E36 vs E46 M3 Comparison
Discussion
Hey!
Having always owned BMW's since my first car I've always fancied an M3, however they have always been a little out my price range, but now I see that both the E46 and E36 are now at very reasonable prices!
My question is would I get better value spending £10k on a E36 M3 or a E46 M3?
How different are they to drive?
Are the running costs comparible?
Thanks,
P
Having always owned BMW's since my first car I've always fancied an M3, however they have always been a little out my price range, but now I see that both the E46 and E36 are now at very reasonable prices!
My question is would I get better value spending £10k on a E36 M3 or a E46 M3?
How different are they to drive?
Are the running costs comparible?
Thanks,
P
I have owned both. It really depends what you want from the car.
E36 is lighter and a much nicer car from a driving perspective. Its more raw in my opinion and much more fun, but the dash and cabin are now very dated.
E46 is still a very competent car to drive and is a much nicer place to be, but doesnt feel anywhere as nice to drive as the e36 imho.
Ive owned both.
E36 is lighter and a much nicer car from a driving perspective. Its more raw in my opinion and much more fun, but the dash and cabin are now very dated.
E46 is still a very competent car to drive and is a much nicer place to be, but doesnt feel anywhere as nice to drive as the e36 imho.
Ive owned both.
e36 m3
Quite a lot slower from a stop but once moving is about the same speed as an e46 m3. Quite loud, fairly raw and a little dated, engine sound is more powerful than tinny, but sounds like a bag of bolts on idle. slight understeer by default then oversteer when adding throttle. 6th gear is very long (geared to almost 200 I think) Has mechanical LSD. Overall geared longer than e46 m3 and has a torque limiter in first (and maybe 2nd I can't remember) Engine is maybe overpowered for the chassis.
e46 m3
Feels a bit more distanced from the engine and the driving experience. Short gears and fancy LSD means it's very quick from a stop. At higher speeds it doesn't feel massively fast but if using all the revs it's quick. Sounds very raspy and tinny compared to e36, but in a nice way. Much less understeery than the e46 m3 and oversteer is similar but takes more throttle to get it to come right out than the e36. Feels like it could do with a bit more power.
Imho
Quite a lot slower from a stop but once moving is about the same speed as an e46 m3. Quite loud, fairly raw and a little dated, engine sound is more powerful than tinny, but sounds like a bag of bolts on idle. slight understeer by default then oversteer when adding throttle. 6th gear is very long (geared to almost 200 I think) Has mechanical LSD. Overall geared longer than e46 m3 and has a torque limiter in first (and maybe 2nd I can't remember) Engine is maybe overpowered for the chassis.
e46 m3
Feels a bit more distanced from the engine and the driving experience. Short gears and fancy LSD means it's very quick from a stop. At higher speeds it doesn't feel massively fast but if using all the revs it's quick. Sounds very raspy and tinny compared to e36, but in a nice way. Much less understeery than the e46 m3 and oversteer is similar but takes more throttle to get it to come right out than the e36. Feels like it could do with a bit more power.
Imho
Edited by jp7152 on Saturday 21st January 09:32
Key question is does that £10k budget allow a decent maintenance budget? If it doesn't then a really good sympathetically maintained E36 for around £5k will be the way to go, as you need to budget around £2k per year in servicing/consumables and preventative maintenance. If you spend £10k on any M3 and then try to run it on a '£10k hatchback' budget there will be trouble ahead! They were billed as junior supercars when new and still have commensurate running costs..
..I have never owned an E46, but have owned several late E36 cars, including an M3 Vert. I think a well maintained original E36 feels very modern, reliable and are amazing value at the moment..and to my mind the E36 in M3 guise looks so much more cohesive than the E46. Only thing I would say about the E36 is I would stay away from the E36 SMG gearbox, certainly as the cars get older these gearboxes will only give problems. I drove a couple of these before purchasing a manual, and am not a fan.
..I have never owned an E46, but have owned several late E36 cars, including an M3 Vert. I think a well maintained original E36 feels very modern, reliable and are amazing value at the moment..and to my mind the E36 in M3 guise looks so much more cohesive than the E46. Only thing I would say about the E36 is I would stay away from the E36 SMG gearbox, certainly as the cars get older these gearboxes will only give problems. I drove a couple of these before purchasing a manual, and am not a fan.
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