Question...E36 M3...anticipated repairs at 140K miles?

I have a wonderful E36 1999 M3 that has been babied since I purchased
it in 2001 when it had 34K miles on it.

As a real estate agent, most of the miles are cruising the I-270
corridor here in the Washington/Maryland region.

Never spared any expense in servicing it....when the service guy calls
and tells me it needs this or that...it's done. In fact, when a belt
or hose needs replacing, I replaced them all, etc..

Recently had the notorious AC repaired, and the timing chain, water
pump...but still has the original clutch (told you they were highway
miles)
Never red-lined it or raced it.

My question is...what major things should I expect to address in the
next 40K miles? Same old..same old? brakes, shocks, struts?

Been toying with the idea of trading it for an X5...but truthfully,
the M3 is now worth more to me than it would be on the sale block.

Is the 99 ymodel going to qualify as a classic...given the last year
of the E36?

The car runs and handles like the day I purchased it...tight in the
corners and stops on a dime.

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:57:30 -0700, David Hageman >
wrote:

>I have a wonderful E36 1999 M3 that has been babied since I purchased
>it in 2001 when it had 34K miles on it.
>
>As a real estate agent, most of the miles are cruising the I-270
>corridor here in the Washington/Maryland region.
>
>Never spared any expense in servicing it....when the service guy calls
>and tells me it needs this or that...it's done. In fact, when a belt
>or hose needs replacing, I replaced them all, etc..
>
>Recently had the notorious AC repaired, and the timing chain, water
>pump...but still has the original clutch (told you they were highway
>miles)
>Never red-lined it or raced it.
>
>My question is...what major things should I expect to address in the
>next 40K miles? Same old..same old? brakes, shocks, struts?
>
>Been toying with the idea of trading it for an X5...but truthfully,
>the M3 is now worth more to me than it would be on the sale block.
>
>Is the 99 ymodel going to qualify as a classic...given the last year
>of the E36?
>
>The car runs and handles like the day I purchased it...tight in the
>corners and stops on a dime.

You could turn into a car collector (?) and buy a new one every 2 years. Do you
get a tax break on the car? Over here in the UK it's 25% of the residual value
(that you don't pay tax on income for that amount) so if the car is - say
$40,000 new the first year you don't pay tax on 25% of the cars price so you get
a $10k tax free break. The following year slightly less until after about 4
years its not worth keeping as a company car so you sell it - unfortunately
anything over it taxable value is taxed. I know your income tax rules are
different but there must be something that matches here.

Then the cost of running it. All the same costs. However, why must you buy it.
If you lease 100% of the expense would be tax deductible and you can swap it
every other year if you wanted to.

Hugh
--

Sir Hugh of Bognor

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.

Intelligence is not knowing the answer but knowing where and how to find it!

Hugh Gundersen

Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, England, UK

David Hageman wrote:

> My question is...what major things should I expect to address in the
> next 40K miles? Same old..same old? brakes, shocks, struts?

Even those who baby the car usually need to do a clutch before 175K.

Wheel bearings are also a 150K-200K item on a babied car.

Struts every 100K, shocks every 75K.

Brakes every 45K if you do mostly highway driving, 20-30K otherwise.

Engine every 300K. :-)

New car every.....(not)

The E36 M3 *is* a classic BMW. Good luck with it.

-Doug

--
--------------------
Doug Vetter, ATP/CFI

http://www.dvatp.com
--------------------

On Jul 21, 9:10 am, Doug Vetter > wrote:
> David Hageman wrote:
> > My question is...what major things should I expect to address in the
> > next 40K miles? Same old..same old? brakes, shocks, struts?
>
> Even those who baby the car usually need to do a clutch before 175K.
>
> Wheel bearings are also a 150K-200K item on a babied car.
>
> Struts every 100K, shocks every 75K.
>
> Brakes every 45K if you do mostly highway driving, 20-30K otherwise.
>
> Engine every 300K. :-)
>
> New car every.....(not)
>
> The E36 M3 *is* a classic BMW. Good luck with it.
>
> -Doug
>
> --
> --------------------
> Doug Vetter, ATP/CFI
>
> --------------------
Thanks for your opinion.

I had placed it on Craig's List for $10,000. (due to mileage)

One of the mechanics who worked on it begged me to sell it to
him...which was what prompted this thread. He knows the car well.

