The M3 that time forgot.

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It's just a prank, bro!
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This April, I'll be hitting my third year living in the apartment complex that I currently reside. All kinds of managers and landlords have come and went, countless amounts of residents have parted ways, but yet one curious thing has always stayed the same. In the front outside parking lot of the complex, I always noticed a 90's BMW 3-Series that never seemed to move.

Today, curiosity got the best of me while hibernating in the apartment on an unseasonably warm day, and I decided to make the walk up front to get a closer look. As it turns out, the car is indeed an E36 M3 that seems to have been abandoned long ago. The paint is super faded, and the tires are rotting away slowly into the blacktop. The date on the registration sticker leads me to believe the car hasn't been moved, or at least registered, since at least 2006, maybe even 2005. It's plain to see that this gem was just left here, but who does it belong to?

It sits in one of the old "visitor parking" spots, and isn't in a convenient spot for someone who truly cared about it.






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Naturally, the first thing that comes to my mind is "Hey, I've been looking for a project car." The second thing I think of is, however, who does it belong to? Who left it here? Obviously if I could find out, they'd sell it to me for next to nothing, right?" I am probably out of luck on that front, but I am completely curious, and hate to see such a beloved car rotting away in the Oklahoma sun.
 
Such a shame that someone has just left such a nice car there...
 
E28
Such a shame that someone has just left such a nice car there...
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^This.

Good luck on finding the owner. I hope he isn't dead and been rotting away in his apartment for 5 years. :scared: That would be quite the news story.
 
Dude, look for the owners, it's in your area, you don't have to walk much nor follow leads that lead to nowhere, and the car is really worth it. Who knows, they could really sell it to you for next to nothing.
 
It looks like it was decently taken care of by the original owner. Tbh, it will probably need a lot of money put into it just to make it run again. It would be quite a project though. Would need engine rebuild, clutch probably seized, new tires, and all new fuel lines just to start. Would definitely find the owner first though.
 
There's definitely a ton of potential in that M3 if the owner could be found and put in a suitable mood to give it to you. Try to flatter them, maybe? It'd be worth giving it a shot to get a wicked deal. Even if it turned out to be too big of a project you could always flip it if the owner would sell it to you for a super low price.

It's too nice a car to go to waste. Also, what's winter down there like? That would also determine what shape the car is in underneath.
 
We have pretty mild winters. Some years it doesn't even snow, some years we get one to two big storms. We're actually calling for 74 degrees tomorrow if that tells you anything. I don't even know if the owner even lives in the apartments or if someone just left it here years ago to blend in. It's quite a shame, really.
 
disinfected
Naturally, the first thing that comes to my mind is "Hey, I've been looking for a project car." The second thing I think of is, however, who does it belong to? Who left it here? Obviously if I could find out, they'd sell it to me for next to nothing, right?" I am probably out of luck on that front, but I am completely curious, and hate to see such a beloved car rotting away in the Oklahoma sun.
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If it's been sitting abandoned, you don't have to buy it. You go to the DMV, file some papers and the car is yours.
A few years ago when I was flipping houses, someone had lost their house and a volvo 850 was left in the driveway. Buddy took the car home and since no one claimed it for ~6 months, he paid some fees and the car was his.
 
eSZee
If it's been sitting abandoned, you don't have to buy it. You go to the DMV, file some papers and the car is yours.
A few years ago when I was flipping houses, someone had lost their house and a volvo 850 was left in the driveway. Buddy took the car home and since no one claimed it for ~6 months, he paid some fees and the car was his.
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I was think the same thing but each state has different laws on abandoned vehicles.
 
It might be something to look into.
 
If similar laws apply in the UAE i'm on the next plane to Dubai ;-)
 
Can you see how many miles it has on it? Other than that the car looks great and if possible I would claim it like the other said and giving it a fixing.
 
I will go out and try to get a better look at it tomorrow.
 
Pee on it to mark it as yours.
Just a suggestion.
 
Tyger
If similar laws apply in the UAE i'm on the next plane to Dubai ;-)
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There must be abandoned Veyrons laying around everywhere in Dubai... :lol:
 
If you can get some more info on it, could be an excellent find. The motors are pretty damn solid - my S50 sat for about 2 years and started up pretty drama free. Fairly easy to work on as well, and parts aren't that much trouble to find with a huge aftermarket of OEM equivalents that save quite a bit of money.

Hell, the LTW wheels on there are a nice find in themselves. If you have questions on these, I'd point you to ///M-Spec. He has owned a few E36's in his time and a wonderful source of knowledge.

Oh, and out of the many, many vehicles I've owned, this one most consistently generates a big smile on my face. Kind of like the King of all trades, Jack of none. Minus hauling 4 adults that over 6 feet tall around - not the best that, but can do it.
 
Abandoned for years and not towed away and not even a wheel got stolen? Must be one nice apartment complex.
 
Azuremen
If you can get some more info on it, could be an excellent find. The motors are pretty damn solid - my S50 sat for about 2 years and started up pretty drama free. Fairly easy to work on as well, and parts aren't that much trouble to find with a huge aftermarket of OEM equivalents that save quite a bit of money.

Hell, the LTW wheels on there are a nice find in themselves. If you have questions on these, I'd point you to ///M-Spec. He has owned a few E36's in his time and a wonderful source of knowledge.

Oh, and out of the many, many vehicles I've owned, this one most consistently generates a big smile on my face. Kind of like the King of all trades, Jack of none. Minus hauling 4 adults that over 6 feet tall around - not the best that, but can do it.
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It'll also make you a BMW-as...., err, fanboy, overnight! :lol:
 
dsgerbc
Abandoned for years and not towed away and not even a wheel got stolen? Must be one nice apartment complex.
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Haha this is true. Would be amazing if you could luck into ownership of it at some point.
 
Oh so that's where I left it :dunce: silly me, will be round to pick it up tomorrow.
 
I'm guessing that piece of paper is a note you left? I would just stick something showing interest and your phone number. It looks like there's a license plate on the car too, try taking it off and bringing it to a dmv.

My guess is that it was owned by an illegal drug dealer, maybe someone ratted him out and he had to get up and go.

The windows look super tinted (like i told you, dealer) but take a look inside. is it a manual? the interior is probably weathered a lot, dashboard probably cracked too. There's probably some nasty mold or fungus growing inside.
 
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Probably NOT a good idea to go stealing license plates off cars, abandoned or not.
 
Fair point. Copy the number down then.
 
It is a manual transmission, I could tell that much. (Did the E36 M3 even come automatic?)

The note in the windshield wiper is some kind of paper soliciting pre-paid wireless cellular phones which also looks like it's been there for a long time. I didn't stay long to look at it because there were lots of people around at the time, I didn't look really hard at the inside. Seats look a bit weathered and the rubber trim around the rear window is falling down.

I figure whoever owned it knew a thing or two with the Hartge exhaust, but then again, if they did know about it, why leave it to rot? The paper stuck under the windshield for ages also seems like more proof that whoever owns it is nowhere to be found.
 
disinfected
It is a manual transmission, I could tell that much. (Did the E36 M3 even come automatic?)
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The only coupes that had autos where the '95s, if I recall correctly.
 
disinfected
I figure whoever owned it knew a thing or two with the Hartge exhaust, but then again, if they did know about it, why leave it to rot? The paper stuck under the windshield for ages also seems like more proof that whoever owns it is nowhere to be found.
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Maybe the engine or trans is blown? Or the owners were indeed drug dealers and are no longer "around", if you know what I mean.
 
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