E36 vs E46

Tom Donnelly

Tom Donnelly

New member
I'm looking at daily drivers and wondered if I could get some opinions of the E36 vs E46.
I race an ITS Datsun but I've been looking at some good used bimmers. Nothing new,
just some 1998 / 99 325's vs the '00 328. Anything in particular I should look for? Any
opinions? What breaks? Which is better? That kind of stuff.
Thanks,
Tom
 
Pricing on later E36 M3's is awesome now. I had one and they are just great cars. You might be able to get into a 97 or 98 for the price of a 00 328.
 
Tom-
Proly way cheaper to get into an E36, and way cheaper to hot rod. I have a 2001 E46 330ci because I love the E46 body, but parts are silly dollars compared to an old Z! Whichever way you go be sure to have Tony B at Buckhead MotorWorks do the servicing you don't do yourself. bimmerforums.com and e46fanatics.com are my two fav sites if you want to do some research.

Luuuuke, come to the daaaaaark side!.
 
This is a bit of an oddball, but if you have $15k-20k, and don't need 4 seats, the 98/99/00 M Coupe is a GREAT car. I had one from 00-03, sold it to go racing....mistake!....lol.....

There's only a couple thousand in the US, so very unique. For two adults + luggage (or dog) it has a lot of room -- the hatch is huge. I used to carry my greyhound and luggage for weekend get aways. The S52 motor is AWESOME, probably a better street mill than the S54 (just as torquey, and more reliable). It does have the E30 suspension in the back as opposed to the better setup on the E36, but for non track driving, you'll be fine (and I enjoyed mine on track too).

Brakes are great. YOu have to watch the subframe mounts and shock towers.

If you need 4 seats, you can't go wrong with a late model E36 M3 though. Not as stylish maybe as the M Coupe (although some would debate that...lol..) but an incredibly competent car.

If I were looking for a 50-70k street car for $15k, the E36 M3 and S52 E36/8 M Coupe would be at the top of the list. M Coupe if I could live with 2 seats, E36 M3 if I needed four.
 
Just have to agree w/Jeff -- I had mine from '98-'02 and even to this day regret selling it. I'm lucky to be racing its slower cousin now.

BTW, there's no such thing as a '98 M Coupe, '99 was the first year. The M Roadster did first appear as a '98.
 
Josh, little known fact - a few early M Coupes came over and were titled as 98s. I actually drove one at Performance BMW in Chapel Hill. Not many, you are correct, but they exist.

I FINALLY about have this ITR spreadsheet done. When is the next ITAC call? I'll make sure to get it to you before then.

Man I miss that car. Wish I never sold it. About a year later, I couldn't stand driving the Burb on a daily basis and I bought a 93 Esprit. Mistake! I should have just kep the M Coupe. Such a better car.

Mine was an 00, Oxford Green, Tan interior. Yours?
 
I know ... some made it to the used market after doing the press tours and BMW events. I know of 2. No '98s were sold new. But it's SO rare that there's no point in telling people about them.

The next ITAC call is 3/24, I think.

My M Coupe was Estoril Blue/Black. '99. Ordered it 5/98, got it 9/98. First one at my dealer (other than the "demo" cars that were there to show and test-drive, but were not to be sold until the first customer-ordered cars were delivered.)
 
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My daily is an E36 M3. Man, do I love driving to work every morning!! Mine had a 100K miles on it and I bought it from a very anal BMWCCA guy for $12K. It's in fantastic shape. He put coil overs on it with adjustable Koni's (A little over the top for a street car, but what the hell!!)

I wanted a sports car but needed a back seat for the kids. I've had a few minor problems with it but nothing I couldn't fix myself..............So far..............<knocking on wood>.....

And during the summer with my 17" wheels I get 26-27 MPG.

There are a lot of beat E36s that were owned by kids, so you need to watch out for that. PLus, it's a REAL M3 cause it still has the rear wing!! :cool:






.
 
JLawton said:
My daily is an E36 M3. Man, do I love driving to work every morning!! Mine had a 100K miles on it and I bought it from a very anal BMWCCA guy

.
Click to expand...

Very anal BMWCCA guys are fairly easy to find!

I also had an E36 M3 from a similar previous owner and loved it. 1998 model with all the options and it was extremely competent and fun to drive. Plus, it could carry four adults. I wish I'd not sold that car but I sold it to get the truck to start racing, so I suppose it is a decent thing to do.

Later in the year I'll be looking for another fun driver and if I hadn't already owned an M3 I'd be after one again. I too need four seats so this time around I might be looking for a 993 Porsche, the last runs of air cooled 911s.

Can't go wrong with an E36 M3, get one!
 
