Looking for an E36 M3
 

Looking for a good condition M3.... Must be a 5spd. Looking right around the $10K range. Prefer Dakar, Estoril, Byzanz, Hellrot, or techno/daytona.....

Anybody know of any? Been watching CL, ebay, and autotrader....

Me likey: 1999 BMW M3 Supercharged Heavily Moded!!!

I like it too Matt..... Dad doesn't want a super hotrod though... This is to be Moms DD....

If it was to be a toy.... Well we'd be on that like white on rice if it was Hellrot Red... :cool:

Meh, silver is more subtle. Plus it doesn't fade to orange.

By the way, what the hell is going on with OK roads? I drove to Dallas and back today, OK is full of half finished construction projects with no workers in sight.

I35 is royal mess... Thats really all I can say.... And watch what you say about the road workers! My dad was working on some highway signs on I35 at Guthrie today! If you passed a slow white crane with big red Johnson Signs letters.... Well that was them.

Oh and Red is sort of a thing at our place.... Cars get parked inside or on the carport all the time so very little fade.... Silver is just so... Meh... Moms jetta wagon was silver... Classy but oh so boring....


Oh and dad was in Chickasha today Matt.... I'll shoot you an email today as soon as I get it from him....

BMW : 3-Series: eBay Motors (item 260635713974 end time Jul-25-10 13:00:00 PDT)

What do you guys think of this? Not an M but still a good car.... E46 as reliable as an E36?

BMW : 3-Series: eBay Motors (item 180534541788 end time Jul-24-10 14:35:24 PDT)

Dad just threw that at me too.... I swear that man has car ADD as bad as Matt!

As a BMW racer I know says: The E36 M3 has become the new Honda Civic." Be very freaking careful what you buy.

I've noticed some rather riced ones. There are quite a few in that price range too....

What is your mom driving now? M3, while a great car, is a bit high strung. For DD duties a regular e36 is a fine car with plenty of pep. Plus cheaper and not nearly as likely to be hotrodded.

this one is local to me and only has @ 73K miles on it. has new tires and new bilstein struts and H&R sport springs. I think its @ $11.9K.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1279725189.jpg

I have a friend with a dinan supercharged E36 M3, 4 door, auto. It is actually a very mild mannered car around town. I guess it's because of the slushbox? Frankly, I was bored by the car when I drove it. He lets his tiny asian girlfriend drive it so he doesn't get tickets in it.

I guess I should explain what a DD for mom is.... Mom works at the Sign Co her and dad own. The office isn't far from the house(on the same 10acre plot). She walks to work every day so the car will be on the carport at home. When she needs a car is to run to town for the bank, go see a customer, run to OKC for some vinyl, etc.... The pep won't be a problem in fact she has mentioned autocrossing it. Dad and I want the M3 for when we have to drive it...

Right now she takes the Dodge Megacab to town. Its a BIG truck and she hates it...
She had a Corolla, but I ended up with it when she pushed to sell the VW, thus leaving me with no college car....

Oh and whats you guys's thoughts on the E46 ZHP? Good car or not? I'm afraid the E90 will have too damned many gadgets to break and the AWD is pretty much a waste in OK.... We had the worst snow we've had in years this winter and I made it everywhere in my Corolla... Dad has several big pickups if it gets real ugly...

I forgot I owe you that buyers guide I mentioned last week. Will try to scan tomorrow for you...

If they can afford the E90, I'd go that route (just to be clear they are not all AWD). An `06 330i can be had for a bargain these days, though I would still want one with the sport/premium packages. Otherwise, the E46 will suit Mom (and you) better than the E36 IMO. The ZHP's (M3 look) are pretty cool, and give you the 6spd, vs. 5spd in the "normal" manual E46's. You also get a better final drive ratio, 18" wheels, and better (sport+?) suspension if I recall.

Is the E90 as reliable as the E36 though? I've read a lot of good things about the E36 cars. Why would the E46 be better for us?

The E36's are just getting old and have higher mileage. If you get all the service records you can still get a good car. Same with the E46. I had an E46 (2002 325i) and now own an E90 (2006 330i). The E46 was slower, but felt more "sporty." The E90 has it all over the E46 on power and looking more modern. I do all of my own maintenance and they are both about the same to work on.

Check bimmerforums.com car ads. Some very nice cars for sale.

Love those! They are great cars. I'd rather have one of those than an E36 M3 any day.

E46 M3's are dead reliable outside of normal BMW maintenance. The same applies to standard E46's also, but the M's are just so much better.

The E46 Ms are out of the question price wise.... He nixed the ZHP... Black cars just don't work living in the country.... Too much gravel dust....

What say you all on the E90? I'm thinking if he can get it right its the way to go... Even with the AWD