E36 Questions

[aram1000]

I am looking into possibly purchasing a 1994-1998 325i or 328i for my next vehicle. I have my eyes right now on a 1995 325i with about 154000 km on it. Also, I am looking around for a 328i as well. I would be purchasing a 5 spd. I was just wondering, how reliable are these cars, what are some of the common problems with them, are there any maintenance issues i need to be concerned with, average maintenance cost per year, etc. Are these cars hard to work on yourself? Also, in 2 years what would I be able to sell it for, I don't put many k on my cars, probably between 15000 - 20000/year. I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks

[Weapon_R]

I think that the E36's hold up their value especially well. Any well kept E36 (no matter the year) should still fetch a fair price. The cars are somewhat reliable, but they have some quirks that need to be addressed.

As for reliability, the first is the poorly designed cooling system, which MUST be replaced as it will eventually go. The second is a problem is the rear subframe, which must be reinforced. Both of these issues are especially problematic and nearly all E36 owners must address them at one time or another.

Try and get yourself a 97+ model. These are the updated E36s and they look much nicer than the 92-96 models. The 97+ have updated lights, a nicer front end, a nicer interior and a better engine than the 92-96 models. Enjoy your car, they are good cars.

[aram1000]

thanks, i'll try to narrow down my search for that

[snoop101]

96 is when they changed to the 2.8 engine and obd2. I have a 96 4 door and love it. The 325's had some electical issues also. So make sure the bugs have been sorted out.

[PrezeS_PL]

My 92 325I was a pretty good car,
- there were some electrical problems - couple window switches had to be replaced and I had quiet few bulbs go out.
- somewhere over 100k - 120k first water pump went south and then a second one @ 220k
- at 180k alternator quit and a week later starter

that's about it

in my 98
- fog light bulb at 77k
so far so good but it only has 78k

As you can see water pump isn't a very strong part but its like that with most pumps driving fan blades, they just put a lot of pressure on the bearing switch to electric set-up and that should extend the life of the pump.

Maybe replacing the pump early (80-100k) wouldn't be a bad idea since when it went the second time it damage the fan blade and cut that little hose on top of the radiator.
One more thing parts are pretty affordable both times I got the pump from dealer and it was like $120 or something. And took like 1 hour to replace it including the time to regrind a wrench to proper size for removing the fan.

[snoop101]

92 did not have vanos. Some people like and some people hate it. I rather have vanos myself.

[cmodem]

Typical More important Problems with E36:

1) Water pump
2) Final Stage Unit
3) Comfort Relay
4) Rear Subframe
5) Rear shock mounts (RTABS)

These are usually common to all e36 which is a good thing because they all usually need it at some point. The rear subframe get a shop to look at it like Sheni he'll do an awesome job.

The shock mounts just go over some speed bumps etc and if you hear rattling in the back that's probably them. If you leave the rear shock mounts go to bad. They'll rip your shock support on the frame right out. So be sure to check this one.

But it may seem alot but it isn't they are super awesome cars. Truly the ultimate driving experience