With the Jeep hopefully being gone Friday morning, I've turned my attention back to finding a nice convertible that SWMBO and I can both drive and will be big enough for the whole family (currently us and a large dog) to go places- and the current front-runner in both functionality and style is a 1997 328ci.
Are there any specific, non-obvious things that I should be wary of and looking for on one of these? Certain things that should be an immediate 'turn and walk away'? Thanks!
Used to have one myself, that exact same year. The power top mechanism is ridiculously finicky, needed constant adjustment and adding some Velstretch straps to keep it working. If I were to get another E36 convertible, I'd hold out for a manual top; the power top often needs to be "helped" as it is.
Other than that, the main things to watch out for are worn bushings (which you can expect on anything that old) and cooling system failures. The E36 interiors don't hold up particularly well, either.
That said, unless there's rear subframe damage or a blown head gasket, there aren't a ton of things that are outright "run away" issues.
There's a really nice Saab viggen convertible on sale from a fellow grmer right now.
Less than challenge budget too!
I'll pretty much just agree with Matt. We had a '98 328ic that was a little shaggy when I got it, but by the time my wife decided it wasn't for her, I had it just about perfect. I spent most of my time on the power top. It needed a new rear window and extensive repair to the stitching that held the part of the zipper that secures the window to the top. I restitched the entire thing, being careful to hit the existing holes. Also, the struts that push up the top cover tend to loose their mojo as they age, so they required replacement. I was able to jerry-rig the elastic strap problem by supplementing them with material from a bicycle inner tube. Sounds cheesy, but by the time I was finished, it worked flawlessly. The only other thing I recall replacing was spark plugs and both O2 sensors. That took care of the CEL, and the thing ran perfectly for the year or so that we owned it.
The interior was a tad ratty, but I attributed that to the likelihood that the car had been parked outside with the top down a time or three and suffered sun and/or water damage. It really wasn't in bad shape given the age of the car.
In summary, I really liked the car. Manual trans would have made it better, but it was fun to drive. My wife thought it was slow and she preferred the looks of the E46. Oh, well! 
While I do like the look of the Saabs and the Viggen does sound like a smoking deal, it unfortunately (in this case...) is a stick and SWMBO has made it quite clear that she has no interest in learning to drive one at the moment- so I'm stuck looking at automatics. Given I'm hoping that this convertible will be a semi-permanent addition to our stable, having it be something both of us can drive comfortably is important.
The one I'm looking at is actually listed for under Challenge budget, though I'd be trying to get it for a bit less than what it's listed for obviously. The idea has crossed my mind if I get it to sell the Riviera I've been planning to take to the Challenge and just doing the few things I can afford to spend up to Challenge money on the BMW and taking it down for the fun of it instead so I can finally focus on the work the DMC needs.
I agree with what's already been said. If you hear any mention of overheating, move on to another one. These are very sensitive to overheating issues. When I was on bimmerforums with my '97 328is, they basically said it was a better idea to swap in a motor than to roll the dice and try to repair one that had been overheated.
don't the e36 verts also use a special battery to help with cowl shake?
Clunking/rattling from the back end probably means strut mounts are worn out and if those haven't been replaced it probably means all other rubber parts in the suspension will need to be replaced too.
My parents had one. The back seat was pretty tiny. Just make sure your intended occupants fit.
David S. Wallens wrote: My parents had one. The back seat was pretty tiny. Just make sure your intended occupants fit.
plus the shape sucks for car seats/boosters. Won't matter with a dog but like David says make sure you are aware of the back seat.
Yeah, I remember it being really narrow--narrower than you'd think.
The back seat is narrow, it's an actual 4 seater and barely one at that. It's not 911 bad but adults won't be cozy back there. The tops are very fragile as mentioned. Semi-auto on the earlier cars is better, but still. Interiors fall apart if neglected. You're looking for an auto? The early 4 speeds weren't known for being solid but there was a guy on bimmerforums with over 600k on his last I saw (several years ago now) so it's possible to keep them going. If I remember correctly the 5 speed auto in the later M3 was a ZF and was pretty decent. The motors will go for ages if the cooling system is good. Mine has been running a Dinan chip from the early 90s and still purs. They're fun cars! Many of their shortcomings are forgiven by a top down drive on a cool evening.
