What do you guys think of this E36 M3

I have been on the hunt for a decent E36 M3 for awhile now. I found this one. OBD1 swapped S52, avus blue. He goes on about how the interior is super special and stuff, but I asked him if he were to pull the seats (because honestly I'm not sold on them) how much would he part with the car for. He said 7k seemed fair. Assuming all the information is legit, do you guys think its worth it? How is the mods list? I dont recognize alot of those brands.

I am trying to obtain the PO's information and talk to him, but I just wanted to see what your guys' opinions would be. Thanks.

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/4656974053.html

It's probably worth his asking price. I personally would love and keep those seats in the car, but I'm weird and like cloth.

really value is going to depend on how 'nice' the car is at this point. Lots of rock chips or not a lot? that kind of stuff.

Mod list looks totally normal, stuff from normal BMW tuners. I dunno about that exhaust, but it sounds like he still has the stock one too which is a good sound and performance choice, but is really heavy like he says.

Those seats look sweet. I dunno if they are 2k sweet like you say, but I really dislike leather, which is by far the common seat choice in these cars.

if you want an independent shop to take a look Bimmerhaus has TONS of experience modifying and racing e36s. I think they are in broomfield.

Bimmerhaus is in Broomfield--- http://www.bimmerhaus.com/w5.html

If you are thinking of buying that car-- take it there for a PPI. Bob and Patty Tunnell have something crazy like 15 National Solo II Titles between them. (nearly all in a 95 M3--- and each time they win, they go up a class! )

They are also two of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Not just nicest in the automotive world----nicest in the entire world! They really are great folks!

That M3 looks reasonable. I'd be a little wary of the engine swap--- BMW tech or not. Some folks do good work, some do not. The price seems in line, the mods pretty common, and Avus blue is a great color. Those cloth Vaders are rare--- but that doesn't make them more comfortable than the leather ones. I've never been a big fan of the seats--- and they are heavy. I'm planning on swapping out mine.

10/10, would buy.

Looks like a good buy. Get it before someone else snipes it

A lot of those parts are top notch (TCKline, UUC, Turner). One confusing thing are the details around the engine swap. IIRC, the OBDI motor was the s50 and only available in 1996. 1996-1999 M3s had the s52, which was OBDII. Some folks did an OBDI conversion on the s52, so maybe that is what was done?

He swapped (or the PO did I guess is what he says) an S52 without any of the accompanying OBDII electronics into his OBD1 M3 is basically what happened.

Some of the pics look old. For instance some of them have that ridiculous straight pipe exhaust and some don't (yes that thing will be very loud).

Some of the pics look like it is lowered way too much.

Other than that it doesn't sound like a bad deal as the mods sound like standard BMW aftermarket stuff, nothing out of the ordinary, but also nothing exceptional either. Rare or not I can't say I'm fan of those seats either.

$7750 with seats. Without seats $6750. Thats very tempting now. Only problem is, I need to fly out to buy it. Its in Colorado, and I'm located in Utah. If I buy without seats, I would have to find a seat somewhere to get me home...

Any E36 seat will bolt right in for the ride home. Bimmerhaus may have a few seats at their shop they'd sell you cheap--- or there are junkyards around that are bound to have something that will fit.

I would do it at that price without the seats. You can find plenty of seats online and in cars being parted out. E46 seats fit as well with the only modification being to make the mounting holes bigger and wire it up yourself. Lots of write ups for the E46 seats.

Desmond wrote: $7750 with seats.

I agree with this if the rest of the car checks out ok. The JB flywheel setup and TC Klines are nice, expensive upgrades.

It's also got wheel studs and other purposeful upgrades so it's probably been to the track. That can be a good thing... because sometimes PIA work has been done already. Ask about the state of diff, trailing arm bushings and so on.

Always suspicious of modified old high mile cars that are listed on CL. Seen to many that sound good, you get a picture in your mind, and then you see it in person...... I'd be very cautious and not get too excited. He sure is dropping the price, so it's not a hot commodity for some reason. Someone local that can look at it?

I would buy it with the seats, even if you don't plan on keeping them. They are pretty desirable to some BMW folks, me included. If they are in good shape, I'd pretty much guarantee I'd buy them from you.

Here is what they look like in good shape. I would love to have this interior!!!

yeah, fly out, say hi to the folks at Bimmerhaus, drive home, and sell the seats to someone on here

Another vote for getting it with the seats. Those seats are worth $2k anyday.

In reply to dyintorace:

Woah, yeah, I actually dig that interior pic. Maybe I can get him down to $7,500.

Did he send high res current pics of the thing? I would not go out there without detailed pics all around.

Glad you like the interior! IIRC, the "M-cross" interior was never officially available in the US. Not sure if some cars did actually come in with it, or if everyone who has it (it's very rare) added it on their own. Here are some more shots of the same interior. I love it on red or blue cars, as it matches the exterior quite well.

I kept the pictures of the interior I posted because I loved it so much. I think I found them in a thread on a BMW forum where the guy was selling the interior. The price was something like $3500!

That interior is so 90s dodge, but in a higher-quality way.

I think it's worth buying, but the high mileage does make it a somewhat odd position to bargain from, especially with mods and if it needs other fixes. I like cloth much more than leather seats. It also may look funny if you put in other seats, then end up selling the car in a few years.

Harvey wrote: He swapped (or the PO did I guess is what he says) an S52 without any of the accompanying OBDII electronics into his OBD1 M3 is basically what happened.

OBD1 conversion is required for the M50 intake manifold swap. Gives it a pretty decent bump in power.

mr2peak wrote:

Harvey wrote: He swapped (or the PO did I guess is what he says) an S52 without any of the accompanying OBDII electronics into his OBD1 M3 is basically what happened.

OBD1 conversion is required for the M50 intake manifold swap. Gives it a pretty decent bump in power.

Actually its not required.

It was back in the day as it was easier to tune the ECU. The OBD2 computer has been cracked since then and it is easily tuneable by people like Randy Mueller @ Epic Motorsports.