newbie questions

[dr_thompson]

hey all. Ive recently started looking into bmws and im pretty sure its the next car i want. Im looking at mid 90s 325 or 328. Ive got a couple of questions about the car. What are the major mechanical failurs with em? Are there certain things i should be looking for? Are there any "lemon" years or models? ive got between 5-10 grand and i wanna make the most of my purchase.any advice would help!!!!! thanks guys

 

[Big Daddy]

BMW's are just like any other car as far as used retail shopping goes. Same rules, have it checked out by a professional. I personally know friends who abuse their Bimmers and then I know the ones who pamper theirs. Any car can be a lemon if abused and or modified poorly.

 

[bmwboy]

yes my car was semi abused it was taken care of mechanicly for the most part but the paint job was abused and looks terrible and somerubber striping was destoyed due to weather but all in all it is a great car and i enjoy driving it with ouit a problem every day

 

[Kirby]

Here's a list I keep of E36 issues.

Driveline:

- Water pump will need replacement because of the plastic impeller thru '96 (M50)
- Radiator - look for cracks in the plastic neck
- Defective ignition coils in some of the '91 and '92.
- Drive belt tensioner
- Profile gasket on the earlier 318's (M42)
- cracks in plastic thermostat cover (M50)
- sticking thermostats (M50)
- Manual transmission (ZF model) pops out of 1st or 2nd gear under load

Suspension:

- Outer ball joints go bad
- Rear shock mounts go bad

Interior:

- Window switches
- Door panels seperate because of insufficient glueing
- Dashboard vinyl can seperate over the center vent
- Seat heater elements break
- Glove boxes misaligned - especially earlier models
- chipping trim around the tweeters in the front door panels
- sunroof rattle

Exterior:
- Plastic headlight covers get foggy over time

Misc:
- brake light switch
- squeaky clutch pedal bushing