E36 M3....are they still fast?
Discussion
StottyZr said:
k15tox said:
doogz said:
Maybe I'm missing something, but 0-100 in a 123d is 17.4s? A 3.2 M3 will do it 4.5 seconds quicker?
Must be remapped......With 204hp 1/4 is 15.2, should be doing ~14 now.
StottyZr said:
doogz said:
StottyZr said:
Should be ~275, needs a rolling road to certify and it does seem a little optimisitc to me.
Just a bit!
Would be interesting to hear what it actually makes though! Torque at max power is about 245lbft as standard, your car would need to be making more like 330lbft at 4400rpm!
Impressive if it's correct.
I'll post a readers cars once I've been on Santa Pod and had a RR.
But yes, the point I was trying to make is the M3 is still quick, but something a lightly modified hatch will most likely keep with it. Saying that, a 53 plate Cupra R with 290hp will probably cost more than the M3
Which shows the M3 is great value for money! Go for it OP.
Also a 123d is hardly a typical diesel hatch, in fact it's pretty unique in it's set up and cost a fair chunk more than any used e36 M3 to buy. And if modding is your thing... well you can mod an M3 too.
s m said:
e21Mark said:
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.
My e21 is quicker than that. The 5-speed is bulletproof and the engine more reliable. Its also plenty fast, 62 mph arriving in 6.0 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqslUuiPtVc
The question was "is the M3 still quick". The answer i think is a definite "yes"
Ignore all this talk of modified four pot diesels being as quick as your M3,coz its total bks and basically these M3s still shift. In the 1993 Autocar Road test, a Standard M3 286 took less than 30 seconds to hit 140 MPH. An M3 EVO SMG did the standing KM in 24.5 secs @ 136 MPH. By comparison a 335d tested in 2008 by Performance car took 31.5 seconds to hit 140, so yes they are still pretty darned quick.
Ignore all this talk of modified four pot diesels being as quick as your M3,coz its total bks and basically these M3s still shift. In the 1993 Autocar Road test, a Standard M3 286 took less than 30 seconds to hit 140 MPH. An M3 EVO SMG did the standing KM in 24.5 secs @ 136 MPH. By comparison a 335d tested in 2008 by Performance car took 31.5 seconds to hit 140, so yes they are still pretty darned quick.
e21Mark said:
s m said:
e21Mark said:
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.
My e21 is quicker than that. The 5-speed is bulletproof and the engine more reliable. Its also plenty fast, 62 mph arriving in 6.0 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqslUuiPtVc
s m said:
e21Mark said:
s m said:
e21Mark said:
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.
My e21 is quicker than that. The 5-speed is bulletproof and the engine more reliable. Its also plenty fast, 62 mph arriving in 6.0 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqslUuiPtVc
2 min 55 sec
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh5Er2ZmRwo
flatline84 said:
Id be interested in the view of someone who has had both a healthy 3.0 and a 3.2, rather than a bunch of owners of either model coming on here to defend their car.
I've had 4x 3.0s & 1x 3.2 oh & also an e36 4.0 v8 & e36 328 tracker I've thrashed all over Europe in 'em & tracked all over Europe & Uk also.
Personally I prefer 3.0s, a good 3.2 yes can be quicker than a 3.0, bad ones are not tho, 3.2 feels more mid range urge tho than top end & some feel really flat.
If you are tracking yes evo twin pick ups is good, but are many 3.0s tracking heavily on slicks without with no issues, my old one must have done 20 odd trackdays on 3.0 sump no probs, many on slicks, doing the the BMW motorsport oil in head restrictor mod on 3.0s is good idea tho.
Are they still fast, hmm 160mph on gps & 8 min 'ring btgs on road rubber all day long on 140k milers with just budget mods is not too bad.
All are too soft as standard, but easily sorted, & ok the steering lock is a tad long & feel is a bit numb- its no 944/968/Elise/Caterham/MX5 in that regard thats for sure, but running decnet neg camber does help tho & yes a tad lardy & they need a bit of a diet.
However is still IMHO there nowt out there that offers what an e36 M3 does for even close to the same budget, no idea why they are worth so little & the vastly over rated IMHO e30 M3 is loved so much.
