Bmw E36

[jing jing]

I'm looking for a car - already own a Toyota 4 door pickup - to drive the highways and byways of Thailand in a modicum of style and comfort at a reasonable price. Browsing the usual sources of info I've noticed that mid-nineties BMW E36's are available in the 400-500,000 baht range, which seems like a lot of car for the money. In particular, the 325 model is even cheaper than the 318 in many cases -- probably due to the higher maintenance costs.

What I'm wondering is, how difficult is it to find parts and service for these cars, and how suitable are they for Thai road conditions (i.e. hot, dusty, big bumps and potholes, etc.), from folks who have some firsthand experience.

Also, would you opt for the 318 or 325 if the acquisition price was about equal? And how much more expensive is the 325 to operate than the four-banger?

[madjbs]

I have a E30 318i and I am very pleased with it, hasn’t ever let me down and is great fun to drive. It is fairly cheep to maintain and as it isn’t a new car I can miss the dealerships and use individual BMW specialists which are much cheaper. I have never had a problem getting parts and it will be even easier to find parts for the E36, there are online forums with many adverts for second hand parts as well. If was buying again I would go for the 325 for the added fun and smoothness factor, unfortunately there wasn’t any E30 325i cars around when I was buying.

In all honesty, if your not looking for sporty driving and a BMW in particular then I would be inclined to get a Volvo mainly because of their safety reputation and the fact that they are slightly cheaper to service and get parts for. If however you’re looking for style and fun driving then the BMW wins.

[Upcountry]

Agree, BMW's are a lot of fun to drive on curvy mountain roads, and handle excellently in the City. I've never seen a car with a tighter turning radius.

But just the other week I took my 318i to the non-BM garage and got the a/c recharged, filter changed. I parked for a few days. When I next drove it the a/c was useless again. I went back to have it looked at and ended up with a 8kB bill to replace whatever the radiator like thing is and a related part. Total cost for a/c this month was almost 10k. My brother-in-law has a friend with a similar car, and has learned that the a/c in my model year is prone to failure.

I bought my car used a few years ago (it's a 93) and ended up spending a lot to fix up the front end, etc. So careful with the attractive prices. Maybe be high mileage (mine was pretty low, but hard miles apparently) or other problems. Expect to spend money fixing it up, especially if it has a lot of years on it. I have the feeling that Thai people like to make the car look really nice on the outside but let the innards go (unless they are car enthusiasts).

The other thing to watch out for is that 95 octane is going away. I found out that I only have to upgrade the fuel pump and a rubber hose to be E10 compatible, but BMW also told me that the current ethanol 95 mixture has additives for the short term to keep people happy. Later they'll remove that and we'll be looking at sh$ty performance. Right now, I enjoy like how the engine runs. I'll miss that.

It is possible to convert to LPG, but you lose trunk space - I keep hoping they'll come up with customized LPG tanks!

UC

Edited January 21, 2008 by Upcountry

[teej]

The E36 is a fantastic car. The only issue is that here in Thailand, there are so many of them, and unless you are a qualified mechanic (an this is even an uncertainty) it's hard to sort out the good ones from the bad. If you do find a nice example of an E36 325 at a price you are happy with, I'd say go for it. It's a fun car to drive, not to many of today's bimmer's overly-technological gadgets (which will keep costs down), and it's nice and small which is good for the city. I own an E38 and I love it. IMO the E36 and the E38 were two of BMW's best cars.

I still do think the E36 is a bit of a chick car, but if you find that it suits you, by all means give it a go. Don't go for the 318, you will regret not getting the 325....

Happy motoring!

[bazmlb]

I use to have a E36 325i in oz, also a e28 733i, the E34 was a great car, apart from being a bit soft in my opinion, I dont think it would suit lots of up country driving here, mine was made in mexico, not sure where the local ones here are from.

I have a E34 520i here which is a manual and is a great car to drive and is a very good car for upcountry trips and extended trips, the e34 was a bit small inside me being 189cm tall.

The 2.0l six is very good on fuel and runs well on gasohol 95, a trip from Pattaya to Chiang mai about 2000baht in fuel.

The e34 seem to be cheaper than the e36 and the car is a lot better in my opinion.

[Siamkid]

I've got an E 34 "Bullnose" for sale if anyone is interested ??? This car is a real beauty, red exterior, beige interior, 130K kilometers, 18" mag wheels, new Yokohama tires. Located in Phuket. Looking for 400,000 Baht ONO. A LOT of fun to drive !!! Drop me a PM if interested.