Sssshhhh.... don't tell anyone on the TVR forums

[wombat172a]

.... but I'm considering selling my wedge and getting an an E36 M3.


I tend to use the wedge mostly on track, and I love the noise, roofdown, and the whole load of fun that comes with it.

What I don't like is the number of bills that I seem to have to keep paying for to keep the car going, and the amount of time that it's off the road.


What could I expect with an M3? I bought a E34 525 for £550 a month ago as my introduction in BMWs and I'm suitably impressed.

[thegreengoblet]

70% of the fun with 10% of the costs.

[mat205125]

As above, plus a better everyday road car.

"Better everyday road car" can translate into "boring weekend toy", however.

[FeelingLucky]

If you could stretch to an E46, they make a much better "toy" at the expense of not being quite as good as an everyday road car, but still very easy to live with day to day.

[tjw110]

Go for a Z3 with the S54 motor, all the fun of an E46 M3, at the cost of a E36 M3, plus a bit sharper on a track

[mark beardmore]

a well sorted e36 is an easy match for an e46 m3, if you have been impressed by the 525 a m3 will amaze you, you can buy mine for 4k well maintained and upgraded suspension and brakes that work superbly on the track

[FeelingLucky]

Strongly disagree.
Only somebody trying to sell one would say that, I was being completely objective.

[thegreengoblet]

tjw110 said:

Go for a Z3 with the S54 motor, all the fun of an E46 M3, at the cost of a E36 M3, plus a bit sharper on a track

Hey Tyrone... is that another Evo in your garage?

[mark beardmore]

FeelingLucky said:

Strongly disagree.
Only somebody trying to sell one would say that, I was being completely objective.

you can disagree all you want but its been proven on my local track, so its fact and go nothing to do with the fact i'm selling, plus my car made 315bhp on the rollers earlier this year, which is the kind of power most evo's struggle to do, add this to a better ratio/less notchy gearbox its a no brainer, its also widely acknowledged that the later e46 m3's rarely make the power quoted same as the evo's and they are also quite a bit heavier

[E36GUY]

mark beardmore said:

FeelingLucky said:

Strongly disagree.
Only somebody trying to sell one would say that, I was being completely objective.

you can disagree all you want but its been proven on my local track, so its fact and go nothing to do with the fact i'm selling, plus my car made 315bhp on the rollers earlier this year, which is the kind of power most evo's struggle to do, add this to a better ratio/less notchy gearbox its a no brainer, its also widely acknowledged that the later e46 m3's rarely make the power quoted same as the evo's and they are also quite a bit heavier

What have you done to your car's engine? 3.0 yes? 280bhp standard weren't they?

[swtmerce]

mark beardmore said:

add this to a better ratio

What ratio are you referring to?

[The Lukas]

I thought I'd add a different opinion. I would say compared to a wedge, a BMW of similar price will be pretty soulless. It may be more capable in every way, but unless you have completely lost the love for the Trevor, it may leave you cold. Also, do not underestimate running costs! I'm sure though if you've had enough of the TVR, and just fancy a change, I'd say go for it. The e36 M3 are a superb car, just very different to a handmade sportscar. But maybe that's what you want?

[mat205125]

....... abd you can look forward to getting involved in all manner of discussions like this about which M car is the best.

[tjw110]

thegreengoblet said:

tjw110 said:

Go for a Z3 with the S54 motor, all the fun of an E46 M3, at the cost of a E36 M3, plus a bit sharper on a track

Hey Tyrone... is that another Evo in your garage?

No, I sold the last one in January, i've got a E46 M3 now, and do miss the raw feel of an Evo, but could't get one with low enough miles

[mark beardmore]

E36GUY said:

What have you done to your car's engine? 3.0 yes? 280bhp standard weren't they?

I have seen quite a few 3.0 do above claimed power figures, but its widely acknowledged that the later cars rarely actually make what bmw quoted
My car has a k&n panel filter, full sports exhaust system incl 100 cpi cats and chipped, so its an east match for a later car in a straight line and makes them look silly in the twisties

[tjw110]

mark beardmore said:

E36GUY said:

What have you done to your car's engine? 3.0 yes? 280bhp standard weren't they?

I have seen quite a few 3.0 do above claimed power figures, but its widely acknowledged that the later cars rarely actually make what bmw quoted
My car has a k&n panel filter, full sports exhaust system incl 100 cpi cats and chipped, so its an east match for a later car in a straight line and makes them look silly in the twisties

I've got to disagree with you on a number of points, the E36 M3 3.0 and 3.2 Evo are a world apart in both real life driving conditions and track work, the brakes and steering on a 3.2 Evo were a massive advance on the 3.0. and the power difference was noticable. Agreed that the quoted figures were rarely achieved, but your talking about your car with a number of modifications, put the same mods on a 3.2 evo and the difference becomes even greater.

I'm interested as to how you, "so its an east match for a later car in a straight line and makes them look silly in the twisties" without mods to your set up!

Having owned modded and driven all the cars hard, there is a clear progression from E36 3.0 to E36 3.2 to E46. And I've never seen an E36 beat an E46 on the road or track where both cars are stock and driven by drivers with a similar level of skill.

BMW are not in the habbit of making Motorsport cars that a not as good as the out going models. IMO

[mark beardmore]

you are entitled to your opinion but imo and experience the later cars are good yes but they are not as much of a leap forward in performance as the people who own them usually claim, infact the e46 in question is a regular on the local club members trackdays and has more experience than me with rwd cars than i have, yet i'm still quicker than he is, explain that?

[FeelingLucky]

mark beardmore said:

you are entitled to your opinion but imo and experience the later cars are good yes but they are not as much of a leap forward in performance as the people who own them usually claim, infact the e46 in question is a regular on the local club members trackdays and has more experience than me with rwd cars than i have, yet i'm still quicker than he is, explain that?

I'll take a stab:-

Er, you're talking up the car you're selling?

Most recognise the E36 Evo was a better car than the E36, and the E46 was better again. And here you are telling us that in reality your car is the best of the bunch, Oh, and by the way, it's for sale....

[mark beardmore]

my opinion would be the same regardless of the fact that i'm selling tbh and will remain the same after the cars sold incidently, the differences between these cars are minor and most people in the real world will struggle to see them

[tjw110]

mark beardmore said:

my opinion would be the same regardless of the fact that i'm selling tbh and will remain the same after the cars sold incidently, the differences between these cars are minor and most people in the real world will struggle to see them

Have you ever driven an E36 M3 3.2 Evo and an E46 3.2? Your comments would lead me to believe that you've sat in one, and maybe driven another down the road. Until you have lived with all the cars, it's difficult to make a statement like that, having owned all the cars we are discussing, an E36 M3 3.0 is a long from a E36 M3 Evo and a long way from an E46 3.2 M3 IMO