Some Follow-Up

[Junior2552]

So, thanks to all of you, I decided to pay down the loan on the ZHP, and just do some regular bolt ons here and there.

HOWEVER, also thanks to you guys, I decided to put some of my supercharger money toward an E36 M3 to build the piss out of. I'm not a huge horsepower kinda guy; I'm a usable horsepower kinda guy. So, I'm thinking I'd like to refresh the S50 with some internals, a VAC head, and a Technique stage 1 kit :wub

So, I'm going this week to look at these. I'm in Cleveland, but these guys are about an hour and some away from me.

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/4132379723.html :120k on it, Hellrot red, black vaders, 5 speed with a new clutch and tires. Guy says there's some play in the shifter, but it shifts smooth and he drives it every day. All that means for me: new bushings an d a UUC SSK.

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/4159913221.html : 166k on it, Silver, dove LUXURY package, no vaders; just regular E36 seats, guy sent me probably two dozen pictures of the undercarriage. It's got a no-accident CarFax, and it's bone stock.

What would you guys do? I guess I think a well-kept 166k is probably better than 120k that might not be as clean. Plus, They're both in the $6k range. The silver one said he'd go to $6,300, the Hellrot one said he's flexible on price.

What do my fellow enthusiasts think?

[BimmerWill]

I personally would go with the 166k one considering its bone stock it's likely not been rode too hard. Vader's are sweet though. Either one are provably going to need a suspension refresh at the minimum just considering age and mileage. In the end it comes down to how deep in you're going to want to go on the motors and whether or not you're wanting a little more of a sleeper or going balls to the wall with it. If youre planning on starting from the ground up then pick the one you think you will like more and want to hold onto the most. Little things may not seem like a major thing now but could end up bugging you later on.

sent from S4

[Junior2552]

I personally would go with the 166k one considering its bone stock it's likely not been rode too hard. Vader's are sweet though. Either one are provably going to need a suspension refresh at the minimum just considering age and mileage. In the end it comes down to how deep in you're going to want to go on the motors and whether or not you're wanting a little more of a sleeper or going balls to the wall with it. If youre planning on starting from the ground up then pick the one you think you will like more and want to hold onto the most. Little things may not seem like a major thing now but could end up bugging you later on.

sent from S4

Well, I plan on going pretty deep with it. I plan on building to accommodate for the Technique Tuning stage 1 kit, and upgrading from there. The silver one looks better in terms of chassis care, but I'll have to see how they both run, sound, act, etc. Either way, it's getting motor work, so do I care? Haha.

[BimmerWill]

Well, I plan on going pretty deep with it. I plan on building to accommodate for the Technique Tuning stage 1 kit, and upgrading from there. The silver one looks better in terms of chassis care, but I'll have to see how they both run, sound, act, etc. Either way, it's getting motor work, so do I care? Haha.

If that's the case then I would go with the hellrot...got to love that color and the Vader seats can be hard to come by. If youre planning on putting that much into the motor you might as well do a suspension refresh. More than likely will end up going to a coilovers system with adjustable dampening if you plan to track the car etc. That thing is going to be a blast when you get through with it!

sent from S4

[Junior2552]

My dude, I have suspension covered. I am an avid customer over at Fortune Auto. I love their coilovers. Linear springs for our cars aren't easy to come by, but Fortune Auto uses Swifts. Also, I have a set of Corbeau LG1 seats in the garage for an E36, so I don't think the Vader's would be utilized. Again, it could be a coin toss. I'll probably get rid of the Vaders and put in the lighter, more aggressive Corbeaus.

So, that being said, which one now? Haha, motor is getting a refresh-- Arrow rods and CP pistons, I'm going to put it on a very track-esque coilover, and I need a solid chassis so it doesn't fall apart on such a harsh ride. The silver one LOOKS solid, but has 40k more miles on it. I'll have to see both in person and really weigh the options. The silver one might be in better shape than the Hellrot (no matter how much I love "arrest me" red).

[Hermes]

Vader's are not that comfortable

[bimmeryota]

We love the vaders in our e36. They hold me in much better than my e46 sport seats.
To me, there's nothing more "distinctively e36" than vader seats.

[Avetiso]

If you are rebuilding everything, get as clean a body as you can find.

