hey whats up guys im new to the bmw community this is my first car a 1995 bmw 325i i bought of an old man across the street with 114k miles car was bought buy the guy and put 7k$ worth of work into it he never drove it on the rode his wife wouldnt let him it was never even insure or registered by him its been sitting in his garage for 8 years and it runs but its pretty rough running at the moment he replaced radiator and hose has reciepts what should i have done to this car before i put it on the road?
Fuel system flush for sure. The injectors will most likely need replaced or atleast properly cleaned. Change the oil also. Inspect everything for leaks b/c the gaskets could be dried up from setting.
Miguel, I would drain/flush the coolant system in addition to B1MM3R's post above. Better look at the tires for sure. They are probably hard and cracked from sitting.
Welcome to the 'Fest! As James indicated, in this forum we insist on complete sentences, proper grammar, and proper punctuation. It's a respect thing. The core group here is one of the most knowledgeable you'll find on the E36 and we'll spend all kinds of our own time helping you solve a problem. All we ask in return is that you spend a few extra seconds with your post to enable us to better read and understand what you're asking.
For mid 1990's technology, they are very high performance. Compared to 2010-2103 where performance has become a selling point again, they fall a bit short. The E36 is still an outstanding sports car overall though. Handling is more the car's forte than pure speed.
I auto cross with mine and on courses that put a premium on turning my '96 is very competitive with anything late model in its class. On a course that puts a premium on acceleration it shows its age.
Thanks alot i feel part of a family now. I am sorry from the way i typed out the post earlier. You must forgive me i am still in school and learning. Lets just say punctuations are my weaknesses when it come to proper grammar.
If it runs roughly after doing everything above, you should:
- Check the spark plugs, replace if necessary
- Check for vacuum leaks
- Check fuel injectors, buy remanufactured set if needed
Also, keep a close eye on your tires. Even if they have barely been used, tires are considered to be at the end of their life at about 5 years old, regardless of mileage. The rubber compound becomes hard and brittle, and the risk of a flat or blowout increases at that time.
My mechanic friend likes to buy cars from estate sales and such. He tends to always throw on new tires if the car has been sitting for 4-5 years or so. Apparently, when a car sits in one spot for a while the weight of the car can push out the steel belts within the rubber, leading to a blow out later down the road. It happened to him a couple times when he first started buying cars that way.
It was owned by a 75 year old man. The guy bought it expecting it to become a collectible, later finding out it probably would 40-50 years later lol. The interior looks good no rips just some wrinkles on driver seat. The only thing that doesnt work is the original bmw radio. I want to try the moonroof but dont want to push my luck and have it not want to close.
Yeah, the E36 is currently considered to be one of the least collectable 3-Series models, but I think they'll get their moment in the sun eventually (it may take a long while, though). After everyone finishes clamoring to get themselves an E30 for insane money, people will eventually realize that the E36 looks better, has better engines, better transmissions, better suspension, and is generally a nicer car overall.
And the funny part is, E30 prices are still going up and up. I remember when a used, private sale, of an E30 M3 was $7K. I never thought they would get to be even more expensive like they are now.
Yeah, these days you'd be hard pressed to find an E30 M3 that didn't need tons of expensive work for under $20k, and it's even getting hard to find a non-beater E30 325 for under $5-6k. Meanwhile, E36 prices are pretty much bottomed out and holding steady. Maybe they'll start creeping up slowly in the next 6-8 years.
I love my car and the bmw community. I'm glad i chose a bmw not only for the amount of apreciation i have for the brand itself but the friends you make along the way. Im 16 and have been working on motorcycles my whole life but now that i can drive and own a car, im going to have to work my butt of to buy parts for it along the way
Looks really nice Miguel. When I got mine a year ago, the radio wasn't working either. With some help on the forum, I was able to get past the CODE and came to found out the radio popped and crackled as soon as it got warm. I took it out and put a nice Kenwood in it. I like it better than the stock radio anyway.
As for the sunroof, they are easy to take apart and clean and as long as the motor works, it should be fine.
Yes thats the first thing im doing after a complete tune up a nice pioneer or alpine headunit. Writing this as im in the local autozone buying spark plugs, oil, airfilter, fuel filter and oil filter.
Careful with the plugs you buy. You probably won't be able to get good ones at your local big-box auto parts store, and these cars are extremely sensitive to the plugs you use. You might also have a difficult time finding the fuel filter locally.
I recommend NGK BKR6EK plugs and Mobil 1 0W40 oil.
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