Good buy, no buy? E36 M3 content.

Not poop content, actual BMW content.

A friend has a coworker that has a 95 M3 with 200k on the body, 50k on the motor.

Apparently the cooling system was upgraded at 100k with metal impeller water pump and upgraded radiator and the clutch was swapped to a Sachs clutch.

Then at 150k the motor was replaced and the clutch replaced again.

The current problems are the master or slave might be bad and the headliner is falling down.

Has a bunch of upgraded parts for suspension and some engine mods like chip and intake which they don't specify when they were done as well as a stainless exhaust and a new cat in 2014.

My coworker mentioned that he thought it had a repaint and that some of the clear was coming off.

4th owner and he wants $4k.

If he can prove any of that with paper work, I say its a solid buy. Did he use the S50 or S52 as a replacement motor? Clean Title?

headliner is a common issue, I would not give it a second thought. You can wrangle it out in one piece and recover it no problem.

Without knowing some of the "upgrades" I can't say too much. It does sound like a car that was driven hard.. so 4 grand might be a good price.. as a good M3 is worth a lot more

Will need the cooling system done again. What about all the suspension bushings, when were they replaced? Hows the rear subframe look?

Unless the car is super duper clean, $4k seems like a lot...

docwyte wrote: Will need the cooling system done again. What about all the suspension bushings, when were they replaced? Hows the rear subframe look? Unless the car is super duper clean, $4k seems like a lot...

Kinda my feeling, subframe, bushings, plus all the maintenance he mentioned is 100k ago and doubtless done by some previous owner.

Says the car has H&R springs and Bilstein shocks.

It's a meh deal. It'd be cheaper to buy a car that costs more but needs or will need less.

motomoron wrote: It's a meh deal. It'd be cheaper to buy a car that costs more but needs or will need less.

Kinda why I was thinking of offering $2-3k at most if I did it.

I paid $1500 for Sadie the budget-friendly '95 M3 about 2 weeks ago...

AngryCorvair wrote: I paid $1500 for Sadie the budget-friendly '95 M3 about 2 weeks ago...

I did see that.

I wonder if they did a 3.2 conversion when they swapped in the new motor on this car I'm looking at. This one also has no body damage that I can see in the pics.

I didn't realize that M3s had fallen so much in price. I guess that leaves the Z3 and the Ti as the two E36 models that still command a premium?

In reply to mad_machine:

Beater M3 prices are low, but if we're comparing equivalent condition and mileage cars, the ///M still costs more than the ti, and probably a bit more than the Z as well.

Yeah things must be different where you guys are at. You wont find a 4k E36 M3 here unless the engine is flat out blown. Everyone asks 7-8k, even for high mile cars.

mad_machine wrote: I didn't realize that M3s had fallen so much in price. I guess that leaves the Z3 and the Ti as the two E36 models that still command a premium?

I think it depends on the area. Like Desmond mentioned, I don't seem to find them in our area for that cheap unless they look like Angry Corvair's car. $4K is that price range where I get worried. I'd rather buy a cheaper car knowing I'll have to do a ton of work to it to bring up deferred maintenance...

I sold a pretty terrible condition one last year for $3700. It didn't last long at that price. Most e36 m3's I see around that price range are automatics or in need of lots of work on top of being high mileage.