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My biggest worry with an E28 is rust. The rest of the car is pretty bullet proof. The engine (its a gas guzzler for its size) is about indestructible as long as you keep up on the banjo bolts for the oil system. But the good news is there is a pretty easy fix for them. Otherwise, its typical BMW bullshit. Cooling system, thrust arm bushings, and a few other things. Valve adjustments are a maintenance item, around 15k miles or so. Also another item to think about is timing chain/tensioner assembly, the car is getting up there in miles, so its worth taking a gander at. Otherwise, I believe its Bosh Motronic fuel injection which is about as common as air. But here is the good news! There isn't a whole lot of electronic bullshit to give you trouble. With proper care, you will see 300k miles with out any huge catastrophe. For a 26 year old car, its going to be fairly reliable (it is a 26 year old car, expect to have issues), and definitely more reliable than STR's Altima. It has already made it to 262k some thousand, so look at is as at least another 40k miles with out anything exploding. Nice find though, 535is are kind of a rarer (not super rare, but not as common as the others). But if your handy with a wrench, willing to know that poo poo will break (its not if, its when), your looking at a fun driver. The price is a little high, but that is a fairly clean car.
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Jan 10, 2013 10:02
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Mah_Freend_Amee posted:I have been looking at E28s and I want someone to tell me if this is worth it or if I'm crazy: Nice car, IMO the best looking BMWs. The ride is going to be ROUGH and rattle-y on Bilstein HDs because the chassis is quite flexy in comparison to modern BMWs (E34s and up) and there is a lot of old trim to bang around. Surprisingly spry car for its size. It will be an ideal occasional driver, I think, and will always feel special to drive. If your expecting the kind of ride you get, you'll not be disappointed.
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Jan 10, 2013 15:10
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MrChips posted:So apart from the fact that it will likely bankrupt me with running costs, is there any reason why I shouldn't be looking at a 6MT E63 M6 as my next daily driver? They're goddamn huge on the outside without being much bigger than a 3er on the inside? Plus, as you mention, operating and maintenance costs will not be cheap. They were $100K cars new and even the poor man's version they share the platform is expensive. That S85 is a compelling argument, but are you sure you wouldn't rather have the cheaper and more versatile M5?
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Jan 10, 2013 15:34
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SlapActionJackson posted:They're goddamn huge on the outside without being much bigger than a 3er on the inside? Plus, as you mention, operating and maintenance costs will not be cheap. They were $100K cars new and even the poor man's version they share the platform is expensive. I am not sure where your getting the $100K new car... Hell the M5 just broke that barrier recently. Anyways, its typical BMW bullshit associated with the M3. Just every part is more expensive than a regular BMW. Jump on rock auto, look a 325i and a M3 and see the difference in parts prices. Price out all the common BMW parts that you will replace, that will give you a good idea on cost of ownership. Would you be fixing it on your own or mechanic? Because that will determine quite a bit. I am getting really pissy about the fact that there has been very very few cheap BMWs for sale on craigslist. Edit: vvv wow I can read. Then yes, its full of bullshit. BrokenKnucklez fucked around with this message at 20:58 on Jan 10, 2013 |
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Jan 10, 2013 20:05
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He's talking about the M6, not the M3.
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Jan 10, 2013 20:54
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So I've been toying with the idea of messing with the exhaust on the '01 540i, and sure I can do a full catback noisy wonderful system for $800+, but it looks like a cheap way to get a little more noise out of it (I'm not looking for a race car here) is to just change out the muffler. There's many options on summit for ~$80 and free shipping, and the install would be basically free. Looks like the diameter I need is 2.75". Anyone have any experience with this? Also anyone know what the red circled item is?  E #1: Does it look like my trailing arm is moving up and down??? Hence the clean spot? E #2: If I do the exhaust, clearly something else will break, and then I have a project to fix. When there's nothing to fix I find things to work on anyways.... Deceptor101 fucked around with this message at 23:07 on Jan 10, 2013 |
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Jan 10, 2013 23:02
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My car decided it hasn't cost me any money recently and my front suspension started clunking. I'm guessing the bushing or something. I'll just have to get it checked out whenever I feel like I want to spend money. I'd rather spend to improve it, but whatever.
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Jan 11, 2013 00:12
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SlapActionJackson posted:They're goddamn huge on the outside without being much bigger than a 3er on the inside? Plus, as you mention, operating and maintenance costs will not be cheap. They were $100K cars new and even the poor man's version they share the platform is expensive. I've already priced out roughly what wear items and fuel cost should be for an E63 M6; it helps that I can do all but the most complicated jobs myself. Even still, I estimate the all-up (including fuel, maintenance and insurance) cost to be something like two and a half times more than my E46 330ci. As for the M5 vs. M6 argument, it basically just comes down to the fact that I've never been all that big on sedans. I understand the M5 is a fair bit more practical, but at the same time my 330 meets my needs pretty much perfectly in terms of size, so I don't feel I need something much bigger.
