e36 convertibles?

[dshin]

What do you guys think of e36 convertibles? I'm looking for a second car and have heard some pretty bad horror stories about e36 cars in general. Any truth to them? Any years to watch out for? Should I go with an e30 convertible?

[TD]

Horror stories? Like what?

Many folks here think the E36 looks dated. I'm not one of them as I have two (including a '99 E36 convertible). But there's nothing especially problematic about them.

Seriously, what kind of things are you referring to?

[andy_thomas]

What do you guys think of e36 convertibles? I'm looking for a second car and have heard some pretty bad horror stories about e36 cars in general.
Avoid. Most E36s tend to explode when you start them, burning the occupants alive. If you brake too hard long, blunt knives come shooting out the airbag and stab you repeatedly in the chest. (If you have the HK upgrade the stereo then automatically plays back the soundtrack to the Shower Scene.) BMW sharpened the blades for the '99 MY, though, leaving a cleaner trauma.

:D

Seriously, as TD says what horror stories have you heard, and where did you hear them? (The answer to the second q may be more important than the answer to the first.)

[dshin]

It's good to hear that the cars don't have any recurring problems. I did hear though that the e36 line had some serious electronic problems like abs failures, brake lights randomly going out very frequently, interior trim being very poor and problems with the vanos?

My friend has a '94 325i coupe and has only 60k on it. Despite the mileage though, it seems that the car is a lemon. Are any of these problems sound familiar to anyone else?

[Ridgeway]

my e36 was the least problematic of the 3 bmw's I've thus far owned
I can't imagine an e30 would be better than a e36 in any respect...older will simply = more things going wrong that need to be fixed- If your already worried about issues...

[m44droptop]

What do you guys think of e36 convertibles? I'm looking for a second car and have heard some pretty bad horror stories about e36 cars in general. Any truth to them? Any years to watch out for? Should I go with an e30 convertible?

yo I have a E36 convertible and I love it, its a 96 318 but depends on what your looking for in the car. If your looking for a car to cruise around in and have fun its great, but you want it for a performance second car I wouldnt recommend it. No horror stories in my case everything works great

hope this helps write me back if you have any questions :thumbup:

[TD]

yo I have a E36 convertible and I love it, its a 96 318 but depends on what your looking for in the car. If your looking for a car to cruise around in and have fun its great, but you want it for a performance second car I wouldnt recommend it. No horror stories in my case everything works great

hope this helps write me back if you have any questions :thumbup:
Well, the E36 318i convertible was the smallest engine in heaviest bodystyle. Of course it's a bit slow. Our '99 323i convertible certainly gets out of it's own way.

[andy_thomas]

It's good to hear that the cars don't have any recurring problems. I did hear though that the e36 line had some serious electronic problems like abs failures, brake lights randomly going out very frequently, interior trim being very poor and problems with the vanos?

I have not heard of any serious, and recurrent or widespread electronic failures relating to ABS or the light control module of the E36. (Other BMW cars suffer from problems with ageing relays, but not this one.) Interior trim was poor in the beginning, but by the time BMW had introduced the car to the US (1992?) the problems were largely fixed. Very early US cars built in 1991 might still have self-destructing interiors. My '95 was rock solid - and later cars were even better. You may have a point with VANOS, but I believe this only affects the M engines to a great extent. (I am not so familiar with the six-cyl M5x engine range.)

The impairment caused by age can be even worse than that caused by use - and more galling, since all the car has to do to get worse is sit there, unused, whilst you fork out. So I can understand your friend's disappointment with his low-miles 325i. I dare say that increased use would make little difference to his repair bills - if the car had 120,000 miles on it, would he be happier to stomach the costs of repairs and maintenance?

Continual, drivetrain-independent E36 problems are mostly limited to suspension, specifically wear and tear of the various bushes and the car's sensitivity to the condition of these bushes.

[Bmwcat]

My E36, a 1996 328IS is very dependable. The engine and tranny are flawless. E36's have the usual Bimmer problems like worn control arm bushings and aging sensors. From what I've read here they are the least problematic of the newer Bimmers. PS get the six cylinder engine! :rofl:

[UCrewX5]

I had a 97 M3 Cabrio for many years and it was an excellent car. Never had a single problem with it. :thumbup:

[andy_thomas]

My E36, a 1996 328IS is very dependable. The engine and tranny are flawless. E36's have the usual Bimmer problems like worn control arm bushings and aging sensors. From what I've read here they are the least problematic of the newer Bimmers. PS get the six cylinder engine! :rofl:
As a side issue, this would be unfortunate advice to a Brit. The most troublesome late '90s BMW you can buy is the E36 from 1995-1999, as the engines were made from aluminium, not iron (as for the US market). They were lined with Nikasil, which tended to disintegrate. And this in a car which probably sold 40,000-50,000 a year for several years before the blame was finally laid at BMW's door for building an engine with Playdough bore liners :).

As a result the prices of E36s with six-pot engines are if anything lower than those for the four-pots, assuming everything else is equal (where a full history becomes less common). Only those cars which have received a replacement short engine with the proper liners - the first replacements were exactly the same, and they wore out too - are worth anything more, but it's not enough to raise the market price. It's quite possible to buy a perfectly serviceable, 80,000 mile, ten-year-old 328i for less than £4,000 ($7,500).

[TimDogg]

one word comes to mind-----------SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!
Not one problem in this world, replaced the factory waterpump, (plastic impeller inside of it), and bought an aftermarket waterpump..... No other stories to report :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

[my3rdbimmer]

There are two inherent problems with early e36's

1. the rear subframe mounts are subject to cracking this problem was adequately corrected by 1996.

