The Beginning…
So this is how the story began. A story that is already making my hair thinner, my weekends shorter, my wallet lighter, but everything else much more exciting.
I was toying with the idea of another Miata (would have been my 4th) and then supercharging. Weeks of searching local classifieds wasn’t bringing up much, and while it was comforting knowing the cars inside and out, I realized that I’d be spending a ton of money to basically do the same as I’d done before.
I spread my search out and started looking at E36s M3s. I’ve had an E46 M3 for almost 3 years now and had been assuming that an E36 would be out of my price range. I looked at a couple that were affordable but beaten to death, or “modded” by children who like shiny carbon fiber and lots of armor-all. Then I came across this one.
The bad:
167,000 miles (that’s around the world 6 1/2 times)
…and that was it for the bad.
The good:
Maintenance record folder and inch thick - Everything that was supposed to have been done had been done. Cooling system replaced, control arms, shock tower reinforcements, fluid changes. You name it.
Paint in great condition except for a couple of dings; overall decent interior including Vaders; modest mods including chip, intake, sways, shock-tower brace, underbody brace.
It’s a 1995 - To most this is a “bad”. However, I’ll take OBDI over OBDII anyday. It’s also plenty quick for me and since it’s not going to be a daily driver (DD), I just don’t care about some of the other differences. Harder leather? Who cares.
The purchase was made a week or so later after getting stuck in Atlanta with work, and catching the stomach flu. Nice. And so the process began. Update coming soon, including what I found (and didn’t find) when it went up on a lift, and the discovery of some interesting problems.
