I'll try to be as brief as possible.

I've just purchased (just over two weeks ago) two 1998 328i vehicles.
One is a sedan, the other is a convertible that actually used to belong to my fiancé. The sedan has just over 50,000 miles on it, and the convertible has approximately 45,000 miles on it. They both have manual transmissions. They were both for sale by the same owner, so I decided to take both cars; we split our time between Florida and Pennsylvania, and our new cars stay in Florida as they are safe in a gated community. I thought it would be wise to have two simple, reliable vehicles in Pennsylvania that were newer and had relatively low mileage, especially since my fiancé had intended to sell his 7-series, leaving us with just one car in PA.

However, I have a problem. I'm a woman. I know some things about BMWs, like the design numbers (E-30, E-36, E-64) etc, and I have a very general grasp of mechanics, but my fiancé refuses to help me with either of these cars as he has come to despise the E-36. According to him: "E-36s are for 'dirtbags' who are too poor to afford an E-46 and too stupid to realize that an E-30 is a more solid car." Our mechanic seemed inclined to agree with him.
My fiancé had both cars towed to our mechanic, who could find absolutely no problems with either of them.

I haven't had a chance to drive either vehicle, as we are on vacation right now, but when I get back, I'm going to have to rely on this forum for help...both to show my fiancé that I can handle these cars, and so I don't make a fool out of myself in front of a mechanic. I like to know what I'm talking about.

I know a fair bit about the convertible as we'd already owned the car, but I know nothing about the sedan and it's been modified...I'd like to know exactly what's been done to it.
When we get back, I'll have pictures and more information, and hopefully someone can tell me what I've gotten myself into. I'd like to turn the sedan into a 'toy' car, so I can become more familiar with mechanics and modification in general.

Thank-you in advance!

but my fiancé refuses to help me with either of these cars as he has come to despise the E-36. According to him: "E-36s are for 'dirtbags' who are too poor to afford an E-46 and too stupid to realize that an E-30 is a more solid car." Our mechanic seemed inclined to agree with him.

to show my fianc[SIZE=4][SIZE=2]é that I can handle these cars,

You may not get over that attitude- in that case get an E46 for him.

But take both to a track for some driving time/ instruction to see what the cars can do & how they feel.

He's already had an E-46, but he's found that he's better suited to driving a 7-Series. His back was injured in a car accident, and the seating and ride in smaller vehicles tends to bother him.
To be fair, he's had a number of E-36s before, and he has had bad luck with them...the exception was the convertible.

How can I find information on tracks in my area?
I've been to several BMW driving schools (one focused on car control, the other was the "M" school) but those were offered when I'd purchased new vehicles.
I enjoyed them...but that's the extent of my track experience.

I'd like to think that I'm a good driver, but I'd rather not push the limits of the cars without supervision.
Does BMW offer anything like that for older vehicles?

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=670873

Welcome to the boards!

So you have an M6? :eyecrazy Post pics when you get enough posts. :D

Anyway, your fiance is fairly right as far as the E36 being the middle child of the two other models, but they aren't bad cars... very popular with the younger segment. But yes, the E46 is an evolution of the E36--and more expensive--and the E30 is pretty much a classic car that if you insult around these parts you'll be condemned to BMW hell. :)

You can maintain them, though, with a little mechanical inclination and a Bentley manual... and some DIY tutorials on this forum and the rest of the Internet. They're easier to work on than E46s...and certainly than E63/E64 M6s. :D

As far as track schools, there are some track events with instruction being held here in Virginia in September IIRC...see the thread in this forum for details.

BTW, just curious, what kind of 7-series does your fiance drive?

Good luck!

We just purchased the M6 a few months ago. To be honest, driving it on the street can be a bit trying because it won't shift smoothly enough in any transmission mode, but it is quite fast. The 650i I had owned prior to that was much more forgiving to drive on a daily basis.

I have actually owned an E-30 myself, a 325iX. I adored the car.
My fiancé is an avid E-30 enthusiast. His first car was an E-30.

The only E-30 he has at present is an M3 with 43,000 miles on it that he will not drive, nor does he talk about it. If he finds out I mentioned it on "one of those goddamned web-forums" I'll probably get in trouble.

We have the Bentley manual for the E-36...I have also assisted him from time to time on modifications and repairs, and he does own a wide variety of tools. I would never attempt to work on the new car. That's what the warranty is for.

As for my fiancé, he actually has two 7-Series cars, one is an older E-32 type that he says he's going to sell shortly (I'll believe that when I see it, he loves that car. Somehow having the entire hydraulic suspension system fail and spending $5000 to fix it is better than having a door panel fall off while driving, which is one of the things that annoyed him about the E-36), and the other is a 2006 760Li. He had a 750Li prior to that but after he started upgrading the E-32 he decided it wasn't powerful enough, so he upgraded.

How many posts do I need to have before I can post pictures?

We just purchased the M6 a few months ago. To be honest, driving it on the street can be a bit trying because it won't shift smoothly enough in any transmission mode, but it is quite fast. The 650i I had owned prior to that was much more forgiving to drive on a daily basis.

