Thanks for all the info guys.

Kinda funny how I would rather hear what P car guys have to say as opposed to others.

If you're getting an E36, or Z3, be sure to check the diff mount area under the car. There has been many that have lost their rear subframe due to the flexing of the diff. We just welded up a friends M Z3 rear subframe due to tearing.

The E36 is a great handling car and the mods for this car can drain your checking account.

Bimmers are great cars, but difficult to work on i.e. if you were to change out the clutch it would be best to do on a rack, unlike the Porsche you can do it on your back. Lifting the motor out is another big task, not as much room as a Porsche.

Be sure to flush your coolant and to use BMW coolant with 50/50 distilled water. This will prevent problems down the road.

Happy Hunting!

About 3 months ago I bought a '97 E36 M3 4-door; I absolutely love it. The suspension is firm, and it provides just enough feedback to the driver about bumps and dips but not overly so like my harsh riding SC. The driver's position is fantastic; I feel integrated in the driving experience, and the seats are sporty with great low back support. Power from the 3.2 liter V 6 greatly exceeds the 3.0 flat 6 in my SC. The M3 has fantastic low end torque too.

I really love how the M3 (especially the 4-door) blends sporty with functionality. I can have fun and still accommodate my wife and infant son in the car with me.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1199205117.jpg

I also own a 98 M3/4 (sedan), and find it to be a great combination of performance and functionality. IIRC, the sedans were only available in 97 & 98. I specifically wanted a sedan for 2 reasons; first, we have 3 kids and occasionally I need to use my car for toting at least 4 of us around (although it does seat 5). And second, when going to lunch with colleagues, I really don't want make people "crawl" into the back seat of my car. I really like the looks (and performance) of the E46 M3's, but they are only available as coupes. I have read that the E92 M3 will once again be available as a sedan, but that will be priced out of my reach for a while, so I plan to keep my E36 for some time. And if you can find one with the fold down rear seats, I highly recommend it. The car becomes much more versatile with that option.

The OBD-II cars (96+) are much less tunable than the OBD-I cars, and thus the 95's are desirable if you plan perform a lot of engine mods.

Most of the problems areas have been mentioned already (radiator, thermostat cover, water pump (based on year), rear shock mount (use E46 M3 replacements), digital HVAC control, etc). One thing I will mention is that the most common failure of the digital HVAC unit can be repaired for about 49 cents. A capacitor fails and if you can solder, it takes all of about 30 minutes to fix (just repaired my recently).

The shifter bushing/linkage is usually shot by 100K miles as well. I have a UUC short shift kit - it is not cheap, but it is a piece of stainless steel art. If you have to replace the clutch, consider the UUC lightweight flywheel/E34 M5 clutch to replace the stock dual-mass setup (I'm in the process of doing this now).

Good luck on your decision and let me know if you have any questions.

Frank

I thought long and hard about getting an E36 M3. Great car, and they are everywhere. Dollar for dollar, it's a good performance investment.

I ended up getting a 2003 M3 cab, with 26K miles. Basically, I was following the sage advice of many when it comes to cars like this, buy the best one you can afford. The E36s are cheaper, but, nearly every last one has been screwed with, and lots have high miles, Be careful! Often when a car was a premium choice when new, but becomes affordable as it ages, the typical owner changes. Some of these cars have questionable service histories and mods.
The BMWCCA club guys always want a premium for their cars, but generally the cars are nicer. Pelican guys fit this generalization as well, I think. (Better maintained)Winter is a good time to get deals on sporty cars like this. (Which is why I bought my convertible in a Boston sleet storm 2 weeks ago, LOL)

