E36 328i

[DVS318]

I was just wandering what are some peoples thoughts on an E36 328i, fuel econmy wise, power, drivability, basic questions a car buyer would ask, any feed back would be great, thanks.

[queraxus]

If it's within your price range, it'd make an excellent car.

[Wald0]

^^ Agreed. Be aware that 3.0L M3's are getting lower and lower in price. It's getting close to having to decide between a tricked out 328i Coupe and a stock 3.0L M3 now... The cheapest I've seen a 'good' 3.0L M3 for is $25K. It had average KM's, good condition, service history, etc. from memory.
If your insurance company doesn't like the sound of the M3 then the 328i would be a very nice choice IMO.

[Janissarie]

good cars reliable I love mine nothing but joy.

[autumn acid]

Originally Posted by Wald0

It's getting close to having to decide between a tricked out 328i Coupe and a stock 3.0L M3 now...

Well said.

However, having said that it would be wiser to buy a stock, but well serviced 328i then a thrashed m3.

With the 3.0l m3's going so cheap these days, they will become the new wrx. They'll be thrashed, abused, etc etc - so be very cautious of what you look at.

[GazM3]

i guess with the m3's its condtion dependant. sure you can get sub 30k cars but you dont wanna buggered one and have to spend 15-20k on an engine rebuild.

the 328i is a cracker of a car and i guess theres not huge differences until the M3 hits 4000+rpm.

[Iain]

328i manual is an awesome car. Short of an M3, its the pick of the E36 bunch for me.

I'd steer clear of the older M3s due to their heinous costs for parts and servicing, while insurance for an under-25 would be "interesting"

[GazM3]

Originally Posted by Iain

328i manual is an awesome car. Short of an M3, its the pick of the E36 bunch for me.

I'd steer clear of the older M3s due to their heinous costs for parts and servicing, while insurance for an under-25 would be "interesting"

a key to owning a car like an M3 is doing those regual oil changes. ive had the m3 for 18mths now and i found the maintance costs pretty reasonable, but i havent broken anything -----------------yet

agreed with 328i Iain but i guess if you break somefing on any BMW its gunna costya.

I guess the key to owning a cheap to run M3 is to have a good network of parts suppliers, information (via forums) and if you are reasonabley handy with the spanners helps too

[Iain]

Originally Posted by GazM3

a key to owning a car like an M3 is doing those regual oil changes. ive had the m3 for 18mths now and i found the maintance costs pretty reasonable, but i havent broken anything -----------------yet agreed with 328i Iain but i guess if you break somefing on any BMW its gunna costya.

Fo sho. But it is the price of replacement parts over what "standard" BMW parts cost is what I was referring to. Broken parts especially.

I had been looking into "Euro" M3 engines for a while and found that simple consumables (spark plugs, leads, etc) are far and away more expensive than for non-M models.

Stuff like brake rotors are more expensive due to being more highly engineered, while you need primo tyres on such a ride and most young guys can't plump for $500-$700/corner for the gun sticky rubber that I've been told the M3 needs (at a correct load rating/speed rating)...

Originally Posted by GazM3

I guess the key to owning a cheap to run M3 is to have a good network of parts suppliers, information (via forums) and if you are reasonabley handy with the spanners helps too

Fo sho. That be the key.

[GazM3]

i guess they are expensive in that way, but hell when the tacho clips beyond the 5k mark well any thoughts of the extra expenses are gone.


yes and the tyres dont last very long.
Sitll with a 328i you wont be disappointed. What sort of sprint times did they run, for memory 0-100 in 7sec neat and around 15sec 1/4 mile.

[autumn acid]

Originally Posted by Iain

I had been looking into "Euro" M3 engines for a while and found that simple consumables (spark plugs, leads, etc) are far and away more expensive than for non-M models.

Find yourself a nice clean (rebuilt) example and plonk it in the e30 brother. It's not a matter of wanting to, it's a matter of just doing it.

