Why E36 ownz you

[Sean Love]

Just one of the many reasons the E36 is one of the stiffest chassis cars of the 90's

Hey NAMS, go shove it...... dont need no stinking inner fender braces here


A lot of you newer guys should seriously consider an E36 for a drift car. You can find them around 2,000 with busted interior. No need to swap engines, it has about 200hp and 200lb-ft bone stock, just make it lighter.

Seems to me like a better option than dropping 1k on an S13, 2k on motorswap and random stuff, etc etc.

Decent suspension for E36 will cost about $200-300 more than decent stuff for 240sx, and it's generally made by better known companies, and a welded diff is easy to do.

E36 FTW

 

[z4k]

Just one of the many reasons the E36 is one of the stiffest chassis cars of the 90's

Hey NAMS, go shove it...... dont need no stinking inner fender braces here


A lot of you newer guys should seriously consider an E36 for a drift car. You can find them around 2,000 with busted interior. No need to swap engines, it has about 200hp and 200lb-ft bone stock, just make it lighter.

Seems to me like a better option than dropping 1k on an S13, 2k on motorswap and random stuff, etc etc.

Decent suspension for E36 will cost about $200-300 more than decent stuff for 240sx, and it's generally made by better known companies, and a welded diff is easy to do.

E36 FTW

ALL models are like that? Nice. I was going to buy a 318 from my GFs father but I couldnt find any info on auto> manual swap.

 

[mikespeed95]

while i do agree, you also have to realize that:

bmw wheels are different bolt pattern therefore more difficult to locate

parts are way more expensive on regular maintenance

used parts are harder to find/more expensive

 

[David A]

LSD = next thing going into the E46.

 

[rwdrift]

while i do agree, you also have to realize that:

bmw wheels are different bolt pattern therefore more difficult to locate

parts are way more expensive on regular maintenance

used parts are harder to find/more expensive

It's no harder to find these parts at a junkyard than finding an s14. As for maintenance costs, it's not THAT expensive... just like everyone else, you gotta know where to shop.

As for wheels.... 5x120 has some pretty badass looking wheels. You guys are all into the JDM world and you have no idea what's across the other side of the pond. Go to tunershop.com to get a small idea.

- Erick

 

[Sean Love]

while i do agree, you also have to realize that:

bmw wheels are different bolt pattern therefore more difficult to locate

parts are way more expensive on regular maintenance

used parts are harder to find/more expensive

5x120mm works with Camaro, Corvette, Firebird, S10, EL CAMINO, Monte carlo, Chevelle, Nova, Vega, most Jaguars.

Parts for these cars are actually the cheapest for any BMW and also cheaper than the same parts at Nissan or Toyota parts counters. The expensive parts thing for a lot of BMW's is a myth unless youre talking about old models or rare/complicated parts. Basic maintenance parts for E36 cars are cheap and aftermarket is affordable and very big.

Not trying to start an argument, just wanting to clear things up so people know the real deal on these cars.

Problems on the E36 are:
Window mechanisms, the later ones are fine, early models have issues but the parts to fix it are cheap ( 89cents x 8)

Tail lights; they like to have issues with the oem contacts on the bulb holders. Cheap aftermarket tail lights will never have this problem.

If you beat the hell out of the car and clutch kick like a madman, you will eventually fatigue 2 of the 4 rear subframe mounts. BMW recognized this problem and the M3's had factory reinforcements in that area. You can buy the OEM pieces from the dealer for like $30 and have them welded in.

If you actually consider buying one of these cars get a 6cylinder. The 4cylinder cars arent worth considering. The 6 cylinders are more common and the cheap 4 cylinder buyers still want top dollar for their used luxury German automobile.....

Also dont bother with an auto, the manual ones are really friggin common so just find one. It's like 50/50 auto to manual.

LSD only came in 92-95 and mostly on northern cars.

E30 and Z3 differential internals work on these cars.

Best version to get is a 328. It's a 2.8L engine, forged crank (the cast 325 crank will hold 500+ hp though) and the whole drivetrain is the same as the M3 except differential. That means M3 trans, driveshaft, axles. And besides, welded diff always wins.

 

[mikespeed95]

ive never seen a e36 i can rembmer in a junkyard while on the other hand ive seen countless z32/s13/s14/j30 etc.

also plastic thermostat housing ftl. how much are those again?

cool cars yes, but please dont try to play them off as even comparable to cheapness of s chassis which is why everyone has an s chassis. more baller? definately. same cost of campaigning? not even close.

 

[240jw]

You guys are all into the JDM world and you have no idea what's across the other side of the pond.
- Erick

haha guilty of that. they are some sick machines thogh

 

[Sean Love]

Mike, that's the whole myth.

