E36 M3....are they still fast?
Discussion
GarryA said:
fozzymandeus said:
Aaah. Autocar. The motoring world's very own "Weekly World News".
Well it was an interview with BMW Motorsports top man at the time. Think one will still be plenty fast enough for any eventuallity, 300 ish bhp, RWD for about four grand, whats not to like ?
They are coming out of the wilderness now, i.e. the shaven headed knuckle draggers are off spoiling E46's and have perhaps migrated to 330D's but nice E36 M3's I think have hit rock bottom, and could be going up a bit now, it is one of those cars that needs research, the engines dont last forever and they can get pretty rusty, easy to spend two grand getting the suspension put right and there are a few M specific bits in there I beleive, think these are a car that to avoid bankruptcy you need to be able to do some stuff yourself, I know its an old cliche but it was 40 grand car new and though its four grand now it still needs parts based on what ti cost new.
They are coming out of the wilderness now, i.e. the shaven headed knuckle draggers are off spoiling E46's and have perhaps migrated to 330D's but nice E36 M3's I think have hit rock bottom, and could be going up a bit now, it is one of those cars that needs research, the engines dont last forever and they can get pretty rusty, easy to spend two grand getting the suspension put right and there are a few M specific bits in there I beleive, think these are a car that to avoid bankruptcy you need to be able to do some stuff yourself, I know its an old cliche but it was 40 grand car new and though its four grand now it still needs parts based on what ti cost new.
braddo said:
irish boy said:
12.0 0-100 and 13.8 quarter mile.....
I'm not sure those 2 figures tally do they? The former seems too low.E36 M3 3.0 manual
0-100 13.1 ss 1/4 13.9
E36 M3 3.2 manual
0-100 12.2 ss 1/4 13.8
E36 M3 3.2 SMG
0-100 12.9 ss 1/4 13.9
StottyZr said:
DPF delete as well as a remap, DXB would be proud 
With 204hp 1/4 is 15.2, should be doing ~14 now.
That does sound a tad optimistic. A standard 335d hits 100 in mid 13s (13.3 is the quickest I've seen) and does a 1/4 in a nadge under 14s (again that is the best time) and very few run less than 300bhp. They weigh a bit more but not a lot more.With 204hp 1/4 is 15.2, should be doing ~14 now.
A remapped 335d can almost dip into a 13s quarter if driven very, very well. But not quite.
The famous DXB may not have made friends here but he has proper evidence of blasting off E36 M3s and E46 M3s in his remapped Starship Enterprise. Not seen the evidence but him and a few other owners claim that even as standard they will seriously scare an E46 and pull away from an E36 M3.
And the power band of these bi-turbo BMW diesels is about 1500-(just under) 5000rpm. About the same or better than many petrols but lower down the rev range.
fozzymandeus said:
Incidentally, does the 850CSi not count as a "Proper M Car"?
Well, it has an 'S' code engine but I suppose the suspension etc hasn't had the full treatment? More of a GT car then a sports car? Awesome car though. The (very possibly untrue) story I heard was that they where developing an M8, which would have had an engine similar to the McLaren F1 engine in it, but a recession put them off.850CSi is an amazing car though.
BMW 850csi at 300kph
There's some real BS in this thread
What newer BMW Coupe costs £5000 and has over 300bhp other than an M3 ?
As to comparing a 123D - other than the fact its a feckin diesel so demonstrates you're a miser and looks like a shopping car where can you get a good one for £5k so it compares to the E36 M3 ?
On that basis why aren't we comparing it to a sportsbike - it's as similar.
Ozzie Osmond said:
Why not buy a newer and less exotic 2-door BMW which will have at least as much performance and almost certainly lower running costs?
Like what exactly ?What newer BMW Coupe costs £5000 and has over 300bhp other than an M3 ?
As to comparing a 123D - other than the fact its a feckin diesel so demonstrates you're a miser and looks like a shopping car where can you get a good one for £5k so it compares to the E36 M3 ?
On that basis why aren't we comparing it to a sportsbike - it's as similar.
s m said:
iSore said:
GarryA said:
Well it was an interview with BMW Motorsports top man at the time.
Really? Who?There's probably a grain of truth in the 330CSi story, what with the E30 M3 being the only car, at that time, to wear the badge, however I doubt it was ever seriously considered. Additionally, BMW suits from that era had a reputation for spreading a bit of smoke.
fozzymandeus said:
s m said:
iSore said:
GarryA said:
Well it was an interview with BMW Motorsports top man at the time.
Really? Who?There's probably a grain of truth in the 330CSi story, what with the E30 M3 being the only car, at that time, to wear the badge, however I doubt it was ever seriously considered. Additionally, BMW suits from that era had a reputation for spreading a bit of smoke.
pat_y said:
If the rear went sideways when he booted it i suspect his rear trailing arm bushes might have been shot. Personally i thought the sound of a standard E36 M3 was one of it's biggest letdowns, never sounded as fast as it actually was.
As standard maybe, swap the standard airbox and exhaust out for something a little spicier and they sound great at high revs. As for "are they quick" - yes, I'd say so, 300bhp is never "slow" unless you hang around with Arab princes in London! They don't deliver the power with the surge in the low mid-range like you'd get from a turbo, so they don't lurch forward when you stab the throttle but unlike a turbo engine a good NA engine does not run out of puff towards the red line.
If the choice was between a remapped Golf R and an old M3, which will share roughly the same bhp, I'd take the M3 every time.
fozzymandeus said:
s m said:
iSore said:
GarryA said:
Well it was an interview with BMW Motorsports top man at the time.
Really? Who?There's probably a grain of truth in the 330CSi story, what with the E30 M3 being the only car, at that time, to wear the badge, however I doubt it was ever seriously considered. Additionally, BMW suits from that era had a reputation for spreading a bit of smoke.
k15tox said:
Ozzie Osmond said:
If you want to feel fast get a turbo car with a rude-boy exhaust.
If you want to go fast buy a decent car - like an M3.
Cheers for that!If you want to go fast buy a decent car - like an M3.
Re insurance, try Footman James, E36 M3s are old enough now to be covered on a classic policy. Mine is insured for £420 a year fully comp, agreed value & breakdown cover. You can choose how many miles per year you will be using it, this also helps bring the cost down.
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