I'm interested in getting an E36 BMW M3. Does anyone know how reliable these cars are with higher mileage?

l suggest joining the bimmer forums & asking ur question there. You will be asking a larger pool of actual BMW owners. There r two good ones I've linked to below.

My guess would be that an M3 is going to have been driven harder than ur average car - same as would be true of any sports car.

But BMW is r good cars. l bought an 01 330C l with 90,000 miles & she is still going strong *knocks wood*.

If it helps in ur decision any think of it this way: If u buy a car u love & love driving it does not hurt as much if u have to shell out some coin for repairs. And honestly, the repairs r not that much more than any other car. All repairs these days r overpriced & painful.

After owning and knowing many BMW M3 owners, they are money pits over 50K miles. Most common issues: Internal engine parts, Clutches, suspension and electronics. Think of it this way- Brakes cost 2 grand on an M3 from BMW. And any part is at least a 2K repair job.

Yes, these cars r very reliable even high mileage, But it all depends on the one u r buying. Check to see if there r any leaks & ask if there were any engine mods done to it. Also check it against the Carfax database to see if it was in any major accident or repair. If not..then u should be okay.Just a very high maintenance car. l know cause l used to own a e36 M3 & now l have the e46 M3.and if u r still not sure.go to the M3Froum.net or e46fanatics.com & ask more questions & people there should have tips for you.Good Luck on ur Hunt.

They are very reliable, but they have some issues, and it depend how they did drive it before.
some of the issues are the VANOS (timing chain adjust) , rear Differential,
good luck

it is a sports car.. so will have a high maintenance cost + low mileage..
but perfomance is simply awesome..
http://bmwm3.we.bs