An M3 regardless of age will always be an M3 and a million times more special than any diesel..as we're heading into an era of turbo engined m cars I would put a decent amount of money on the line that E36 and E46 M3's that are tidy in years to come will be worth a few quid with the last of the iconic straight six.
iguana said:
no idea why they are worth so little & the vastly over rated IMHO e30 M3 is loved so much.
Homologation special tax I reckon? That, and the amount of magazine column inches devoted to them that people seem to read and take as gospel. Don't get me wrong, I really liked mine, but it wasn't as good as everyone kept telling me it would be. As a road car anyway. That said, a nicely built e30 is still a nice track car despite its age.Just my opinion.
iguana said:
I've had 4x 3.0s & 1x 3.2 oh & also an e36 4.0 v8 & e36 328 tracker
I've thrashed all over Europe in 'em & tracked all over Europe & Uk also.
Personally I prefer 3.0s, a good 3.2 yes can be quicker than a 3.0, bad ones are not tho, 3.2 feels more mid range urge tho than top end & some feel really flat.
If you are tracking yes evo twin pick ups is good, but are many 3.0s tracking heavily on slicks without with no issues, my old one must have done 20 odd trackdays on 3.0 sump no probs, many on slicks, doing the the BMW motorsport oil in head restrictor mod on 3.0s is good idea tho.
Are they still fast, hmm 160mph on gps & 8 min 'ring btgs on road rubber all day long on 140k milers with just budget mods is not too bad.
All are too soft as standard, but easily sorted, & ok the steering lock is a tad long & feel is a bit numb- its no 944/968/Elise/Caterham/MX5 in that regard thats for sure, but running decnet neg camber does help tho & yes a tad lardy & they need a bit of a diet.
However is still IMHO there nowt out there that offers what an e36 M3 does for even close to the same budget, no idea why they are worth so little & the vastly over rated IMHO e30 M3 is loved so much.
A owner of both who preferred the 3.0 over the 3.2 - who would have thought I've thrashed all over Europe in 'em & tracked all over Europe & Uk also.
Personally I prefer 3.0s, a good 3.2 yes can be quicker than a 3.0, bad ones are not tho, 3.2 feels more mid range urge tho than top end & some feel really flat.
If you are tracking yes evo twin pick ups is good, but are many 3.0s tracking heavily on slicks without with no issues, my old one must have done 20 odd trackdays on 3.0 sump no probs, many on slicks, doing the the BMW motorsport oil in head restrictor mod on 3.0s is good idea tho.
Are they still fast, hmm 160mph on gps & 8 min 'ring btgs on road rubber all day long on 140k milers with just budget mods is not too bad.
All are too soft as standard, but easily sorted, & ok the steering lock is a tad long & feel is a bit numb- its no 944/968/Elise/Caterham/MX5 in that regard thats for sure, but running decnet neg camber does help tho & yes a tad lardy & they need a bit of a diet.
However is still IMHO there nowt out there that offers what an e36 M3 does for even close to the same budget, no idea why they are worth so little & the vastly over rated IMHO e30 M3 is loved so much.
e21Mark said:
I absolutely love it. I've been messing with it over the past couple of years and apart from the engine swap it has coilovers, Sierra Cosworth brakes, e12 LSD & staggered Minilites. It's no garage queen either. I use it every day and do about 15k miles a year. It sounds quite nice too.
2 min 55 sec
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh5Er2ZmRwo
That is nice - I've realised now that I've seen your car in one of the marque mags or similar 2 min 55 sec
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh5Er2ZmRwo
Good topic, I was wondering the exact same thing last couple of days. Not so much are they still 'fast', I can see that unless you drive supercars that they are (on paper), but more wondering if they can still cut it as a high performance car.
I nearly went for one of these after selling my 850R last year. but convicned myself I needed something cheaper to run, so I went for a 182 FF. I love this, I really do, but there have been a couple of recent occasions where I needed it to be a couple of feet longer, and also, it's only going to depreciate to the point of shed money the longher I keep it.
Seeing that what I could sell the 182 for would almost cover what a lot of M3's are priced at now has got me seriously thinking about selling the 182 and my Eunos, and running an M3 as a weekend car with occasional daily use (I live 2 miles from work so don't really need to use it in the week).
To anyone who has looked lately, are the ones priced between £3-4k actually any good? From the ads I've seen plenty of low miles, apparently rust free and looked after examples for less than £4k anyway.
