About 6 months ago I acquired a 1995 M-3 with fewer than 60K miles. I love it. BUT -- I'm a bit disappointed at some less-than-adequate parts in the car. A couple of months ago I had the faulty brake light switch replaced and was told that it was very common to need to do that on these cars. Then the thermostat broke and stuck open; my mechanic told me it was a common failure. Last week my car left me stranded two hours from home because the PLASTIC impeller broke off the water pump shaft. I was very surprised to learn that my car was produced with a plastic impeller on the water pump.

Now I'm wondering what other parts on the car are prone to failure. I would rather replace the parts now than be stranded again because of an inadequate part. What can you more experienced Bimmer drivers tell me about which parts I should replace to be on the safe side? Thanks for any info.

Check the parked threads in the e36 forums. You've managed to hit a few of the top failures. This topic has been discussed many times as you might imagine. Welcome to the club. :)

Kent