Sell e36 m3 or 911sc

[nixtfy]

I have been blessed with some nice cars. We recently had our third child and am reluctantly going to let one go sooner or later in the next year.

97' bmw m3 four door five speed Estoril modena. The m3 color and options make it very rare.
I drooled over these in the nineties and realize I won't find another one.

81 euro sc no sunroof. I love the simple rawness of the car. I realize These are appreciating, but there are quite a few 911's after being made between 1978-1989. I can always jump in later.

Someone here must have already had a similar decision to make? I just keep putting it off.

[snbush67]

There is no substitute. I am not a fan of the E36, If it was an E30 or earlier M3 I would have a tough decision.

[WPOZZZ]

What does the wife say? Does she have a preference? My guess is she wants you to sell the 911 because the M3/4 can still carry the family around, and 4 doors is much more convenient. If it were me, I'd keep the 911, but then again, I'm a 48 year old confirmed bachelor. lol

[KNS]

The great thing about the M3 is that it will (mostly) blend into traffic and has useful back seats.

The 911 will keep appreciating and will also be much harder to find a replacement years from now. I'd keep the 911.

[G450X]

Unless I really enjoyed driving one more than the other, I would sell by condition, and let the nicest one stay. If the 911 needs a engine rebuild it is very expensive. A good e46 M3 engine can be sourced fairly inexpensively. Has either car been wrecked before? If the 911 needs extensive work it might be nice to jump on the upward pricing trends and move it before it needs a $10,000 rebuild...

As much as we all love 911's and M3's (I have an '82 SC and an '05 M3 myself), it sounds like either one could be replaced in the future as quite a few of either model was made. As rare as the BMW color combo is, another "rare" color combo M3 is around the corner.

The only wildcard in the equation could be that e36 M3's seem to be abused a bit more than early 911's, so finding a nice example in 10 years may be a feat, whereas many air cooled 911's are cherished (garaged/well cared for) and will remain in good condition.

I doubt the e36 M3 4 door will appreciate like an older 911, just look at the 1988 e28 M5 4 door, made for one year only with a brilliant big twin cam six and nice ones rarely break $20k.

If I "had" to give up my 911 or M3 it would be the 911 - I special ordered the M3 new and it is mint and a bit odd (low option silver-gray/cinnamon, no SR, power seats, etc..).

Sorry to rant, good luck with your decision...

[r-mm]

I happened to test drive some E36s recently (wife was looking for a new used car). Drove the 911 to the see them. Boy did those E36s feel cheap, plasticy and look generic in comparison. Of course, they are great cars and I don't doubt could run rings around any impact bumper on the track... but for my money, and especially in light of the appreciation-frenzy going on, this is a no brainier.

[techweenie]

I had an E36 for about half a year. It was a used car of uncertain history, but it felt cheap and flimsy and small things in the electrical system were flaky. In the case of my car, there was a chassis stiffness issue as well, limiting my choice of wheels/tires. I know some people have had good luck with the E36 series, but for me, never again.

[CountD]

I have a '93 E36 with 232,000 on it, and it still gets 28 mpg and runs like new. No oil consumption, AC still works (no leaks), front end never had any problems, and I can run it up to Monterey or Napa no problem from San Diego (and do a lot). I have taken this car everywhere.

The trim leaves a lot to be desired, it breaks, but so does 911 door latches and cranks.

For a family car, the M3 is much better. The four door M3 is rare, and clean ones rarely if ever come up for sale. It has better heat, better AC, and to me would be safer. You can't really compare the 2, but when I was going to sell the E36, I figured I would keep it as it never left me anywhere, never has given an issue, and the clutch as far as know is still the original. The M3 is a better car for the kids.

The M3 a great car, but it's no 911. The 911 is no M3 either. I don't know what the M3 is worth, maybe $6k, so it probably would not be worth selling because there is no replacement.

[sck007]

You didn't mention any mileage on the vehicles. In either case, your SC will bring more money now. Whereas, the M3 may max out at 10K or so if you're lucky. For a monetary stand point sell the SC.

These M3 has its quirks but you would be hard press to get anything to replace it for the price you sell it. As mentioned...you can lug the family too!

GLWS!

[COLB]

Originally Posted by sck007

You didn't mention any mileage on the vehicles. In either case, your SC will bring more money now. Whereas, the M3 may max out at 10K or so if you're lucky.

This here.

The key questions:

- How much money do you need?

- How much passenger utility do you require?

If at all possible, I would say sell the BMW. It will free up less cash, but that is not a bad thing -- as it maintains a higher level of "car equity".

If you sell the Porsche, your frau is just going to piss away the additional money on furniture and stuff, and you will have $8-10k less in value in your cars -- and that is money you will have a hard time clawing back. Lord knows you will be damn near giving away the furniture on Craigslist in five years.

The BMW has minimal prospects for appreciation. The 911 should at least keep up with inflation.

Don't let it go, or it will be 15 years before you get back in the game.

[racer]

iirc, they only offered the E36 M3/4/5 for 2 years, 97 and 98. A large number of those cars were automatics too, so perhaps yours is more rare than you think. And, like 911s, the "older the better" from a more raw perspective.

My dad has an E36 m3/4/5 (M3, 4door, 5 speed) and loves it. No, its not a 911, but its a great car (better performing than an SC or 3.2) that likely works as a "family" car for you.

The 911 can work as a family car too.. just take smaller sections of the family with you.

Course, you could sell em both and get a used Cayenne Turbo instead

[sbmackie]

nixt,
I was having a very similar internal dialoque not long ago. Mine was "should I sell the 32 year old 911 and the 328iC and buy an M3 which can do double duty of AX/track day toy AND daily." Space, expense, etc. At a track event, I was chatting with an M3 owner about his car and my thinking. He said "Don't do it. I did it, and I regret it."

I did sell the 328, but I replaced it with a 325i touring.

Scott

[nixtfy]

I am still sitting on which car. Most likely it will be the m3 very hard as it had 4-5 k of refreshing at 86,000 miles. Presently has 99k

I will keep it for now as I am not sure what I would do with 10k presently. The car certainly not depreciating anymore.

FYI as for the rarity of the car I see about 1 four door m3 2x per month. I have never seen the same color combination in ten years of ownership.

Again thanks for your help

[sbmackie]

What Colb said. I'd add get a BMW wagon to satisfy the nesting instinct of the house frau. They drive nicely and a good one can be had for 10K.

[Jonny042]

I sold my M3 97 Coupe) to buy a 911 (87 Coupe). And then I bought a second 911 for a project car. So I get two votes, keep the 911 forever.

[81Kremer930]

Keep the Porsche. There is something to be said for having a 911 that's well sorted, and youre familiar with. How many $1000's extra is that worth?... I really don't know, but the slope is slippery when working on one, or having one worked on. The BMW is a nice and unusual car, but an easy seller, and doesn't have the mystique that our 911's do.