Since I am NOT mechanically inclined I find putting $2 to $3 thousand
dollars each year into it would be acceptable.

A new clutch costs about $1400 installed. Service
II...shocks...struts...tires. {{{SIGH}}}

On 21 Jul, 02:57, David Hageman > wrote:
> I have a wonderful E36 1999 M3 that has been babied since I purchased
> it in 2001 when it had 34K miles on it.
>
> As a real estate agent, most of the miles are cruising the I-270
> corridor here in the Washington/Maryland region.
>
> Never spared any expense in servicing it....when the service guy calls
> and tells me it needs this or that...it's done. In fact, when a belt
> or hose needs replacing, I replaced them all, etc..
>
> Recently had the notorious AC repaired, and the timing chain, water
> pump...but still has the original clutch (told you they were highway
> miles)
> Never red-lined it or raced it.
>
> My question is...what major things should I expect to address in the
> next 40K miles? Same old..same old? brakes, shocks, struts?
>
> Been toying with the idea of trading it for an X5...but truthfully,
> the M3 is now worth more to me than it would be on the sale block.
>
> Is the 99 ymodel going to qualify as a classic...given the last year
> of the E36?
>
> The car runs and handles like the day I purchased it...tight in the
> corners and stops on a dime.

And would the X5 do that? They're totally different cars. If you
want a different car then get one. If you like the one you have then
keep it. How much would the X5 depreciate each year?...

On Jul 22, 11:14 am, adder1969 > wrote:
> On 21 Jul, 02:57, David Hageman > wrote:
>
>
>
> > I have a wonderful E36 1999 M3 that has been babied since I purchased
> > it in 2001 when it had 34K miles on it.
>
> > As a real estate agent, most of the miles are cruising the I-270
> > corridor here in the Washington/Maryland region.
>
> > Never spared any expense in servicing it....when the service guy calls
> > and tells me it needs this or that...it's done. In fact, when a belt
> > or hose needs replacing, I replaced them all, etc..
>
> > Recently had the notorious AC repaired, and the timing chain, water
> > pump...but still has the original clutch (told you they were highway
> > miles)
> > Never red-lined it or raced it.
>
> > My question is...what major things should I expect to address in the
> > next 40K miles? Same old..same old? brakes, shocks, struts?
>
> > Been toying with the idea of trading it for an X5...but truthfully,
> > the M3 is now worth more to me than it would be on the sale block.
>
> > Is the 99 ymodel going to qualify as a classic...given the last year
> > of the E36?
>
> > The car runs and handles like the day I purchased it...tight in the
> > corners and stops on a dime.
>
> And would the X5 do that? They're totally different cars. If you
> want a different car then get one. If you like the one you have then
> keep it. How much would the X5 depreciate each year?...

Wanted an X5 because of the ice and snow we've had the past couple of
seasons. The M3 is worthless once the pavement disappears. Also,
with the abundance of SUVs and trucks on the road, it would be a bit
safer.

Just shocked an M3 in cherry condition would only bring $10-$12
thousand...just because of the mileage...when you can provided
receipts of every known issue completed.

I'd rather rent a garage or barn and keep it under a cover than let it
go so cheaply.

David H.

On Jul 21, 9:10 am, Doug Vetter > wrote:
> David Hageman wrote:
> > My question is...what major things should I expect to address in the
> > next 40K miles? Same old..same old? brakes, shocks, struts?
>
> Even those who baby the car usually need to do a clutch before 175K.
>
> Wheel bearings are also a 150K-200K item on a babied car.
>
> Struts every 100K, shocks every 75K.
>
> Brakes every 45K if you do mostly highway driving, 20-30K otherwise.
>
> Engine every 300K. :-)
>
> New car every.....(not)
>
> The E36 M3 *is* a classic BMW. Good luck with it.
>
> -Doug

One more question, Doug...or anybody.

The only thing is, the car was not garaged...so the Cosmos Black
metallic paint has some flaws. Tree fruit or some other crap berries
falling on it caused aseveral discolorations the size of dimes on the
trunk lid.

And....my girlfriend, bless her heart, shoveled me out one day when we
had 28 inches of snow. Paint has a couple of minor scratches,

Even though they're only visible when you're standing right up on the
car...IMO it creates the wrong impression.

