thing that went wrong on it was the cat, that was changed under warrenty as well. nice solid cars and a good drive, not as enjoyable as a rado but if its for work then i guess you wont be hooning about!!! :lol:

[herisites 0]

My mates not long had a BMW 318is but he went for a 5 door! Althought i let him off for it as its a very late S reg with FULL leather and m-tech etc, lovely M3 wheels on and does look great. BUT dont ask me how it drives or if he's had any trouble with it because he never drives the fcuking thing!! He uses his company van all the bloody time and the only time he brings the bm out its to do a few laps of the town :roll:

 

When he was looking for it though i do remember reading about something to do with the M52 model engines (2.0, 2.2, 2.4, 2.5 and 2.8) having Nikasil lined cylinders as apposed to cast iron cylinder blocks.

 

However, the sulfur found in much of the world's low quality gasoline caused the Nikasil cylinders used by BMW to break down over time, causing costly engine failures

 

A lot of cars were taken back by BMW and repaired through warranty so always good to check the history (which im sure you would do anyway) to see if its beend one already.

[vr6storm 0]

5dr 318is............thats a new one...................so i take it,its a 4 door saloon :lol: :lol: :lol: ......if it is that quite a rarity........they were only on the go for a year or so in the late 90's

 

as for the nikasil problem it was really only the 323i(2.5L) and 328i(2.8L) engines that were affected

[herisites 0]

5dr 318is............thats a new one...................so i take it,its a 4 door saloon :lol: :lol: :lol: ......if it is that quite a rarity........they were only on the go for a year or so in the late 90's

 

as for the nikasil problem it was really only the 323i(2.5L) and 328i(2.8L) engines that were affected

 

I dont really know much about them, he seems to think they only made a few hundred in that year and gave them full leather etc so its RARE! He's a typical TIT though and gone and put M3 badges on ... no wait sorry he's just put M-Tech badges on but removed the 318is and replaced with a big M ... hmmm! :lol:

[chrishill 0]

yeah i read something about the blocks on the 6cyl engines being affected by sulphur in crappy petrol and needing to be replaced, something about the cylinders not bedding in properly and ending up with poor idle and being down on power - only solution was a new block! apparently it was more of a problem 'in northern england' so its a good job I'm going for a 4pot really.

 

I've seen a few late 97/98 cars with the m-tech kit now, some had full leather, some half and some just cloth. I do like the m-tech look but I dont think I'll be putting any 'M' badges on it, thats just daft IMO! as for the leather, in a 10+ year old car it quite often looks scruffy unless its been properly looked after so I'm not really that fussed.

 

Just looking for a good 'un really, theres loads about!

[vr6storm 0]

5dr 318is............thats a new one...................so i take it,its a 4 door saloon :lol: :lol: :lol: ......if it is that quite a rarity........they were only on the go for a year or so in the late 90's

 

as for the nikasil problem it was really only the 323i(2.5L) and 328i(2.8L) engines that were affected

 

I dont really know much about them, he seems to think they only made a few hundred in that year and gave them full leather etc so its RARE! He's a typical TIT though and gone and put M3 badges on ... no wait sorry he's just put M-Tech badges on but removed the 318is and replaced with a big M ... hmmm! :lol:

 

 

 

they maybe sold a bit more than that but its certainly a rare-ish combo.............Saloon with the 16v lump,as i mentioned earlier the 16v engine was only available in the Coupe and Compact,it should have all the M-tech bodykit bits on it too............but tell him to stop being a tit and get rid of the big M and put the 318is logo back on :D

[herisites 0]

............but tell him to stop being a tit and get rid of the big M and put the 318is logo back on :D

 

Believe me i have tried mate, i think the conversation went some what along the lines of this:

 

Me: "Mick you are a tit, take that M badge off right now and put the 318is badge back on!"

 

Mick: "Its ok mate its not an M3 badge its an M-Tech badge because its got the M-Tech kit on it!"

 

Me: "Yes but you have replaced the 318is badge with a big M mate so it blatently looks like you are trying to pass it off as an M3 where as people KNOW its not an M3 as it has a small pea shooter exhaust and doesnt go anywhere very quickly! Do you get many people doing this at you "

 

Mick: " ... "

 

:lol:

[chrishill 0]

Do you get many people doing this at you "

 

thats another conversation entirely! :lol:

[herisites 0]

Do you get many people doing this at you "

 

thats another conversation entirely! :lol:

 

Haha true :lol: