Favorite M3

[sandertheshark]

Although I love the E92, I have to stick by my principle that every sporting BMW should have demon-seed straight six.  E46 is my vote.  CSL, please.

[TBR]

Friend has an E36 323i coupe, decatted.  It does sound great.  The only thing I don't like is that the dash has dated badly.  (323i engine is v similar to the 325i by the way, 2.5 6cyl but I think a different manifold?)

How come you didn't buy the bimmer?

Because I am still in school so I figured my parents would be quite unhappy if I just bought it without their permission and generally it takes them 3-4 days to make decisions on that kind of stuff. By that point I knew it would be sold and I would have gone through it all for nothing.

[MX793]

The E30 is not a true BMW because it was powered by a 4-cylinder engine. What a joke! Real BMWs have 6-cylinders! FACT!

Except for, you know, the 2002.  And all of those sweet V8 and V12 powered models.

[Colonel Cadillac]

E46 M3 prices are in the 20's now. I want one very badly. I think I am going to steal one. Perhaps I should do that in New Orleans, I have a feeling I could potentially not get caught down there. 


Then again, nobody has any money so there is not exactly a plethora of M3's down there either.

[sportyaccordy]

Tough call

Very tough call

Very freaking tough call

As far as what I would buy at this point in my life, E36. In fact that will prob. be the next car I buy.

If money were no object... damn. See the ///M3 has such a legacy of excellence, every iteration has its own reason for having been the best road car among its contemporaries.

The E30 took the already somewhat new concept of the executive compact car and took the level of driver involvement to points previously not seen outside the sports car world...

The E36 brought legitimate Euro GT luxury and performance to the American masses and I'm sure was a hoot in Europe as well. Not to mention even 15 years later they are still competitive on the race track & put up a decent fight against rear drive GTs today. Why get a G35 coupe when for a few grand less you can have a damn E36 M3????

The E46 cranked up the wildness and set a precedent for each progressive M3 to take on the performance class above the model it preceded. And that CSL...

E90/92 again turned up the volume... and brought V8 power to the 3. It's a technical masterpiece w/o being overwhelmingly so like the GT-R, and it's still beautiful in sedan and coupe form.

My pick of the range would probably be a white on red E46 with the 19" wheels. The E36s are just too close to the regular 3s to really warrant the price premium, and w/my history all the things that make the M different would be changed anyways. E30 is just too old and slow; I would rather the rarity of the 190 2.3-16. The E90/92 is great as well and I'm sure is the best ///M car of all time. But the story of the E46 is better to me... it's almost as though BMW directly responded to the complaints people had about the E36s. Not to mention, while IMO the US E36 was the last M3 for which most of its performance could be accessed on the street, the E90 is even less accessible. To put it in context, the E90 has straightline numbers close to the 360 Modena. Plus it hasn't been out long enough for me to really get an impression on it like I have of the M3s before it.

If the E46 came in sedan form and had an aluminum block it would have been a no brainer. But even as a coupe the E46 kinda has the most going for it to me. That's my pick.

[Payman]

I picked E30, for the same reason why I'd pick a 1973 Porsche RS over all others... including a 2009 GT2. Lightweight, no nonsense purity.

[Onslaught]

[280Z Turbo]

The E30 doesn't sound all that impressive to me.

I'd rather have an E46.

[cawimmer430]

Iconoclast, please ask wimmer about "heritage". Best way to get to know him fast.

[cawimmer430]

Except for, you know, the 2002.  And all of those sweet V8 and V12 powered models.

Buddy, I WAS JOKING. 

[TBR]

Buddy, I WAS JOKING. 

Who can tell, in previous thread you were complaining about digital clocks, it doesn't seem to out of bounds for you to be complaining about cylinder count.

[omicron]

E46, I think. A very, very handsome car with a delightful engine, and a bit more special than the GT-oriented E92.

[nickdrinkwater]

Problem is, E46s are EVERYWHERE.  A bit too everyman.  Nice cars, though.

[SVT666]

E46, but I would take the V8 from the new one to put in it.