Since you asked, I really like my 1996 Estoril blue e36 M3. I would've bought an E 30 but they actually didn't import/build many of those. In the low thousands (less than 3000?) on these shores, compared with the tens of thousands for the E36. Its almost impossible to find a good e30, super rare, almost like a museum piece and damn expensive if you do find one.
On the other hand there are a lot of e36's out there but finding a clean one is not easy. So many have been abused neglected, wrecked or poorly modded. People love these cars but sometimes the funds are not there to maintain them. They tend to change hands in a downward spiral.
If you can find a clean one buy it. Theres room for 4 although the back seat is not huge. Mine came with a Dinan package (chip and intake) and a Supersprint muffler, it really moves. The previous owner also fixed the suspension and the on board computer and put in new oxygen sensors. I changed the sparks the fuel filter the cabin filter all easy to do. Oil changes are a snap. In the spring i will put in a new radiator. It is a weak link: the neck sometimes snaps even on the newer cars I have seen a guy stranded on the road with a gushing radiator. Not much you can do but swap a new one in They make an aluminum one which is probably more durable. I paid a bit more than the low 10,000 average. It pays to look around for one that was not "kid owned" Or abused. The M3 is so plush and the cabin so quiet -- the trade off is that it is a bit heavy feeling compared with a stripped out VW say or a lightened 911 SC. A stripped out M3 would be interesting. These cars could really use a diet, the trunk and Heck-spoiler are bulky to the point that it is hard to believe. I think they added weight in that area just to get the weight dist. to 50- 50. On the whole it feels very safe and well built, to cruise all day at 85mph or more is a joy. Also nice on the back roads. They Bavarian auto workers took a great deal of pride in making this car and it shows. It is a nearly perfect car.
Always glad to get back in the SC, though for the raw, olfactory, direct driving experience.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1199223389.jpg

I went from a 78SC to a 96M3. I'm very pleased with the M3. I was debating buying an early 90s C2. However, clean C2s are well north of $20k. I bought a clean stock, well-maintained 96 M3 with 95k miles for $11k. I really don't regret the move.

The M3 weighs more and doesn't have the go-kart feel, but it's a great all-around ride. The 3.2 makes great torque compared to the 3.0 911 engine. Transmission is nice, but feels vague (may need mounts and shifter rebuild). Unlike the 911, I don't have the urge to do major modifications. Right now, I only want to upgrade the radio and refresh the suspension. I'd really like to get a set of PSS9 Bilsteins, but my practical side says I'd be much better off on stock suspension with fresh shocks and bushings.
Jurgen

I guess if I had to own one car (perish the thought!) the merging of an 911sc and and the BMW e 36 M3 would be a 964, Not a bad plan anyway....

check out
www.m3forum.com/

for more info

Thanks for the info guys, looks like these cars have a lot of fans also.

I'll be keeping my 3.2, so this will be a nice compliment.

I dont want to be into the car for maore than 18k, so hopefully i can find a clean one. I had thought about an e30, but this may be too similar to the 3.2.

I was daily-driving my '77 911 with a 3.6 back and switched to a '95 M3 back in '04, and turned the 911 into a more pure track car.

My M3 now has just a tad under 170k and still runs well. The only issues I've had were a driver's side window motor that went kaput, and recently the HVAC blower went belly up, which I still haven't fixed.

My M3 has the ground control street/track suspension package, a UUC short shifter, 3-spoke wheel and a couple of other small upgrades. I really want to upgrade the sway bars, but I just haven't got to it yet. My car is a lux model, which came without the front lip, wing, twist side skirts, and front dam grill. I've added the grill and lip, and got a wing for xmas a couple years ago, but just never installed it.

http://bimmerforums.com is your friend, and you should get Waynes E36 book.

Beautifully summed up...!

I was looking at E36 M3 as Daily Driver and as Kraftwerk mentioned, these cars are now getting to be 10+ years old and really tatty and worn on the edges if not worse due to neglect and lack of proper maintenance. So I am now rethinking my purchase. These cars have aged beautifully and still have alot of presence, their performance is "OK" by today's standards.

Estoril Blue is my favorite color!

Yasin

Beautifully summed up...!

I was looking at E36 M3 as Daily Driver and as Kraftwerk mentioned, these cars are now getting to be 10+ years old and really tatty and worn on the edges if not worse due to neglect and lack of proper maintenance. So I am now rethinking my purchase. These cars have aged beautifully and still have alot of presence, their performance is "OK" by today's standards.

Estoril Blue is my favorite color!

Yasin