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 once all again dont think anyone wants to help me on here or a m3 evo owner has not read this post.

Anyhow looked at a M3 evo coupe 1996 P 115k  yesterday and she was not in good condition faults i found were

Aircon drive belt missing,waterleak from pipe from bottom of rad looks like the pipe has rusted,front chassis rusting badly,bad interior passenger doorcard hanging from door,ripps in leather,  rust on boot, rattley exshaust, headlamp had stone damage, stone damage to arches leading to breakout in rust, and a quiet wine when driving.

The guy told me on the phone the car was mint and was worth journey to look at the car. One wasted day.

ok bye for now

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.

Hi,

Why do you want the Evo?? My 3.0 has 295bhp 9 up on standard and because of the extra gear in an Evo, the accelaration takes a fraction longer up untill the higher speeds 90-100 plus......??

NRG 3.0l Techno-Violet

Hi there guys

Well wow had all these reply's in 1 day you all must of thought i was bluffing lol.

Well reason i want a evo is basically i would like the top dog, I know the 3.0 is a nice car and they are more or less the same looks and performance but its like when i had a volvo T5 i was not happy untill i had the T5-R, Which was a much better car, I might seem a bit of a fussy bugger but just fell in love with these cars when they 1st came out and now i can actually afford to buy one.

The vanos does scare me as i have now read up on this problem, I think i will just have to wait and see what sort of car comes up for right amount of money, I have located 2 cars to possibly view later this week so fingers crossed.

Thanks for all the reply's if anyone has anymore comments feeel ffree to post to try help me

cheers  Leigh

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 

If its top dog that you want then an evo is NOT it.

The e36 M3 GT 3.0 is king of the hill. The suspension, chassis, and aerodynamic enhancements turn what was a great car into something truly marvellous. There were only 50 RHD GTs produced: all in British Racing Green [non metallic].

ps I have one so i should know [previously had 3.0 coupe and 3.2 saloon [oh and an Audi quattro RR 20v turbo] ]. The Gt knocks all these cars into a cocked hat.

STU M3 EVO,

Who is your insurance with??

Bigbird76,

Take your time looking for one. There are quite a few out there, but watch out for the ropey ones of which there are also plenty.

Take the view the seller wants your cash more than you need his car.

Good luck

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 - 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 to anyone buying an evo to make sure it has FBMWSH and the extended warranty in force.

Try The Independant Motor Company. They normally have lots of M3s. They are a bit over priced but it might save you driving all over the country. Note: make sure any work that needs doing is done before collecting the car.

I brought a 3lt M3 Cab from them and it was in exellent condition, and so far I have not had any problems (touch wood)

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???

Hello Pete, hows it going ?. Yes it was my car at Margam park, I parked it along side a black EVO which was for sale. How did you know it was mine, did you recognise the number plate from when she was for sale on Piston heads. Maybe the three of us could meet up sometime and compare cars.

regards Mark.

Hi guys

Yes i found one a nice 1 too 96 3.2 evo coupe estoril blue 68K miles full bmwsh,warranty,M3 private plate,new vanos, all for £9100

Im very happy, Also would be nice to meet up with you guys in south wales Aberafon beach or something would be nice.

Cheers Leigh (bigbird)

still looking wrote: Hello Pete, hows it going ?. Yes it was my car at Margam park, I parked it along side a black EVO which was for sale. How did you know it was mine, did you recognise the number plate from when she was for sale on Piston heads. Maybe the three of us could meet up sometime and compare cars. regards Mark.

Yes, I saw the car and though 'Mmmm' then I saw the as again and recognised the plate.

Mine was parked about 2 rows down.

Apart from a new tensioner and exhaust clamp mine is as you saw it!

I still ain't had my alloys refurbed but it can wait until I'm flushed!!!

Nice sounding also BB76 and cheap, is the warranty BMW? We'll have to have a Swansea Estoril Extravaganza!!! Hehe.

bigbird76 wrote: yes my friend its proper bmw warranty  5 months left though so will take her in soon few minor things need changing nothing big though.

Thats a staggering price mate, about £3k under book!!!

Houlbt wrote: Glad you managed to find the righ car, good ones are tricky to find. I've decided to sell mine now.. simple reason being because I want to spend the money on my E30 M3... all the lads went to Oulton Park last month and I felt all left out . The E36 M3 is a wicked road car but not a patch on my pride and joy E30-M3. (sorry all you E36 lovers) Anyway, if you know anyone looking mention my car, it's totally standard and has just been used for next months Performance BMW magazine as part of an article comparing the 3 generations of M3. Decided to buy the girlfriend a mini cooper... anyone know what they're like? http://www.potatotrader.com/m3evo.htm - http://www.potatotrader.com/m3evo.htm Of and before I forget... I'm on holiday until the 8th of August from tomorrow. BMW@potatotrader.com

Whats up with your mirors???

They arent proper M3 ones are they?

i had the car from slough in autotrader i have done all the checks HPI and bmw dealer check all ok

i have even had a really good look under the car and peeled the matts back etc looked for any accident damage cant find nothing the guy i bought the car off was 45 and owned it for 5 years he totally looked after it. hes bought a 02 530 estate fully loaded.and said he was offered part ex just under what i paid by bmw dealer so sold it in autotrader for a bit more.

As i said earlier the alloys do need a refurb to get the car mint!