One for you guys lucky enough to have an M3!
Has any one any horror stories on running costs, other than insurance?!
Any particular problem areas you should look out for when buying?
I know you should look at as many examples as possible and always buy the best you can afford etc etc but any advice/tips available would be appreciated.
Thanks,
M3 - any horror stories/tips on buying etc
Moderator: martauto
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Simon13
- The longest resto in the world !
- Posts: 22697
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
- Location: Camberley, Surrey don't u know
No really buy the best you can afford. They are diy friendly but the parts costs are alot alot higher than a regular E30 which ups the cost of ownership
rust on the scuttle! is an M3 favourite. Then it's all the usual places that any other E30 rusts.
Crash damage as a few have been enjoyed! A saggy shell from one thats been on track one time too many
Timing chain doesn't need changing at 100,000k as it's a double row chain. Theres loads to look out for!
rust on the scuttle! is an M3 favourite. Then it's all the usual places that any other E30 rusts.
Crash damage as a few have been enjoyed! A saggy shell from one thats been on track one time too many
Timing chain doesn't need changing at 100,000k as it's a double row chain. Theres loads to look out for!
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Simon325i
- E30 Zone Newbie
- Posts: 232
- Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2005 11:00 pm
- Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire
cheers for that! sounds like a minefield.
have been looking for a while but the one I've now seen seems no one has anything good to say about the dealer
Right car - wrong price
Right price - wrong car
cant bloody win, think I'll just have to keep looking.
have been looking for a while but the one I've now seen seems no one has anything good to say about the dealer
Right car - wrong price
Right price - wrong car
cant bloody win, think I'll just have to keep looking.
one thing to remember is not to lose sight of the usual problems. if you go in looking for m3 issues you may miss a couple of problems that e30s suffer with any way. as for m3 the engine should be fine, they all a bit noisey but if its excessive you should get it looked at. it may if its not too loud it will probably just want re-shimming. sounds stupid but make suyre all electrics are running ok. mine had a few dodgy wires and a few fuses kept on blowing this alone cost a few quid at the auto electrician. gear box should be spot on as it was built to handle more power than the m3 has got. be aware of the gas shocks cos they can be f**ked but its hard to tell by just looking at them. usual places for rust are as previously mentioned the scuttle, arches , around rear lights. in some cases i have heard of rust on the bulk head. also as with most cars the sunroof.
Some sound advice there.. Also dont be blinded by the fact that its an M3 and that its been cherished. Not all have and you have to consider that they are getting on in years now (86D) and they could have passed through many hands.
I looked at one in Plymouth and it was being used as a track slag..unfortunately that was all it was good for. It would have needed a shed load of cash to sort out all the serious rust issues and we are getting into restoration territory..not good.
Look at the bottoms of the wings where they disappear behind the plastic sill panel..these can hide a multitude of sins.!
As someone has mentioned before buy the best you can afford.
Only fools rush in!!
I looked at one in Plymouth and it was being used as a track slag..unfortunately that was all it was good for. It would have needed a shed load of cash to sort out all the serious rust issues and we are getting into restoration territory..not good.
Look at the bottoms of the wings where they disappear behind the plastic sill panel..these can hide a multitude of sins.!
As someone has mentioned before buy the best you can afford.
Only fools rush in!!
Things to look out for are:-
front subframes tend to crack from heavy track use. also check for dimples in the roof around ariel - again a sign of heavy track use. stress points are the areas around the bottom of the windscreen. If there are any cracks its a sign of crash damage and/or heavy track use.
rust wise check all arches, around the lights in the boot, also around the number plate on the rear, have a good poke under the fuse box. Also prise off the plastic covers where the wipers are, shine a torch in there and check for holes/rust - very common to have rust here.
mechanically - check the usual stuff suspension wise, front wheels should sit towards the front of the car instead of in the middle of the arch, engine is ok to be a little rattly on start up and oil light should go out striaght away. gearbox may be slighlty nothcy in 1st and 2nd when cold. if its notchy when warm you have worn syncros. When you have the car warmed up drop it from 4th into 3rd at high rpms and then into 2nd at high rpms - if it crunches you have worn synros (good test this one)
Electic fan should kick in at 3/4 way and cut off after 30sec. Keep an eye on this. There should be no smoke or rattles from the engine. When driving it drive it up through the gears - it should pull like a train to the red line in all gears. Let the owner drive it first from cold and see how he drives it. If he looks after the car he will let the oil warm up before giving it the holly. It should also tick over at around 750rpm. IF it fluctuates from 600rpm to 1200rpm its the rubber blocks around the inlet manifold. not an expensive job to repair.
If the car has been resprayed for any reason you will notice the side skirts will have the same satin finish as the car. WHen these cars left the factory the side skirts had a dull matt finish.
thats all i can think of at the moment - if theres anything in particular you need advice on give me a shout.
happy hunting!!!
front subframes tend to crack from heavy track use. also check for dimples in the roof around ariel - again a sign of heavy track use. stress points are the areas around the bottom of the windscreen. If there are any cracks its a sign of crash damage and/or heavy track use.
rust wise check all arches, around the lights in the boot, also around the number plate on the rear, have a good poke under the fuse box. Also prise off the plastic covers where the wipers are, shine a torch in there and check for holes/rust - very common to have rust here.
mechanically - check the usual stuff suspension wise, front wheels should sit towards the front of the car instead of in the middle of the arch, engine is ok to be a little rattly on start up and oil light should go out striaght away. gearbox may be slighlty nothcy in 1st and 2nd when cold. if its notchy when warm you have worn syncros. When you have the car warmed up drop it from 4th into 3rd at high rpms and then into 2nd at high rpms - if it crunches you have worn synros (good test this one)
Electic fan should kick in at 3/4 way and cut off after 30sec. Keep an eye on this. There should be no smoke or rattles from the engine. When driving it drive it up through the gears - it should pull like a train to the red line in all gears. Let the owner drive it first from cold and see how he drives it. If he looks after the car he will let the oil warm up before giving it the holly. It should also tick over at around 750rpm. IF it fluctuates from 600rpm to 1200rpm its the rubber blocks around the inlet manifold. not an expensive job to repair.
If the car has been resprayed for any reason you will notice the side skirts will have the same satin finish as the car. WHen these cars left the factory the side skirts had a dull matt finish.
thats all i can think of at the moment - if theres anything in particular you need advice on give me a shout.
happy hunting!!!