E36 M3 Evo, or E46 M3

[EarlOfHazard]

Probably been discussed a lot, but I'm thinking about getting one of these cars. However the E46 M3 is 3times the price of a decent M3 Evo, so is it 2-3 times better? I can appreciate that the Evo will be older, and things may need to be replaced, but apart from that what do you reckon?

[shantybeater]

The e46 will be quicker and have far more modern tech etc..but they are as common as muck. Its success is its downfall and every time I drive down the road I see one making them no special sight. They have huge danger of becoming the new chav car of choice like first gen scoobies.

The e36 is a rare gem to see nowadays, i'd go out of my way to have a good nose round one if I spotted one passing. It all depends what you want from a car but i'd go for the e36 every time.

[Old Gregg]

I was in this position recently.

For me, it was either sell my Integra and get an E46 or keep my Honda, go for an E36 instead and have both. I read lots of stuff on the net about the pros and cons of the E36 and E46, searched for info comparing one with the other and trawled PH and Autotrader adverts for weeks before deciding.

In the end, I decided to go for the E36 Evo. For one thing, I am still very attached to my old Honda and didn't really want to let it go and having thought about it a lot, I concluded that for me, the E36 is 90% of the car that the E46 is, for about half the money.

The older car is near-as-dammit as quick in a straight line (it has a bit less power but weighs a little less too) and there seems to be many that consider it a touch more weildy down a good road. Yes, the interior is less modern in appearance than the E46, but it is still a nice place to be and it's very well screwed together.

As above, I also quite like the fact that you don't see many E36 M3s around compared to E46s and although the E36 is considered dated looking by some people, I still think it's a lovely looking thing - of course this is all down to personal opinion.


The E46 is more modern overall and possibly the more complete car, but for me the Evo was the right choice. If I didn't have such a love for Hondas then it would possibly have been a different outcome.



edit: In fact, I will also say that I'm very glad that I went with the E36 because it's a fantastic thing and for the money, if you can find the right car for you (history, condition, etc), it really is something of a bargain.

Edited by Old Gregg on Sunday 7th August 18:14

[Crackie]

E46 feels 5~10% better in most areas when standard certainly but there's absolutely nothing in it in a straight line - both have 215bhp/T and E36 has slightly better torque to weight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NlXXqgNfro&fea...
E36 is 'softer', rolls more and the steering is a little slow witted so the whole package is less capable in the corners overall. E46 is better made and the interior does make the E36's feel dated however the E36 does feel like a smaller more agile car and the weakest parts of an EVO are relatively easy to improve. Stick an E46 compact or Z3 steering rack and stiffer Eibach anti roll bars on an EVO and the gap to the E46 closes a lot imho. An E36 with coilovers and optimised geometry is a very capable machine.
Driving good examples of both will tell you whether the E46 is worth the extra cash.

Edited by Crackie on Tuesday 13th September 08:00

[EarlOfHazard]

There's an evo for sale at present with 150,000 miles. The owner says he's re-shelled the bottom end, and use ARP rod bolts. He's a BMW technician, and it was done as a precautionary measure. And that it's recommended on the S50 engine. Is there any weight behind this, because I thought that the S50 as long as it was serviced was bulletproof...

And this beauty sold today..http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270792103673&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1941wt_1139

[Crackie]

EarlOfHazard said:

There's an evo for sale at present with 150,000 miles. The owner says he's re-shelled the bottom end, and use ARP rod bolts. He's a BMW technician, and it was done as a precautionary measure. And that it's recommended on the S50 engine. Is there any weight behind this, because I thought that the S50 as long as it was serviced was bulletproof...

And this beauty sold today..http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270792103673&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1941wt_1139

ARP rod bolts are a good precaution for track / motorsport S50B32 engines that are used at high revs regularly but are a little OTT for 'normal' road use imho.

[Pig Skill]

Crackie said:

EarlOfHazard said:

There's an evo for sale at present with 150,000 miles. The owner says he's re-shelled the bottom end, and use ARP rod bolts. He's a BMW technician, and it was done as a precautionary measure. And that it's recommended on the S50 engine. Is there any weight behind this, because I thought that the S50 as long as it was serviced was bulletproof...

And this beauty sold today..http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270792103673&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1941wt_1139

ARP rod bolts are a good precaution for track / motorsport S50B32 engines that are used at high revs regularly but are a little OTT for 'normal' road use imho.

This. Plus on an ageing car with 150k on the clock; asking it to continue revving to 7800rpm might be asking for trouble from the old girl. The OE bolts may be starting to lose their grip a touch.

On the other matter when buying an E36 I would be looking more at the mundane things like corrosion, accident repairs, Vanos noises/operation of, does it feel right etc etc

The E36 although now a rare sight did once have a similar presence to the E46 in that they were reasonably common. They too passed into the chav zone and as a result there may be a few out there that have something to hide.

