E30 M3 Questions

["jporath@xxxxxxxxxxxx" <Jporath@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Holy Schmidt, two questions in one digest that I can provide coherent
answers to.  Kai Wang asked a whole bunch o stuff about E30 M3s.  I could
repost his letter, but I suggest you just go back and reread digest #767

Reliability issues: Buy a car with known history. Take care of it. Change
the Oil. Adjust the valves on occasion. 150k should be no problem.  Engine
is very strong. Stuff does break though. Water pumps, fan clutches etc
fail. Just like every car. There are a bunch of known problems with equally
known solutions. Go to http://www.eskimo.com/~dalus/bmw/all/all.html (Dale
Beuning's page) to see both.
Electrics are much like any other E30. Gremlins do crop up but again, they
can be eradicated if you are the least bit technical. Transmission is strong. 

Misc problems? Well my misc has broken three times in the last six months
and I replaced it each time with a factory rebuilt misc and each has
failed. Fortunately, it only costs $.51USD and is easier to fix than
picking your nose.
Well, maybe not your nose, but then again, I've never tried to pick your nose.

What the hell was I talking about? Sorry, the ritalin just kicked in. Oh,
buy the latest model with the lowest mileage and most history that you can
afford. If you can, take a long drive in someone else's car.  It is a
rorty, unrefined, rowdy car. Make sure that this is what you want. If it
is, may God have mercy on your soul.

In winter, dedicated real snow tires on all four corners work very well.
Just watch the loud pedal. Or, if you like to play like you're McRae,
Makinen or Kankkunen, prodding the accelerator at judicious moments will
produce long, lurid, tail out slides that you can hold on to forever or
until you broadside the curb. Whichever comes first. Keep in mind, however,
there are those factions who regard using an M3 in snow as blaspheme. To
which I respond: have a ball, sinner!

Don't worry about starting the car in the morning. Worry about having to
get up at 5 am to leave at 6 on a cold winter morning. Your car doesn't
care what time it is.

Please feel free to email me. I'll be happy to help. 

Regards,

Jonathan Porath
'90 E30 M3

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