Grrr. Why are these things *always* up in Scotland?

You'd be welcome to stopover at mine (Aberdeenshire). I could pick you up at the Airport within reason. (c:

Surely an early E36 with that kind of mileage on it will be falling apart and rotting under the stick on plastic bits by now?

Maybe. OTOH I have an E34, admitedly one year younger, but with over 180k on the clock that is virtually rust free. Certainly none on the wheel arches or doors or anywhere else on the body come to that, and apart from the bonnet, which the previous owner had resprayed because it was badly stonechipped, all the paintwork is original. The interior also shows very little signs of wear. Mike.

E34s were proper, solid, hewn from granite BMWs.

The E36 was the start of the cost-cutting era.

My brother had an E34 with indeterminate mileage on it - best guess was around 300k miles. Nothing went wrong with it until he buggered up a cambelt change and trashed the head.

It was replace with a 180k mile old E36 which, over the following few years, rusted, faded and generally fell apart.