DD - Sell/buy or fix

Okay, now that the weather is getting a little better, I need to make a decision.

I've got a 96 328i as a daily driver with 175k on the odo. PO did very little maintenance. I thought I was getting a good deal, but I got screwed instead.

It's got quite the laundry list of things that need to be fixed including:
clutch/flywheel makes nasty metal on metal sound when cold
rear brakes
tie rods? has vibration when sweeping left
parking brake seems disconnected
2 door locks frozen, won't lock
driver's A-pillar trim fell off
A/C
steering wheel cover is torn
bent wheels
shot bushings

It's been in the shop 3x in 1 year already.

I like that it's RWD, manual and somewhat fun to drive. The lowering springs that the PO put on there seem like crap (lots of body roll), but he got Bilsteins to go with it.

I don't like the mileage (21-22 mpg in mixed driving), reliability thus far, and it was difficult to plow through 4 inches of snow. (Managed to make it through without getting stuck, somehow.) It could also be easier on insurance, too. (Though I'm almost at the big 30th, so that should help on insurance anyway.)

I could afford to fix it up, or I could sell it and get something else. If I were to sell it, I could buy something with about $5-6k budget. I think fixing it up would wind up costing me $3k on its own. I don't have lots of mechanical ability, so most of the fixing would be done by a shop.

I think its current state of disrepair (particularly the clutch and the locks) would ruin its resale value.

I'd be happy with M3 springs, new bushings/fix vibration, clutch fixed ($1k+) and brakes fixed.

Do you want to have a 3-series?

Or is there something else you'd rather see in your driveway?

If you know you want/enjoy the 3-series, I'd fix up what you have. If it's not really what you groove on, see what's out there in the ~$4k range (keeping ~$1500 of your budget for maintenance/mods) and see if any of it is closer to what you really want to be driving.

Life's too short to drive a car you're not happy with.

I like the 3-series. I just don't love it. That's reserved for my Z.

I just keep being afraid that if I push it, it'll fall apart, and that's no way to drive a 3-series. I'd like it a whole lot better if I felt I could trust it.

front control arm bushings should also serve to end your vibration when sweeping left.

Bushings on these cars are NOT hard to do. Ball joints are a little harder, especially the one on the driver's side under the engine. You need a small wrench and a LOT of patience to get it done.

A pillar trim.. about $40 from pelican parts will cure that perminently. They all fall off due to brittle plastic.

The only expensive and time consuming job I see is the clutch. Even the rear brakes are not hard..

If you can do it, it might be worth it. If it were me, I'd push it into the river and start over.

I'd get rid of it. After owning an E36, I am very wary of ever wanting to go through the constant repairs associated with another BMW. They just aren't worth the hassle IMO. Especially if you have another 'fun' car to play with and this is supposed to be the reliable DD.

If you're not willing to DIY at least some of the work on the car, I'd say an E36 is not a great DD. They're all old enough that stuff is going to need fixing over time. It sounds like you have enough work cut out for you that the car is really a fixer-upper, which is always a bad choice for a DD. I'm lucky in that my E36 is a spare, I don't have to rely on it to get to work everyday (although it's been very reliable for me).

I'd look into the options of selling the car as-is and taking a hit on it vs. fixing things and selling it. To be honest, if you're going to have a mechanic doing the work, you'll almost be better off just selling the car as-is. E36s are pretty much fully depreciated at this point, so you likely wouldn't get the $700 you'd put into having someone put in a new clutch back when you sold it.

If you've got a Z to enjoy, I'd just get an appliance as a DD. Sounds like you need something that'll go in snow, get decent mileage and have A/C. Something like a manual Maxima would check all of those boxes, and is still more on the "fun" side of the spectrum. Good luck with your decision!

I can do the brakes, and the a-pillar trim. I'm not sure about the control arm bushings.

I know that I'm not up to doing the clutch myself.

If you can't, don't want to, or aren't willing to DIY on an older luxury brand car, get rid of it ASAP or else it will suck you dry...

I will relieve you of this burden! I'll even give you an auto Volvo 850 wagon in exchange.

Control arm bushings are EASY on these cars, as are control arm replacements. I'd suggest both at the same time, if you think you'll keep the car.

Nathan

Also, I think body roll is more a function of sway bar than springs. You might want to check your sway bar bushings and end links. Someone please correct me if I'm off base here!

dculberson wrote: Also, I think body roll is more a function of sway bar than springs. You might want to check your sway bar bushings and end links. Someone please correct me if I'm off base here!

In general, it's a function of the roll rate, which is determined by both the spring rate and bar rate. For the E36 specifically, I have no idea, I've only ridden in an E30 once, elsewise I've never touched a BMW.