My silver E36 minus the bullshit:

car-------------------------------------------------$2000
Coilovers------------------------------------------$1400
Welded diff----------------------------------------$my labor
remove steering angle limiting spacers---------$labor
remove interior-----------------------------------$labor
GroundControl rear swaybar--------------------$300
GC front sway links-------------------------------$100
steering wheel & hub----------------------------$225
used sparco seats--------------------------------$500
M3 front bumper---------------------------------$300
Solid front control arm bushings----------------$80
Spherical trailing link bushings------------------$250
Spherical rear lower arms-----------------------$250

TOTAL---------------------------------------------$5405

And that is a car that is really well done, a stock 325is with shocks and springs, Z3 diff, plus steering limiters removed works great!


The front suspension has no TC rods so you dont have to drop $200 there

The rear suspension doesnt have 4 control arms per side = save $$$

The motor makes power already = yay

The chassis is better.

You dont need aftermarket tie rods

The factory steering rack is BOLTED SOLID to the subframe.

Ive owned 4 of these cars so I speak from experience. It makes a lot more sense to pick up one of these for 2 or 3 grand instead of a clean S14 for 3-7grand.

A 200hp NA KA S14 will cost you what a good E36 track car costs to build.

Oh and as for BMW's being heavy....., I'm at 2600lb right now with a full cage.

 

[Ka-Tony]

Us s13 guys dont have to strip out our interior to get to 2600lbs. My car was weighed at 2591lbs. With Turbo BTW.

E36 are cool cars though. Id consider getting one. Ive always thought about it. Btw, you cant compare the amount of s13's in junkyards to e36's. We can find our parts alot easier and cheaper.

Are 328's all 4dr?

 

[m4nfred]

i like smalll cars personally....thats all

 

[z4k]

i like smalll cars personally....thats all

E36 Arent big. Well they arent huge.

 

[Latino Hibino]

Seems like a cool car.

 

[Tonymac]

I wish I had an E36.

If I didn't have so much invested into my S-chassis, I'd be all over an E36.

But I don't believe it would be a comparable project in cost - not in a million years. Maybe the initial costs are similar, but if you're building it up, its easier and cheaper to do an s-chassis.

 

[mikespeed95]

Mike, that's the whole myth.

My silver E36 minus the bullshit:

car-------------------------------------------------$2000

i thought you said without the bullshit? ive tried to jump into e36 land i dont know how many times, ive NEVER seen one that cheap that wasnt a 318 that needed a lot of work, or was just completely haggard. regular gonig price, not magical deal that you have to hunt and search for. ive came across 500 dollar SE S14 with blown headgaskets before, however id be a fool to make an audacious claim that s14s could be found for under 1k with any sort of common sense. e36 are 4k+ with issues to common man.

Welded diff----------------------------------------$my labor

you say welded diff here, yet you keep ranting and raving about z3 diff...

remove steering angle limiting spacers---------$labor

aftermarket steering parts for average man? 404

remove interior-----------------------------------$labor

:laugh: :laugh: sean come on buddy did you seriously just list that?

GroundControl rear swaybar--------------------$300
GC front sway links-------------------------------$100
steering wheel & hub----------------------------$225
used sparco seats--------------------------------$500

you can get all this stuff for 240's for the same price, same amount of places, aftermarket is comparable on these cars with inflated pricepoints being on the bmw side of the parts bin. what im talking about is the fact that regular maintenance and repairs are way more expensive. trust me, ive tried to get into e36 market, am good freinds with several e30 m3 owners, and owning a bmw is not cheap except per say an e30 3 series, but even that is debatable.

M3 front bumper---------------------------------$300

ricer

Solid front control arm bushings----------------$80p

thats a majority if not entire cost of an entire s chassis bushing set..



TOTAL---------------------------------------------$5405

so you got a steal of a deal on an e36, and you really dont have all that much done to it, for 5500 bux. interestingly enough i own a ls1 powered 240sx that i have 500 bux more than you do in your e36..

again, badass they are, but cheap they are not, so dont try to pass it as so.

And that is a car that is really well done, a stock 325is with shocks and springs, Z3 diff, plus steering limiters removed works great!

so does a 2 thousand dollar s13 you can find all day long with a welded diff and some sub 1k coilovers.

The front suspension has no TC rods so you dont have to drop $200 there

but apparently you need 80 dollar bushings for bimmers?
you dont need tc rods, just make sure they arent blown, if they are spend 10 dollars at any junkyard and buy a set.

The rear suspension doesnt have 4 control arms per side = save $$$

you have four aftermarket arms on your s chassis suspension? hell i only have 2, thats all you really need.

The motor makes power already = yay

stock ka gets the job done as well

The chassis is better.

id hope so

You dont need aftermarket tie rods

why does an s chassis NEED aftermarket tierods? 10 dollar steering spacer, done.

The factory steering rack is BOLTED SOLID to the subframe.

