How long do E30 M3's last?

[e30 evo]

i will, i also found a 53k miler for $14k so i'm thinking about that too

[mazenz]

my car has 120k miles on it and has never been rebuilt. it runs better than almost any other stock s14 ive ever seen. just keep it well maintained and you wont have any problems. however, i have done the timing chain. i have also replaced the head gasket as well, but it was not blown nor was it leaking more than extremely minor seeping. preventative maintenance really. oh, and only use the best oil you can buy and change it every 3000 miles religiously! i follow this proceedure and have never been failed by it. i would generally say the m3 is dead reliable, and anything ive had to fix on it since ive owned it was mainly because i broke it.

[e30 evo]

cool, thanks

[Kevin]

Originally posted by e30 evo
do u know if he inspects cars personally? also, do u know his pricing if he does....

Call him....hes really nice.....I talked with him at length about timing when I rebuilt my motor(did rebuild myself).

He is THE e30 M3 guy around here

[e30 evo]

ok, thanks

[RogueM3]

don fields doesnt work at autosport performance anymore. do you know where he is now. He did an excellent job with Mark from Rogue engineerings e30 (s52 swap).

-Richard

[e30 evo]

Originally posted by Kevin
Call him....hes really nice.....I talked with him at length about timing when I rebuilt my motor(did rebuild myself).

you rebuilt your own engine? damn, what does that involve? I've heard its extremely hard

[mrsha007]

most e30 m3 guys are hands on. you better learn fast, these cars need to be babied when parked and raped when driven. i drive my car daily sometimes, and other times i park it for a month or so only coming out on weekends for fun. the car hates being driven daily like a comuter. it lags and i feel its pain. the car feels sluggish and all when it is daily driven, but when i let it rip for a day or so i can tell the motor is purring and the car is flying around.

im not gonna say dont get the m if its gonna be daily driven, i got it and DD'd it, but after a while you will realize you want a second car to preserve the m's characteristics and performance.

[Reelizmpro]

All depends on maintenance and how the previous owner drove the car. Picked up my M3 with 77K miles and it's been very reliable so far. I just installed a few upgrades recently and at 120K miles it's running as strong as ever, putting down 209rwhp. The heads never been separated from the block. Of course shit does happen though. I know a guy who picked up an M3 with 160K and it runs stronger than most 2.3's I know with less mileage.

[e30 evo]

Reelizmpro, has your car had a rebuld yet? If i don't get an m, i've heard you can put the rear end from a 318 into a 325 and it goes like a rocket. Whats the story about that?

Thanks in advance

[mrsha007]

a 4.10 lsd in a 325 brings the performance of the 325 very close to that of the m3. m3 only wins becuase of its powerband. but thats about as close as it gets. a fully built 2.5 m3 will eat most cars on the road, a fully built 3.0 325 will roll some cars, but power output is limited.

[Cone]

I've realized that my car actually hates to sit. I have a spare car now, and when I don't drive the M3 for a while, the gas goes bad, and it doesn't start for some reason.

[Reelizmpro]

Originally posted by e30 evo
Reelizmpro, has your car had a rebuld yet? If i don't get an m, i've heard you can put the rear end from a 318 into a 325 and it goes like a rocket. Whats the story about that?

Thanks in advance

Nope, the head has never been separated from the block.

[uberpanzer]

If you are daily driving it and concerned about money, an e30 M3 is NOT the car for you. They can be very reliable cars, but they can also be money pits.

I was lucky and had a bumper-to-bumper warranty with it for the first 3 years. That saved my butt. Had I NOT gotten the warranty, I would not have gotten the car. I've had 2 non-M e30's before this, one an AWD car, and knew that they can get expensive once things start to break.

My advice is to get a nice 325i/is, drop in a 4.10 LSD, chip, suspension, wheels, brakes and exhaust and call it a day. Anything much more than that and it won't be AS reliable for a daily car. But these will still let you have a great time AutoX'ing.

[e30 evo]

thanks a lot for the tip