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E36 M3 3.0 Saloon A/C question

562 views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  steve23002 
#1 ·
Evening Forum, My current car (E36 320i) is coming upto 150k and Im expecting some bills for routine wear & tear items.

Before it all goes horribly wrong, Id like to give the new car idea a go.

Ive seen a few 3.0 M3s which have taken my fancy, however Ive not come across any yet that have air conditioning. Was this never fitted tot hese as standard as the majority are advertised with Climate Control, Im guessing this isnt it?

Can anyone help me with a comprehensive list of specification and things to look out for?

Thank you.
Kev
 
#2 ·
On the 3.0 M3 A/C was an option, but most of them have dual zone aircon which is usually incorrectly discribed as Climate control.
The dual zone looks like this.

The 3.0 M3 never came with the digital climate control, which came in with the Evo. I have never seen an Evo without the digital display.

My advice with these is buy the best you can afford for your budget and keep £500 back for any repairs straight away. They are great cars but often get abused by tightwad owners....:mad
 
#3 ·
Thanks Steve.
I know its been asked a million times, but Im finding 3.0 & 3.2 at similar money, sub 80k in either Avus or Estoril. Is the newer car worth the hassle and or expense of the Vanos issues or is this one of them Internet stories that just isnt as common as its mae out to be?
 
#4 ·
I was looking for a 3.0 saloon before I bought my Evo, and same as you they were about the same money. TBH on the road there is not a lot of difference between them performance wise but I do think the evo handles better.
The only thing is that the parts can be slightly more expensive, but when you drive it you soon forget about that....:thumbsup

The vanos thing is a bit hyped up on the net IMO. Everyone I looked at had slightly noisy vanos and mine growles a bit, but no loss of performance or any running issues. I did replace the seals and bolts in the unit for piece of mind. I will just keep driving it and worry about it when the time comes...:hihi
The main problem are if the cover bolts shear and then the engine dumps oil which leads to oil pressure loss and a fooked engine which is why I replaced the bolts with a high tensile kit. If the vanos gets noisy and fails it doesnt cause engine damage, just a horrible noise and loss of performance...:thumbsup
I paid £4000 for my Evo because the body work was good and by the time I have finished the work it will owe me £5k (which includes 4 new tyres and 4 new shocks) Which IMO is a lot of car for the money. As long as you can do a bit of DIY they are a great car to own.

If you need any help just give me a shout and PM me any links of cars you have seen.....:)
 
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