RE: M3 Newbie Q's and advice

[Dan Hermann <dahermann@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>>I'm looking into buying a m3.  I'd ideally want a Coupe with automatic.  Which years offer me this option?  I've only seen one so far, and it was a 1997.  How does the auto trans hold up on these cars?  How hard are these to find?<<

i believe the M3 auto was only available as the following:

- - model year 95 coupes
- - model year 97/98 four-doors
- - convertibles (not sure what years they were made)

>>Personally, I wouldn't mind the 5 speed, but the girlfriend is worried the 5 speed won't shift smoothly, and will make her nauseous like my turbo eclipse does.    Any comments here?<<

convince the girlfriend you can shift it smoothly.  it would be a shame to allow some auto transmission brain to usurp a great portion of the pleasure of driving such a well-engineered car.

>>My budget is less than 25K.  For those of you with the 4 door auto, how do you like them?  Any regrets to purchasing the 4 door auto m3's?<<

it seems that reasonable M3 specimens are available these days for that amount of money.  as for the 4-doors, the performance is the same as 2-doors.  some racers actually prefer 4-doors due to claims of increased structural rigidity and aerodynamics.  note that i'm talking about 5-speed 4-doors, not automatics.

>>Also, what should I be looking out for specifically when looking at these used cars?  What's usually the first to go in these vehicles? Common problems, etc?<<

always have the car inspected by an experienced BMW technician.  water pumps on 95 and early 96 models were prone to failure with potentially disastrous results.  missed downshifts (from 5th to 2nd or 4th to 1st) are not altogether uncommon which is why an experienced tech should examine the car for that kind of problem.  tracked cars are likely to have more suspension wear than non-tracked.  all in all, these are pretty solid cars with most drivetrain components performing quite well over the long term if well-maintained.

>>Also, I remember one of my friends in College used to have one of these cars.  I believe he had a 96.  The seats were black leather, and had the m3 lines "///" embroidered in the seats.  Really cool.  W hich years offered this as an option?  Is that part of a special package?  I haven't seen that on any that I've looked at recently.<<

the motorsport stripes are present on the sport seats which are commonly referred to as 'vader' seats due to their wraparound style and unique headrest.  as far as i know, the sport seats came in all coupes that did not have the luxury package (interior wood trim, power seats plus other odds and ends).  i do not believe the 4-doors or convertibles had sport seats, but don't quote me on that one.  i only researched hardtop coupes as that's what i wanted.

>>And lastly, any recommendations on how/where to find these cars?  I'd like to buy one at a dealer so I could get a warranty of some kind.  None of the dealers near me (orange county) have any older than 98.  Where are the 97's and 96's?  How important would it be to get a warranty on a 96 or 97 m3 with ~60K miles?<<

autotrader.com?  i don't like paying the premium included on a dealer-sold car.  a well-maintained private party car with service records is the best deal in my opinion.  a warranty is simply a gamble on whether the future repair costs will exceed the cost of the warranty.  i gambled on a warranty and won but my car was not quite as well-maintained and required more repairs than it should have.

btw, the links ryan sent you are good sources of info.  i would also suggest bmw-m.net and its associated mailing list specifically for the E36 M3.  lots of very knowledgeable, capable, and helpful people there.

good luck,

dan
88 325is
96 M3

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