Tuesday 20th May 2014

BMW 328i (E36): PH Fleet

The BMW is sold but why isn't Dale feeling emotional about its passing?

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Cars are an emotional subject for most of us PHers. We allow our hearts to overrule our heads, and so we should! Why else would any sane man buy a TVR Griffith 500? [Playing with fire there Dale... - Ed.] And how else could Alfa Romeo justify building the new 4C?

It was true love in the case of the DIY Eunos

I love cars that are an extension of my own emotions. To this day my favourite ever project car was my little 1990 Eunos Roadster, complete with eBay turbocharger and homebuilt Megasquirt ECU. Oddly, the little 220hp rocket remains the fastest car I've ever owned with 100 per cent of my own cash too. It was the little car that could. It was the underdog. Nobody expected it to be fast, but it really was.

I loved that little MX-5 because I took it from being a typical owners-club, Sunday morning car to being (in my own head, at least) a Nurburgring legend. See this video from my friend's Corvette for proof of how much fun this car really was.

I only sold it, genuine man-tears in my eyes, for the red, chainsaw shrieking, rotary-engined RX-8. A car that was a little bigger than the MX-5, had a little more potential, but was ultimately flawed. When I sold the motor-less carcass for pennies, I was quite emotional again.

And even the doomed RX-8 replacement

But why am I talking so much about a couple of Mazdas that I sold years ago? Because they were emotional. I loved those cars. Even the stupid, rotary one that blew its apex seals and ate its own internals. And do you know how emotional I was about selling the BMW? I was more worried about the money I'd put in to it than the actual emotional link between myself and the car.

Maybe I'm getting older and more detached, but the fact remains that my heart still skips a beat thinking of the turbo-lag-to-boost moments in my blue and silver MX-5. My palms sweat when I remember the sound of my red RX-8, flat-out down Dottinger Hohe, drafting a Scirocco and getting overtaken by the R26.R into Tiergarten .

And the silver BMW? Month by month, over the last two years, I transformed her from daily hack to dedicated 'ring tool. Handling? Excellently superlative after Spires fitted the Nitrons. Braking? Wondrous; I settled on Hawk DTC70s with ATE Power Discs and they're perfect. Reliability? Yes, I changed a lot of auxiliary parts such as the power-steering pump, alternator and even a clutch. The LSD whines and the rust is spreading too, but it still trumps the two Mazdas in the reliability-on-track stakes. On paper, this was a great car.

BMW remained more a business relationship

I had some fun times too. Taking my mum for a lap of Donington. Thrashing around Circuit Zolder after dark. Drifting the Nordschleife on a cold and wet winter's day. Gatecrashing VLN practice. Racing my boss's E30 318is. You can watch all of them here.

And yet, even as I write those things down, I don't actually miss the silver BMW. It was less of a loyal pet to me, and more of a useful tool. Ultimately, I can't explain exactly why I never formed an emotional link to the E36. Not through lack of working on it, nor through lack of fun times driving it. It did exactly what I wanted it to do.

But when the time came to free up some more funds for VLN racing, I only got emotional about my lack of personal track car, but not about the actual car itself. And that says it all.

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Fact sheet
Car: 1997 BMW 328i SE
Run by: Dale Lomas
Bought: September 2012
Purchase price: £950
Last month at a glance: Sold!

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Previous reports:
Dale's RX-8 dies, BMW bought in replacement
What doesn't kill a car makes it stronger ... hopefully
Dale splashes out on suspension...
...and then gets some track tyres too!
E36 takes on E30 (and a deer)
Two old Beemers battle it out on the Nordschleife
328i mixes it with the big boys at VLN practice
One year on Dale's Beemer has come on a long way
Talking turbos as BMW boredom sets in
The BMW emerges from winter slumbers

[ALBA MELV]

Needs must I suppose.

[Frimley111R]

I guess two of them were cars bought very much, by almost everyone, for emotional reasons, PH type cars, sometimes flawed but otherwise something to invoke passion from their styling to their performance. The BMW is simply a saloon car. A good one but simply a saloon car nonetheless. I can imagine walking up the the either Mazda with a level of excitement and anticipation but again, not the BMW.