Is the saloon usually cheaper? I kind of fancy the saloon as it's a little less obvious, and also 4 doors more practical, but I hear they don't have folding rear seats usually - is that right?
Also, the 5sp vs 6sp issue, how bad is the 6sp box, and realistically how likely to break? We have a 330ci as well, and the 5sp box in that isn't the nicest (especially comapred to the Eunos), but it's OK, apart from sticky 5th gear gate.
Anyone local to Sudbury, Suffolk fancy taking me for a spin to make my mind up!!??
I nearly went for one of these after selling my 850R last year. but convicned myself I needed something cheaper to run, so I went for a 182 FF. I love this, I really do, but there have been a couple of recent occasions where I needed it to be a couple of feet longer, and also, it's only going to depreciate to the point of shed money the longher I keep it.
Seeing that what I could sell the 182 for would almost cover what a lot of M3's are priced at now has got me seriously thinking about selling the 182 and my Eunos, and running an M3 as a weekend car with occasional daily use (I live 2 miles from work so don't really need to use it in the week).
To anyone who has looked lately, are the ones priced between £3-4k actually any good? From the ads I've seen plenty of low miles, apparently rust free and looked after examples for less than £4k anyway.
Is the saloon usually cheaper? I kind of fancy the saloon as it's a little less obvious, and also 4 doors more practical, but I hear they don't have folding rear seats usually - is that right?
Also, the 5sp vs 6sp issue, how bad is the 6sp box, and realistically how likely to break? We have a 330ci as well, and the 5sp box in that isn't the nicest (especially comapred to the Eunos), but it's OK, apart from sticky 5th gear gate.
Anyone local to Sudbury, Suffolk fancy taking me for a spin to make my mind up!!??
The black, high mileage one I saw (link is a few pages back) was a really nice car and had all the worrying bits taken care of, such a VANOS. These engines manage big mileages and should present no problems, so long as well maintained. I hesitated, so missed this one. I still plan to get one though, but am simply waiting for the right car. I guess it's like anything, just buy the best you can afford, but they are out there for the sort of money you mention.
That one did look pretty good, despite 170k. As mentioned, if his advert was half decent he might have had more interest!!
I've been looking around and there is a lot of choice for around £4k. Some looking like reasonable examples.
Do we reckon the market has hit rock bottom for these (prices have been low for a few years), I doubt a cheap one would appreciate in the short term, but at least if it's in good condition, it ought to hold it's value - no?
Next hurdle will be insurance quote, now I've hit 30 I can't be doing with ridiculous quotes, my 182 is nice & cheap, the Eunos less so, but that's down to the mods. Still annoys me though!!
I've been looking around and there is a lot of choice for around £4k. Some looking like reasonable examples.
Do we reckon the market has hit rock bottom for these (prices have been low for a few years), I doubt a cheap one would appreciate in the short term, but at least if it's in good condition, it ought to hold it's value - no?
Next hurdle will be insurance quote, now I've hit 30 I can't be doing with ridiculous quotes, my 182 is nice & cheap, the Eunos less so, but that's down to the mods. Still annoys me though!!
RemyMartin said:
VinceFox said:
OP, whereabouts are you based? Maybe someone on here with an evo could take you out in theirs?
Bagshot, Surrey RemyMartin said:
sulli said:
My E36 Evo was as quick as an E46 on the road - the E46 M3 is still classed as a fast car, so the Evo is too. I think mine was putting out close to the claimed 320bhp, it was a low miler and well maintained.
Great car, great engine and for £3k well worth it!
These are the sort of things I like to read Great car, great engine and for £3k well worth it!
Very positive.
I've a good mate of mine here on PH who goes by the name of Cactussed who's had 2 e36 M3's. He's now also got a 355 so can verify this, your initial question is "are they still fast?". Would you call a 355 fast? If so then you'll be surprised to know that there is honestly very little (practically nothing) in the way of performance between these two until you get deep in 3 figure speeds.
Bang for your buck, you'd be very hard pressed (nigh on impossible) to get a better performing, all round motor car for the money than an e36 M3.
nonuts said:
M3John said:
Bang for your buck, you'd be very hard pressed (nigh on impossible) to get a better performing, all round motor car for the money than an e36 M3.
Good summary of the 15 pages so far there John! Slightly off topic but, you out Saturday?
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