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I have decided that after my speed6 gets out of having the rear diff mount fixed that I am going to part with it and I have set my eye on a BMW. I drove a E28 528e in high school and loved the crap out of it. Here is the one that I am looking to pick up. It is a 97 E36 M3, ~164K miles, 5 speed, black on black leather. 2 sets of wheels/tires (set of summer/snow). I have emailed the seller a few times getting some info on it and it seems to fall within the sense of reasonable for pricing/maintenance/etc. and he went and sent me higher res images in an email and now it is all I can think about. I can sell my MS6 for a few grand more than what this would cost so I would keep a reserve of ~$1000 to buy some new brakes and cooling system bits, maybe suspension stuff (which has been replaced at least once in the life of the car). I drive less than ~7K miles a year so I figure this would be a fun car that I can enjoy and get a little more comfortable tinkering with. Less  more pics  
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Oct 28, 2013 22:46
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Looks pretty good for 164k. Just have the DSIIs refinished the right colour (or plastidip removed, I can't tell), it will look so much better. And since it's been winter driven, make sure to check for the usual e36 rust spots.
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Oct 28, 2013 22:53
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Crustashio posted:And since it's been winter driven, make sure to check for the usual e36 rust spots. Where are those?
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Oct 28, 2013 23:29
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My E46 330i's yellow check oil light has been turning on but my oil level is fine (and I just had it changed a few hundred miles ago). It isn't on when I start the car but after a few miles it turns on and stays on until I turn off the car. Anyone know what this could be? Maybe oil sensor is busted? How hard is that to fix?
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Oct 28, 2013 23:32
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part is $80 and you have to jack up the car and dump out all your oil. You may just want to spring to have your indy do it during the next oil change. Just watch the levels until then. Part: 12-61-7-508-003-M44 http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/tec...evel_Sensor.htm
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Oct 28, 2013 23:42
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Is that the same part number for all e46s? I've an 03 320d.
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Oct 28, 2013 23:46
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Ziploc posted:Where are those? Back of rear inner fender where it meets the bumper, rear of front fender, where nosepanel meets front fender. Generally those are the ones that occur on most e36s/e46s I've both owned and looked at. Thats not to say they won't rust elsewhere first, my 328is had rust on every bodypanel except the roof.
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Oct 28, 2013 23:55
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Somewhat Heroic posted:I have decided that after my speed6 gets out of having the rear diff mount fixed that I am going to part with it and I have set my eye on a BMW. I drove a E28 528e in high school and loved the crap out of it. Here is the one that I am looking to pick up. It is a 97 E36 M3, ~164K miles, 5 speed, black on black leather. 2 sets of wheels/tires (set of summer/snow). I have emailed the seller a few times getting some info on it and it seems to fall within the sense of reasonable for pricing/maintenance/etc. and he went and sent me higher res images in an email and now it is all I can think about. I can sell my MS6 for a few grand more than what this would cost so I would keep a reserve of ~$1000 to buy some new brakes and cooling system bits, maybe suspension stuff (which has been replaced at least once in the life of the car). I drive less than ~7K miles a year so I figure this would be a fun car that I can enjoy and get a little more comfortable tinkering with. That looks really sharp, something like that would probably go for around $7500 around here. They're not bad to work on either. The engine bay is a little cramped but everything is laid out sensibly. Mine is a weekend toy/autocross/track day car and for the price (Or three times it) you can't find a better car for that application. Putting money aside for the cooling system is smart. I've had mine since March and I've had to replace the radiator, water pump, and thermostat. It really would be a good idea to just do it all preemptively. That will leave you a bit of money to do the control arm and trailing arm bushings and the rear shock mounts which are all likely shot if they have not been replaced. The engine and transmission shouldn't give you any trouble. They do seem to like heavy oil if you are planning on running it hard. e: How are the door cards and headliner? User Error fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Oct 29, 2013 |
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Oct 29, 2013 00:46
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The Third Man posted:Thank you both very much, it sounds like this is exactly what's going on. I went ahead and ordered rotors because I really should have done them in the first place, but once I throw those on I'm betting everything will be running well. I'll disable the TC tonight and test to just to confirm. Just an update, you dudes were right, disabled the traction control and everything was good(but grindy, as predicted).