[leon9191]

This should have been a tell me I'm wrong, I love my old e36 323i saloon it was bought as a winter hack last year and as I can now not bare to be rid if it its getting a full suspension and brake refresh to get it up to 100%. The motor is a peach and the ballance is lovely. And conversely I properly properlyhated the mx5 I had! The BM is a road car though so maybe its that, they make excellent older road cars but possibly aren't sharp enough for the track?

[jmflare]

Frimley111R said:

I guess two of them were cars bought very much, by almost everyone, for emotional reasons, PH type cars, sometimes flawed but otherwise something to invoke passion from their styling to their performance. The BMW is simply a saloon car. A good one but simply a saloon car nonetheless. I can imagine walking up the the either Mazda with a level of excitement and anticipation but again, not the BMW.

Can't agree with that, my e36 is an occasion to drive every time, whereas my mr2 i had for a few months just didn't connect with me, was a bit boring tbh. It's just certain cars click with certain people IMO...

[toppstuff]

I have very fond memories of my 328i E36. It was the car that really taught me about oversteer, especially when wearing cheap tires.

I miss it now.

[carpetsoiler]

jmflare said:

Frimley111R said:

I guess two of them were cars bought very much, by almost everyone, for emotional reasons, PH type cars, sometimes flawed but otherwise something to invoke passion from their styling to their performance. The BMW is simply a saloon car. A good one but simply a saloon car nonetheless. I can imagine walking up the the either Mazda with a level of excitement and anticipation but again, not the BMW.

Can't agree with that, my e36 is an occasion to drive every time, whereas my mr2 i had for a few months just didn't connect with me, was a bit boring tbh. It's just certain cars click with certain people IMO...

Agreed. My E36 leaves me smiling every time I drive it and look at it. Subsequent reports from friends who've driven it and/or drive it on a regular basis is that it's really under their skin, old-skool fun which communicates with the driver and loves to be taken by the scruff of the neck.

But... everyone is different, and that's the joy of it.

Shame you've got rid, but if it didn't push your buttons, it didn't push your buttons.

[matt1269]

Another one here, had a MK2.5 MX-5 and an E36 328i sport.

The MX-5 was so much more exciting, where as the BMW just felt like an old car (Albeit with a very smooth engine)

[Captain Muppet]

I've got an E36 323. It's a lovely place to sit and waft about in, it's quite good at belting down a twisty road and it's hilarious to lob sideways on occasion.

I'm going to scrap it for parts soon, and I won't be buying another. I like it, I love bits of it (like the noise, and that no one ever notices it), but unlike my RX7, or MX5, or MR2s or even my 535 (all of which were fun but flawed) it just hasn't made me feel irrational about it.

I've just realised I haven't driven it for nearly two weeks.

[James1972]

I think its more an age / experience thing - protect yourself from the sense of loss by not getting as attached in the first place - more that the actual car itself. The rose tint also gets applied more over time as well...

[Captain Muppet]

James1972 said:

I think its more an age / experience thing - protect yourself from the sense of loss by not getting as attached in the first place - more that the actual car itself. The rose tint also gets applied more over time as well...

Weirdly I love my Elise, but not the BMW. So it's not age, time, experience or tinted glasses.

[bodhi]

Strangely, there isn't a day that goes by where I don't miss my old E36 328i. I mean it was near the end of its life, had rust on every panel, an alarming appetite for cooling fans and the clutch was about to go, and I only got £200 for it on trade in. However, even though my current 330d is a better car in every rational way, irrationally, I still miss the Rusty Rocket. The noise, the grins chucking it around roundabouts, the lairy oversteer when I put Event tyres on it, and most of all, the fact that nobody expected it to shift like it did. In fact, even though my 330d has more power and more torque, it still doesn't shift like the 328i did.

One day, I will have another. Maybe with a bit less rust though.

[Neil_M]

Good luck with your change.

I guess some cars you just don't gel with.

Been there before, some great cars, that just don't seem to have a personality.

