1996 BMW E36 M3 Evo Saloon For Sale

Advertised for sale is my 1996 E36 M3 Evolution Saloon. I have absolutely babied this car throughout my ownership, restoring and replacing anything I touched. An incredibly detailed diary on the car is available on PistonHeads, likewise with a walk round video.

I am selling the car as I don't have to the time to enjoy her as much as I once had. It's time to move it on to another fellow enthusiast.

The pictures I have uploaded may well not do justice to the condition of the car. I have many many more available, should someone request them. Perhaps even a video walk around.

The car is well known in the country due to attending many shows and club events. It has won many many awards, has been featured on Piston Heads and was chosen to be in the showroom of JKC BMW for the launch of the new 3 series.

Quick Information:
Year: March 1996
Miles: 80, 049
Exterior Colour: Estoril Blue (335)
Interior: Black Nappa Leather
Gearbox: Manual
Number of Previous Owners: 6
MOT Expiry: 31/ 05/ 2020
History: Best classed as extensive (2x lever arch files, 2x box files and the BMW leather service book). Running in service completed, BMW service history until 63, 788 miles. Any consecutive maintenance has been documented with receipts and photos (see above link) to verify.

I have also freshly serviced the car for the new owner.

Service History:
20 Mar 1996 – Pre-delivery
20 May 1996 – 1, 322 miles
22 Jan 1997 – 9, 276 miles
6 Aug 1997 – 15, 707 miles
4 Feb 1998 – 22, 527 miles
18 Sep 1998 – 29, 822 miles
19 May 1999 – 37, 653 miles
4 Feb 2000 – 43, 666 miles
27 Sep 2000 – 51, 243 miles
19 Jun 2001 – 56, 900 miles
4 Jun 2002 – 63, 788 miles
23 Jul 2013 – 76, 196 miles
6 Oct 2015 – 78, 124 miles
13 May 2019 – 80, 049 miles

Options:
S255A - Sports leather steering wheel
S401A - Lift-up-and-slide-back sunroof, electric
S411A - Window lifts, electric, front/ rear
S428A - Warning triangle and first aid kit
S431A - Interior mirror with automatic-dip
S473A - Armrest front
S498A - Headrests, rear, mechanically adjustable
S554A - On-board computer V with remote control
S687A - Radio preparation
S773A - Fine wood trim
S806A - Third stoplamp
L812A - NATIONAL VERSION GREAT BRITAIN
S850A - Additional Export tank filling

The E36 M3 saloon is the gentleman's version of the ever popular E36 M3 Coupe. It has the same glorious straight six and chunky six speed gearbox as the coupe.

The chassis is now up to specification with a recent refresh of bushes, arms, shock absorbers, springs, tyres and alignment. The car now drives incredibly well, refined while enthusiastic at the same time.

The values of these cars are ever increasing. Despite these cars being incredibly well put together, many have suffered from lack of maintenance, abuse and poor modifications. A good sound example is a good place to put your money, a lightly restored example like this will be an asset for years to come.

Please do bare in mind I'm an enthusiastic owner, so please excuse the quantity of information below. If I have missed anything, please feel free to ask. It's difficult to condense so much information.


Introduction:

The car is an early E36 Evolution model. This simply means it avoids the cosmetic changes of a face-lifted grill, steering wheel, instruments etc.

The car is a Northern Ireland car from new. I have details on all previous owners. Being a UK car there are no concerns with import/ tax elsewhere within the UK.

Being a saloon, simply adds to the car's rarity. 694 European RHD cars were made, compared to 2845 coupes. 242 of these saloons were made in Estoril Blue. The saloon adds a more mature, subtle appearance to the coupe version. This saloon avoids the optional cosmetic tweaks of the front splitter and rear spoiler. A good pub talk discussion is the preference to race the saloon model over the coupe, due to the solid rear bulk head, the coupe does not have this, due to folding rear seats.

The car has had a light restoration, refreshing anything worn, cleaning and presenting the car as well as possible.


The common weak points:

Like any car there are a few weak points on the E36 M3's. I have addressed them.

Vanos. The Vanos system has been serviced and tested, it's functioning fine with perfect engagement. During it's service it received upgraded seals, high tensile bolts and a new filter.

Rear arch corrosion. It's common for the rear arches to corrode just in front of the wheels. I performed some preventative maintenance by stripping the arches back, sealing with POR-15 and repainting. The jack points and rear trailing arm pockets have had a similar treatment.

Trailing arm bushes. It's common for the trailing arm bushes to fail creating an lose feeling rear end at motorway speeds. These have been replaced with genuine items, polyurethane shims and all other bushes in the rear end.

Clutch hose. It's common for this hose to soften and perish causing a soft clutch that doesn't engage. I have replaced this with a stainless steel braided item. Perfect, sharp engagement and much more drivable.

Gearbox oil. While the Getrag gearbox fitted to the E36 M3 Evo can feel a little agricultural, it's commonly exacerbated by stale gearbox oil. This has been replaced, allowing for much smoother gear changes.


The restoration

The paint work and body work on the car has always been of a very high standard. However I felt a few stone chips and age related marks were taking away from the car. This led me to paint the front end, rear bumper and sun roof panel. During this process the paint shop identified the original panels on the car (the original build sheet is still attached to the bonnet). As far as I can tell all other panels and glass are original items, bar the sun roof panel (I replaced this with a genuine BMW item).

All shocks and springs have been replaced with upgraded Bilstein B12 units. These do not massively lower the car, however they bring a higher quality suspension kit to the car, while maintaining the refined BMW ride quality that you would come to expect. Allowing these to work more efficiently the front end was treated to an x-brace from a Z3M coupe, this rare item stiffens up the front end and includes a rubber stop, to brace against the engine.

During the suspension rebuild I had the rear suspension components stripped, powder coated and re-bushed. Any bolts and bushes were replaced with genuine BMW items. While expensive, they do not introduce NVH to the car like cheaper / easier to fit polyurethane bushes. During this process the entire underside has been meticulously cleaned. I have purposely not used any black waxoyl to hide any rust.

The engine bay has also been thoroughly cleaned. The rocker cover, coil cover and plenum have all been refurbished in a textured paint to replicate the BMW OE finish. During this process the vacuum hoses were replaced, the IACV was cleaned and lubricated, the oil breather was cleaned out. The throttle bodies were cleaned out and all associated seals were replaced.

The car itself will come with several spares. There are two spare wheels (due to the stagged front and rear set-up), both of these have been refurbished. The standard exhaust is present. too. Any spare belts, pulleys etc will be provided too.


I am based in Northern Ireland, near both Belfast airport's and Belfast docks, logistics are fairly straight forward. I have no problem collecting a potential buyer from either Belfast airport. Also note Northern Ireland being part of the UK, poses no issues with car tax, MOT or insurance throughout the rest of the UK.

I welcome queries from any genuine buyers. Should I have missed any information feel free to ask.

Please no agencies or canvassers.

Many Thanks,
Neil

This advert has now been removed through sale or otherwise.
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