Faults:

I drove the car for like 2k miles. I didn't have problems with it, except the belt tensioner and arm bushings, which I replaced myself. It is easy to work on these cars, I think.

General Comments:

Oh, my god, I love this car. It is 11 years old, but it is still looking good.

Before I use to hate BMW, but now I love them, I am going to stick with BMW forever. Before buying this car I did a lot of research on them. In my opinion there is no car that can perform like it. Just think about it, 0-60 time is 6.2 sec. that is the same time as luxury automatic M3 3.0L, there is no turbo to worry about, it is easy to work on, very impressive engine which sings to you.

I know what you think, you may think that a Nissan 300zx TT, Honda pPrelude, VW Corrado, Mercedes C280 w202 may do the same thing, I don't think so... it is not as practical, good looking and fast as the e36, and don't forget about the resale value, which is amazing.

As I said, I did a lot of research on this car, so I bought a 1996 328is. I like coupes more than sedans, and I got the M52 engine, which you will see on 1999-2004 e46 cars.

OK, let's talk about the weak side of e36's. My opinion is that the interior is poorly built. The dashboard feels like it is made from cheap plastic unlike Audi.

I am 17 years old and I love cars. I have own a Honda accord which felt like crap despite the low running cost. Then I bought a Audi 100 2.8 V6; the acceleration wasn't better than the Accord. Then the GTI; it felt too cheap, too small, too slow, too ugly. The only think I liked was the nice handling.

I am looking to keep this car till it dies. The design is just perfect. I would recommend this car to anyone who likes real cars.

Thank you.

So what do you think about the E36?

Faults:

Heating stopped working after only a couple times using it. Expensive to repair.

General Comments:

Other than one major problem this car has is luxurious and preety fast. I would recommend this car to anyone.

Faults:

Replaced original 1-3 cyl. O2 sensor at 126,000 miles.

Break light circuit problem randomly shows on computer. Plan to replace break light switch to solve problem.

Radio display lost its back lighting so you have to put light on it if you need to see it.

General Comments:

After restoring and driving my 1966 mustang for four years I was in the market for a modern car. I paid 4000$ for this two owner car from a private seller. The asking price was 5000$ and I told him that I would pay 4000$ and he quickly showed me the palm of his hand, I had the title within 15 minutes of seeing the car!

I have been nothing but impressed with this car. I worked at Enterprise car rental for 2 years driving the complete line of brand new cars and the 125,000 mile, 10 year old car out performs most all the cars in the fleet.

The road feel of any BMW is very unique. The car has a heavy, responsive, and secure feeling about it. Body roll is a bit more than a sports car in the stock configuration, but then again this is not an "is" or an "M" so I am satisfied. Overall the handling is excellent for a 4 door car under 10,000$. I just got back from a 700 mile trip and averaged 30 mpg with a/c on doing 80 mph. Set the cruise, direct the steering, relax and let the bimmer do the rest, great road car!

The acceleration and deceleration is also just as impressive. I think it would give my old mustang a good straight line run, and for sure stop better! The ABS system is more effective than you find in other cars. It responds quicker and is less intrusive. The pulse is a lot more fluid like than the slow clatter of other makes. This car will make you feel nice consistent g's from 0-100 mph.

For the interior the rear foot room is tight for adults, but I am 6'3" so I usually have the front seat at the extent of its range and rarely have passengers anyway. The A/C takes a while before it cools off the cab, but then the climate control can take over and works flawlessly. The 6 disc changer in the trunk is bragging rights, but is inconvenient. The stereo has a nice clear sound with multiple speakers, but lacks the low end power as with most factory units. The one-touch windows are very handy AND the windows and sun-roof can be closed with the key from the outside.

The on board computer is a great addition. Being an engineer I was always figuring consumption, range, ETA, avg. speed and now its all done for me. It also has nice functions like a code lock-out for the ignition that can be set, as well as an audible beep you pass a self set speed. It will tell you if you have exterior light failure or low fluids.

Parts for BMWs are just a bit more than the domestics, but I believe the quality is better. As for maintenance I recommend investing in a code reading tool and finding DIY pages on-line to avoid the high price of the dealers.