E36 Reliability/Running Costs

Tom|Nbk

Tom|Nbk

Tom|Nbk

Soldato
Joined
12 Mar 2006
Posts
23,065
Location
N.E England
As per title, specifically the 325. What is the reliability like on these and how much would you expect to pay for services/oil changes etc. I take it it's pretty pointless taking these to BMW now?

Just after some general advice on them, Paradigm, DRZ etc. :)
 
I am amazed at the sudden love for the E36 on this forum, previously it was all 'chavs / drug dealers' that drove them (according to most on here), now loads of people want them!
 
Short story. My mate has recently got one. He brought it round it's pretty much standard apart from lowering and it looked superb. I fancy a change already and can afford to buy one but am just curious about daily running costs.
 
Given that an e36 will be at least 9 years old, you might as well service it (oil change, belt change, etc) yourself. They are stupidly simple to work on, such a large engine bay means most jobs can be done with little fuss, heck we even changed a gearbox with the engine still in situ two weeks ago!

As for my 325, tyres (on the 16" wheels) aren't that badly priced (225/50/R16), and generally running costs aren't that bad in the slightest. A decent run will see 28+MPG without too much hanging around, although boot it a lot and you will see low 'teens!
 
The good thing is I won't have to boot it as often as I do my Focus because with twice the power it should be effortless?.

Just finding an unmolested example may be a bit needle in a haystack :/
 
It doesn't seem to be that hard to find an unmolested example, but finding a decently specced one seems slightly more difficult depending on budget. For some odd reason, people specced a lot of them really really poorly.

Depending on your budget, maybe a 328i would be better (that and the intake manifold off a 325i for an extra 20~bhp)?

beemer.jpg
 
Prices aint bad at all on maintaining these things any more. Textar pads are like 30 quid from GSF and Brembo discs from them are 25 odd each. A set of filters probably not more than 30, and spark plugs are 2.50 odd each.

These engines will do some silly high miles so long as they are given the basic attention any machine deserves. Rust can be a bit of an issue on them now, and front arms/ball joints/bushes all round will mostly be shot on all E36's unless recently done. Head gaskets can be common if you dont give it much care. And expect 20-30 MPG but less if you floor it around:)

You can service them yourself very easily, they are not difficult to work on.
 
Whilst we're on the subject, I know you've researched it a bit para, E36 M3 3.0?

Are we still talking 'stupidly simple to work on'. You can pick them up from upwards of 3k and whilst I do not even have 3k to burn, I KEEP hankering for one!
I need to stop reading PPC ;/

E36 M3 vs 328?
Either would get stripped so having a pretty one or one with lots of toys isn't an issue...
 
paradigm said:
For some odd reason, people specced a lot of them really really poorly.
Click to expand...

Because at the time BMWs options were rediculously expensive - IIRC, when my dad was looking at E36s way back when they were the current model BMW wanted £400 just for the thing to be fitted with a casette player and radio. Any toys were just silly money, and the basic specifications were exactly that, basic.

Back in the early/mid 1990s people were also much more inclined to accept things like wind up windows, cloth seats and so on, because anything else was much more expensive - not so true today when things like air-con and electric mirrors that were previously considered luxuries are standard fit on a great deal of 'normal' non-prestige cars :). The sort of toys people were happy with in 1995 are vastly different from what we expect today!
 
s0ck said:
Whilst we're on the subject, I know you've researched it a bit para, E36 M3 3.0?

Are we still talking 'stupidly simple to work on'. You can pick them up from upwards of 3k and whilst I do not even have 3k to burn, I KEEP hankering for one!
I need to stop reading PPC ;/

E36 M3 vs 328?
Either would get stripped so having a pretty one or one with lots of toys isn't an issue...
Click to expand...

Yep, still simple to work on they aren't particularly complex things.

328i doesn't compare to an M3, although if getting one cheap is your thing, and you're stripping it anyway, get a 318, and fit the engine ;)

I'm still hankering for an e36 M3 EVO (3.2).
 
Hd my E36 M3 Evo for 3 years now, really happy with it, other than servicing/upgrades, it's only cost me an aircon condensor!
I do fancy a change this year I think.
 
Irrespective of the luck that some members of this forum have been having with them it remains my opinion that an E36 6 pot is not an epicly reliable, cheap to run car. It's an enjoyable to own car provided you can justify the cost of running them, but it's not cheap or easy to run unless you have detailed mechanical knowledge yourself.

If you need to pay other people to do things for you, as many of us do, it remains a 6 pot BMW and thus remains associated with reasonably high running costs.

Plus they look like bangers these days unless you get an absolutely pristine minter in an unusual colour.
 
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