M3 OWNERS... GENERAL INFO THREAD

[eun]

i just thought i would set up this thread ,mainly for my knowledge and to gain information but if it helps anyone else then cool.

next year when my insurance policy runs out i will also be 21 and with a years no claims. i have done insurance quotes and it turns out i could afford insurance but its still fookin expensive but im willing to pay it if need be. if it costs to much in maitenence etc then ive always got my girlfriend who said she would help me etc.

i dont really know a great deal about m3's i know a bit ie late models and early models bhp etc and a few other bits but if im gonna buy one i wanna know exactly what im getting.

it would be through a loan as i havent got those sorta funds at the mo but i dont mind getting a bank loan as i have no other commitments.

i have spoke to m3ben on here a bit a while ago and he gave me some useful info about the m3 and 320is.

im used to running my 2.5 with a heavy foot.......what are the running costs of an m3 compared if driven moderately and occasionly hard?

any info from any m3 owners past or present or just anyone who knows there stuff their welcome to put up any recurring or known problems with the m3, common rust area's etc just anything useful really and im sure it will help out a few other people on here.

there are some people on here that know their stuff i.e. c76jon, simon, dmaxfield, m3ben05, cant think of any more at mo

so any info welcome

thanks in advance

[maxfield]

My dads was pretty ecomical when it was 2.3.
The most common point for rust is the scuttle. Then theres usual things like bushes, service history etc.

4-6k dog
6k-10k fairly decent
10k+ should be in very condition.


Maybe take someone who knows there stuff when you buy one.

[Fushion_Julz]

My M3 is no less economical than my 325...In fact the M3 probably is just a little MORE economical in everyday driving...

Rust: all the usual E30 places...but especially the scuttle in front of the windscreen, the front floor footwells and around the rear number plate lamps...All cureable, at a price.

General advice would be to buy the best (least rusty) one you can find/afford regardless of the actual varient or age.
Make sure the gearbox is healthy/quiet cos they do tend to be a weak spot...
Other than that, nothing really different to look for than when buying any other car...Personally, I'd always go for originality and as much service history as you can....Saves having to tidy up other folks shabby mods!

Prices are much like Maxfield said..only Ԛ£6-7K should get you a decent standard car. It is possible to find ones at less, but they may need work which can get expensive if you can't do it yourself!

[eun]

cheers for info so far.

i thought there would be a few more replies than this as normally the
m3 owners love to chat about their cars

[alexm3uk]

Maybe take someone who knows there stuff when you buy one.

take some with you who has owned one, try and get one with the chain done as for running costs some things are expensive some are not i drove my for 4 years as a daily driver never let me down apart from alternator belt and spark plug wires breaking up and normal wear and tear (bushes tyres shocks)

make sure you look at as many as you can be fore you buy

good luck hunting

alexm3uk

[Fushion_Julz]

Chains don't wear out...The guides and tensioners do, but you won't detect that by looking/listening...

Guides usually don't get done with the chains in any case and for most cars with <200K on the clock then a simple change to an E36 tensioner will do the job....

reasonable looking example on Autotrader for Ԛ£4K without MoT that has been stored 4years...

[Fushion_Julz]

If you want to chat with more E30 M3 owners and get more info, trot over to the BMW board at http://www.bmw-board.co.uk/default.asp

Look in the M///Technical section...

[alexm3uk]

your right chains dont wear out but if some else has payed for it to be done means you dont have to pay out