So...should I get a top-rated shop to re-paint it? Is that some kind
of no-no?

sorry...that's two questions. ;^)

David H.

David Hageman wrote:
> So...should I get a top-rated shop to re-paint it? Is that some kind
> of no-no?

If you're asking whether a buyer will become skeptical about the car if
it's been repainted, then I'd say no. A knowledgeable buyer can easily
tell if the car has been repaired as well as the extent of the repairs,
but the paint shop invoices should be sufficient to convince the casual
buyer that repaint was for cosmetic reasons only (no structural damage).

In fact, given that it typically costs $500 per panel (quarter panel,
door, hood, etc.) to paint a car, any buyer should consider him/herself
lucky that they're not paying full price for that job, whatever you
decide to have done.

Which drives me to point out the obvious -- if you're not planning on
keeping the car it's generally cheaper just to discount the car for the
cosmetic damage and unload it. If you're keeping the car long term
(say, another 5 years) then the sky's the limit.

-Doug

--
--------------------
Doug Vetter, ATP/CFI

http://www.dvatp.com
--------------------

Hi David,

You didn't say how many miles were on the car now. I have had my 95 M3 since
new, yes that's right 12 years. It only has 64K miles now, about 5K a year.
I have other toys... Anyway, There are a few areas that are failure prone,
and should be considered for maintenance replacement.

By now I would bet the shocks and struts are dead. The stock Boge units seem
to last about 40 to 60K miles.

Belts and hoses are a 4-5 year item regardless of mileage.

Water pump, thermostat and radiator are 80K item. The plastic radiator inlet
necks, and end tanks seem to get brittle with heat cycles and can fail
without warning. The water pump no longer self distructs, but the bearing
and seal go bad. The good news is that the parts are fairly cheap. New
radiator $140, Water pump $50, thermostat $10. Of course you can install
better, more expensive upgraded parts, but you don't have too. There are
several options for radiators, 3 core all aluminum 57mm Fluidyne ($600)
Zionsville, PWR... Usually for cars that have cooling issues. (track rats).

On the suspension side, the rear shock mounts, rear trailing arm bushing
(RTAB), front lower control arm bushings, ball joints, tie rods, power
steering hoses, need inspection and replacement as necessary. But if you
have a competent mechanic, well that's what inspection 1 and 2 are for...

For the paint, you might be surprised what a really good detail could do. As
well as the paint scratches and other blemishes. If you are ever near the
Eldersburg Md area, drop by and I'll take a look. I have a paint and detail
business.

Rich

On Jul 23, 7:00 am, "Richard Sperry" >
wrote:
> Hi David,
>
> You didn't say how many miles were on the car now. I have had my 95 M3 since
> new, yes that's right 12 years. It only has 64K miles now, about 5K a year.
> I have other toys... Anyway, There are a few areas that are failure prone,
> and should be considered for maintenance replacement.
>
> By now I would bet the shocks and struts are dead. The stock Boge units seem
> to last about 40 to 60K miles.
>
> Belts and hoses are a 4-5 year item regardless of mileage.
>
> Water pump, thermostat and radiator are 80K item. The plastic radiator inlet
> necks, and end tanks seem to get brittle with heat cycles and can fail
> without warning. The water pump no longer self distructs, but the bearing
> and seal go bad. The good news is that the parts are fairly cheap. New
> radiator $140, Water pump $50, thermostat $10. Of course you can install
> better, more expensive upgraded parts, but you don't have too. There are
> several options for radiators, 3 core all aluminum 57mm Fluidyne ($600)
> Zionsville, PWR... Usually for cars that have cooling issues. (track rats).
>
> On the suspension side, the rear shock mounts, rear trailing arm bushing
> (RTAB), front lower control arm bushings, ball joints, tie rods, power
> steering hoses, need inspection and replacement as necessary. But if you
> have a competent mechanic, well that's what inspection 1 and 2 are for...
>
> For the paint, you might be surprised what a really good detail could do. As
> well as the paint scratches and other blemishes. If you are ever near the
> Eldersburg Md area, drop by and I'll take a look. I have a paint and detail
> business.
>
> Rich

Thanks for the response.

It has 138K on it. Everything addressed but still has original
clutch.

Just keep thinking that putting 30K more on it during the next 12
months...I'd be looking for trouble.

Maybe it's time to let go. ;^(