bmw e36 328i

[jezza stig]

bmw e36 328i
Hello good people Jezza here, im new to the Forum so im not sure if this is the correct place to ask (please feel free to direct me).
I am just crazy about the e36 bmws, im about to purchase a 328i but id like to do my homework before a purchase especially a used bmw. here goes.
Id like to know how reliable are these cars? are there any inherent faults with it and if so plz mention and how much to fix them.
are the 328i cars fast? (coming from a honda ballad 1.5i ).
Maintainance costs? oil? tires, transmition?Gas milage? suspension? and other big ticket items.
how do they drive in the rain?
How tuneable are this cars (Beat bang for buck )? and costs.
Sorry if i seem abit of a noob just, new to the bmw e36 scene.
thanks in advance

 

[MikeR]

:thumbs: great cars - the only issue I had with mine (170 000) the one Radiator hose blew - but the hoses all seem to be getting soft but for the rest it was totally reliable until then.

Drives great even in rain but like any car the tire choice plays a big roll.
Loads Quicker than your balad.
Again all big item stuff is also dependent on haw the car was treated before and mileage it had seen, but they are not expensive to run and maintain and I suspect not any more than your Honda would be.

With regards to tuning - remember the more you tune/modify any vehicle you will in inadvertently reducing its mechanical lifespan of the engine.

Good luck I hope you find a good unabused model, keep your eye on the forum here you might find the one you want. :thumbs:

 

[rsgordini]

bmw e36 328i
Hello good people Jezza here, im new to the Forum so im not sure if this is the correct place to ask (please feel free to direct me).
I am just crazy about the e36 bmws, im about to purchase a 328i but id like to do my homework before a purchase especially a used bmw. here goes.
Id like to know how reliable are these cars? are there any inherent faults with it and if so plz mention and how much to fix them.
are the 328i cars fast? (coming from a honda ballad 1.5i ).
Maintainance costs? oil? tires, transmition?Gas milage? suspension? and other big ticket items.
how do they drive in the rain?
How tuneable are this cars (Beat bang for buck )? and costs.
Sorry if i seem abit of a noob just, new to the bmw e36 scene.
thanks in advance

Hey welcome,

are the 328i cars fast? (coming from a honda ballad 1.5i ).

Yes.. compared to Honda you'll feel a lot more stable and solid and definitely a lot faster especially if its a manual..

All bmws need to be respected in rain.. e36 didnt come with esp and tc so it will spin out.. i had a 135i and was doing 120 in rain on hiway coming from a hot hatch fwd this was never an issue in the 135i however i almost lost it around a very gentle corner.. esp saved my ass big time..

Those cars are getting old now so maintenance is what you can expect from 20 year old car..

Service it often make sure you put new oil in as soon as you get it and listen out for issues.. generally very solid cars..

 

[Gizmo]

Small correction, E36 323i and 328i models made in 1997 and 1998 do have traction control.

Oh and yes it will be a damn side faster than your 1.5i

 

[Donovan2412]

bmw e36 328i
Hello good people Jezza here, im new to the Forum so im not sure if this is the correct place to ask (please feel free to direct me).
I am just crazy about the e36 bmws, im about to purchase a 328i but id like to do my homework before a purchase especially a used bmw. here goes.
Id like to know how reliable are these cars? are there any inherent faults with it and if so plz mention and how much to fix them.
are the 328i cars fast? (coming from a honda ballad 1.5i ).
Maintainance costs? oil? tires, transmition?Gas milage? suspension? and other big ticket items.
how do they drive in the rain?
How tuneable are this cars (Beat bang for buck )? and costs.
Sorry if i seem abit of a noob just, new to the bmw e36 scene.
thanks in advance

Very reliable as long as they've had their oil changes.

Faults are mainly cooling system related ( Thermostat / Thermostat housing / Water pump / Expansion Tank )

Maintenance isn't' bad. Filters are cheap, oil it takes 6.5L so you can work it out. Tires/Consumption depends heavily on driving style. Driving nicely on a long road you could see 8L/100 whereas driving like a mad man in town can result in 12L+/100 easily. They drive fine in the rain if you drive normally. They're moderately tuneable in N/A form but don't expect most mods to give a few KW's. If you want big power you need to go turbo.

 

[wikked]

bmw e36 328i
Hello good people Jezza here, im new to the Forum so im not sure if this is the correct place to ask (please feel free to direct me).
I am just crazy about the e36 bmws, im about to purchase a 328i but id like to do my homework before a purchase especially a used bmw. here goes.
Id like to know how reliable are these cars? are there any inherent faults with it and if so plz mention and how much to fix them.
are the 328i cars fast? (coming from a honda ballad 1.5i ).
Maintainance costs? oil? tires, transmition?Gas milage? suspension? and other big ticket items.
how do they drive in the rain?
How tuneable are this cars (Beat bang for buck )? and costs.
Sorry if i seem abit of a noob just, new to the bmw e36 scene.
thanks in advance

Budget for cooling system refresh, suspension bushes all round (these tend to get neglected), shocks all round, belts and pulleys.

 

[jezza stig]

Thanks to all so far for the input, this is relly incouraging. Even my mechanic cousin have comfirmed all this.

I will daily drive the car and teach my little brother to drive on this, would it make a good learner car given its rear wheel drive with loads of torque and power?
I should think R10000 a year on maintainance should be enough,yeah?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jeremy.d]

It might not be the wisest thing to teach someone to drive on it, but why not? As long as he's supervised I'm sure he wont get into any trouble.

 

[jezza stig]

It might not be the wisest thing to teach someone to drive on it, but why not? As long as he's supervised I'm sure he wont get into any trouble.

Thanks for the advice, iv decided to not go ahead and teach him on the bmw as it might cause unwanted wear and tear,and itl be my baby.

And with all the advice and info so far, iv decided to go shoping for one.

---

It might not be the wisest thing to teach someone to drive on it, but why not? As long as he's supervised I'm sure he wont get into any trouble.

Thanks for the advice, iv decided to not go ahead and teach him on the bmw as it might cause unwanted wear and tear,and itl be my baby.

And with all the advice and info so far, iv decided to go shoping for one.