E36 M3 Value

Can anyone who knows BMWs give me a ball park value on this

1999 M3 Coupe Emerald Green with brown and tan leather 5spd Stock 114,000mi overall decent conditon, front bumper has a crack in the bottom center, paint is ok but not great, interior is pretty rough. Mechanically seems to be good plenty of power steering and brakes are pretty sharp. Anything to look out for?

From what you've described, I'd expect to pay maybe $5-6000. Thinking through the ssues my beater M3 has had... beware old cooling system components, aged suspension bushings & driveline mounts, noisy clutch, faulty electrics & accessories, weak a/c. None of these are deal breakers, but they're a hassle and an expense to fix.

Not as much as a GTV6.

Shish boom

In the DC metro area the beaters are asking 6, decent cars are closer to 10, and really nice ones are edging toward the 14k I paid for my 58k mile one -owner car 5 years ago.

In Northern California that's $8 to $10K usually.

down here that'd fetch 8-10k
and the value of E36 M3 is entirely dependent on who's E36 M3 it is. elvis' E36 M3 would be worth millions, while the walmart cashier's E36 M3.... not so much

Market price will vary, as noted above, but bear in mind that if it hasn't been maintained, you're looking at a couple grand in parts (full cooling system, all underbody rubber, all fluids, maybe clutch, maybe brakes) to get it up to speed. Add lots more if you're not doing the work.

02Pilot wrote: Market price will vary, as noted above, but bear in mind that if it hasn't been maintained,

^ This. ^

Mileage is not what matters to these cars - a $10-12k car with an excellent maintenance history and receipts is likely to be cheaper for you than a $5k beater unless your plan involves replacing everything anyway to go racing.

For posterity - the OP car -with a clean leakdown on the motor $6k with no love, $7.5k if I can see fresh rubber bits anywhere.

It is my belief that the E36 M3 is at the bottom of it's depreciation curve. The ratty ones will still be cheap, but the nicer ones will not get any cheaper and might actually start to attract better money.

A really nice M3 is worth the $10K-$14K they fetch. It's a fantastic, fantastic car. A beater isn't worth the trouble. By the time you're done fixing what's wrong, you'll have spent just as much time working on it and more money than you'd need to upgrade a vanilla E36 to be quicker than an M3. If the interior is rough and the bumper is cracked, there's a 95% probability that the car has not been maintained as well as it should have been. Pass.

I got a nice 328is for $4K, upgraded to M3 springs and Konis, replaced all the front end bushings (with poly) for maybe a thousand bucks. It's way nicer than any $5K M3 I've driven, if not quite as quick in a straight line. Even after installing an LSD, chassis reinforcements, new rear end bushings, bigger sway bars, cams and M50 head to make it about as quick as an M3 and a bit more edgy, I still probably come out slightly ahead of the game. The side benefit is I'll have put exactly the parts on that I want. Downside is the resale value won't be the same as a similar M3.

ppddppdd wrote: A nice M3 is worth the $8K-$14K they fetch. A beater isn't. By the time you're done fixing what's wrong, you'll have spent just as much time working on it and *more* money than you'd need to upgrade a vanilla E36 to be quicker than an M3. If the interior is rough and the bumper is cracked, there's a 95% probability that the car has not been maintained as well as it should have been. Pass. I got a nice 328is for $4K, upgraded to M3 springs and Konis, replaced all the front end bushings (with poly) for maybe a thousand bucks. It's way nicer than any $5K M3 I've driven, if not quite as quick in a straight line. After installing the chassis reinforcements and new rear end bushings, bigger sway bars, cams and M50 head to make it about as quick as an M3 and a bit more edgy, I'll still come out slightly ahead of the game. The side benefit is I'll have put exactly the parts on that I want. Downside is the resale value won't be the same as a similar M3.

You forgot the bigger brakes, larger front spindles, rear axles, LSD and X brace. Honestly, a reasonably priced, mechanically sound M3 is not that difficult to find and then the same $1k puts it way ahead over having to upgrade everything with M3 parts.

If I were going the route you did - I'd pass on the OEM M3 stuff and go Ground Control race C/O with camber plates, big brakes, weight loss (to make up for the .4L) and then have something better than I could buy in a cheap M3.

Objectively a US M3 should be worth little more than a stock 325/328. There are no significant body differences. The X-brace is not a standard M3 part. The M3 suspension is inferior to any decent aftermarket setup. The US M3 engines are just overbored/stroked versions of the standard I6--there isn't much material between the cylinders. The US M3 is basically a fairly tame factory tuned version of the standard car. You can definitely buy a much better performing 328/325 for the price of a worn out M3.

It's not just horsepower and springs though - if you add up the number and value of components that make the M3 more desirable than its siblings, you begin to see why they're worth the premium.

The fact is, any tired E36 has the potential to be as much of a money pit as it is a performer. I bought a beater M3 for seven grand three and a half years ago. I've only been maintaining it to keep it running, so expenses to date have been low... but it's quickly approaching the point where it will need some significant time and money put into it to keep it on the road. I've not decided yet what I'm going to do about that.

