RWD Saloon/Coupe wanted

A whole heap of trouble.

You need to give up some context. If its a toy and you Are handy with spanners there are options, if It's a daily driver and you are not then my first comment applies.
 
BMW E34 5-Series.

BMW E36 3-Series.

BMW E30 3-Series.

Toyota Supra Mk3.

Nissan 200SX.

Toyota/Lexus Soarer.

Mercedes 190E (preferably a 2.6).

.....off the top of my head....
 
BMW E36 325i Saloon.

A 328i will be too new (and with the M52 the potential for problems is increased dramatically) and therefore command more money than the older M50 engined 325i.

Mine was well under £1500 nearly two years ago!

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BMW E36 325i Saloon.

A 328i will be too new (and with the M52 the potential for problems is increased dramatically) and therefore command more money than the older M50 engined 325i.

Mine was well under £1500 nearly two years ago!

That looks really, really nice. What are the major issues with E36's? I'm guessing rust is now an issue with these? And didn't they have some subframe issues?
 
That looks really, really nice. What are the major issues with E36's? I'm guessing rust is now an issue with these? And didn't they have some subframe issues?

The early 6-pot E36's did indeed have the potential for rear-subframe tearing problems. However this is easy to spot (shove your head under the car and look at the subframe mounts, if there is any tearing to the bodywork, run away, you can also see if the subframe mounts have started to push through the boot floor by lifting the carpet and taking a peek), and if it hasn't gone now, it likely won't, but there is certainly no harm in reinforcing the rear end (mainly using z3 strut tops).

Rust is a case of checking the base of the doors and the bootlid, mine had none bar a small bubble (smaller than a 5p) on the rear drivers-side door.

Issues wise, they are pretty reliable bar the usual problem of BMW coolant systems being utterly crap, so just keep on top of making sure it doesn't leak water or overheat (the second that the temperature needle starts to move beyond the midway mark, pull over, seriously). They are also incredibly easy to work on, and I don't care what anyone says, parts (most) aren't that expensive either, even from BMW.
 
However you ended up spending more than the car was worth putting it right, not really what the op needs.

This is almost true, however had I not been in a rush to buy, there are plenty out there sub £1500 that don't need the rear end rebuilding.

And I certainly didn't spend more than the car was worth either, it was around £600 for the rear end rebuild and I only bothered because the rest of the car was so clean.
 
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(shove your head under the car and look at the subframe mounts, if there is any tearing to the bodywork, run away, you can also see if the subframe mounts have started to push through the boot floor by lifting the carpet and taking a peek),

Are you sure about seeing it in the boot? You certainly couldn't see it from there on my e46 328ci when the subframe tore through. It was only visible from underneath.
 
Are you sure about seeing it in the boot? You certainly couldn't see it from there on my e46 328ci when the subframe tore through. It was only visible from underneath.

How would you ever know this was happening if like me you never check under the car? I guess an MOT might flag it?
 
You'd feel/hear a clunk when changing gear or setting off with more than the lightest touch of throttle.

Yeah exactly this, with the seats folded down it was really loud - I just thought it was a small rattle at first until I did that!
 
You'd feel/hear a clunk when changing gear or setting off with more than the lightest touch of throttle.

I guess any half decent bmw specialist would know what it was at even the mention of that then if you got those symptoms.
 
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