I have actually owned an E-30 myself, a 325iX. I adored the car.
My fiancé is an avid E-30 enthusiast. His first car was an E-30.

The only E-30 he has at present is an M3 with 43,000 miles on it that he will not drive, nor does he talk about it. If he finds out I mentioned it on "one of those goddamned web-forums" I'll probably get in trouble.

We have the Bentley manual for the E-36...I have also assisted him from time to time on modifications and repairs, and he does own a wide variety of tools. I would never attempt to work on the new car. That's what the warranty is for.

As for my fiancé, he actually has two 7-Series cars, one is an older E-32 type that he says he's going to sell shortly (I'll believe that when I see it, he loves that car. Somehow having the entire hydraulic suspension system fail and spending $5000 to fix it is better than having a door panel fall off while driving, which is one of the things that annoyed him about the E-36), and the other is a 2006 760Li. He had a 750Li prior to that but after he started upgrading the E-32 he decided it wasn't powerful enough, so he upgraded.

How many posts do I need to have before I can post pictures?

:lol

Good stuff...and you need I think 20 posts to post pics.

He seems pretty domineering though. :shifty

Welcome. Where are you from in Northern FL?

We're actually from Pennsylvania originally, but we have a house in Destin, FL.

He seems pretty domineering though.
No, he's just rather opinionated.
I'm probably worse than he is.
I tell him what to wear, for example, and if he were to refuse, it's likely that I'd react more negatively than he would were our positions reversed.
We've been together for a long time, and we're quite happy. He knows I know fashion, I know he knows cars.

But I'm more prudent than he is, and having an older, harder to maintain car makes less sense to me than having a more simple, modern vehicle. The fact that one of them was purchased for my own entertainment is justified by the fact that he has his own 'toys', so why shouldn't I?

But to be honest most men find my personality a bit too strong for their tastes. The fact that I'm well-educated for my age and more self-reliant than most women seems to be a threat issue for them.

:dunno: i have less problems with my E36 than any of the E46 owners i know. when i do have a problem my E36 seems easier to fix. above all i think the E36 is much more fun to drive. i fear the day that i have to get a new car... i might just get another E36.

I suppose time will tell.
I'm rather fond of the design myself, as far as appearances go.

When I get back from vacation and actually get some driving experience in, I'll probably have a better opinion.

I'm sure someone here can host your pics for you until you get 20 posts...

love to see the m6.

Welcome. Having had an E30 vert, and for the last 12 years the E36, I think the E36 is the better car. Having driven a lot of E46's, E39m5's, E60M5's and all sorts of other cars. I still own the E36. It is more fun to drive. It may not be as fast, but they will all get you nice cell in the lockup... All the newer cars, (E46,90,92,60...) are rather piggish. Why does a car need 500 Hp? because it weighs over 2 tons. You can't deny the physics. Nice cars, but not as much fun. (E30M3 was fun)

Anyway, welcome. We'll try to help.

Having put about 250,000 miles on two E30 325is and 90,000 on an E30 M3, I can't say enough about how great they drive and their reliability. However I have also driven a '96 328is for the last 8 years (75,000 miles) and it has given me no problems. It may not be as "fun" as the E30s, but for anything short of track use, it is very satisfactory. Keep them.
I'
'm curiious as to what is wrong with the cars and why they had to be towed, rather than driven, to the shop.

Nothing was wrong witht he cars per se, we simply had plans that day, and as we know the owners of the local towing company, it was a fairly simple matter to just have the cars picked up and moved to the shop to be checked, just to have that task out of the way.

Hosting the pictures is not the issue, I can provide links to someone if they would be willing to post pictures.

As far as the newer 3-Series being 'piggish'.... the E-46 and E-90 would probably be better be classified as a 'compact executive' sedan rather than a 'sports-sedan". My fiancé's father made an observation once that 'BMW killed the real 3-Series and the Motorsport Division the day they released a 4-door, automatic, M3". Hence the 1-Series sport-compact. Perhaps someday they'll have a .5-Series if the trend continues.

That being said, it's still possible to have a lot of fun with a heavy car, as long as it's powerful enough.

Nothing was wrong witht he cars per se, we simply had plans that day, and as we know the owners of the local towing company, it was a fairly simple matter to just have the cars picked up and moved to the shop to be checked, just to have that task out of the way.

Hosting the pictures is not the issue, I can provide links to someone if they would be willing to post pictures.

As far as the newer 3-Series being 'piggish'.... the E-46 and E-90 would probably be better be classified as a 'compact executive' sedan rather than a 'sports-sedan". My fiancé's father made an observation once that 'BMW killed the real 3-Series and the Motorsport Division the day they released a 4-door, automatic, M3". Hence the 1-Series sport-compact. Perhaps someday they'll have a .5-Series if the trend continues.

That being said, it's still possible to have a lot of fun with a heavy car, as long as it's powerful enough.

I'll be happy to post the pics up for you; just send me the Photobucket links by clicking on my username and clicking "Send an email to ohnoes". :)