E36 M3....are they still fast?
Discussion
s m said:
You are correct, early M3 3 litre had a 5-speed - then again I was comparing the same engine in the Mcoupe as in the M3.
They used a couple of K-reg Dakar Yellow rhd M3s in road tests ( they might have built after your bosses L-reg though )
Well, to be fair that's only what he was told. I think the car was L reg - could have been earlier. I can remember the reg of his previous 944S2, but not that M3, which was replaced by an Evo.They used a couple of K-reg Dakar Yellow rhd M3s in road tests ( they might have built after your bosses L-reg though )
MitchT said:
I guy a used to work for bought an E36 M3 (3.0) when they first came out. I fell in love with it immediately and I'd still love one today. The insurance premiums are silly though. Even at 37 with NCB coming out of my ears I'm still being quoted £1,500 for one. Compare that with £750 to insure a £90k Ferrari 512TR which I also got a quote for (just out of curiosity).
Insurance is pretty good for me: 32 with full NCB. I just got my 3.0 E36 M3 insured for £320 fully comprehensive with suspension mods declared (mods cost an extra £30). It cost me much more to insure our 7-seat people carrier!To the op's question, the e36 is still genuinely quick but you need to work the engine to pull away from modern turbo cars. I doubt the difference over a 328 will feel that much in day to day driving as the extra power is up the top of the rev range. But on track, my m3 will run with some very quick cars and pulls away hard from 328's... when I get te engine singing over 5k rpm.
Baryonyx said:
Quite, if anything is going to take the 'fun' out of 'fast' it's a diesel! As impressive as a super-repmobile like a mapped 335d might be, it's never going to be talked of with the reverence reserved for a proper 'fun' car like an M3.
My old remapped 535d (which had the less powerful engine than the 335d) actually made me smile in the same way that my old E55 AMG (supercharged) did... OK so the power faded where in the AMG it kept going, but the bigger diesel engines are really fun because of the low end power.I have also owned a 3.0 M3 back about 8 years ago... although I got quite fed up of the poor image they got because they were falling into the wrong hands.
It was a very quick car, although mine was slightly modified. They sound great with a supersprint exhaust with no cats.
I did find the handling a little sloppy in mine, however the suspension was old, and later changed for some eibach coilovers which sorted it out perfectly.
They are at an age now where things will break, mine even nearly 10 years ago wasn't cheap to keep in good order.
MR2_SC said:
MitchT said:
I guy a used to work for bought an E36 M3 (3.0) when they first came out. I fell in love with it immediately and I'd still love one today. The insurance premiums are silly though. Even at 37 with NCB coming out of my ears I'm still being quoted £1,500 for one.
Insurance is pretty good for me: 32 with full NCB. I just got my 3.0 E36 M3 insured for £320 fully comprehensive with suspension mods declared (mods cost an extra £30). vinnie83 said:
I have also owned a 3.0 M3 back about 8 years ago... although I got quite fed up of the poor image they got because they were falling into the wrong hands.
I've been toying with the idea of an M3 (one very serious contender in a long list of cars that I'm interested in) and that very fact has put me off somewhat. The E46 is starting to fall into that category as well.I do know of one E36 3.0 locally that the (elderly) gent has owned from new. Less than 20,000 miles on it put it won't sell it - trust me, I've asked him! His daily is a E38(?) 735i on lpg.
Most unfortunately they get serious abuse this side of the pond, good ones are getting hard to find.
MitchT said:
I guy a used to work for bought an E36 M3 (3.0) when they first came out. I fell in love with it immediately and I'd still love one today. The insurance premiums are silly though. Even at 37 with NCB coming out of my ears I'm still being quoted £1,500 for one. Compare that with £750 to insure a £90k Ferrari 512TR which I also got a quote for (just out of curiosity).
That does seem high! After browsing this thread (and the PH classifieds) I ran an M3 Evo cabrio through one of the insurance comparison sites, ended up being around 1.3k (28 y/o, 3yrs NCB). I suspect with some work, could be cheaper though.I went and saw a very nice 3.2 Evo yesterday. Black with black leather and 6 speed manual. Mileage was a bit higher than I'd ideally like, but condition wise it was a really sweet car. Everything seemed tight, the engine was a peach and it has obviously been properly maintained all its life. Sadly, it is just a bit more than I can justify spending right now, as I have other projects on the go.
http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/bmw-...
http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/bmw-...
e21Mark said:
I went and saw a very nice 3.2 Evo yesterday. Black with black leather and 6 speed manual. Mileage was a bit higher than I'd ideally like, but condition wise it was a really sweet car. Everything seemed tight, the engine was a peach and it has obviously been properly maintained all its life. Sadly, it is just a bit more than I can justify spending right now, as I have other projects on the go.
http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/bmw-...
What was the mileage?http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/bmw-...
If the seller wrote a decent advert, he'd have more chance of selling it!
Rollcage said:
e21Mark said:
I went and saw a very nice 3.2 Evo yesterday. Black with black leather and 6 speed manual. Mileage was a bit higher than I'd ideally like, but condition wise it was a really sweet car. Everything seemed tight, the engine was a peach and it has obviously been properly maintained all its life. Sadly, it is just a bit more than I can justify spending right now, as I have other projects on the go.
http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/bmw-...
What was the mileage?http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/bmw-...
If the seller wrote a decent advert, he'd have more chance of selling it!
It's on eBay too, 170k.
Rollcage said:
I doubt he's seen them sell for £5k with that mileage though, regardless of spec and condition!
Looks a nice car, but I'd say it's £3k max with those miles.
I think it may be worth £3.5k if it is rot free and has had VANOS and recent suspension work. Otherwise, I tend to agree with you. Mine has 130k and I bought it from a mate for about £4k (it involved my car plus cash), which might have been a bit much given that a rear arch needs doing, but it is extremely solid underneath and has had a lot of maintenance in the last year, e.g. wishbones, polybushes, diff mount, Rogue Engineering top mounts, new OEM discs and new Performance Friction pads. Looks a nice car, but I'd say it's £3k max with those miles.
I'm tempted at £3k but simple economics mean I couldn't pay more if I wanted to. If fairness to the seller, he has maintained the car well and it's nice to see one that hasn't been messed with. The Vanos was done some time ago and the wheel arches are good and solid. Other than needing a couple of front tyres, it's a car that's ready to be enjoyed.
flatline84 said:
If I was on a budget Id honestly pick a straight 3.0 over a 3.2
The 5-speed is bulletproof and the engine more reliable. Its also plenty fast, 62 mph arriving in 6.0 seconds.
Autocar tested it at 5.4 back in the day!The 5-speed is bulletproof and the engine more reliable. Its also plenty fast, 62 mph arriving in 6.0 seconds.
http://www.bmw-driver.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8...
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