15 dollar bushings...seriously.

Ive owned 4 of these cars so I speak from experience. It makes a lot more sense to pick up one of these for 2 or 3 grand instead of a clean S14 for 3-7grand.

if your using apples::apples logic, please show me clean e36 chassis 32x cars for 2-3 grand or discontinue your unbackable argument on how "cheap" e36's are.

A 200hp NA KA S14 will cost you what a good E36 track car costs to build.

anyone who builds a 200hp na ka with budget in mind is a moron, end of story.

Oh and as for BMW's being heavy....., I'm at 2600lb right now with a full cage.

who said anything about it being heavy? :laugh:

im surprised you havent mentioned how usefull the backseat/trunk is in comparison to s chassis and the availability of a 4 door model. instead your trying to sell a bmw chassis on how cheap it is...:scratches head:

 

[Sean Love]

Anthony, and mike, once again youre still smoking the myth....


I have a white E36 here at my shop I will sell for $3,000. It's a 94 325is sport model.

I needs a flywheel and 1st and 2nd gear grind.

I bought it for 2 grand, put a new sport clutch in it ( $300, not $1200 like everyone thinks) and threw in the perfect seats from my racecar.

The reason I got my 328is cheap is because it was an auction car with a destruction title. Car was theft recovery and written off by the insurance company. NO chassis damage, just needed a new front bumper, hence why I put an M3 bumper.

Z3 diff is a 25% clutch LSD, I personally dont like them. I didnt rant and rave anything, but since everyone whines about how welded isnt good for street I mentioned it for people.

E36 325's sell for around 1000-1500 with blown head gaskets just look for them.

I wasn't trying to say you could buy a 1996 328is for $2000, I was listing what it has COST ME PERSONALLY to build my car.

 

[mikespeed95]

Anthony, and mike, once again youre still smoking the myth....


I have a white E36 here at my shop I will sell for $3,000. It's a 94 325is sport model.

I needs a flywheel and 1st and 2nd gear grind.

soooooo.....is the top of your magical price bracket car that NEEDS WORK (aka the tranny is trashed) suppost to support our argument, or just make yours look bad or both? how much are trannies going for in mythland, and how much regular on ebay. provide some links/listings to back up your claims.

I bought it for 2 grand, put a new sport clutch in it ( $300, not $1200 like everyone thinks) and threw in the perfect seats from my racecar.

who the hell said that clutches cost 1200?

The reason I got my 328is cheap is because it was an auction car with a destruction title. Car was theft recovery and written off by the insurance company. NO chassis damage, just needed a new front bumper, hence why I put an M3 bumper.

so your comparing a crusher destined auction car, to something your arguing against although its backed by autotrader and ebay...apples :: apples here, not bananas :: potatoes

Z3 diff is a 25% clutch LSD, I personally dont like them. I didnt rant and rave anything, but since everyone whines about how welded isnt good for street I mentioned it for people.

i did a search for Z3 diff, all the posts were yours saying to get one.

E36 325's sell for around 1000-1500 with blown head gaskets just look for them.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
give me five listings within 500 miles. so with a blown headgasket they only drop 500 in value?
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I wasn't trying to say you could buy a 1996 328is for $2000, I was listing what it has COST ME PERSONALLY to build my car.

from your own keyboard:

A lot of you newer guys should seriously consider an E36 for a drift car. You can find them around 2,000 with busted interior. No need to swap engines, it has about 200hp and 200lb-ft bone stock, just make it lighter.

you play it off like its something of the norm. its not. if it is, please provide listnings of 5 comparable s13/s14/e36.

provide dealer quotes, and phone numbers of thermostat housings from nissan for ka, and a bimmer 2.5

how much are ecu's?

tail lights

front left fenders

drivers side window motor.

drivers side window switch, keep in mind on bmw the left, right, back window switches are NOT interchangable.

prove it to me if you are so on the spot.

again, they are awesome cars, but nowhere near as cheap to own/operate as the s chassis. end of story.

 

[e30 gangsta]

w.e. bmw e36 still gives you the baller stats though

 

[Choku_Dorian]

i heart bimmers... my next car will be an e30 or e36. fosho.

p.s. i have seen numerous e36's for less than 2k in good condition in the last 3 months... old ppl sell them for cheap, the price hasnt hiked like it did for 240's. i beleive that an e36 platform > s13 in many respects. just my opinion.

 

[Sean Love]

Hey Mike, this is why people hate you on the interweb, Try not to get banned on SFL as well...

As far as the cars go, I sold my 1992 euro model 325is in 2001 for $4000. It had blown front shocks and a dent in the drivers quarter. It's 5 years later now, I'm sure you could get it significantly cheaper.

I'm not wasting my time looking up anything, how about you prove that you CANT find $2,000 325's since you obviously have so much time to burn on the internet.