Finding a manual top isn't easy in the 328. I bought a 318 for that reason. Parts are easy and relatively inexpensive. Look for one with maintenance records. All wear items are suspect, water pumps, tensioners, belts, bushings. They are cheap and DIY friendly. Oil filter housing may be leaking, again easy fix.
As far as non-convertible specific things. The e36s are known for having poor factory cooling systems and bad window regulators. Both problems the aftermarket/oem have fixed in the years since. I've dealt with both in my 45k of e36 ownership.
Good things to know guys, thanks! If all goes well tomorrow morning getting the Jeep sold I'll be trying to get out in the afternoon to look at the 328. For the time being, the back seat is only a concern for being able to transport a dog, but depending on how things go I will have to be aware of the concerns with fitting a car/booster seat. I did a bit of research a ways back when an M3 convertible that needed a head gasket and I will definitely not be wanting to mess with any of that!
buzzboy wrote: As far as non-convertible specific things. The e36s are known for having poor factory cooling systems and bad window regulators. Both problems the aftermarket/oem have fixed in the years since. I've dealt with both in my 45k of e36 ownership.
do not let the window regulators scare you. It's simply a matter of scraping out the old goopy grease, which has long gone from being a lubricant to a glue, and putting in new. I did it with my old 318ti and once done, NEVER had an issue again.
mad_machine wrote: don't the e36 verts also use a special battery to help with cowl shake?
E36s use a pretty big battery, but trying to move the power top up and down every day will wear it down if you don't put an effort into recharging it. I don't think it is different from the sedan / coupe battery, and it's mounted in the trunk.
Ashyukun wrote: For the time being, the back seat is only a concern for being able to transport a dog, but depending on how things go I will have to be aware of the concerns with fitting a car/booster seat.
That was what made me finally sell my E36 'vert. The only way I could fit a rear facing child seat in there was to fold down the passenger seat, and booster seats were a really tight squeeze. It may be a bit easier if you don't have to shove the driver's seat all the way back.
MadScientistMatt wrote: That was what made me finally sell my E36 'vert. The only way I could fit a rear facing child seat in there was to fold down the passenger seat, and booster seats were a really tight squeeze. It may be a bit easier if you don't have to shove the driver's seat all the way back.
Fortunately for me, SWMBO is exceedingly short- so the passenger seat would likely be pretty far forward. 
We also have a much more child-friendly vehicle (the Mariner) that is already our primary vehicle, and the E36 would be better for transporting a kid than the DMC by the simple virtue of having a back seat!
MadScientistMatt wrote:mad_machine wrote: don't the e36 verts also use a special battery to help with cowl shake?E36s use a pretty big battery, but trying to move the power top up and down every day will wear it down if you don't put an effort into recharging it. I don't think it is different from the sedan / coupe battery, and it's mounted in the trunk.
The Verts do use a special vibration resistant Battery. When designed, BMW used the weight of the battery to counteract vibrations in the body from the lack of the top, a regular battery will not survive the extra shake and vibrations this causes. Either use the stock OEM battery or an AGM designed for off roading and the like.
Regarding the fragility of the engine and overheating - they crack between the water jacket and the oil gallery next to cylinder 3, so if it overheads badly, look for mixed fluids or high leakdown on that cylinder. Often the crack never makes it to the combustion chamber, but does crack into the exhaust port, so you'll still get some smoke and loss of coolant. Just won't have high cooling system pressure. Otherwise, the M52 is a durable engine.
Also, VANOS rattle is pretty common. Fortunately it's relatively inexpensive and very easy to fix on this generation engine. Can show up as (obviously) a rattling sound, uneven power delivery, lumpy idle, and a step in power around 3000 rpm.
Our 1994 had the auto transmission crap out at around 50k or so miles. Also, they can rust at the rockers under the front fender. Ours did.
I'd used a regular battery in mine. I can't recall how long it lasted, but it was longer than the warranty period.
Regular batteries work fine. I couldn't find the correct size battery so I went to Costco and put in one that fit. It's still going
4 cylinder cars avoid the potential for vanos issues. I had two e36s with the 1.8 and while not as smooth (or pretty sounding) as the inline 6 engines it's still a good motor.
the 4 cylinder cars are not really all that much slower due to the more aggressive gearing. Yes, they ARE slower to 60, but they stay with the 6es till 50mph when they need to pause to shift to 3rd.
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