shagrath wrote:My wife has been saving up money a bit on a budget to get a decent car for herself that she wants. So we are on the lookout to purchase her a car come about January. Budget $3500-$4000.
Strictly looking for an e36 convertible. Preferably not 318i. Must have a manual transmission. Please, I don't want beaten junk. I will travel or hold out for the right vehicle. Thank you!
***Raleigh and DC members please be on the lookout as well. I travel to those places a lot during the year so buying a car out of state doesn't deter me.***
You can't use bolded words in the same paragraph. AFAIK, e36's came factory as beaten junk. Please consider an e30 or e46.
I've always disliked the E36, my cousin got a 95 325ic as her first car. I tried talking her parents into a E30 but they were set with an E36. It's complete garbage, exterior door handles broken, interior coming apart, seats are not functional.
As said before 92 E30 would be my suggestion. If you must have a E36, get the latest year possible in your price range.
shagrath wrote:Except for slack, this entire thread is worthless with crap comments. (well, those with good intentions on e30 recommendations are exempt)
No e30's (trust me, I have barked up that tree a few times). And for $3500-$4000 an e46 vert that is decent will be hard to come by.
What is your biggest issue with the E30? It is hard to wrap my mind around someone willingly buying a E36 convertible when it is well know and accepted that they are terrible. Plus genuinely nice E36s are rare and tough to find at that price.
Just make sure the cooling system has been maintained properly. Definitely don't get a M42/44 car, those motors are horribly unreliable compared to any M50 variant.
AlpinaE24 wrote:Just make sure the cooling system has been maintained properly. Definitely don't get a M42/44 car, those motors are horribly unreliable compared to any M50 variant.
I agree and am aware of the cooling maladies. She and I definitely do not want another 318.
shagrath wrote:Except for slack, this entire thread is worthless with crap comments.
I'm not sure what you really expected. You've had several posts from 08, 10, and 11 asking about cars, talking about what you should get, professing your desire to buy them "in a few months" and then, nothing. People have wasted their time helping you look for vehicles in the past and have wasted keystrokes trying to give you good advice. I'm fairly certain that most of the comments you get are because people remember this sort of thing. Someone could be on the lookout for every car that would fit your bill and talk you up to the seller only to have you ditch for no reason, and history has shown that is what would likely happen. You'll change your mind, you'll come to your senses, or your financial situation will change and then you won't be on the lookout for a car any more. I would suggest that when you have the cash in hand and are ready to pull the trigger, you send up the signal and see what's out there. Until then, window shopping is just fine, but don't waste anyone else's time other than your own doing it.
My buddy paid a whopping $800 for this gem that I drove to Vintage 2012. I think it had about 108K on it. It made the 12 hour trip each way with no issue, but it's still beaten junk. I think that may be listed on the build sheet.
Greg E34 wrote:My buddy paid a whopping $800 for this gem that I drove to Vintage 2012. I think it had about 108K on it. It made the 12 hour trip each way with no issue, but it's still beaten junk. I think that may be listed on the build sheet.
^ Plus look what kind of man-whore that car attracts. Ick.
Greg E34 wrote:My buddy paid a whopping $800 for this gem that I drove to Vintage 2012. I think it had about 108K on it. It made the 12 hour trip each way with no issue, but it's still beaten junk. I think that may be listed on the build sheet.