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Oct 29, 2013 00:49
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User Error posted:That looks really sharp, something like that would probably go for around $7500 around here. They're not bad to work on either. The engine bay is a little cramped but everything is laid out sensibly. Mine is a weekend toy/autocross/track day car and for the price (Or three times it) you can't find a better car for that application. Thanks for the heads up on what to look for. The photos haven't shown the headliner much but the seats (heated leather) and other interior bits seem pretty good for a car nearing 17 years. I'd like to begin some sort of light track days. I haven't been to see it in person because I need to get my car listed first. I fear if I go look at it I will nag my wife to no end until I buy it and worry about getting the MS6 sold later. Not easy since I have the cash n.o.w.
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Oct 29, 2013 03:20
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Ok time for AI to talk me into doing something stupid! An independent dealership near me that specializes in high-end brands and has an excellent reputation has a 2005 X3 3.0i for sale for $11k. It has no options except heated seats (the one thing I really want) and it's a 6 speed. I'm putting way to many miles on my M3, have to rent a truck any time I buy anything bulky, and my family hates riding around all day in the M3 when I come home to visit. Am I crazy? That motor and trans should be bulletproof but....... It's this one here: http://www.hymanbrosauto.com/web/used/BMW-X3-2005-Midlothian-Virginia/7821486/ Edit: M54B30. How is the GS6X37BZ 6-speed? Jealous Cow fucked around with this message at 03:36 on Oct 29, 2013 |
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Oct 29, 2013 03:31
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Jonny 290 posted:At this point non-iL E38's look weird to me. Gimme the boat. (bah, VIN decoder says it's a normal one) Looking for some real Protection 740iLs, I found this from last year. Guy buys an e32 740iL for $3100 with two VINs, one of them is crossed out. Thinks it might have been some weird fraud car. Turns out he bought THE RAREST of Alpinas. One of 7, and possibly the only Long version. Kenny Rogers fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Oct 29, 2013 |
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Oct 29, 2013 03:48
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Huh? I thought all V12 models came in LWB. Flagship status some other weird thing. The V12s even came in an even longer wheelbase than the iL in the form of the L7 (supposedly also known as the 750XLi in some markets). Another 25 cm in the middle of the car on the E38s and every one of those 899 custom built as a BMW Individual model. edit: Someone found a L7 brochure http://imgur.com/a/BgLMG
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Oct 29, 2013 04:05
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Jealous Cow posted:Ok time for AI to talk me into doing something stupid! I know someone who has one, he likes it but another friend of mine who has driven it described it as an awd e46 wagon with a lift kit (meh).
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Oct 29, 2013 04:42
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I got the itch for a 2002 today. What's the best resource out there for researching them? (Specific forum?)
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Oct 29, 2013 05:17
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revmoo posted:E38 is the best looking chassis BMW has ever built. And probably will ever build. The E39 would like a word with you. Dollar for dollar, if you want a car that can tote around the family, hit the track, play stop light racer, an E39 540i is a very formidable opponent that very few cars can match. Plus in black or silver and proper wheels it still looks remarkably modern, even pushing 10 years old. (I say this within reason, I know the m5 is good, but I'm just making a case for a reasonable car that's not overly big on upkeep)
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Oct 29, 2013 06:11
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Oh come on, seriously, nobody thinks the E24 is the best looking?
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Oct 29, 2013 06:14
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Kenshin posted:Oh come on, seriously, nobody thinks the E24 is the best looking? You're not alone, the E24 is quintessential BMW to me. It's on my very short list of old cars to buy as a project car.
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Oct 29, 2013 06:23
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Kenshin posted:Oh come on, seriously, nobody thinks the E24 is the best looking? Only the M6 and the 635CSi, they need the rear spoiler to make the profile. Something about the off center exhaust always bothered me too.
