BMW E36 M3...where to get?

grease · 02-07-08, 10:17

Hey, Im looking for a 1994 E36 M3. I know they are very rare, and Ive looked around a bit, but havent found anyone selling 1. Does anyone know of any private sales or any dealership just looking for the right price/customer?

Id also be willing to look at any E36 M3, if the price is good and/or the condition of the car is great (no salvage, etc )

Thanks!

awahl63 · 02-07-08, 10:28

I didn't know they made a 94 M3...they definitely did not in the USA. There are plenty of E36 M3's to be had 95-99 that are decently priced (Low teens) in good condition but then again this is in the USA. Sorry but I can't really help with Newfoundland...

Holden_C04 · 02-07-08, 11:45

1994 E36 M3 = Euro Spec. They can be pretty costly. There was one listed on http:maxbimmer.org a couple of days ago. Have a look there.

Accumulator · 02-07-08, 11:55

I got mine (gee, I'll be selling it this year too...'97 Byzanz metallic sedan. Automatic though..) from Enthusiast Auto: Main. They sorta specialize in BMWs of that vintage and they often have a good selection.
Last time I spoke with him their phone was 513.257.7515. THey are honest guys and I have no problem recommending them. They're located in Cincinnati, OH but buy/sell/ship all over.

grease · 02-07-08, 12:31

Awahl Yea, the 1994 M3 only came to Canada as a Euro-spec, 285 hp. All the E36 M3's that came to the US, plus the 1997+ M3's in Canada had the 240 hp version. There were other differences as well...

Holden Quite expensive compared to other years, yes, but worth it imho.

Arguably the best M3 to ever come to N.America. Thanks for the help!

Accumulator Ive allready assumed that to get a good version of any E36 M3, I may have to take a trip to California, so a shop in OH would only be closer than what I expected. Thanks for the #, Ill see what I can find.

JustinDetail · 02-07-08, 03:36

I've owned 5 E36's.

Loved them all!

Accumulator · 02-07-08, 05:28

JustinDetail- Yikes, you've had *five* of 'em?!? You're as bad as I am about certain cars

Yeah, if you're that into e36's I'm not surprised you've spoken with Eric.

I'm *probably* just gonna sell mine back to him..I wouldn't mind letting him make a bit off this car (for the second time

).

grease · 02-10-08, 10:18

Guys, steal my thread! Post some pics of your E36's

Or any pics of nice track-prepped E36's you might have on your PC.

Accumulator · 02-10-08, 12:14

grease- Sorry, no pics of mine...it's trimless, covered with towels and masking tape, and about 1/3 corrected anyhow; I got distracted in the middle of a major reconditioning and haven't gotten back to it

When I finally get it pic-worthy you'll probably see it on EnthusiastAuto's website under "current inventory"

grease · 02-10-08, 01:30

^^^When you finally do sell it back to Kellers, let me know? While it is an auto, theres something to be said for knowing that an older sports sedan has been well taken care of. Maybe instead of a M3, a project E36 could be more fun

JustinDetail · 02-11-08, 09:58

Yeah, Accumulator, I've had (5) E36's, but only 2 of them ///M cars. A 95 Avus blue and a 98 Dakar. The others were a 97 328i, 92 325i, and 92 325is, oh wait, and my first car, a 95 318is. Shoot, that's SIX! hehe. Had one other model, a 91 318is E30. Cool little car. I don't like current BMW's for the money, hence my driving a 2007 350Z.

Accumulator · 02-11-08, 10:35

Grease & JustinDetail- Heh heh, I thought it'd make for a cool project too..but the more I worked on it the more I realized that it really needs a paintjob to make me happy (maybe a supercharger too

). Parts of it were previously repainted (and not very well to put it politely) and the rest of it, well, needs paint IMO and I have too much money in it already. I'm rotarying it to death trying to get the marring out

Not sure how well-treated it was before I got it, but I do think I've sorted out all the mechanical issues. The undercarriage cleaned up pretty well, though I didn't do the rear anti-swaybar and IMO it needs refinished.

I'll post some heads-up when (?"if"?

) I decide to give it to Eric, it'll probably be on consignment rather than a straight (wholesale price) disposal.

It oughta be a great car for somebody, especially at the price (I'm gonna lose a fortune on it)...IIRC they only made 100 of 'em in that color and this one has a weird factory mix of Euro/US-market stuff as it was sold in Germany but as a US-spec car (German businessman who knew he was being transferred to US, or at least that's the story I heard).

I gotta say that the automatic really isn't my cup of tea on that car though...and I'm not a slushbox-basher as a rule. Some cars just aren't right without a stickshift and IMO the M3 is one of 'em. Funny as I specifically *wanted* an auto for this application (spare runabout car). But I'm probably influenced by my previous experiences with manual shift ones (including driving them at Skip Barber back in the early '90s); I had a few M3s before, but all of those were sticks.