I recently bought the biggest pos

"Uug" (oogu) 07/14/2015 at 09:18 • Filed to: None

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This is the new addition to the stable:

It’s a 96 328i 5mt in pretty rough shape. Engine runs strong, but there’s rust everywhere .

Driver’s floor: non-existent, patched by a road sign screwed into the frame(?)

Floor everywhere else: on it’s way out, there’s a bit of give

Fenders: rusted

Doors (passenger front is not all that bad): rusted

Rocker panels: so rusted that I’m not even really sure what the side skirts are holding on to, or where to jack the car up from. I’m afraid I’ll just go through the floor.

It came with bald winter tires on the rear and ‘ehh’ winters on the front, I’m too broke to replace them so they’re on for now. Also came with a pretty nice sounding exhaust and some lowering springs.

The engine runs smoothly and seems to make pretty good power for its age and mileage; I got it at 225k. I don’t want to say it’s reliable just yet, but I’ve put 70-ish miles (which is nothing, I know) on it since I got it a few days ago and it’s been really good. It’s got vtec y0 (VANOS).

Brakes are shit, there’s a badly warped rotor and it probably needs new pads but we’ll see. It will stop, but I don’t really push my luck in that area. There’s also a noise that sounds kind of like a bad wheel bearing, but the car doesn’t really shimmy or vibrate a lot at speed and I can’t pinpoint the side that it’s coming from. To be honest it sounds like it’s coming from within the transmission, but I really hope it’s just a wheel bearing. I’ll probably make another post later asking questions about it. There are other little issues but it runs and drives.

My only real issue with the car is expensive parts and the ever present fear of catastrophic failure. For the price I got it at, I can’t really complain though.

Even still, it’s a fun car. Made me remember why I like E36’s so much. Here are a couple more pics:

jkm7680 > Uug 07/14/2015 at 09:26

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How the hell will that thing pass inspection?

Looks rough.......... Very very rough.

Nibby > Uug 07/14/2015 at 09:27

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I think there’s a bunch of E36 owners on Oppo.

duurtlang > jkm7680 07/14/2015 at 09:34

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Agreed. That’s a parts car, at best. An engine donor.

Uug > jkm7680 07/14/2015 at 09:41

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Very very rough is an understatement; those pictures don’t even show half of the story. It’s pretty beat. The car was originally silver, but a previous owner rattle canned it black and primer gray without putting much thought into masking. The seats and dash were gray from factory, but someone got happy with trim paint and painted it all black. Said trim paint is now cracking and flaking off the seats.

Inspection will be an adventure, trying not to think about it

Uug > Nibby 07/14/2015 at 09:42

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I probably have the worst one, I won’t be welcomed into the fold :/

Party-vi > Uug 07/14/2015 at 09:46

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Looks like someone partied a little too hard south of the border - it’s missing one kidney.

LongbowMkII > Uug 07/14/2015 at 09:48

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I like it. toss on a junkyard turbo and weeeee!

Sean > Uug 07/14/2015 at 09:50

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Yeah I reckon if you keep driving this thing, this is where you'll end up pretty quickly...

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Uug 07/14/2015 at 09:51

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Soooooooooooo why did you get it?

Sean > Uug 07/14/2015 at 09:51

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So why buy it? It seems a little past the point of being a fixer-upper... Parts only I guess?

Uug > LongbowMkII 07/14/2015 at 09:59

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I have no idea why, but I like it too. Junkyard turbo might be the move, then I’ll just have fun with it until it dies. It’s nice to not care too much about it

Uug > Sean 07/14/2015 at 10:01

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I really don’t doubt that. Mechanically it’s solid but everywhere else...

John_Harbinson > Uug 07/14/2015 at 10:02

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Wait, did I read that right? Previous owner spraypainted, the.. Seats?!?

Uug > Sean 07/14/2015 at 10:05

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I bought it for fun/on a whim, my real car is the cr-v next to it in the second picture. Everything else on craigslist that was similarly priced didn’t run or had more problems haha

Uug > StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 07/14/2015 at 10:10

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For fun. My other car is in way better condition, but a lot more dull. I’ll just run it till it dies or some uber expensive part fails. It’s also kinda cool

Uug > John_Harbinson 07/14/2015 at 10:18

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I don’t really understand it either. There is paint for car upholstery; whether or not it is a good decision is another story

AM3R shamefully returns > Uug 07/14/2015 at 10:20

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Nice, don’t get why people keep asking “why” lol. Could be a fun toy to beat on once you get the minor problems worked out. Bet you got it for a steal too.

whaden > Uug 07/14/2015 at 10:28

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These appear to be wheels off an e39. If so the hub ring size is different (e36 is slightly smaller). Make sure you have a hubcentric ring (a spacer). Or switch to wheels from an e36 or an e34. The Style 5’s from the e34 look great. The hub ring keeps the wheel centered and carries some of the load. You don’t want the lugs bolts to do all the work. If you do keep these...make sure the lug bolts are torqued all the way (85-90 ft lbs)

Good luck!!

