questions about older m3

scorp965 · 24 November 2006

NSX_BOB said:
Well he is "asking" for that price. which means he is open to offers.

fwiw, it's quite an optimistic price. I have owned (5) 1995 M3's, so I have a good basis for comparison... I also sold almost the exact same car, in Laguna Hills, about 2 years ago...

It was the cleanest E36 I have ever owned, a nice 1995 hellrot/black coupe, only modification was exhaust, perfect vaders, perfect paint, etc. - I got my asking price after several months of lowballs, $16500 firm... this was about as nice as a 1995 M3 could be, and it was a struggle to get my asking price - fast forward to two years later, and tag on $3500 to the price? Not likely, many people incorrectly feel the E36 M3, especially the 1995, is a $10k car - it's more like a $15k car, in perfect condition - somewhere in between results in a price somewhere in between.

robr · 24 November 2006

scorp965 said:
The E39 540i is a completly different car from the E36 M3... despite being completly different cars, intended for different markets, these often are compared with eachother - only you can make this choice, I would recommend driving examples of both, and deciding what's more important to you... one is a fun, tossable, great handling vehicle, with a backseat, and the other is a full-size sedan and a freeway cruiser.

I'm sure I'd prefer the driving experience an M3 delivers over a 540i, but after checking one out, it basically defeats the purpose of selling the NSX. I need to be able to comfortably fit 2 child seats in the back and while I can see getting 1 into the M3, two isn't possible, especially where one is currently rear facing not to mention my wife bought a friggin $300 Britax Decathalon which is about the size of a small throne. The M5 is clearly the BMW for me, but not today given my budget

.

matteni · 24 November 2006

I recently purchased a 2000 540i with 78k miles, no accidents, no stories, full inspection, clean carfax, nice car for $14,000 OTD. Absolutely love it but the maintenance is MORE then an NSX (including eating tires). A fantastic car with the sports package - very quick, comfortable, great handling, awesome brakes, and very safe.

I had to have an automatic, 540i, Biarritz Blue (only handful made in 99/00) and had to have the sports package. Unfortunately - I have caught the mod bug and am doing full Hella angel eyes (OEM), Hella Celis tails (OEM), clear sides, M5 lip spoiler, new tires, etc etc etc.

So much for a cheap daily driver. I may end up driving the NSX daily!!!

Here are some pics:

robr · 24 November 2006

Nice car Nick. I'm considering either this one (I have more details from the owner that indicate he has taken care of the usual problems)

99 (with 105K and DSC, cold weather package, some goodies)
http://www.roadfly.com/bmw/classifieds/cars/detview.php?view=38597&sortby=_PRICE&dir=ASC

or trying to justify the extra $$$ for this one:

97 (with almost 100K and tons of goodies and in virtually new condition for $4-5K more)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-...oryZ6008QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

DocL · 24 November 2006

Buying a BMW with close to, or over 100k miles is insane. German cars are known for expensive repairs. But, for the price the one on ebay looks sweet! :biggrin:

matteni · 24 November 2006

2 nice cars. Some people like the pre-Vanos (97-98) more for the simplicity vs others for the added torque. Both have about the same miles which - unfortunately put them as high candidates for problems. These cars have tremendous maintenance needs around 80-110k miles. I would guess maintenance during this period is $6,000 on AVERAGE at the dealership pricing. Not inexpensive miles when you add in bad gas millage.

Here are the typical things to replace / be worried about at 80k + miles:
- Pixels on display go out
- Valve cover gasket
- Thrust arm bushings
- Wheel bearings
- Brakes and Rotors (expensive on these cars)
- Oil pan gasket
- Valley Pan Gasket / Grommets
- Power steering pumps and hoses
- Automatic Transmission fluid
- diff fluid changed
- entire cooling system (radiator, hoses, water pump, thermostat, thermostat housing, expansion tank, aux fan, fan clutch)
- 02 sensors
- All belts
- check/replace the microfilter if needed
- a/c recharged/compressor oiled
- transmission mounts

Here is a good site for DIY on the most common of these: http://www.bmwtips.com/tipsntricks/index.htm

Here is a good site that documents many of the typical problems:
http://www.540i6.com/probsfixes.html

Here are the E39 forums I visit:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/foru....bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=103

That all said it is an incredible car and in a small way is like the NSX. The NSX is about balance (acceleration, handling, comfort, reliability, looks, technology) none completely out of balance with the other aspects.

The BMW 540i Sport is similar as it has luxury, comfort, intuitive handling, awesome brakes, comfort for 4/5 people, trunk space, top safety, etc. It was voted the best handling car of all time during it's peak and while not as nimble as a 3 series it is much more comfortable and livable for a person in your situation.