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Jan 11, 2013 01:09
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Cojawfee posted:My car decided it hasn't cost me any money recently and my front suspension started clunking. I'm guessing the bushing or something. I'll just have to get it checked out whenever I feel like I want to spend money. I'd rather spend to improve it, but whatever. Check your sway bar. When one of my end links broke that made for some intermittent (at first) clunking over bumps which became a constant thing once the other gave up a few weeks later.
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Jan 11, 2013 02:51
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My warranty goes up in February, I doubt anything warranty related is going to happen anytime before then. Is it worth going to an independent BMW servicer or just going to one of those *TIRE BRAND* total service centers? I'd like to be able to check it out myself, but I live in an apartment and the base shut down the auto hobby shop.
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Jan 11, 2013 02:54
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MrChips posted:I've already priced out roughly what wear items and fuel cost should be for an E63 M6; it helps that I can do all but the most complicated jobs myself. Even still, I estimate the all-up (including fuel, maintenance and insurance) cost to be something like two and a half times more than my E46 330ci. Well this is AI, if you know what you're in for financially and still want to take that ride, I say go for it.
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Jan 11, 2013 02:58
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I got a new job and am now driving my E36 M3 more than 2 miles a day back and forth to the train station. Time to do some work on it. What I've done (or had done) in the last 3 months: - Change the engine oil and filter. The old oil only had 4k miles, but over 34 months. - Change transmission fluid - Change diff fluid - Change brake fluid. Kind of wish I had replaced the lines as well since they are most likely original. - Change air filter - Change cabin filter. Required a vacuum to clean out the housing.  - Change spark plugs. Then I found my last set of receipts that showed I did it 8k miles ago. Oops. To be fair it was 3 and a half years ago. - Replace hood struts - Resurface front brake rotors to fix vibration. - Replace brake booster sensor to fix intermittent ABS and traction control issue (this took a while to figure out) - Refinish all 4 wheels. One required straightening. - Replace all 4 tires. I got Sumitomo HTR ZIIIs. They seem nice but need some more miles on them to assess. So for the first time in years, my car needs nothing. Feels good. 
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Jan 11, 2013 02:59
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Cojawfee posted:My warranty goes up in February, I doubt anything warranty related is going to happen anytime before then. Is it worth going to an independent BMW servicer or just going to one of those *TIRE BRAND* total service centers? I'd like to be able to check it out myself, but I live in an apartment and the base shut down the auto hobby shop. Do you have a jack/jackstands/basic tools? Front droplinks are incredibly easy to change on my BMWs. If not, I'd trust just about any shop to be able to do endlinks. Cheap parts and should be less than an hour in labour.
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Jan 11, 2013 03:16
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Like I said, I live in an apartment. They look down on working on cars in the parking lot. Plus the ground is uneven, and I live on the third floor so storing equipment once I'm done would be troublesome. I guess I'll just stop by a good year or something.
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Jan 11, 2013 04:08
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Maybe I'm just lucky but I've never gotten any poo poo from any of my apartments for working on my car in the parking lot. Tire changes twice a year, oil changes about as often, brakes once (which involved me beating on the old rotors for about an hour with a deadblow hammer, loving Ohio rust), and whatever random crap has broken over the years. It's been officially against policy at most of them, but that policy seems to be one of those that's basically ignored unless someone complains. What it basically comes down to as far as I see is not leaving things alone in an unfinished-looking state and where possible picking the least crowded area of the lot to work in (especially if you need to take up more than one parking space at any point). My car always ends the day on the ground and in a single space. It may not be drivable at that point but no one passing by would know. Can't argue that lugging tools and parts up and down stairs sucks though, my first two years were in second floor apartments which made wheel/tire changes in particular a real pain.
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Jan 11, 2013 07:23
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My apartment officially says no working on cars. That didn't stop me from having valve covers, intake manifold and the whole fuel injection system laying around. I cleaned up when I was done every day and wasn't loud and mostly people just told me "good luck fixing it"
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Jan 11, 2013 07:29
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Deceptor101 posted:My apartment officially says no working on cars. That didn't stop me from having valve covers, intake manifold and the whole fuel injection system laying around. I cleaned up when I was done every day and wasn't loud and mostly people just told me "good luck fixing it"
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Jan 11, 2013 17:24
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GentlemanofLeisure posted:I've done a few minor maintenance things in my apartment parking lot. It's funny how most people's reaction to seeing someone working on a BMW is "wow, he must be screwed...good luck buddy!" I guess it has something to do with the reputation of foreign cars and them breaking down a lot and being expensive to repair. Which is quite funny... My BMW's I have owned over time, have been quite reliable. Parts have been no more excessively priced than anything else.... Oh people and their crazy perceptions. But yet again, when I owned my E39, people chronically asked, well you can afford a BRAND NEW BMW, so your good for it right.... and yet they never figured out the car was about 9 years old...