Back on topic - DVS, if you're not going to be tracking the car, don't have intentions of starting a competitive motorsport, don't feel the need of paying a big insurance bill and just generally don't require a m3, then an e36 328i or 325is for that matter would be the way to go.

If you drive either of these 2 cars and start even thinking about "performance mods" forget about it, and take the m3.

[Iain]

Originally Posted by autumn acid

Find yourself a nice clean (rebuilt) example and plonk it in the e30 brother. It's not a matter of wanting to, it's a matter of just doing it.

I've been offered a 3.2 M3 engine with Schrick cams and Haltech ECU already on it. But, I still need a suitable gearbox, diff, rear subframe reinforcement, brakes, 5-lug swap (ie: all new struts too), radiator, engineer's report, insurance ( ).

I don't have enough money for my new 16s at the moment, so an engine swap is at the back of my thoughts right now...

Originally Posted by autumn acid

If you drive either of these 2 cars and start even thinking about "performance mods" forget about it, and take the m3.

Supercharging can yeild similar performance to an E46 M3 CSL (in straight line, anyways).

[DVS318]

wow, i checked this before i went to bed at like 11 last night and not a single reply, now i find a page worth.

Iain/Gaz- As much as i'd love to own an M3 Don is right, insurance would kill me and though it has a that very tempting power band i think for an 18yo Green P-Plater it would safer on my account to settle with something that has enough power to teach these rice boys that bavarian muscle can own. $$ wise im able to afford upwards of about 25K MAX unfortunatly being a full time student, fees and other money endulging pleasures seem to get in the way of saving sometimes.

Don- Like i said above a 328i would suit m needs down to a "T", trust me anythings an improvement over a 318i, but in respect to modding, the engine will not be touched except maybe a Groupe M CAI and a nice tune.

From what i've read the E36 straight 6 engines are quite durable and can take a beating, hows the fuel economy? this factor worries me due to it being a hypo 6 i dont want to have to fill up every week with 300k to a tank.
Thanks for the comments guys, appreciate it very much
Nick

[Iain]

Originally Posted by DVS318

$$ wise im able to afford upwards of about 25K MAX

You should be able to find a good one for $25k. And I guess you'd have to look at all the other BMW precautions when buying (look for careful owner, full service history, etc). Just don't stretch yourself too far on initial purchase as you could leave yourself short for any repairs or servicing that needs to be done a short while later. Regular services mean that these engines last a lifetime, and look for cars that have run on higher-octane fuel (there were Nikasil problems in some 328s that ran on low-RON fuel).

Originally Posted by DVS318

Don- Like i said above a 328i would suit m needs down to a "T", trust me anythings an improvement over a 318i, but in respect to modding, the engine will not be touched except maybe a Groupe M CAI and a nice tune.

Gruppe M CAI would be good, as would a good quality exhaust system. Check out the M50 intake swap as well, as IanS and now EMPOWR have both done this mod and have loved it. I think they're claiming around 15kW boost in power too!

Originally Posted by DVS318

From what i've read the E36 straight 6 engines are quite durable and can take a beating, hows the fuel economy? this factor worries me due to it being a hypo 6 i dont want to have to fill up every week with 300k to a tank.

Depends how heavy your foot is. I'm sure, on a combined cycle of city/highway driving you would be getting AT WORST 9L/100km... more likely in the low 8s. I'd figure with conservative driving you could get at least 500km out of a tank.

[DVS318]

Milage wise it doesnt sound to bad, the only real long distance driving i'll do is on cruises, otherwise i'll be driving to Tafe and back (5min drive) and to my girlfriends which is on the M4 and M7 98% of the way. So fuel should last quite a while and as for having a heavy foot, its only done when needed.

Perfomance wise im pretty sure its 193bhp stock and with a bit of engine management this can imporove up to 20bhp and ive also looked into an Alpina inlet manifold with 54% greater airflow and big bore throttle bodies, nice exhasut setup pushes it up to about 240bhp. (correct me if wrong)