PS...e36 sedans are just the best.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-HUBCEN…

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Uug 07/14/2015 at 10:30

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Don’t listen to Logansteno for E36 advice.

He knows nothing

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Nibby 07/14/2015 at 10:30

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I’m the best one

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Uug 07/14/2015 at 10:30

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maybe.... try us!

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Uug 07/14/2015 at 10:35

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It may be a pos but it’s YOUR pos, and that’s all that really matters, isn’t it? Make it a pos that you can be proud of.

thebigbossyboss > Uug 07/14/2015 at 10:43

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What’s your plan for the rust? Just drive it until it breaks? My friend did that many moons ago in the bug eye sprite. Then one day they went over a rail road tracks and it broke into two.

Uug > AM3R shamefully returns 07/14/2015 at 11:02

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It’s really just a fun toy to beat on, that’s the whole point haha And yeah it was pretty cheap

Uug > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 07/14/2015 at 11:04

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Thank you!

Uug > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 07/14/2015 at 11:05

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Wait didn’t he leave oppo? He had the silver M3/4 right?

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Uug 07/14/2015 at 11:07

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This looks like either a 24 Hours of Lemons racer or a parts car. If you’re not gonna enter it in the 24 hours of Lemons, then I suggest you look for a similar 3 series with a dead engine/transmission but good body/trim for just as cheap and swap in the good mechanical parts from this one.

Uug > thebigbossyboss 07/14/2015 at 11:07

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Pretty much. I might do some light work and just apply some paint/por15 to slow the rust but that’s about it. I hope it doesn’t break in two on the highway

Uug > whaden 07/14/2015 at 11:10

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I had no idea the hub ring was smaller on e36’s. I’ll check for hubcentric ringa, and if not then buy some. $12 is worth it. Thanks for the advice! I thought I liked the coupes better but after getting this I’m not so sure anymore

thebigbossyboss > Uug 07/14/2015 at 11:17

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haha aight. I just applied some POR 15 to my car yesterday.

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/we-grinding-17…

This post shows the prep. I then used de greaser, metal ready and then painted on the POR. It looks really great!

whaden > Uug 07/14/2015 at 11:46

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because racecar!

Tapas > Uug 07/14/2015 at 12:00

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Thats probably the crappiest running BMW I’ve seen.

Ok, its not like I’ve seen a lot of crappy cars or BMWs...soooo have fun thrashing it :D

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 07/14/2015 at 12:53

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Excuse me?

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Uug 07/14/2015 at 12:57

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Nope, he’s still here. has an E36 M3 that was basically abused.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Uug 07/14/2015 at 13:00

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Most fun to drive beater ever!

Surprisingly, I've seen worse condition ones for sale locally that aren't parts cars.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 07/14/2015 at 13:06

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Hello Jon Snow Logansteno; you’re excused :)

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Uug 07/14/2015 at 13:47

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Ok that makes sense. I was worried for a bit there!

Schaefft > Uug 07/14/2015 at 17:33

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Do you wanna tell us how much you paid for this? :p

At least its a 328i 5-speed.

Uug > thebigbossyboss 07/14/2015 at 19:05

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That’s actually pretty encouraging haha, it looked fresh after you hit it with the wirebrush!

Uug > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 07/14/2015 at 19:07

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I don’t have enough money to do that (really wish I did though, I’ve a soft spot for these cars) so I went into this knowing my time with it wouldn’t last long

Uug > Tapas 07/14/2015 at 19:07

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Definitely will have a lot of fun!

Uug > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 07/14/2015 at 19:07

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Really? That’s crazy, this car is barely roadworthy!

Uug > Schaefft 07/14/2015 at 19:08

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$500, I still think I overpaid though :/

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Uug 07/14/2015 at 19:12

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Well it was just a suggestion.

I like them too. But I know enough about the costs of owning them to stop me from buying one until I have fewer financial obligations.

thebigbossyboss > Uug 07/15/2015 at 06:33

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:D It turned out really great. I keep trying to get a pic of the paint I put on, but it’s so glossy it keeps reflecting the ground haha.

Schaefft > Uug 07/15/2015 at 07:10

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Well, you can still sell the wheels and junk the rest, you should get most of your money back.