I just picked up a 2003 M3. Way more civilized than I expected. Lawton nailed the big picture....get an E36 M3, but be careful of high miles and questionable owners. These cars have been around for 10 years or more now, and they are cheap enough that guys who don't have the proper money can scratch and get one...then put aero crap on it instead of proper oil changes.

Ron, did you say the "Last of the great air cooled 911s"? Don't you REALLY mean the 73 911S or 911E??

;)
 
Being a former Porsche and BMW driving school instructor I got to drive some very nice cars, from twin turbo Porsches to the lightweight E36 M3, and this was on the track. :~) I was actually looking for a E36 M3 when I came across my E46 M3. If the E46 M3 is not in your budget, have no fear about getting the E36 M3. The E36 M3 I drove at Nelson Ledges did everything you could ask and more. It was one hell of a car! If I remember correctly, I got yelled at for passing to many cars including vetts, porsches and numerous other cars and I was driving about 7/ 10's.
 
lateapex911 said:
Ron, did you say the "Last of the great air cooled 911s"? Don't you REALLY mean the 73 911S or 911E??

;)
Click to expand...

My buddy Ed has a 911S, can't remember exactly what year, but it is cool. Neat cars, and he just built a 2.7L motor for it and it'll keep all the mechanical injection and so on - that is the part I find a bit cantankerous! He still has the original 2.2L motor and all that good stuff, but he is wanting a bit more power out of it while he drives it. I'd opt for the later model 993s though as a driver.
 
There is a reason why when you go to a BMW CCA event you see a ton of E36 M3s. Not as canterkous as the E30 M3, and more character than a E46. Perfect daily driver/track day car split I think.

BMW in the late 90s made some "stuff" didn't they? The "normal" 3 was a great sedan. The M Coupe and Roadster great raucous sports cars. The 540i 6 speed about the perfect sports sedan with the M5 just being more of the same.

It's funny. I have a Lotus Exige at the moment, great track car and not a bad daily. But if I got rid of it,the car I would want? An E39 M5.

By the way, Tom, that's another car to look at. You can get E39 540i 6 speeds now for $15 to 20k. A bit porky, but still a blast to drive, trackable if you wish, and cruise at 80 mph like no other manual sports sedan I know of.

Ah, the BMW love thread.......
 
I was looking at the E36 and E46 as well for a DD, autocross, and track day car. My question is what is up with the rear sub frame issues? I've heard that the Ms are reinforced and Turner sells an extensive kit (welding, ect, required).

First, what to look for when buying?
Are the reinforcement kits Street Touring and IT legal?
 
It will pull out of its mount to the body. Just needs some welding up to reinforce it. Not a huge issue if you take the preventative step.
 
Jeff, it's not just the 90s...
I just got a 2003 M3 cab, with 25K miles on it. neat car, for the price of a well equipped new Accord . I COULD have looked at the new 135i Cab for a little more money...that engine has gotten lots of raves, and would be nearly as quick. And the new 3 series body style is growing on me. The new M3 is sick, no doubt, but a bit spendy. (But hey, that's my gain, it puts a glut of old M3s on the market, LOL)

You're right on the 540. CHEAP car used! Definately the way to LOOK like you've got some bucks, when you don't, LOL.

The E36 is a great car....not TOO civilized or refined, but fine for the street, AND they are light enough that they track VERY well. Huge bargains, if you can find an unmolested example.

(Nows the time in the Northern states if you can find a clean one being sold by a guy who "HAS" to sell now.)
 
I agree, the mechanicals on all late model BMWs, good stuff.

I just prefer the non-Bangle style from pre-2000. I don't much like the way the new 5s and 7s look, although they apparently drive great. The 3s, I still like a lot.

Just seems to me that the E36 M3 and 540i were two of the most perfect designs we've seen in a long time. Practical. Fast. Fun. Reliable. Relatively inexpensive (like you said, look good when you don't have $$!)......
 
Wow,

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I did feel like I'm moving to the dark side Keith, but not so much anymore. The E36's seem abundant right now. It seems there a alot of convertible M3's down here, more than hardtops. I do like the E46 bodystyle a little better.
And, even though its not the best way to think, you can't turn the M3 into an IT car later. :D
You never know when 240z's will get way too rare to race in IT and it needs to get turned over to a collector! Maybe Jay Leno will pay $100,000 for my car and I'll run a E46.

Do the E46's have the same rear sub frame issues? And the E46's are drive by wire throttles, aren't they? Is it the same transmission? Do the plastic door handles break as easily as the old pot-metal ones?

And I like the Porsche 1973 RSR IROC. I want one of those.

Tom
 
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