I 've had two e36s and one e46 and while the e46 does everything better, the e36 was a more solid car and enjoyed it more for some reason. Kind of like comparing a 993 to a 996.

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Silver on black E36 still looks great.

Inspect the diff mount. If the car has been driven hard, there may be a tear.

Beat me to it. Specifically, I'd love to have a later (`95+?) 3.2L Euro car.
IIRC, they are good for nearly 100hp over the US variants, w/ ITBs, better VANOS, and a 6-speed gearbox.

I had a '95 Avus Blue. It was bone stock and was never a daily driver. I was the 3rd owner, bought it in 2005 at 37k miles and sold ~2009-2010ish with 48k miles. It was wonderfully analog and fun to drive. Not so much power that I ever felt like I could get in too much trouble but enough to make it enjoyable... much less of a handful than the E85 M-roadster which replaced it.

The dove gray leather was like new in my car and I had replaced the sagging headliner and door panels with new factory units. It was basically pristine. The previous owner replaced the factory M-double spoke I's with aftermarket M-contours, which while very easy to keep clean were not as unique as the double-spokes.

It is the source of my Pelican screen name.

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That dove grey! I love it, but it would get so dirty! Too bad on the DS. I liked that it was the only wheels that said BMW Motorsport on them.

I have a 97 M3. Like listed above, it's still a very analog car and fairly easy to work on. Mechanical parts are pretty easy to source. Interior and trip pieces are starting to get a little harder to find. For instance, I have the dove interior like posted above. I ordered the BMW genuine replacement floor mats from ECS and got black ones delivered. It turns out that there aren't any more in the dove/gray color.

The car is about the perfectly balanced car to drive. So easy to turn-in. Not too heavy. A little underpowered from the factory, but that was remedied on mine.

I'm actually going to be selling mine in the spring. 74K miles, I'm the third owner. I spent much of this year replacing tons of stuff. Entire rear suspension rebuilt because I had the subframe out for replacement and weld on reinforcement. 11 PSI supercharger which is about 400HP at the crank was just rebuilt but Jon Bond Performance. The prior owner is a friend, and the first owner was his friend. No kids have messed with this car.

Good thread, I really like the E36 generation M3 as well. They were under appreciated for far too long and starting to get the recognition they rightly deserve.

Speeder, I always thought you and I thought along similar lines, I cannot believe I am seeing this post; I just bought one after a 5 month search. A 95 Daytona Violet over black nappa, 120k miles.

2 things leap out going in; do you buy a OBDI or OBD II. In CA OBDI have better chances with smog if you mod the car at all although there are advocates on the BMW forums for both. Then, do you get low mileage garage queen or a well maintained car over 100k miles. The BAT cars for big bucks are all lower mileage cars but as is the case with a 911, they like to be driven and many of the issues come up between 60 and 80k miles: See long winded guide below. Often getting a higher mileage car with all the service is a better deal.

Anything with a dove grey interior is going to look like crap, now, or in a few months after you get it. Dove amongst the cognoscenti is often ignored, or changed. Most of them were delivered with Dove. As with 911s, silver/red/black paint is least desirable. Estoril (blue) Dakar (yellow) or Violet all a premium.

But for a 90s car that came stock with a 5 speed, LSD, leather, killer brakes and a motor that lasts over 250k miles for under $15k, you can't go wrong. Not to get into a debate here (plenty of that on BMW M3 Forum.com (E30 M3 | E36 M3 | E46 M3 | E92 M3 | F80/X) ) but the e36 is a more visceral and analogue drive than the e46, which is basically a modern day car.

Plenty of trash cars out there, as stated above; teenagers and The Stance crowd chopping and thrashing them to death. I looked everywhere and kissed plenty of frogs, finally as a giggle I checked the BMW owners club site and found a gem.

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Speeder, go here, pretty definitive:

Informational thread: "Should I buy an E36 M3?" - BMW M3 Forum.com (E30 M3 | E36 M3 | E46 M3 | E92 M3 | F80/X)

Still have ours. Wife daily drove it into the ground for 5 years, then, I let it sit outside for a few years.
I sort of own it now, and have been tinkering with it again. It has been a really easy car to own. Mechanically, totally , typical BMW stuff from that era . Our interior is starting to look worn, but still not that bad, for a car that got treated like a minivan with a woman driving and no love given to it for a period .
It has become my fun road car for weekend stuff , and I still really love it. I am pretty sure this one is staying with us .
It was wrecked before, and the front clip painted. It is now really ugly, with clear coat peeling, Im hoping to re spray this spring before driving season .
Stock, plenty quick enough to be fun. Ours is lowered on sport bilsteins with big sway bars, and it is honestly, one of the best handling cars I have ever driven.
Even on sub par street tires, it is nearly impossible to make it come out of character.
My son and I road tripped it to the mountains last summer, and it was really an enjoyable drive .http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1546618606.jpg
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Same color combo as my '95. Black interior with Daytona is not all that common. Most had Dove gray.

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Thanks, everyone. I knew that I'd get some real world experience here. Everyone knows that the European cars got the different engine and trans, the difference was actually 75 HP, (240 vs. 315). They are no doubt more exciting cars but I would argue that the U.S. version is a far better car to actually use as a car. The U.S. engine is as low maintenance and tractable as any basic BMW 6 of the era, even gets decent fuel mileage. They generally never need expensive engine work, (the VANOS issue is a big nothing to a former air-cooled 911 owner), there is one for sale in L.A. right now w 315k miles that is in perfect running condition.