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Oct 29, 2013 21:43
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I honestly don't like the e24 at all. Big coupes just don't look right to me, I think the e28 looks vastly better in euro trim.
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Oct 29, 2013 22:01
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Ok I've got a weird rear end problem with my E30. The morning after a rain, I'll go to start the car and everything will be fine until the first time I stop at a light. Then when accelerating away from a light, the engine starts misfiring, sputtering and this morning it actually stalled out on me. I coasted into a parking lot, started it back up again and I could rev it in neutral no problem. When I put it in gear and gave it gas, engine stalled out again. Waited a minute or two, started it up again, put it in gear, gave it some gas and it stalled out a second or two later. Third time, I started it up, gave it some gas very very slowly while in gear and got up around 1000 rpm as I puttered around the parking lot. It kept running so I got back on the surface streets and around 1800-2000 RPM (~35mph in 2nd gear) it started missing again. I maintained the same throttle level and after 10-15 seconds the missing went away and it ran normal. It only ever does this after it rains and the behavior is very consistent to the point where I'll wake up 10-15 minutes earlier if I know it's going to rain overnight just to make it to work on time if it does decide to poo poo out on me. Friend of mine says it sounds like bad gas, but the whole rain thing and that it's done this with gas from different gas stations/companies makes me rule that out. It sounds like to me something is getting wet while it rains but I don't have a clue where to narrow down the search to.
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Oct 29, 2013 22:11
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I had an issue on my 325e that I could not figure out, that rain made worse, and it ended up being the O2 sensor. Unplug the O2 sensor and see if its happier.
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Oct 29, 2013 22:16
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Kenshin posted:Oh come on, seriously, nobody thinks the E24 is the best looking? Not as timeless. Did not age gracefully. They're amazing cars, but they look old.
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Oct 29, 2013 22:20
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Lightbulb Out posted:I had an issue on my 325e that I could not figure out, that rain made worse, and it ended up being the O2 sensor. Unplug the O2 sensor and see if its happier. I think it's going to rain again tonight/tomorrow so I'll try that. Living in Kansas I can go months without it raining overnight, especially in the summer so I kind of forgot about the thing for a while.
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Oct 29, 2013 22:24
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I'm in Iowa, I know the drill. Fortunately the O2 sensor is easy to check as the car runs perfectly fine with it unplugged. Whenever it was plugged in, even with a new sensor, the car would go haywire. I drove it like that for about a year, 28mpg average.
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Oct 29, 2013 22:58
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A series of events almost led me to buying a CPO 2010 Land Rover LR2 today for $26k. I came to my senses before signing anything. I need to stay away from dealerships.
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Oct 29, 2013 23:46
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I can't seem to catch a break this week... The passenger side rear rotor on my e46 will not come off. The hold down screw has been removed, and the parking brake is disengaged: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLuNZhKKon0 Something is stuck on the right side and I cannot for the life of me get it to budge. I broke my favorite pry bar trying to get this loving thing off, so something is seriously not right here. Any ideas? After wailing on it with a hammer it doesn't even turn anymore...
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Oct 30, 2013 01:04
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Parking brake shoe is rusted to the rotor, maybe? This happened to me once while parked for a couple days and I actually had to give it a surprising amount of gas to get the rotor to break free and the car to start moving.
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Oct 30, 2013 02:28
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The Third Man posted:I can't seem to catch a break this week... The passenger side rear rotor on my e46 will not come off. The hold down screw has been removed, and the parking brake is disengaged: Were you driving it before (ie it turned recently)? You probably just need to wail on it with a huge sledge. Pry bars are useless for rust, you need the force of a large mass at high speed. If you can't turn it and it hasn't moved recently, the shoes are probably seized to the inside of the rotor. I hope you have an angle grinder because I have broken rotors trying to pry them off when that happens.
