guide on buying an E36

[x2n]

hi guys,im getting married soon and im planning to get my wife's a good reliable car price below rm20K. a good E36 4/2 door is in my list, and it might do for her. but i dont really know much about an E36. which engine is most reliable and fuel economy? any common issues? all i know is that the 2.8 is a heavy fuel drinker, and parts for the engine is quite expensive. an E30 owner myself, is there any E36's model that resemblance the old E30's M40?thanks in advance ^_^

 

[anaksarawak]

Good choice bro!

M43 (4pots) are easy to maintain and very realiable if not abused. Personally I love the M52B25TU as it offer good balance of power and maintainance cost.

To look for an e36 driven and owned by an uncle who love bmw is like searching for whale shark. Best is to look for an original manual 5 speed as its auto gearbox never known to last.


Good luck

Here are my some possible samples from mudah.my but need to check further,


http://www.mudah.my/BMW+E36+318+M+Limited+Edition+97-20037488.htm
http://www.mudah.my/BMW+E36+318+A+limited+edition+96-20099972.htm
http://www.mudah.my/Bmw+e36+318+m+-21149359.htm
http://www.mudah.my/BMW+318i+E36+Auto-19395263.htm
http://www.mudah.my/Bmw+e36+m+sports-21135608.htm
http://www.mudah.my/BMW+318i+E36+A+-20503764.htm
http://www.mudah.my/Bmw+e36+a+-20480769.htm

 

[x2n]

ahh i see, i think i saw a few E36 with that engine for sale in mudah ^_^

my friend also offered his E34 520 1994 for rm13K... tempting
comparing both model and see how it goes

 

[slyder]

x2n is a common myth that 2.8 is a petrol guzzler. On the contrary its the opposite. Remember the rule is power to weight ratio.
so 2.0 vs 2.8 liter engine in actual fact 2.8 uses less petrol than 2.0 if you are both travelling the same speed and same acceleration.
If you drive heavy footed then of course the 2.8 will take more coz you are already definitely accelerating faster.
But lets say you set your max speed limit to 80kmh.
2.8 will require less time on the gas pedal to reach that speed vs a 2.0 liter engine. therefore you are actually using less petrol.
there is another thread in the e36 category talking about the fuel consumption. look that up.


on the e34 520. avoid it dood. you need at least a 2.5 liter engine to move that heavy ass. else the car feels really underpowered and sluggish.

 

[slyder]

Also the amount of original 5 speed manual is next to impossible. most are converted

 

[ICEMAN 68]

Learn to read around ...lotsa info if ya spend ya time reading ..

Wahh mastar sly very the free ahh

 

[x2n]

x2n is a common myth that 2.8 is a petrol guzzler. On the contrary its the opposite. Remember the rule is power to weight ratio.
so 2.0 vs 2.8 liter engine in actual fact 2.8 uses less petrol than 2.0 if you are both travelling the same speed and same acceleration.
If you drive heavy footed then of course the 2.8 will take more coz you are already definitely accelerating faster.
But lets say you set your max speed limit to 80kmh.
2.8 will require less time on the gas pedal to reach that speed vs a 2.0 liter engine. therefore you are actually using less petrol.
there is another thread in the e36 category talking about the fuel consumption. look that up.


on the e34 520. avoid it dood. you need at least a 2.5 liter engine to move that heavy ass. else the car feels really underpowered and sluggish.

thanks for the good advice man. i test drive an E34 520 yesterday, and you're right, the car do feel underpower. great comfort tho.

 

[V-Man]

My ex. E36 328i(M) and 325is(M) used to give >500km on a single round of RM100 RON95

My ex. E34 535i used to give >400km on a single round of RM100 RON95

My current E34 525i(A) and E36 325i(A) gives >400km on a single round of RM100 RON95

What Slyder said is absolutely true. If you're looking for E34 525i(A) or E36 325i(A), PM me but definitely not in the range you're looking

 

[firdaus325]

below 20k u cant get reliable e36. sori to say bro

 

[x2n]

My ex. E36 328i(M) and 325is(M) used to give >500km on a single round of RM100 RON95

My ex. E34 535i used to give >400km on a single round of RM100 RON95

My current E34 525i(A) and E36 325i(A) gives >400km on a single round of RM100 RON95

What Slyder said is absolutely true. If you're looking for E34 525i(A) or E36 325i(A), PM me but definitely not in the range you're looking

 

[x2n]

below 20k u cant get reliable e36. sori to say bro

Can you explain, care to share your experience mate?

 

[anakin]

Bro..with below 20k budget, probably you will get a 1992/1993 m40b18...but who knows,if you are lucky you may even have top of the range...M50b28!! ...it hard to say, got enough money no car to buy..dun have enough money, suddenly your dream car out for sale!...its a matter of being at the right time with the right money...:wink:

As for a 1992/1993 e36, lots of plastics in the car will getting brittle and deteriorate over time which could be an expensive affair to replace unless its ok with you to drive around with a rattling dash/door etc..as for the engine it still reliable and won't give you much headache...:top::top:

Happy hunting!

regards

 

[x2n]

Bro..with below 20k budget, probably you will get a 1992/1993 m40b18...but who knows,if you are lucky you may even have top of the range...M50b28!! ...it hard to say, got enough money no car to buy..dun have enough money, suddenly your dream car out for sale!...its a matter of being at the right time with the right money...:wink:

As for a 1992/1993 e36, lots of plastics in the car will getting brittle and deteriorate over time which could be an expensive affair to replace unless its ok with you to drive around with a rattling dash/door etc..as for the engine it still reliable and won't give you much headache...:top::top:

Happy hunting!

regards

im not in a rush... my budget is rm20K but it doesnt mean i wont spend more if its worth it.

i had this situation before. my budget for my E30 was actually only RM10k... but i ended up spent waaayyy over my budget. but its totally worth it ^_^

when i calculate the cost to buy and restore a car, baik beli yang dah siap restore

 

[slyder]

Bro..with below 20k budget, probably you will get a 1992/1993 m40b18...but who knows,if you are lucky you may even have top of the range...M50b28!! ...it hard to say, got enough money no car to buy..dun have enough money, suddenly your dream car out for sale!...its a matter of being at the right time with the right money...:wink:

As for a 1992/1993 e36, lots of plastics in the car will getting brittle and deteriorate over time which could be an expensive affair to replace unless its ok with you to drive around with a rattling dash/door etc..as for the engine it still reliable and won't give you much headache...:top::top:

Happy hunting!

regards

Slight typo correction its M52B28.

Main difference is M50B25 and M50B20 are iron block
M52B28 was the first of the Aluminum Block