They are durable, non-finicky everyday cars w decent performance and great torque that you can take to the track. I have a great love for e34 M5 cars because of styling but they are high maintenance, very expensive mistresses that would be insane to daily drive. Even though we got the de-tuned motor in those, it has ITBs and sucks fuel like a 737. I've seen them for sale w $20k recent maintenance receipts.

I remember going to Beverly Hills BMW to browse the inventory in '95 and the e34 M5 was still available as well as the brand new M3. The new e34 540i was out and was absolutely killing the M5 sales. You could get a manual trans car in the same body that outperformed the M-car w for less $$ that would need no expensive/weird maintenance in the near future. Yes, it wasn't an M-car but you have to put the collectible factor aside, people bought new BMWs to drive. Hardly anyone was buying a new M5 and taking it out to Willow Springs or Chuckwalla.

Anyhow, that is sort of how I look at the Euro vs. USA e36 M3. I have never even given them a glance over the years because they were not, "real M-cars" but now I think they may be even better because of it, for a DD. They definitely got the real suspension and seats, etc.

I know that none of this is right or wrong, just opinion. Just car guys shooting the bull, what this forum is best for, IMO. :)

I bought a E46 because I wanted the look and the S54 engine.
Originally I had planned on buying a E36 and putting the S54 and the 6 speed in it or even into a E30 but i realized i did not want 25 year old car problems because I already was looking to replace my 88 325ix (Its for sale) I have had the E46 for about two years, and put about 14k on it and only thing i have had to do is replace the trailing arm bushings, and control arm bushings. That was cheap and easy and do oil changes.
Its a great car, I originally was skeptical about the weight but it the most comfortable car I own and its also probably the best performing car I own, i would only ever buy a E46 M3 going forward out of the M3 options.

If you were to drive one with the euro engine, you wouldn't think twice about the US car. The euro engine has plenty of mid range, I have no idea what the mileage was, nor do I care. I ran a group N ECU and a custom exhaust with no cats and it was easily usable as a daily driver.

I don't think it makes sense to own one of these if it's just another car. At this point in their life span, I think they need to be used as a weekend toy, which suggests that performance should take a backseat to grocery getting.

Like I said, if I had to own another one, I would probably hot rod it just like the lightweight that I had. You don't need AC, you don't need a radio, you don't need a sunroof, etc.

Thanks, that's a great write-up. The online support and aftermarket support for them is pretty huge. The funny thing is that it was written in 2009, when they were "all $10k cars..." Now they are all $20k cars with some dealers asking a lot more. They definitely seem to be on the up-tick. :)

I have driven a Euro car, in GB, fantastic car and I understand why Euros always say we didn't get a real M3. But the truth of our roads versus the EU roads tells the tale; the US M3 is a better car for the US, the torque and drivability suits the US better than a EU car would. Right up to the point you get on the autobahn. Then it's see ya later.

Great debate, I totally get the e46 appeal, as I do a 996, which I almost bought instead, those were the 2 choices.

But Speeder's initial post referenced a collectability factor and the e36 M3 is hands down a better collectible than an e46. Sure they made a ton of them, but many are gone and parted out/salvaged/chopped. Believe me, if you want a nice one that isn't silver or black, they are getting rare and the word is out.

Yep, the word is out, once you drive one you really get it too. They made a shiitt ton of SCs as well, remember when you could buy a nice one for under $20?

For me, I want my daughters to track a M3 and not my 964, I don't like taking my 964 out anymore unless it is early or a holiday; too many yahoos looking to crowd my bumper. Ironically, I bought the 964 for cheap when they were the red headed stepchild of the 911 world so my daughters could track it instead of the 73 2.7. I feel the same potential exists for the e36 M3. And they look the shiit in violet.

A valid argument for sure but I was planning on buying a garage queen and just driving it for a year or two, that's the longest I ever keep anything. I have one in my sights, going to look at it over the weekend. I'll inform this thread w the results.

The issue for me right now is that I'm not really set-up for owning specialty cars w climate-controlled storage and an indoor shop, etc. I have a great DD car now but want a little more performance/fun while still being usable as a car. Fuel mileage matters a little because gas is expensive here and we drive a lot. It obviously would not matter on a weekend/fun car.

I originally landed on these cars this time because I've always had a soft spot for the e36 4-door M3, the so-called M3/4/5 if it has a 5-speed. In my search for the perfect 20 y.o. car, I'm currently focused on a coupe. That's how it goes...may not buy one at all, need to drive it and see how fun it is.

Thanks for the input. :)

My E30 has been a pretty rock solid car, my wife DD for 2 years. It has a 99 2.8 swapped in and I now have my feelers out for a S54 to swap in, it already has a E46 6 Speed in it.

The cool thing about these early BMW's is that they are like Lego's you can swap parts between them all with ease.

My son has a E30 with the S50 in it, fantastic fun car. He is the reason I am an E30 nut now.

I am back and forth with the E36 model line, I sometimes like their lines other times think they look awkward, I also am not a fan how poorly the interiors on the E36's seem. Every one I have looked at looked much older than it should have.