HELP want info on buying M3 3.2 Evo

Fisrty hi to everyone as this is my 1st post on M power forum.

 

Ok im interested in buying a 96-98 3.2 evo coupe or saloon manual

I would like to know any problems to look out for when buying a M3 im pretty knowlegeable with cars as i have had 2 Volvo T5's and a Volvo S70R i pretty much taken them apart over last few years inc engine and box.And i enjoy doing the work myself, So i know the usual stuff all i need is for someone who owns a M3 to point me in the right direction, as to what problems to look for and pricing etc also what are these cars like to work on eg timing belts/chains, servicing,brakes,transmissions and so on. Also what is a Vanos i was told this is a major part to watch out for??

Also what sort of prices am i looking at for pads,oil,general sevice parts.

Ps been quoted £1100 fully comp  with 6 years ncb 28yr old and no points  on licence is this expensive??

 

thankyou for any feedback

cheers     Leigh 

Hi mate,I cant help you with advice on buying an M3 evo as i have only just bought my M3 3.0 saloon and im still learning about the car !

On the insurance ive got mine with admiral for £1000 fully comp with 3 years ncb and im 25 and they didnt want a cat 1 alarm or tracker like so many insurance companys do.

Does sound like the one you went to look at was a real dog..

That can be the problem with these cars they arn't the cheapest things in the world to run and people cut corners.

Sounds like you know your stuff though on cars so if you check out a couple of the "Whats this vanos thing i keep hearing about" threads then you should know mostly everything you need to..

Bigbird

I spent 8 months or so looking at 3L and Evos that were all described as 'mint' and most were dogs-including a memorable one with industrial size battery charger in the boot, no engine plates to be seen, non-standard colour and no MOT!!!

I plumped to spend my money on a cracking 3L with low mileage. OK I've added a few bits (k&n panel filter and supersprint decat and backbox) but a few tussles with Evos have not seen any real diff between the 2.

On insurance it pays to shop around-elephant were cheap for me this year as were a lot of the BMWCC recommended ones.

Do a search on here and on www.BM3W.co.uk for vanos stuff-its scary.

Welcome to the club mate.

I bought my evo a few months ago and got it insured for 706 fully comp,5years ncb 6 points 32 yrs old. I searched for best part of a year for a good evo, same problems as you are experiencing. people describe em as mint and when you get there they are dogs. every one i looked at had a quiet whine from the gearbox, even the one i bought whines a bit, hardly noticeable only at slow speeds. definitely watch out for a dodgy vanos though, will cost about 1200 to put right if it goes. problem is there is no warning signs apart from a slight rattle at idle, which alot of owners of evos and z3m's say still appears after vanos has been changed. Best bet is to get the chassis number and ring bmw and ask if its been changed,they will tell you over the fone when it was changed and at what mileage, otherwise its a gamble. I almost gave up searching for a good one, and started looking at 3.0ltrs. Then i found my car estoril blue  96p coupe fsh by bmw. Truly mint apart from slightly high miles 99k but well maintained. It was worth searchin for though. no problems as yet. Puts a smile on my face every time i go out in it.

stuart 

Edited by STU M3 EVO

How is the GT that much better then the Evo??

It's older, and surely slower right???

295bhp into a 5 speed box; unique cams and ecu map, enhanced intake aerodynamics = superb mid range and top end. only single vanos too so none of the worries associated with an evo.

did i mention that it is speed-unlimited?

http://www.supercars.net/garages/marcusmv3/189v2.html

 

 

Cheers for the reply's guys

Hard work driving round in a rover 218 turbo diesel atm, And i still miss the volvo but after having a test drive in a M3 im converted

 

The insurance quote i had was with adrian flux got it to £1045 fully comp with 5yr ncb no points,28yr old car kept in driveway and also i sleep with a baseball bat by my bedside!!

I would recommend trying to get one with a BMW warranty because it is worth the piece of mind. I have just bought one about three weeks ago still under warranty which had a leaky and noisy VANOS but BMW had agreed to repair before i bought the car. When I put her in for the repairs the dealer in Swansea informed me that is was the timing chain tensioner leaking onto the VANOS and not the VANOs leaking though it still needed changing, also they said the cam gears were worn but would be done under warranty. The bill came to £1870 plus VAT and that was at a discounted price (BMW charging BMW).

I was looking for about a year before finding a decent one but was well worth the wait.

Mark.

Sorry to resurrect but have u got your car BB?

I'm from Swansea, and have an Estoril Coupe.

Mark, hows your car, I think I saw it at the RS day in Margam in May/June???