might buy a 97 m3

[bmw4life13]

sorry for the repost but i figured since the 97 m3 is still considered an e36 it would be best suited here. i'm thinking about buying my friend's m3. i obviously need to take the car to my mechanic to have it checked but are there problems with this year and model? i've been told that the m3 has more mechanical issues than the other 3 series becuase it is tuned differently. btw what the heck is VANOS? i've been told that this has a tendency to break dowm on e36 m3s.

 

[JGM3E3632]

The vanos unit, is the valve timing unit. On the E36 M3 it is a single vanos. Meaning the it adjusts the valve timing on the intake valves. The E46,E39, and up has double vanos. Yes these units are a bit fragile. Really the only way to break one is to over-rev the engine, or go to long between oil changes. Then the vanos will lock-up. I have had my vanos on my 1997 M3 changed out, because the previous owner missed a shift and over-reved the motor. With labor the repair was about 400.00. You should not have any problems.