zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
Ride Into the Apocalypse in Style With This Lifted Off-Road BMW E36
Ride Into the Apocalypse in Style With This Lifted Off-Road BMW E36-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:46

? Yes, agreed. When the world goes to hell and our infrastructure crumbles into dust (I mean more so than now, obviously) you’ll be glad you’re driving a tough, lifted apocalypse-mobile. But that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice luxury and sporty dynamism.

You may remember last year when we highlighted a lifted, battle-ready, olive green ready to cruise into a muddy bog. The same tuner has alerted me of the 1990s. It’s got a manual, too!

This is a 1993 318i, the one with a four-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual. It has 180,000 miles on the clock, plenty of rust, a very good interior and, best of all, a two-inch lift and 215/65/16 BFG tires. He’s on Kinja, and you can see more of the build .

More details:

Front: Aluminum Strut spacers, approximately 2". These are mounted on the top of the strut mounts. I removed the studs and used longer hardware and a bent wrench to put it all together. The spacers are actually the end caps to a 90's era strut bar. Intentions were to replace them eventually but they seem to do the job. Springs are stock from a 92' 318i on stock replacement Bilstein struts. I don’t have any technical data to back it up, but I’ve always thought that 92' springs looked taller than later springs when they switched to control arm mounted endlinks. Speaking of endlinks, the stock swaybar and links are used. If I’d want to do any serious offroad stuff I’d likely pull the bar completely but for street use I’ve left it for stability.

The owner says that while it’s far from perfect externally, it runs quite smoothly, though it needs some work. It’ll need a new CV boot, the differential’s drain plug leaks and the belts squeak. You can fix those things if you want, and none of them sound hard, but this car is meant for battle—it’s not ever going to be some garage queen. It’d be fun to just screw around in, especially when the pavement ends.

(It is possible we need establish a distinction between and the slightly nicer lifted safari cars, the latter of which includes 911s and stuff. But when the world ends, labels won’t matter. Only hunting for water and gasoline and people to eat.)

Anyway, this thing is for sale . Someone give it a good home. It even comes with helpful “E36" markings on the side in case you forget what it is.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
How An $18,650 Kia Rio Compares To A Studded Leather Jacket That Costs The Same
How An $18,650 Kia Rio Compares To A Studded Leather Jacket That Costs The Same
At this moment, if you so chose to, you could spend $18,650 on a “”-inspired leather jacket. My wife described as a “$20,000 Halloween costume,” and I think that’s a pretty good assessment. You could also spend exactly $18,650 on a 2017 Kia Rio EX. Let’s compare the two. The...
Jul 16, 2026
You Can Get One Of The Last Chevrolet SS Sedans Up To 20 Percent Off
You Can Get One Of The Last Chevrolet SS Sedans Up To 20 Percent Off
There were a lot of great things about the , like V8 rear-wheel drive performance with a manual gearbox in a practical sedan package. Its biggest problem, however, was its price tag. Now that and cars need to be sold, Chevy is clearing out select SS sedans this month with...
Jul 16, 2026
A 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback LX With A Manual Is The Small Car To Buy
A 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback LX With A Manual Is The Small Car To Buy
This latest tenth-generation is a completely different animal than the Civics we’ve become used to throughout its 44-year run. This new one, introduced last year, is considerably larger, heavier, more complicated and refined. However, I reckon this is actually a return to form for Honda’s compact car. And now, the...
Jul 16, 2026
For $25,000, Is This 1982 Manta Mirage A Vision?
For $25,000, Is This 1982 Manta Mirage A Vision?
Today’s Manta Mirage looks like a race car, but is in fact pretty much legal for the street. Let’s see if this Can Am copy cat has a price that says can-do as well. Do you remember the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and the toxic relationship between...
Jul 16, 2026
For $5,500, Would You Let This 1999 Range Rover 4.6 HSE Callaway Get Away?
For $5,500, Would You Let This 1999 Range Rover 4.6 HSE Callaway Get Away?
Today’s Range Rover HSE is said to be number 15 out of 220 special editions imbued with performance bonafides by none other than Callaway Engineering. Let’s see if that, and its price, fully makes up for its being a Range Rover. According to the ad, which has since disappeared, the...
Jul 16, 2026
For $6,250, Could This 1981 Puma GTI Be The Cat’s Meow?
For $6,250, Could This 1981 Puma GTI Be The Cat’s Meow?
The seller of today’s Puma says he’s just too big for the small car. Let’s see if the big dog’s price for this little Brazilian cat might still be just right. Okay I get it, you all thought yesterday’s was ugly as sin. You can stop now with the kill...
Jul 16, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved