Should i keep the e36

[mrdoof]

Hey
iv got a 94 318is manual 1.8 twin cam now with 217500km on the clock

its a great car comfortable to drive ect.

though i am tossing up on whether to keep it or not. The car hasnt been thrashed it had one previous owner who was an older female, it has only ever been serviced at bmw and i have all log books

cars in great condition apart from swirls in the paint and the headlining has come off a bit around the sunroof.

basicly how long do these cars usually last?
should i keep it or try to sell it before problems start?
is there any issues these cars have?
how much is a new clutch going to cost?

[Harls]

Can I just say from recent experience that K's are no neccessery true teller of how a vehicle will go or what conditon it is in.

I have only just puchased mine and it was one of nine I looked at when I was looking for an E36.

My car came fresh on 200K. But I was looking at cars with significantly less K's and they arere not as in good condition.

- Looked at an 80,000km 325i and the interior looked like it was 450,000kms old.

-I looked at a 120,000km's 325i and the engine had come away from the mounts!

- Saw this stunning 325i with 160,00k's and it looked brand new - apart from a ding on the front left quarter.

Every car had it's quirks. K's meant nothing - Just resale.

If your beast is crusing along fine, good compression, no rattles and properly serviced etc, keep it for another 2 years until 250K (resale will go to hell afetr that.)

Your car has stood the test of time - there is no reason why something may or may not go wrong

Just a thought

[hoadie]

Originally Posted by Harls

- Looked at an 80,000km 325i and the interior looked like it was 450,000kms old.

-I looked at a 120,000km's 325i and the engine had come away from the mounts!

heres a tip, if down the bottom of the ad, it says car is located in mt druitt, dont bother

[Harls]

LOL true in a way but the one with the crook mounts, and might I ad, had very tired interior, came from Bondi

[Aaron318iS]

Personally I'd sell it off.. most E36s are really starting to get on. Even if the car is mechanically sound with that much milage there can be other things that will let you down like electrics and interior.

[2bluBmws]

had my e36 for near on 8 years now. was at 63k when bought, now at 161k so basically sat my arse in it for 100k (hmmm, maybe time to shampoo drivers seat).
i have looked after the car and do most of my own servicing. mine is 93 m40 auto which is not thrashed.
what has gone wrong in 8 years.

replaced warped front rotors
replaced alternator
replaced stupid hardened plastic (not hard enough obviously) coolant thingy from block to heater matrix
replaced dodgy stereo
cant really think of anything else.

what needs replacing:
rear shock mounts and possibly rear shocks
sunroof switch needs cleaning/replacement
front seats are a bit worn and need replacement with black leather - anyone!!

apart from that the engine is good (for a 1.8 auto), it has begun to rattle a bit at start-up. in 100k i have only replaced in think 4 tyres and the front brake pads, as well as about 20 oil changes and all normal stuff like all of the filters and belts.

all in all ive had a long and prosperous e36 experience with not too much trouble. hope you can have the same - but at over 200k you should look at all the suspension parts.

[mrdoof]

does anyone know how much a clutch would cost?

[-Matt-]

The kilometres workout to be under 20000km a year over 13 year period, if you can afford to update do it...if not dont...nobody has a gun to your head to do it.

Updating the struts, springs, rubbers etc will help along with other mainteance items when needed

[Wald0]

Originally Posted by -Matt-

Updating the struts, springs, rubbers etc will help along with other mainteance items when needed

Question: Why would the struts need to be updated? Or do you mean the dampers/shock absorbers?
I'm not one of those smart arse trolls either, just wanting it to be clear is all.

[-Matt-]

Originally Posted by Wald0

Question: Why would the struts need to be updated? Or do you mean the dampers/shock absorbers?
I'm not one of those smart arse trolls either, just wanting it to be clear is all.

May as well kill 2 birds with the one stone while it is all out shocks that is

[Harls]

Yep I would have the rear upper bushes on the strut tops need doing in mine that has 200K on it. Doing them this weekend, havent even looked at my workshop manual yet so I hope it's not going to take too long.

Cheers

HM

[mrdoof]

the shocks look pretty new maybe she had them done not long ago?? i guess ill find out when i give bmw a call.

[hoadie]

the question is, what would you replace it with? the e36 can have a lot of niggly problems, but overall is a good car.