Early 90's BMW 3 series (E36?)

[warren t claim]

I had a four pot 190E and it put me off them for life. I will never buy another 190E as long as I live. Fuckin' awful things.(I prefer Mercs to BMWs normally)

Any chance of elaborating on that Mr M? I thought 190's were ok and I'm considering one myself.

[shite_meister]

I had a four pot 190E and it put me off them for life. I will never buy another 190E as long as I live. Fuckin' awful things.(I prefer Mercs to BMWs normally)

Any chance of elaborating on that Mr M? I thought 190's were ok and I'm considering one myself.

I had Colc's old 2.6 190 and selling it was one of the silliest things I've done car-wise in fact I would admit to being 'A fucking twat' for selling it, it was sooooo smooth like incredibly smooth that the only thing that I've driven near it was a Lexus LS400. Bit juicy on the go-go juice mind.I can imagine that the four-pot 190s (Cossie excluded) are neither rapid, particularly economical nor refined but surely we at Autoshite champion the underdog? surely it must have some redeeming shiteness about it? I was considering what looked like a tidy 1.8 190e recently but I think if I get another it will be another 2.6.

[wilko]

Personally I like 190e's, there's something "solid" about them. A mate of mine bought a scruffy 1.8 with a flat tyre, a dented door, half a year's ticket & 275k on the clock and smoked it around for six months - cost him more to tax than to buy & he made a profit weighing it in for scrap! Not the fastest, smoothest or most frugal, but there's something "3 boxes, rwd, no frills" that's almost volvo-240 ish about them that I like, an £800 2.0 manual would do me nicely as a daily hack.With the Bimmers, top of the line 4 pots are better than entry level 6 pots in most respects - the problem with smaller 6-pots is they use just as much joice as the bigger ones with fewer of the benefits. My "problem" with the 316/318 is that all the new 4-banger BM's round my neck of da hood are repmobiles which are spanked up the road from cold every morning, whilst the older ones are driven by yoofs with the seat at a 45 degree angle, insured by the meerkat with £1000 excess and redlined in every gear... I'll probably never buy one on the assumption most will have been treated accordingly...

[Pete-M]

I've had V8 Mercs, and a few six potters and I've liked them. So I bought a 190E. Despised it. I can't think of a redeeming feature when it comes to the 190E 2.0. Crude, not very smooth, not that quiet, not that quick, not that torquey and not that good on fuel. I hated mine. Sold it for scrap instead of spending a couple of hundred quid fixing it when it broke. I lost a fair few quid on that, but it was preferable to driving it.. I think a lot of the hatrid toward the BMW is just down to stereotypes. It's not unusual to call anyone with a new 3 series a smug git / bad driver / hairgelled ponce etc. In the case of company car 3 series, it's quite often true, but if you were offered a new Focus (which I like) and it was going to cost you so much a month when a 318i would work out at the same, or less, then I suspect most would opt for the 318i. After all, it's people choosing to have a company BMW or Audi instead of a Ford or Vauxhall that has killed a lot of the big fleet stuff. Unfortunately it has also given a lot of menial reps the idea that they're somehow a lot more important than they are, and this makes 'em drive like wankers.As for older E36s. They're astonishingly cheap for what they are. I bought mine because it was in my budget and the alternative was looking to be monumentally dull, something like an Avensis or Primera. Look in the local papers, all the old cheap stuff has gone for scrappage, but there are loads of E36s out there still going strong for sensible money. Yes, some of them have gone a bit 'council' but that'll happen to anything once it drops below £1500 and still has a bit of badge. Take all those dog rough, NI plated XJ40s, E32 / E34 BMWs and W126 S-class Mercs out there with chrome arches, the E36 has merely followed in their footsteps.

whilst the older ones are driven by yoofs with the seat at a 45 degree angle, insured by the meerkat with £1000 excess and redlined in every gear... I'll probably never buy one on the assumption most will have been treated accordingly...

Funnily enough, I've not seen an E36 driven like that for about 12 years...

[Owain-328i]

Ive got one of these e36 coupes aswell. a 95 328i, i can highly recommend one, well build, seem to resist rust far better than equivalent aged mercs if well cared for, and tough mechanically.Easy enough to repair and maintain yourself, look very smart if left standard and un chavved.Ive had mine over 3 years now, and its been spot on!!

[garbaldy]

I think a lot of the hatrid toward the BMW is just down to stereotypes. It's not unusual to call anyone with a new 3 series a smug git / bad driver / hairgelled ponce etc.

I hope this doesnt happen anymore because im far from smug and as for a hairgell ponce that canny be me either as im off the shinney type as for bad driver well mabe

[alfetta]

I had a four pot 190E and it put me off them for life. I will never buy another 190E as long as I live. Fuckin' awful things.(I prefer Mercs to BMWs normally)

Any chance of elaborating on that Mr M? I thought 190's were ok and I'm considering one myself.

I wouldn't let one bad experience put you off. 190's use the M102 motor, exactly the same as all 4 cylinder Mercs from 1980 - 1994 including the W123 and 124. Normally pretty unburstable, though admittedly a touch agricultural. Now a 122bhp 190E won't set the world on fire but it's not bad for an old 2litre 8 valve motor. Economy wise I get 35mpg consistently.I bought mine after running old 99 and 900 saabs for years - those interesting but sometimes quirky things (apart from the 9000.) The Merc has been perfect in the 2+ years I've owned it.

[Pete-M]

I had a four pot 190E and it put me off them for life. I will never buy another 190E as long as I live.

I wouldn't let one bad experience put you off. 190's use the M102 motor, exactly the same engine used in all 4 cylinder mercs from 1980 - 1994 including the W123 and 124. Normally pretty unburstable, though admittedly a touch agricultural. I get 35mpg from mine consistently and though a 122bhp 190E won't set the world on fire it's not bad for an old 2litre 8 valve motor.

Unfortunately, it's not my only experience of 190E 2.0s. It's just the only one I was daft enough to buy

[alfetta]

I didn't especially go out in particular looking for a 190E, I just needed a car. The beemer I'd won on ebay turned out to be a pup (blown H/gasket) and the Merc looked like a good alternative. Certainly condition wise it was much better than the scruffy E36's that were around....and the later C classes for that matter...

[Station]

No longer sure about this as the bloke is clearly a complete txtypng chav who amongst other things, calls the engine a 'redtop' (shudder), although I don't think the BMW is actually too bad (although he's currently 'lending it to his mate'). I just don't want my engine ending up in a fucking Corsa.

[saabhappy]

Run a mile.