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Jan 11, 2013 18:45
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Deceptor101 posted:My apartment officially says no working on cars. My apartment complex didn't care but some fuckwit called OSHA on me for changing an AIR FILTER in my assigned driving space. gently caress Californians.
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Jan 11, 2013 18:50
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Viggen posted:My apartment complex didn't care but some fuckwit called OSHA on me for changing an AIR FILTER in my assigned driving space. gently caress Californians. What does OSHA have to do with changing an air filter? Maybe CARB... but OSHA is related to the work place... what the gently caress?
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Jan 11, 2013 18:54
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BrokenKnucklez posted:What does OSHA have to do with changing an air filter? Maybe CARB... but OSHA is related to the work place... what the gently caress? I have no idea, offhand. The same guy who came to talk to me was checking out the main office when I went to get my mail, so my guess is that some snippy person said 'hey some dude is working on their car', so he went out to check. Hell, I wasn't even changing the oil that day.
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Jan 11, 2013 18:55
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Which is quite funny... My BMW's I have owned over time, have been quite reliable. Parts have been no more excessively priced than anything else.... Oh people and their crazy perceptions. But yet again, when I owned my E39, people chronically asked, well you can afford a BRAND NEW BMW, so your good for it right.... and yet they never figured out the car was about 9 years old... I drive E30s and people assume I'm some rich kid. BMW = RICH in a lot of peoples minds, regardless of the reality.
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Jan 11, 2013 19:22
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Lightbulb Out posted:I drive E30s and people assume I'm some rich kid. BMW = RICH in a lot of peoples minds, regardless of the reality. We know that your a rich snob. Just admit it. Freaking rich people on this forum......
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Jan 11, 2013 19:34
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The perception about BMWs having huge repair prices is definitley odd. When I first got my E30, the first thing that my friend said to me was "Heh. Good luck paying for expensive repairs and replacement parts." I just don't really understand why people think that. I mean, my stepdad only paid about $1000 chasing down all of the minor problems with the car when my brother gave it to him as interest on a loan for his new Saab, and that was just him fixing and updating everything that he could that he felt was lacking. (minus the rear half shafts which seem to be the source of my vibration.) Hell, when my brother was driving it he ended up needing a new motor, and managed to find a good one for only $600. That being said, my E30 325i is being a bit finicky towards me currently. I had a loose crank sensor ground, so twice the car died on me and wouldn't restart for a minute or two. I took it up to my stepdad's shop(It is always a plus when your stepdad owns a race shop) and we figured out about the loose wire. Anyway, we tightened it down, and ran the code checker, which came back clean. We then extensively tested the car, red lining it and putting other stresses on it to see if it would do anything, and except for one instance it was fine. The only issue we had was the one time, the car just died under acceleration(it decelerated rapidly, engine died, ect) for about a whole second, before immediately starting back up and continuing like nothing was wrong. It didn't throw a code or anything, and we couldn't get it to do it again. Then about two weeks later, I was driving it, pulling out of a side street, and it happened again. It wasn't a full shutoff, since the dash didn't light up like a christmas tree, but the engine definitley faultered for about a second, like before, and then jumped right back up, like the engine stumbled or something. This time it was throwing a code though. Anyway, I brought it back up to the shop, and threw the code reader on it. It gave two codes, one for the O2 sensor, and one for the O2 sensor heater. My stepdad was confused by this because the O2 sensor wouldn't cause that issue. Anyway, we cleared the codes, and about a minute later it did it again, throwing the same codes. We cleared them 3 more times and within a few minutes of driving, it would happen again. Once it does it, it won't do it again until the codes are cleared, so we aren't really sure what is up with it other than we think that it might be the computer, which we have a replacement on its way to test that out. I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on what it could be. The only other issues that I have noticed with it are it throwing check lights for things that aren't faulty. The main one is the brake lights indicator which makes me start the car with my foot off the brake pedal, then once it is started tap the brakes, or else it will be on until I turn off the car. The other issues are just typical older car stuff, like the rear defroster not working with the exception of two wires, and the A/C being dead.
