At 180k miles what should I be looking out for on it? Known issues? '97

Thanks

12/11/2010 1:41:38 PM

it's a stout car. friend at work has 276k and it was driven through last 14 new England winters. i had two E36 M3 with high miles and never had any problems.

at that mileage common issues like water pump, rsm, fcab, rtabs were probably changed out, but you never know.

http://edgemotorworks.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=55

12/11/2010 1:56:58 PM

everything rubber or plastic should be replaced.

12/11/2010 2:00:42 PM

Paging Ahmet

12/11/2010 3:33:44 PM

Well, if the following haven't been done, they will need to be replaced almost regardless of the kind of life the car's led;
Rear shock mounts (RSM)
Center support bearing/flex disc for the drive shaft
Control arm bushings, front and rear
Ball joints in the front control arms, and the joints in the rear toe links
Shocks, possibly shock mounts
The entire cooling system (Radiator, hoses, thermostat housing, and water pump). Chances are, some of these components have been replaced already, and are getting ready to fail again. In late 98 the pump was upgraded to a metal impeller, along w/an aluminum thermostat housing. The water pump was updated again after e36s were no longer in production to a cast pump. They ARE problematic. Fan clutches wear, electric fans often never work, and the fan blades get brittle. I've seen many go out, and take out a radiator or hoses along the way.
Drive belts/rollers, obviously. Rollers have a nasty habit of breaking/stripping belts.

Other issues that the car's likely to have are climate control and (factory) radio displays and controls needing repair, generally faulty soldering that cracks. Stereo will dim, but can generally be fixed. Climate control will start refusing to turn on/off, or being stuck in high heat/ac on full or some combination there of.

Tail light failures can also happen, annoying more than anything. Cleaning contacts can help.

Less common for southern or garaged cars is wiring harness issues around the trunk. Not a big deal if you have experience with wiring work on cars, unless caught in early stages, can make the OBC go crazy.

Item of note: Interiors fall apart on cars that haven't been garaged, fairly annoying. Headlights will probably be super hazy at this point too. Aside from these issues though, the car's solid. I'd own another myself. I'm not exaggerating w/the issues that I mentioned above though, it can easily leave you stranded or over heat, etc. if you don't pay attention to them.

12/11/2010 3:47:51 PM

/thread

Ahmet, bitches; we out...

12/11/2010 4:34:08 PM

Quote :

"Tail light failures can also happen, annoying more than anything"

oh god, had this on both. annoying is an understatement. getting my big ass under the steering wheel column was the royal pain in the ass to change out that little plastic piece. you had to be a gymnast to change it out!

12/11/2010 7:14:17 PM

So this question was in reference to me. I am trading my '05 Mini (non-S) with one accident on the title for a well-maintained no-accidents E36 M3 with 182k on the clock plus $650 cash. Am I crazy? I have about 12 hours to call this off if I am...


The cars:
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2098835555.html
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2061620999.html





[Edited on December 12, 2010 at 7:40 PM. Reason : .]

12/12/2010 7:38:09 PM

too much money for E36 despite all the work done. i sold mine for similar price almost 5 years ago with 194k miles.

add $5k and you can have half the mileage E90 330i, which is a great car.

12/13/2010 12:56:14 AM

I wouldn't do that, too much $ for the M3 indeed. White is a great color and all, but that car is not worth $9k in the market. That said, if it's worth it to you, and you intend to keep it for a few years than the ~$2500 that it's overpriced by shouldn't really matter.

12/13/2010 1:09:59 AM