1998 Bmw M3 E36 Sedan 5 Speed Manual, Alpine White Modena Leather Dinan Exhaust on 2040-cars

I am pleased to offer you my gorgeous 1998 E36 BMW M3 Sedan!  This car is a great value and exceptionally clean.  Most importantly, it’s fitted with a rare set of factory options and is a very desirable color combination.  To clear the air of the negative first, the price is set below market value because this M3 has a rebuilt title due to a fender bender to the front passenger fender which has been replaced. 

Other than this kink in the history, the car is awesome and passed a PPI with flying colors.  Obviously, it has impacted the value because it is what it is, but aside from having a nasty looking Carfax report, this car has zero structural defects or frame damage as per BMW.

Onto the good stuff!  First and foremost, eBay allows only 24 photos, so you can visit this link to see over 80 photos with everything you will need, if you require more please ask.  Link here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/37317659@N04/ 

This is my 7^th M3 and my 10^th BMW, this acts as a 3^rd vehicle to my new Mercedes Benz E Class as well as a Ford F150.  When I purchased the E36, my intent was to make it a rock solid daily driver to keep the miles off my new car.  It has worked out perfectly and I never planned to sell this car, however I now need to get something larger.    

Unfortunately my beloved M3 must go.

I am active on the forums (mostly Bimmer Forums) and have been for 9 years.  I was even on Roadfly back in the 90s when that was popular.  I am so particular with my cars and their cosmetic and mechanical condition, as you read on you will see how meticulous I can be.

For starters, this M3 needs NOTHING.  When I say NOTHING, I mean it!  Everything has been upgraded, serviced, inspected, and addressed as much as possible. 

When I purchased the car it was 100% stock, I made some much needed yet very tasteful modifications to bring the car up to todays standard however keeping the car period correct, like an E36 should be.  Before I get into the upgrades, allow me to outline briefly the service history, which mostly all records are included (see photos).

The car was dealer serviced in TX for most of its life.  All of the routine services have been done, Inspection 2 was done earlier this year.  It has 1 bar left till an oil service is due. 

Factory options include:

Alpine White Exterior

MODENA Leather Interior

Harmon Kardon Premium Sound

Heated Front Seats

Factory Installed M Rear Wing (makes a big difference!)

Sunroof

Side Airbags

Manual Transmission

As you know, a white M3 is hard enough to find, let alone one in a sedan with a manual transmission!

All of the below items have been addressed/replaced since 120,000 miles and most of the original parts are included with the sale along with most of the service history:

New Brake Pads and Rotors (Hawk – they do not squeak or cause a lot of break dust.  Awesome system, original pads included)

All new lighting – glass 5000K HID Xenon Headlamps and all OEM BMW Red/Clear Euro Lighting.  All bulbs also replaced to freshen up the car.  All stock lighting (amber and both headlights) included with the sale.  The HIDs are the correct OEM style color of a newer BMW.

UUC Transmission Mounts

New OEM BMW battery

Black OEM BMW M3 Floormats

New tires and alignment (Hankook Ventus V12 Evos) 6k miles ago

New Flex Disk

Complete Inspection 2 Performed at last service – includes coolant flush, brake flush, oil change, filter changes, etc.

Complete shifter rebuild – new bushings, pre bent M Coupe Shifter, ZHP M Shift Knob

New Windshield (original one had lots of small rock chips in it)

Professionally Tinted Windows

Complete OBC Pixel Rebuild (no dead spots in the LCD screen)

New Fan and Fan Clutch (OEM parts)

As new OEM 3 Spoke M Steering Wheel and Airbag – this is also wrapped in the “newer” BMW Montana Leather, which means it is thick and chubby like the newer BMW M wheels, but is still a period correct steering wheel.  This alone was almost $1,000. 

JVC interior matching head unit.  This has a nice amber color match and is Bluetooth audio compatible, I have an iPhone and it syncs great with this and I can listen to music right from my phone completely wireless. 

Front Seats were redyed Modena – it looks OK I would give the front seats a conservative 6.5/7 out of 10 since the passenger seat had a tear that was patched (see photos) – to really make the interior perfect, you can buy OEM leathers for this car for $700.  It would make the interior a 10.  I have factored this into my pricing. 

The rest of the interior is exceptional.  The headliner is perfectly clean and is not sagging ANYWHERE.  The steering wheel is as new, dash is crack free and all of the pixels in the OBC, odometer and the climate control system are bright and intact.  The AC is ice cold.  The back seat is also in excellent condition.    

Dinan mods include (all performed by a Dinan Authorized Dealer and Service Center in Tampa FL):

Dinan Free Flow Exhaust

Dinan Cold Air Intake

Dinan Stage 2 Engine Software

These mods REALLY make the car perform crisp and sound amazing without sacrificing the OEM BMW quality.  The software also enhances the fuel economy.

Other than the title, the only other negatives are that the front seats are not perfect.  Also the coolant level sensor on the OBC is defective, it will occasionally show “check coolant” when you shut the car off.  I have replaced all of the coolant parts of the car, including the sensors and this randomly pops up.  The technician that works on the car confirms this is common and the cooling system is perfect. 

If you are trying to restore this car to as close to new as possible, the new leathers would be a great addition to the interior, if you plan to drive this car, I wouldn’t even worry about it.    

Everything else is super clean, headliner is pristine, there is not a dent or scratch on any of the panels (yea...really!) and the paint is clean and glossy with a great shine.   I touched up a bumper ding with some OEM BMW paint and took a photo, its hardly visible. 

3 original keys, original manuals and service records with receipts are included with the sale.  Also included is a copy of the original build sheet and dealer service history directly from BMW!

All I can tell you is take a look at the rest of the E36 M3s on the market in this price range, they are ratted out, poorly modified, worn, questionably maintained and very tacky looking. 

If you add up the cost of the upgraded parts alone you have over $5,000 in value. 

This will make a great car for someone looking for M3 quality without the big M3 price tag, it would even make a great first car.  Very reliable, AWESOME MPG and just a fun car to drive.

I can be reached via eBay messaging or via text messaging (iPhone) to 727-599-6626 which I can also send additional photos and discuss the car. 

Keep in mind the car is used and 15 years old, so I am sure under close scrutiny you will find a chip here or there, I am not advertising a perfect car, but an exceptionally nice car for the value that can be driven.  

We can schedule an appointment to see the car at my office in Tampa, or you can fly into the Tampa airport and drive her home!  I will be happy to meet you. 

I have bought and sold ALL of my BMWs via the internet, so I can provide a few references if needed.  Thank you. 

Link to 80+ photos here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/37317659@N04/