BMW M3 saloon (E90): You Know You Want To

An M3 saloon with a price now starting '16'; the temptation grows...

An admission first off: we do cover M3s (and M4s) quite a lot on PistonHeads. Whether the affordable used ones, the expensive used ones or indeed a new version, there always seems to be something to talk about. With good reason too, as it's been the go-to fast saloon for 30 years now. It's also one of the performance car benchmarks, one that so many know of and aspire to own. Fair warning if you aren't an M3 then; there is some praise to follow.

Crying out for a debadge

BMW has never made an M3 Touring, which seems a shame. However, working down the bodystyle cool ranks, if estates are cooler than saloons then saloons are definitely cooler than coupes. The AMG C63 is the perfect example of this. Furthermore, everyone knows the M3 purist opts for the smallest wheels available, eschewing the widespread desire for big rims. A manual gearbox earns further kudos, particularly with the commonly held belief that recent M Division products best suit a dual-clutch or automatic gearbox (we'll ignore neither was available at the time this car built, just for now...).

So you can see why this M3 appeals. The E90 shape was never as popular with buyers as the E92 coupe; in fact it would be interesting to know if the E93 cabriolet outsold the saloon. It has the rarity factor then, plus a very good (to these eyes at least) M aesthetic. It's not as overt as the car that replaced it but there are enough identifiers for those that are looking: the bonnet bulge, the exhausts, the tiny rear spoiler.

Sensible spec, sensible miles, lunatic engine

Even just a generation on, to have a V8 that spun beyond 8,000rpm in a 3 Series sounds ludicrous. We really were spoilt in the first decade of this century with certain naturally aspirated engines. This V8, the M156 AMG V8, the Mezger Porsche flat-six, various Honda VTECs, the Alfa V6... it will surely be remembered as a great era.

Sure, this V8 is not the most usable everyday engine. Its torque peak of 295lb ft at 3,900rpm looks pretty measly a few years later, but who needs torque when you have revs? The way it keeps spinning is mesmerising, an angry V8 howl accompanying you on a rush to 8,500rpm. Just keep plenty in the budget for fuel...

However, you may need less of a budget for actually buying it. Because this M3, in a sensible spec with 67,000 miles and a full BMW history, is for sale at £16,990. Sixteen grand for an M3 saloon! It will be interesting to see just how far the E9x series of M3 falls given both the E36 and E46 have started to climb recently. As the last and most powerful naturally aspirated M3 it certainly has a USP. Question now is though: would you have it over a C63 or RS4?

BMW M3 SALOON (E90)
Price: £16,990
Why you should: One of the finest engines of this millennium, cheap fuel, nice spec
Why you shouldn't: Selling it again? You could just keep it...

See the original advert here.