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Oct 30, 2013 02:29
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rscott posted:Ok I've got a weird rear end problem with my E30. Mine was behaving similarly, found the intake boot cracked. I had a Volvo 850 that would intermittently run so rich it would flood, oddly enough was worse when raining. Finally diagnosed the coolant temp sensor as bad....it would give the ecu the lowest temp it could read (like -55 or something), but for such a short amount of time the temp gauge just showed normal. PITA to find, no dtc ever set. Had to drive around with my obdII reader on live data until I saw it happen. Never figured what the rain had to do with it? Higher air moisture level reducing combustion, making existing problems worse?
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Oct 30, 2013 02:50
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Could I have mashed the rotor onto the brake shoe when I was hammering it earlier? The car hasn't been sitting for more than a couple days, and it drove fine beforehand.
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Oct 30, 2013 03:03
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revmoo posted:Not as timeless. Did not age gracefully. They're amazing cars, but they look old. Assuming you mean "GOOD OLD," I agree 
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Oct 30, 2013 05:04
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Cobalt60 posted:Assuming you mean "GOOD OLD," I agree God drat that's hot.
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Oct 30, 2013 06:55
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I got in from a god drat long week at work and the doors on my e39 were frozen shut. I carefully pulled on the handle and pryed from the top of the door to get it open, and it finally came, but when i went to close it it wouldn't close. I manually pushed on the door catch and it wouldn't click shut. i held the door shut and hit the lock button, and the door catch caught at the second catch, a quick tug and the door was shut properly, but now it won't open at all from the inside or outside door handles. I figured i would sit and wait in the car until the heater heated up a bit so i could get out and free the wipers a little more easily, but all that did was create a massive ball of ice around the passenger side wiper and crack my god drat windshield right from one side to the other. i finally dug the second wiper free and got back in the car(through the passenger side door, which is awkward rear end hell because i am 6'9), and naturally less than a mile later the second wiper was frozen right back down to the windshield and i couldn't see poo poo, so i had to climb back out the passenger door and free the wipers again because the defroster doesn't warm up the windshield where the second wiper sits. Basically my question is, is there a cheap way to get more power from an E39 540i?
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Oct 30, 2013 07:02
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The Third Man posted:I can't seem to catch a break this week... The passenger side rear rotor on my e46 will not come off. The hold down screw has been removed, and the parking brake is disengaged: I have the exact same problem on an e46 wagon and the recommendation I was given was to remove the entire rear caliper and carrier bracket, then wind bolts through the holes to push the disc off. Not tried it yet as I've been busy but worst case the disc cracks, which is worst case for any method.
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Oct 30, 2013 09:06
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revmoo posted:E38 is the best looking chassis BMW has ever built. And probably will ever build. E31 or GTFO. 
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Oct 30, 2013 10:31
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Yes, the e31 is so hot in person. Some guy was filling up one at a gas station and I ran over to tell him how awesome his car was. Dude was so happy someone recognized what it was. I guess he'd sunk big money into getting it fixed up from a non runner.
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Oct 30, 2013 13:01
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Cakefool posted:I have the exact same problem on an e46 wagon and the recommendation I was given was to remove the entire rear caliper and carrier bracket, then wind bolts through the holes to push the disc off. Not tried it yet as I've been busy but worst case the disc cracks, which is worst case for any method. That is an excellent idea, thank you! Disc is getting replaced anyway, so I'm just glad it's a potential solution that isn't cut that fucker off.
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Oct 30, 2013 13:11
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Cakefool posted:I have the exact same problem on an e46 wagon and the recommendation I was given was to remove the entire rear caliper and carrier bracket, then wind bolts through the holes to push the disc off. Not tried it yet as I've been busy but worst case the disc cracks, which is worst case for any method. I just smashed the poo poo out of them from the back with a small but heavy sledge, I was replacing the rotors though.
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Oct 30, 2013 15:10
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e46 owners: Are the expansion tanks known to fail at the lower connectors (where it sits on the bracket)? I've definitely got a leak coming from near there, but it's hard to tell if it's the bracket connection or the tank itself. The bracket is definitely a more special order so I'd prefer to avoid having to get one from the states. I have very low familiarity with the e46 cooling system. Of course this happens when I finally get someone interested in buying the car.
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Oct 30, 2013 22:34
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