Edited by Pig Skill on Monday 8th August 05:59

[Luke.]

Or how about a 645i? Same cash as a E46.

[JNW1]

Luke. said:

Or how about a 645i? Same cash as a E46.

But a boulevard GT not an M-car!

[shagracer]

the E46 is a lot more money and will drop in value as there are loads around, get a good E36 keep it for a few years and you should get your money back, as a lot of the not so good ones are finding themself being used as track day toys and wont find their way back onto the road in a desirable state.

[andye30m3]

Pig Skill said:

Crackie said:

EarlOfHazard said:

There's an evo for sale at present with 150,000 miles. The owner says he's re-shelled the bottom end, and use ARP rod bolts. He's a BMW technician, and it was done as a precautionary measure. And that it's recommended on the S50 engine. Is there any weight behind this, because I thought that the S50 as long as it was serviced was bulletproof...

And this beauty sold today..http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270792103673&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1941wt_1139

ARP rod bolts are a good precaution for track / motorsport S50B32 engines that are used at high revs regularly but are a little OTT for 'normal' road use imho.

This. Plus on an ageing car with 150k on the clock; asking it to continue revving to 7800rpm might be asking for trouble from the old girl. The OE bolts may be starting to lose their grip a touch.

I'm going to disagree with both of you on this, I've spun shells on 2 M3 evo bottom ends both reasonably low millage and made an otherwise good car by far the most unreliable car I've ever owned.

I have in the past considered another M3 Evo but would put the ARP rod bolts in straight away if I bought another

[tjw110]

EarlOfHazard said:

Probably been discussed a lot, but I'm thinking about getting one of these cars. However the E46 M3 is 3times the price of a decent M3 Evo, so is it 2-3 times better? I can appreciate that the Evo will be older, and things may need to be replaced, but apart from that what do you reckon?

Depends on what you want to use it for, if it's going to be your everyday ride go for the E46, if its a weekend toy, I'd still got for the E46 with a couple of sensible mods, for track fun go for the E36.

For me the E36 is a much better driving car, it always felt more raw (I had 3 E36's)the steering and brake feel is much better than the E46, plus less toys keeps you sharp. The build quality both inside and outside is better on the E46 though and feels an altogether more grown up version.

As for pace on the road in the real world, an average driver in an E36 would keep up with an average driver in an E46 there's not that much in it, you need to have a good driving standard and get on a track to fully explore the limits of both cars

[AFSolutions]

Having driven a few of both of these cars (std and modded) and owned one of each here is my humble opinion

e46 M3 - fantastic out of the box and midly improved with some modificatins (coilovers and big brakes are all you really need)

e36 M3 - rather dull out of the box (due to steering) BUT the engine is sweet and once you add some coilovers, stiffer roll bars and change to braided brake lines it suddenly comes alive, especially if you dial in a bit more front camber.

They are both great looking cars but the e36 to me has beautiful lines and I genuinely believe it will hold it's value if not rise in value in the future. The e46 prices are in freefall with so many on the market and are most definitely falling into chav hands at present. Sad but true.

Go for the e36 (purely for the classic looks alone!) Just make sure you find one that's had some money thrown at it. Things like bushes and suspension wear out on these cars. Don't worry about the Vanos issues - overhyped IMO. You can also gain performance by ensure the valve clearances are correct and that all the breathers are intact (or not blocked), these are things that are sometimes overlooked. In fact you have more to worry about with the e46 tearing it's back end apart when the diff and subframe try to seperate themselves from the body..... I've also heard of many S54 engines suffering head gasket failures of late. Call Simpson Motorsport up and ask them how many e46 subframe and headgasket repairs they do.....

I found this video a while back and it's one of my favourite e36 videos out there - listen to her sing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFSJcW823xo&lis...

[TEKNOPUG]

R.I.P. Schnitzer Uber-wagon

[bmthnick1981]

I would take a decent E36 M3 EVO over an E46 M3. I have found both of the E36 Evo's I have had to feel much 'rawer' (which I prefer) to E46 M3's owned by friends. The E36 is 95% as quick and some of the minor complaints (such as suspension and steering) can be rectified relatively cheaply now due to the popular following the E36 has. In the medium term I would also say thaty a decent E36 is going to be a better 'investment' than an E46. It seems a good E36 can be had for between £4k - £5k (or in some case just under £4k if you get lucky) and I can't see the best examples being worth much less than that. By comparison I would say you have to spend £8k (at least) to get a decent E46 M3 and I feel they still have a long way to drop.

All IMO of course. Ultimately whichever you choose both are good cars and you will enjoy.