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-November 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
Review: The 2021 Corvette Stingray Is The Best Of Audacious American Power
Review: The 2021 Corvette Stingray Is The Best Of Audacious American Power
There’s something deviously appealing about a car so painstakingly designed for the driver’s experience that it manages, at the same time to tell the passenger, “Fuck you.” The 2021 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe has the audacity to be that vehicle — and it works. If you don’t ride shotgun, there’s...
Nov 27, 2025
At $4,995, Is This 2004 Lincoln Aviator The Ultimate Bargain Luxury SUV?
At $4,995, Is This 2004 Lincoln Aviator The Ultimate Bargain Luxury SUV?
When it comes to mid-sized luxury SUVs, Range Rovers, Land Cruisers and Mercedes models with a G in their name immediately spring to mind. Today’s Aviator is one option most people have probably forgotten. Let’s see if its price means it should be better remembered. It was unsurprising to...
Nov 27, 2025
This Unsettling Extra-Wide Dodge Ram Isn't A Bad Photoshop
This Unsettling Extra-Wide Dodge Ram Isn't A Bad Photoshop
I spent much of the Labor Day weekend staring at this that’s for sale on Craigslist. Its proportions don’t make any sense, as if the picture was taken with a fisheye lens or someone did a bad Photoshop job. But this truck wasn’t digitally altered, someone added a foot...
Nov 27, 2025
This Is Definitely The Weirdest Bronco Project On Craigslist
This Is Definitely The Weirdest Bronco Project On Craigslist
Take an F350, hack off the back of it and kludge it together with a Bronco, and that’s exactly . If a Bronco isn’t big enough for you, and you need the size and heft of an F350, but require a third row of seats, then this big beefy...
Nov 27, 2025
At $33,900, Could This Factory Five Cobra Replica Sink Its Fangs Into Your Wallet?
At $33,900, Could This Factory Five Cobra Replica Sink Its Fangs Into Your Wallet?
Factory Five Racing calls cars like today’s Cobra the “best-selling, best-engineered, and best-performing replica of all time.” Let’s see if this turn-key edition is also an all-time best deal. For those of you who commented on yesterday’s that a new iteration is currently in production today, yes I do...
Nov 27, 2025
At $19,999, Does This Low-Mileage 1992 Mazda Miata Deserve High Praise?
At $19,999, Does This Low-Mileage 1992 Mazda Miata Deserve High Praise?
It’s Labor Day here in the U.S., and in honor, today’s Miata is a labor of love. With just 36,000 miles under its tires, let’s see if it’s also underpriced. Everything certainly appears to be coming up Ford of late, what with the electric Mustang Mach-E garnering rave reviews...
Nov 27, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved