BMW 3-Series E36 (1991 - 1998) - 96 1.6 Interested in buying. What to look out for

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Fri 11 Jul 2008 13:01
96 1.6 Interested in buying. What to look out for - Manwithaplan
Hi

I'm interested in buying one of these - probably a 316i, 318i or a 320i. Just wondered what are the points to specially look out for? After looking at two cars the weak points seem to be:

1) Overheating leading to head gasket failure
2) Rust round the rear arches.
3) Sticking sunroof switches and instrumentation problems.
4) Lumpy idle from cold, including hesitancy on revving the engine - my 1992 Toyota doesn't do this!

Would appreciate any advice/comments!

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 11/07/2008 at 13:36

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Fri 11 Jul 2008 15:03
96 1.6 Interested in buying. What to look out for - ggh1
I own a 320i auto. Things I would look for :- replacement of OE water pump, fuel leaks from all fuel hoses, even on top of the fuel tanks under the rear seat, expect heavy fuel consumption with an auto, air cooling blockage to the rear of the alternater.
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Fri 11 Jul 2008 15:14
96 1.6 Interested in buying. What to look out for - Manwithaplan
Thanks ggh1

What sort of fuel consumption do you get round town?

Also I keep reading that they are great to drive, so far I've been put off getting to the test drive stage due to the general tattiness of the cars I've looked at.
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Fri 11 Jul 2008 16:04
96 1.6 Interested in buying. What to look out for - Gromit {P}
As a guideline, my 2001 318 auto with 4 speed box gives an average 26mpg in mixed stop-start and cross-country driving, with intermittent aircon use.

By the way, if you want manual override on the auto, look elsewhere. The box on mine has a +/- function, but its obstructive to use.
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Mon 14 Jul 2008 00:00
96 1.6 Interested in buying. What to look out for - ggh1
My 320i does 22-25 mpg on a 10 mile round shopping trip, and a lot lower if I am enjoying myself, 30 mpg on a motorway. Check front wishbone joints for wear. Although the 320i straight 6 is a peach of an engine I would go for a 323i or bigger as they give better mpg. See Honest John warnings about later vanos engines and blocks.
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Sat 12 Jul 2008 00:15
96 1.6 Interested in buying. What to look out for - corax
I own a 323i Touring. Can't comment on the 4 cylinder cars, but love driving mine. Had it 3 years, bought it at 114000 miles, done 140000 now. Smooth, quiet, powerful but needs revving to get the best out of it. Solid on the road, beautifully balanced around corners, awesome cruiser.
Needs regular oil changes ( every 6000 miles ), regular coolant changes to stop alloy corrosion around the cylinder head ( I do mine every year, no problems yet ). I run a finger around the inside of the rear arches and hose them down when I wash the car, no corrosion yet. Don't have a sunroof. The odometer readout in the middle of the dash loses its digits periodically, apparently can't be fixed as the binnacle is a sealed unit, so I live with it.
Watch for worn trailing arm bushes ( rear wheel steering effect around corners ), knackered rear top mounts (rattle over bumps, mine does it, havn't sorted it out yet).
The later cars had better build quality, mines a '98, so they probably sorted out a few problems by the time mine was built.
If your not happy with the one your looking at, move on. Not worth spending loads of money putting right a bad one.
As for overheating, make sure the viscous fan coupling is working. Spin it, if theres some resistance it should be OK, if it freewheels it needs replacing. Or just wait for it to kick in with the engine running. You'll here a humming from the front of the engine and feel lots of heat coming out of the radiator.
I don't know what I'd replace mine with yet. Its comfortable, sporty, practical, cheap to maintain and looks good. So I'll just run it for another 100,000 miles...touch wood! Hope this helps.
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Sun 13 Jul 2008 12:29
96 1.6 Interested in buying. What to look out for - Harry Pearce
Can I suggest a place to buy one where I keep buying from is www.oldcolonelcars.co.uk this place only deals in BMWs of this age and older 3 ,5, 7 series. Excellent customer service. He will make sure that the car is right before he sells it to you. Also take the 3 month warrenty he offers its excellent. My clutch went on mine no arguments just took it sorted and handed it back

Good luck
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Sun 13 Jul 2008 17:48
96 1.6 Interested in buying. What to look out for - jc2
Don't buy a 1.6 unless you're 17 years old- even ancient Escorts will overtake you.At least a 1.8,preferably a 2.0 or 2.3.
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