HStockSolo wrote: You can definitely buy a much better performing 328/325 for the price of a worn out M3.

I disagree provided you plan to do work on either. You can buy a much nicer 325/328 but once you have fixed what is wrong the ratty M3 will still stomp it's guts. There are not many significant differences but they add up to a car with much better track poise. Maybe not in autocross though if that is where your perspective comes from. On a road course - the M3 is a major advantage.

Those larger front spindles may seem insignificant - but 325s eat wheel bearings when you put on the slicks.

The bigger brakes are a huge deal.

Same goes for the included in the purchase price LSD, larger axles, reinforcement plates, 17" wheels... that all adds up to stuff you have to buy.

Same goes for that measly .7L bump in engine displacement over the 2.5 but... it is a fair amount of power and torque in the end and that makes the bits between corners shorter. There isn't a lot of material betwixt the pots but there is enough. They are reliable. I have only done one HG in hundreds of track days and it is because I overheated it (fan quit).

I do agree that any aftermarket suspension from a professional company makes much more sense than spending a dime on OE anything for an enthusiast. In fact, an M3 with stiff bushings, good C/O setup, sways properly balanced and wearing race pads/rubber is a track monster. It plays waaay above its station in life.

X-Brace: You are right - I do recall buying that - it was a vert part.

The E36 M3 was a nice performance car when new, but it going to have all the same issues as the other E36 cars with very marginal benefits now other than the "M" badge.

Many 325s came with LSDs as did a very few 328s--BMW sells new LSD units for about the same cost as the option. That said the M3 LSD may be better, at least BMW charges more for that part. This is another area where there are probably much better options in the aftermarket.

The stock 17" wheels are certainly no benefit--I got a set of replicas for $120. I've heard some 16" wheels will fit the M3 brakes. I am quite happy to be able to use 15" wheels and tires (my stock Sport package wheels are 16.6lbs compared to 22.3lbs for the M Contours). I have no need for larger rotors, but I do know where those can be helpful. In that situation the aftermarket options are again just that much better.

I was surprise to find how easy the wheel bearings are to replace and/or repack. I could see a problem developing if they aren't repacked.

HStockSolo wrote: I was surprise to find how easy the wheel bearings are to replace and/or repack. I could see a problem developing if they aren't repacked.

They are sealed units - you can't repack them. You replace the entire hub. They are very easy to replace - but they are expensive ($140) for quality FAG bearings. You can kill a $80 Chinese wheel bearing in afternoon at the Glen. No kidding. I was personally not amused by my cheapskatedness.

I don't disagree with any of your "aftermarket is better" stuff above but there is a reason they don;t let M3s run in the same class with 325/328s. All one needs to do is look at the lap times from BMWCCA JP to IP to see both cars prepared to similar levels, spending the same money. The IP cars are faster by a lot and pretty well represent the natural evolution of a track car to racing. Half the advanced guys in HPDE are similarly prepped. Big brakes, suspension, cams, tires and some other bolt ons... but representative of the normal progression aside from the extra weight of safety gear.

All of this assumes you want to go faster, spend on upgrades and retain some resale so it is kindof a bankrupt argument. Some people are happy to just drive a car. For them... any of the above that is in good shape is good enough.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

HStockSolo wrote: I was surprise to find how easy the wheel bearings are to replace and/or repack. I could see a problem developing if they aren't repacked.

They are sealed units - you can't repack them. You replace the entire hub.

Sorry, I and many others have done it. There are a lot of complete untruths continually preached about these cars.

HStockSolo wrote: There are a lot of complete untruths continually preached about these cars.

It is a FAG sealed bearing where the inner race is machined onto the hub. You can separate the halves and pull the balls out but tell me ... what is fresh grease doing to help a bearing that has play? One might wonder what sort of condition would lead to the grease running out of a sealed wheel bearing if one were using their thinking caps. You can't adjust it like a chevy. The nut does not adjust the bite of the race - it just retains it in position on the shaft. You can't "unwear" it like the magic ones in my imagination so... "repacking" a BMW wheel bearing is an exercise in wasting time and grease. Plain and simple. You replace it with a new one.

EDIT: Harshness removed

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: It is a FAG sealed bearing where the inner race is machined onto the hub. You can separate the halves and pull the balls out but tell me ... what is fresh grease doing to help a bearing that has play?

I found that mine had no wear, at least they had the same amount of play as the brand new one I bought. Repacking any bearing is merely to avoid any future wear and/or to use better grease. The seals aren't magic and all greases break down. It is a complete lie when you said, "you can't repack them."

Another smackdown with harshness removed.

I wonder if these have truly bottomed out.The E30 and E46 M3s are both more specialized models.

Maybe the badge will continue to prop up the value. It is not like logic has to prevail. I would even like the marginal benefits of a 328, and I certainly wouldn't turn down an "M". I'd even put up with the marginal weight gains of either of them.

all M3s are specialised. The problem with the E36... anybody could make a 318is look like an M3

Speaking of which, I see more Civics with M3 wing mirrors than BMW's. It's a popular car to pull parts from.

You can also buy M3 style mirrors for almost anything. just type "m3 mirror" into ebay and get ready for 100pages