[anglophile]

Perhaps it is just perception then. Here in the States, many of us utter a great big "meh" to Japanese cars because they are too "appliance like," too perfect in their function and leaving nothing to chance, apex seals excluded of course. On might as well dwell on which refrigerator works best.

German cars might elicit the same sort of reaction from many, but I think their history of building interesting cars goes much farther back than the Japanese. German cars with rare exception are definitely "left brain" purchases, but those of a certain age and condition are really quite good and fun to toss around a track. Once owned a 1980 911SC that I quickly learned to four wheel drift on a racetrack during a club day, but then you have the sound that adds to the emotion that most German cars do not possess.

I've heard of the saying that "The Japanese are the best Germans ever invented," and so they may never be in the same league as a British or Italian product where one might find memorable flashes of brilliance that make one long for their return, even if the car as a CAR could be dodgy?

[Chapppers]

I think I felt exactly the same way, on paper a 200bhp, 6cyl, entirely-analogue car should be an absolute bundle of laughs but I never really liked it as much as previous cars, particularly the Puma it replaced.

[Wilseus]

I've had my 328i coupe with for years and love it. I've spent a fair few quid on having rust done, but IMO it's been money well spent.



It still turns heads and gets positive comments from people who usually think it's much newer than it is. I like the E36 because they are pretty easy to work on, and although the E46 is an all round better car, I believe they are softer and less sporting to drive, not that I've ever driven one.
The only things I have really done to it is put Z4 wheels on it and replaced the front indicators with clear ones.

[T0MMY]

I had a 328i coupe and now have an MX5...there is just no comparison in terms of the driving experience; the MX5 is massively more entertaining, involving and sporty. I know you can get an E36 to handle very well and they'll put in good lap times but I always think people are slightly bonkers to start with one as a base for a track car when an MX5 is just as cheap to buy and far more fun.

That said, a 6 cylinder E36 is a nice place to be when cruising down the motorway.

[Bertrum]

I have pondered this very issue and having owned 22 cars in my 15 years of driving feel I can offer some insight.

It isn't about connecting with the car from how it drives or looks, its all about reliability.

You see unreliability and quirks give a car personality, that intermittent electric window, the sticky hand brake cable, the fan that gets stuck. These faults always seem to arrive at random times.

For example I had a Pajero, its a cr8p car but I miss it, I tried to take it to Le man, but it simply didn't want to go, first the rear door refused to open, which I fixed then the rear caliper seized on and set the pad on fire. I took the hint and took my Merc instead.

All the cars I remember most fondly were the least reliable. I loved my E36 Coupe, because the damn thing kept breaking.

[Buff Mchugelarge]

Bertrum said:

I have pondered this very issue and having owned 22 cars in my 15 years of driving feel I can offer some insight.

It isn't about connecting with the car from how it drives or looks, its all about reliability.

You see unreliability and quirks give a car personality, that intermittent electric window, the sticky hand brake cable, the fan that gets stuck. These faults always seem to arrive at random times.

...

I would normally agree but I've just sold my Fiat Seicento (Donky) after a year and 12K miles. It's never let me down, everything still works and I'm really going to miss it, in fact my son nearly cried when I told him I was selling it!.

I had a Saab 9-5 2.3t HOT, the most powerful car I've owned, incredibly capable but boring! didn't do it for me.

I had an Mx5 '96 1.8 great car, had some incredible drives but wasn't sad when it went.

106 S1 Rallye (Walter) I was gutted when I had to sell that.. had it 8 months and 3 of them it was on the drive!

There are many, many more too.
Cars are funny things, you can get attached to them for the memories they give you or sometimes before they've even turned a wheel!.

[g3org3y]

+1 for the E36 328i love.

BMW hit a sweet spot with this car. Just the right amount of power and torque in a perfectly usable daily package which is equally at home on the motorway as it is on a quiet B road.

[Olivera]

A properly set up E36 328i with decent springs/dampers/bushes/geo is a bloody brilliant drive for the money. The handling and chassis is superb, probably moreso than the engine and gearing.