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Jan 11, 2013 21:25
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I had those codes on my E30 325i when I modified my O2 sensor harness for additional length, due to headers. Maybe there is something shorting the O2 sensor wires? If I recall correctly, it was the relay or fuses with the O2 sensor heater. Also, I've my car just loose power and die while driving, only to restart and be fine. It only happened once, but that was probably 2 years ago.
Lightbulb Out fucked around with this message at 21:30 on Jan 11, 2013 |
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Jan 11, 2013 21:27
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Getting ready to do a 2013 overhaul, the "cold weather" version of the E46 CCV is encased in this beautiful insulating foam case: On the packing slip the Redline 75W90NS I ordered has a description "FOR RACE USE ONLY." From what I understand the "NS" version has some slip-preventing modifiers in it, but that shouldn't cause any harm in my lowly 2.93 open diff... What could possibly go wrong 
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Jan 11, 2013 21:54
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Should I sell my '08 E81 118D and get a '89 E30 320iA Coupé? Thinking it would be nice to not have any payments to do on my car, and I really liked my last E30. E30 even has AC.
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Jan 12, 2013 15:17
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On my way into work today, I saw a dude driving an E30 318 coupe on our messy, snowy roads. It had silver front fenders, black doors and an Ultimateforce Green back end. He was on black steelies and I've never been more in love with an E30 as much as this one. E30 winter beaters 
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Jan 12, 2013 18:31
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Is this a good idea? The salesman I spoke to told me the engine makes some odd noise when turned on, until it warms up. I test drove it, but unfortunately didn't really check out the sound it made. Drives nice.
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Jan 12, 2013 19:18
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Loco posted:Is this a good idea? "Odd noise" is cool (and somewhat expected) if the car is 20 years old and <$1500. That said, I wouldn't drop a cent on a $16k 2006 BMW without knowing exactly what that noise was, how severe a problem it indicates (possibly related, how long it had been going on for), and what I'd need to do to fix it.
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Jan 12, 2013 19:35
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Thanks, your advice is appreciated. I will probably stay away- it was just a passing interest.
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Jan 12, 2013 19:56
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So I'm going to look at this tomorrow: http://novascotia.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-Used-W0QQAdIdZ446477485 Yes, they've made some horrible aesthetic choices, but it only has 90,000km, is a 5spd and has been winter stored. Wouldn't take much to restore the proper black kidneys and trim.
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Jan 12, 2013 20:01
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A bit pricey for an M42 (?) car but drat it's probably clean at such low mileage. Might be worth is. I wonder if it's a repaint or if the hellrot still has that pop.
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Jan 12, 2013 20:06
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Crustashio posted:So I'm going to look at this tomorrow: quote:Used Holy gently caress I hate ads like this. Would it kill this rear end in a top hat to put any loving detail at all into an ad that's supposed to convince someone to hand over $4500? I'd probably skip it on principle.
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Jan 12, 2013 20:10
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Loco posted:Is this a good idea? I'll be the first to say that the M54 engine is pretty noisy during cold starts at the best of times, there are a lot of telltale noises that indicate failures of key components. Bear in mind that some of them can be pretty expensive to fix (like the VANOS unit, which sounds like a tin can full of marbles when the internal seals fail). If you're set on that car, go start it up from cold, listen to it and pass judgement yourself. If it were me, there's lots of other E90s out there for that price. MrChips fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Jan 12, 2013 |
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Jan 12, 2013 20:12
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Black88GTA posted:Holy gently caress I hate ads like this. Would it kill this rear end in a top hat to put any loving detail at all into an ad that's supposed to convince someone to hand over $4500? I'd probably skip it on principle. Usually I'd agree, but I'm so desperate for a nice e36 to put my 328 parts on (including m52  ) I'll look at anything.
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Jan 12, 2013 20:28
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buy an E30, swap E36 drivetrain in, get the best of both worlds!  (ignore the fact that it's probably harder to find a straight/rust free E30 in NS than an E36)
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Jan 12, 2013 20:36
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Crustashio posted:So I'm going to look at this tomorrow: Wow. I haven't seen Momo Arrows on a car in at least a decade. Those might be worth something to just the right person. Very 90s.
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Jan 12, 2013 20:51
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What's with the grille?
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Jan 12, 2013 20:59
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rscott posted:buy an E30, swap E36 drivetrain in, get the best of both worlds! Chances are probably about equal these days, but getting the 5 series stuff needed for an e30 makes the swap harder. I also like the practicality of the hatch w/folding seats. Cojawfee posted:What's with the grille? Someone with no taste probably decided that colourmatching everything makes it look good. Easy to fix that stuff, just need new/used black kidneys and bumper trim pieces. Crustashio fucked around with this message at 21:03 on Jan 12, 2013 |
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Jan 12, 2013 21:01
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