Good luck and report back what you do!

steveny · 24 November 2006

right on DocL. Becareful rob repairs can be really costly. I had an X5 4.4 and I loved it. I put 88k on it in less than 2 years. When I traded it in there was over 4k in repairs that needed to be done on the front end alone.

matteni · 24 November 2006

DocL said:
Buying a BMW with close to, or over 100k miles is insane. German cars are known for expensive repairs. But, for the price the one on ebay looks sweet! :biggrin:

I would refine that a little. These cars just need a LOT around 80-100k. If you find an enthusiast's car that has had these things taken care of you should be good to go for many trouble free miles. This is why so many are up for sale between 80-100k. There is deferred maintenance that needs to be addressed or negotiated. That is why I purchased mine for $4k under book. I had a full inspection done and knew what I was getting into and had reserves to catch up on maintenance. If you don't know and pay retail for a perfect car that needs attention and you don't save reserves for problems that = trouble in any car.

PS: There are over 244 cars over 100k on Autotrader alone.

robr · 24 November 2006

I've done a lot of research on the types of repairs that one can expect and the two particular vehicles I've listed (especially the 97) have addressed most of them which is one of the reasons they are appealing. The one on ebay (which I actually found originally on bimmerforums) is indeed pretty amazing, but it's definitely at a premium price.

DocL · 24 November 2006

Rob, considering that you're going to spend $15k-$18k on a car, have you thought about pre-paying a little more and leasing a new Audi or something similar. I don't know your financial situation, but if you are selling the NSX the money from that car can most definitely satisfy the lease on a new car. Just put the money into a seperate account and have the lease payment automatically deducted every month.

robr · 24 November 2006

I did think about that DocL, but it really didn't seem to make much financial sense. I sell the NSX, buy another car and bank the difference. I own the new car which has probably depreciated by several thousands dollars in 3 years.

vs. a lease where I sell the NSX, put all the $$ in the bank, lease a car, but at the end of a (say) 3 year lease, I've probably spent the same amount of $$$ and own nothing.

A lease is an option because I only work 7 miles from home and probably only put 6K on my car a year (lots of wasted allowed lease miles), but the $$$ side didn't make a lot of sense to me.

steveny · 24 November 2006

robr said:
I did think about that DocL, but it really didn't seem to make much financial sense. I sell the NSX, buy another car and bank the difference. I own the new car which has probably depreciated by several thousands dollars in 3 years.

vs. a lease where I sell the NSX, put all the $$ in the bank, lease a car, but at the end of a (say) 3 year lease, I've probably spent the same amount of $$$ and own nothing.

A lease is an option because I only work 7 miles from home and probably only put 6K on my car a year (lots of wasted allowed lease miles), but the $$$ side didn't make a lot of sense to me.

Buy a Titan 4 door and solve your driveway problem at the same time.:wink:

ANYTIME · 24 November 2006

Did you ditch the TL option? How about a RL? My bimmer (bought new) had problems around the 50k mark (just when the warranty expired - go figure) and sold it and never looked back. Acuras will run forever and they can always be sold easily no matter how many miles are on them, even over 200k. Selling a beemer (after your done with the 100k ones) will be similar to pulling teeth. The beemers with over 100k are the time to sell them, not to buy them, IMHO.

robr · 24 November 2006

i did ditch the TL option when I decided I wanted more performance and could get it spending $10K less than I would have to spend on a current gen TL, as long as I was careful as far as purchasing a well maintained vehicle.

steve, probably i'll be throwing a grand of the left over $$$ at a yard truck with plow. landlord said he'd pitch in $1K as well.

DocL · 24 November 2006

How about a Lexus SC400. I've had one and they are nice and comfortable sport coupes. But, the rear seating may once again be tight for you.

Here's one for sale not to far from me for what seems like a decent price. http://westpalmbeach.craigslist.org/car/238278527.html

scorp965 · 24 November 2006

The SC400 is a bad idea, given his requirements - an LS400 is a fantastic, reliable, solid freeway cruiser, and is a full-size sedan, that could comfortably fit into the outlined budget, but it's not exactly sporty, either.

The Kid · 25 November 2006

scorp965 said:
An E39 M5 is not a $20k car, it's a $30-35k, up to $45k car depending on year, perhaps mid to high $20k's for a bad example.

If you're looking at an early to mid 90's M5, the E34 M5, it's a great car (I had a 1991 3.6L M5) but the maintinance costs are higher than an nsx (regular valve adjustments), and if something goes wrong with the S38 it can get real expensive real fast.

The E36 sedan is the way to go, it was discontinued for cutting into M5 sales, and fits exactly into your needs... certainly you should at least test drive one, and take it from there?

An E34 is a awesome ride and a true drivers car. Very tough to find and a maintance nightmere when regular maint. isnt done on time. The E39 is a much better car. Definatly shop around and check the M5board for alot of info before purchasing. I just ditched an 05 S4 and snagged an 02 M5 instead. M5 is a true beast, and overall awesome car. I had 2 E36's M3's and one 1 E39 before thus making this my second E39. I would still have the first one but I was offered an insame amount of money for it and couldn't justify keeping it.

Rims seem to bend real easy or maybe thats just Jersey roads and the wood interior is awful. They eat gas and really pull hard. One of my favorite 4 doors ever!

questions about older m3

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