[Vas]

My dude, I have suspension covered. I am an avid customer over at Fortune Auto. I love their coilovers. Linear springs for our cars aren't easy to come by, but Fortune Auto uses Swifts. Also, I have a set of Corbeau LG1 seats in the garage for an E36, so I don't think the Vader's would be utilized. Again, it could be a coin toss. I'll probably get rid of the Vaders and put in the lighter, more aggressive Corbeaus.

So, that being said, which one now? Haha, motor is getting a refresh-- Arrow rods and CP pistons, I'm going to put it on a very track-esque coilover, and I need a solid chassis so it doesn't fall apart on such a harsh ride. The silver one LOOKS solid, but has 40k more miles on it. I'll have to see both in person and really weigh the options. The silver one might be in better shape than the Hellrot (no matter how much I love "arrest me" red).

Fortune Auto FTW. Good choice

[brettbimmer]

Perhaps option #3? Why not try to find an E36 M3 that is already set up (at least partially) for the track? Just knowing some of the costs of setting up one of these, I would think you could save some money, even if you end up tweaking it to your own liking. Just an idea.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

[Hermes]

We love the vaders in our e36. They hold me in much better than my e46 sport seats.
To me, there's nothing more "distinctively e36" than vader seats.

Agreed, they are definitely a distinct E36 item and more supportive than E46 seats. I just find that they hold my shoulders weird and I have a backache every time I spend a decent amount of time in one.

[Junior2552]

Thanks for all of the replies, guys. I went to see the cars last night, and I drove them both through the hilly back roads of PA. Both owners are NOT ready to get rid of their M3s, as, of course, I got to see them in person and they had a little more wear and tear than Craigslist pictures can portray. The red one needed some maintenance, had been in a pretty solid front end collision, and needed new suspension on all four corners as well as shifter bushings, and RTABs. He wouldn't drop to less than $6,500; KBB/NADA put it at about $6,000. I offered $6,250 and rejected.

On to the next: fifth gear lean problem. The interior was a little worn, which is fair, but the price did not reflect that. The car also needed a suspension refresh, and some bushings, as well as a pretty solid head cleaning; she was clattering.

Being that I'm not in dire need of a fourth vehicle, I just let them both go, thanked them for their time and my brother and I drove back to Cleveland. As much as I loved the E36 M3s, and the status that comes with any M, I am just going to simply wait for the right one to come up so I can rebuild it and boost it. Until then, I'll start modding the ZHP a little here and there, fab up some of my own stuff for it, and get it put on a dyno for some tuning.

I'll do my best NOT to supercharge it, though the itch is always there. Then again, I have the CBR for getting into trouble. Thanks for all the discussion, fellas.

[echo46]

Yes, take your time , the right e36 M will come along. There are plenty out there. I waited and watched craigslist, autotrader ebay and finally found my Imola Red E36 that was clean, low mileage and almost bone stock. In my opinion both those cars were more in the $5,000 range anyway. By the way, the hellrot was pulled already from craigslist.

[Junior2552]

Yes, take your time , the right e36 M will come along. There are plenty out there. I waited and watched craigslist, autotrader ebay and finally found my Imola Red E36 that was clean, low mileage and almost bone stock. In my opinion both those cars were more in the $5,000 range anyway. By the way, the hellrot was pulled already from craigslist.

Haha, oh really? That's interesting. He said he had somebody coming to look at it on Tuesday, but I find it hard to believe that that buyer decided he wanted it before seeing it. He did say that if he didn't sell it, he was going to just put it back in the garage, which tells me that he wasn't really trying to get rid of it, more or less just testing the waters.

Any smart BMW buyer will look under the hood and see the correction to the frame rail where the car had to be straightened, the new windshield, and hear the rear suspension hopping around over minuscule imperfections in the road. The car simply wasn't worth what he wanted, and I'm not entirely sure he knew everything that was wrong with it. He didn't know it had been in an accident, "couldn't hear" the suspension rattling, and didn't notice the new windshield. He was given the car, with cash, on a trade for his Firebird 6 months ago. Clearly, he didn't do his research on the car.

[echo46]

Maybe he was just trying to flip it, anyway I think the guy pulled it, don't think it sold.