2. another problem that occurered on most e36s where upper ball joints go bad early usually around 60-70000 miles.

if you buy one you should make sure it has an upgraded water pump and thermostat housing... the oem ones are plastic and crack over time...

if you get an e36 get a 96 and up v6 bigger cubic inches and by then all the little problems are fixed.

[Brashland]

Avoid. Most E36s tend to explode when you start them, burning the occupants alive. If you brake too hard long, blunt knives come shooting out the airbag and stab you repeatedly in the chest. (If you have the HK upgrade the stereo then automatically plays back the soundtrack to the Shower Scene.) BMW sharpened the blades for the '99 MY, though, leaving a cleaner trauma.

THANKS!!! My coworkers are giving me odd looks right now. :rofl:

Nothing really bad with mine so far. 70,000 miles on my 99. Main problem I'm having now is that my top is not storing right and I have to force it into the well as it's hanging on the lip (i'm hoping a cable will just need to be tighetened). :thumbdwn: Other than that, it's been good so far, but I'm now passing that mysterious 70k mark.

[Dave4919]

I bought a 95. Best used car I EVER bought. Tight, no rattles, no squeaks. Nothing. Dry, runs like a dream. Took it to my mechanic, he said it looked new. No leaks of any kind. I don't know where you got your horror stories, maybe from someone who doesn't know the cars perhaps. I can attest that you can find some really nice ones, that make super personal transportation, and at very reasonable prices!

[LmtdSlip]

I have an E36 325 vert. No real problems so far. Just the typical E36 stuff. If you are looking at a E36 vert you will need to check the usual E36 trouble spots as well as run the top through its paces a few times. The top should go up and down without any assistance from you other that the initial opening and closing.

Rear wheel bearing
O2 sensor
Rear speakers (oem is pure crap)
Vinyl delamination on rear arm rests

The top straps on mine are about shot so the top needs some help going down. But otherwise I really like it.

You will want to wash the top and protect it with Raggtop twice a year.

Good luck and let us know if you have more detailed questions.

[rastare1a]

I bought a 96 328iC in May 05 with 94K miles on it. I had it checked by a mechanic before I bought and he claimed it looked like it was in good condition(the best of the three I took him). Shortly after that I started having issues with overheating and the thermostat and water pump both had to be replaced($600). A cable on the passenger side seat snapped so the power seating only goes in 4 directions. The washer fluid pump broke. The leather on the doors is peeling off (I knew this when I bought it of course). The rear window is becoming more occluded(easy to check the condition when you purchase of course), and the power top needs a push on the way open. What's more frustrating is that the CEL light just came on so the story is not finished, I'm loathe to take it in although I know it needs to be checked out. There have been other repairs, but nothing else out of the ordinary (regular maintenance, tires etc.) The rear driver side rattles with the sound of metal on metal when going over small bumps such as reflectors in the road or uneven asphalt. This noise shall remain a mystery. So in summary, some of these issues are to be expected with any 10yr old car, but I am beginning to run out of patience with the car. I would recommend trying to buy a one owner car with repair and maintenance records included. This is a mistake I made with my purchase. And ending on a happy note I would say that the car is a joy to drive when it is working properly......Good luck!

[fun2drive]

Well having had a couple of e30's and e36's there is no comparison. the e36 is a much better car.
Issues yes due to thelack of maintenance by previous owners.
This is not a Honda, Toyota or Nissan, it does need periodic work done.
You are buying a car that is at the start of some periodic work
Usually at this mileage you will need
brake rotors and pads
front struts
rear shocks
water pump replacement
t-stat replacement
t-housing replacement
These items are the same independent of which e36 you have.

The vert has some unique things that you should be aware of and hopefully will work correctly
is the rear window cloudy
does it have a zipper inside the rear window on the inside of the top?
that means it is an orignal BMW window
does the top operate without hanging up anyware?
94-95 are semi auto tops that require you to unlatch and push up to open and pull down and latch to close, 96 on they are all automatic
if the top catches with the boot that opens that means the tension straps are stretched and can be repaired by shortening the straps
all windows close and open right with no gaps

Also the ride is not as tight because you have lost structure that keeps the body from flexing.

I have had very little problems up until lately with my car and my vert is supercharged so it may be related to that. As far as the vert part goes it is very reliable and my car has never failed to start and operate correctly.

I have replaced the wear parts I mentioned above and that is the nature of this car. If you want high performance you need to be aware of parts that require replacement to keep it so.

Overall they have been good cars but not trouble free.

[e60lover]

Wow sorry to kind of bash your topic...... But my '96 328i was an absolute NIGHTMARE!!! Everything went wrong and the worst part was that I leased it for 5 Years new. The day that lease was over I driopped it off and ran and bought a Lexus. :tsk: Wow what a boring 4 years. BMW is lucky they got me back. lol. Do you know how embarissing it is driving a new 328i with new dealer plates getting towed on the freeway and having to use duct tape to hold the front turn signal on while driving down the freeway...nice.:rolleyes: And the old ownership of the dealer was horrible, service, everything. anyway Horrible. And this was when it was NEW and I had to pay a $36,000 msrp at the time new. I had the chance to buy a '92 325i as a daily driver and happly backed away. I wouldn't buy a used e36 but mine just may have been a lemon. :( Good Luck :thumbup: P.S go with the e30, it looks much better IMO, (sorry can't resist the skinny old classic BMW grills) and mine was almost flawless at the time.





-e60lover:)