1995 M3's!!

[fatninja19]

I'm in the market for a 1995 m3, and would like to learn more about these beautiful machines. I have a few questions about how much major tunes ups cost, the average mileage the 3 liter needs a rebuild, how long the transmission last(5 speed), any parts that are known for failure? Can someone knowledgeable please give me some answers and or advice?

Please also direct me to some web forums on bmw m3's that are more active than this forum.

Thanks.

[kaoru-tochiro]

Rebuilds depend on how the engine was treated, I've seen M3s go more than 200,000 miles, and still not need a rebuild. Same with the gearboxes. Try M3forum.com or dtmpower.net, or bimmerforums.com those are always action packed.

[///Milk]

Get a car that has a good past and owner!
Good mileage, engine, and try to have it with original engine and tranny
O ya if you want some help go to www.BimmerForums.com but for DTMPower.net you have to pay if you want to go into the Technical Help forums!

[ScorLibran]

First, refer to the thread on this board titled "e36 vs e46" concerning the advantages of E36s, and my post in that thread talks specifically about the modding possibilities of the OBD-I platform (i.e., 1995 M3s). (You may already know this stuff, though.)

As for major tune-ups, these would be Inspection-Is and Inspection-IIs. Inspection-Is are basically (I think) 15,000 mile check-ups/tune-ups, and cost around $250-$450 depending on where you go. Inspection-IIs are more extensive 30,000 mile maintenances, and cost about $550-$800, also depending on location. I could be wrong on the mileage schedules, though. Just had an Insp-II on my 1995 at around the 95,000 mile mark, but I get it checked out a lot more often than needed, plus had a full restoration as well. Also, the car will specifically tell you when it needs an inspection or oil change (via countdown lights on the dash) anyway, so you'll be able to see them coming. Good idea to get them done more often than the lights tell you, though.

The W50-US-B30 3.0L engine could probably run well over 100K miles before needing major engine work. My car has a balanced and blueprinted engine that replaced my original one at around 50K miles, and with the recent restorative work I had done, it's as tight and smooth as a new car. It'll probably go another 50K miles before needing any more serious work done.

The 5-spd tranny in my car is original, including the original clutch, and since I've never tracked my car (that's what kills clutches/transmissions), it still drives like a new car (around 99,000+ miles on it right now).

Parts to watch out for on a '95 M3 include the rear shock mounts (at around 60K-80K miles), rear trailing arms (about the same time), the power window motors (rarely, but they can fail sometimes), O2 sensor (usually goes out every 40K-50K miles or so), occasional brake problems (calipers, mostly), the top radiator hose neck can leak after a while (that's a radiator replacement), water pump impeller (95s had plastic ones, before it fails get a metal one), and as always, check the VANOS closely. VANOS problems can be a real headache, but mine is all original, and is very quiet. I can barely hear my car idle (my Conforti cold-air intake is the loudest part of my car at idle). I've been lucky so far and haven't had many big problems (bought my car 2 years old in 1997).

Also, concerning active BMW forums, here is a link to Club Roadfly, where I spend most of my online time with car stuff. It is VERY active, and we have a blast.
Club Roadfly - BMW - E36 M3 Message Board

Good luck!