[BimmerM3]

I chose the E46, but I'm probably a bit biased since it's the only one I've actually driven. Great car though.

[sportyaccordy]

Problem is, E46s are EVERYWHERE.  A bit too everyman.  Nice cars, though.

Thats a very relative statement. I have seen as many Lamborghinis & Ferraris this month as I've seen E46 M3s. I see more E36 M3s but they're usually the same cars in the area I live in. Plus even if they are everywhere that makes them no less special.

[ChrisV]

I haven't spent time in the new one, but for me, it's too much the exotic high dollar race car built from an overweight base luxury coupe. it goes like stink, but it's closing in on my 7 series as far as weight goes, and costs about what the 7 did new. And with that cost, it SHOULD go fast.

of the other three, the E30 was the most raw, but it would be a pain to live with, and is a bit more delicate. the E46 is refined and fast, but a bit sterile. The E36 is the best balanced in all areas, cost, ability, livability, and repairability. On the track, it has a ton of potential, as well, both for road racing and for autocross.





So my first choice is E36, followed closely by the E46:



I've been thinking about getting an E36 as an autocross car.

[NomisR]

If I were to get one today, I'd probably pick the E92.  Not really looking for any sort of hardcore car since regardless, it'll be a compromise.  You can't have a 2+2 and call it hardcore to begin with, so I might as well go with the more luxurious E92 with stupid amount of power.  I wish it would weight at least 500lb less. 

[sportyaccordy]

Wow Chris you make a really good point about the weight of the E92. To new cars' credit though there's no price too much to pay for chassis rigidity.

[NomisR]

Wow Chris you make a really good point about the weight of the E92. To new cars' credit though there's no price too much to pay for chassis rigidity.

I wonder how much weight savings there would be if you take out all the electronic stuff like idrive and all the electronically adjustable suspension and what not.

[SVT666]

I wonder how much weight savings there would be if you take out all the electronic stuff like idrive and all the electronically adjustable suspension and what not.

Wires and electric motors are heavy shit.

[sportyaccordy]

I wonder how much weight savings there would be if you take out all the electronic stuff like idrive and all the electronically adjustable suspension and what not.

I really doubt IDrive and stuff is all that heavy.

The weight probably comes from mechanical stuff like bigger wheels + brakes, the huge monstrosity of a V8 at the nose and chassis reenforcement for all that performance.

I still think the best mix would have been the E46 with an aluminum block. It's a shame the non ///M E46 motors don't respond at all to mods.

[SVT666]

I really doubt IDrive and stuff is all that heavy.

The weight probably comes from mechanical stuff like bigger wheels + brakes, the huge monstrosity of a V8 at the nose and chassis reenforcement for all that performance.

I still think the best mix would have been the E46 with an aluminum block. It's a shame the non ///M E46 motors don't respond at all to mods.

E46 with the new V8.  That's the perfect combo.

[NomisR]

E46 with the new V8.  That's the perfect combo.

E92 looks better though.

[SVT666]

E92 looks better though.

Bullshit.

[Cookie Monster]

I really doubt IDrive and stuff is all that heavy.

The weight probably comes from mechanical stuff like bigger wheels + brakes, the huge monstrosity of a V8 at the nose and chassis reenforcement for all that performance.

I still think the best mix would have been the E46 with an aluminum block. It's a shame the non ///M E46 motors don't respond at all to mods.

You realize that the V8 is lighter than the old I6 right?

[sportyaccordy]

You realize that the V8 is lighter than the old I6 right?

Damn, good point. Plus even if it weighed the same it would still be better for weight distribution.

In a way I kind of prefer the look of the E36 over all of them. The E46 looks too wild sometimes, plus the base E36 coupe is the best looking 3 of all time to me. Modified, the E36 looks the best.

[BimmerM3]

In a way I kind of prefer the look of the E36 over all of them. The E46 looks too wild sometimes, plus the base E36 coupe is the best looking 3 of all time to me. Modified, the E36 looks the best.

That's what I love about the E46. It's noticeably more "wild" than it's non-M counterpart, but still pretty much just looks like a 3 series.

Don't get me wrong though, the E36 M3 is still a damn sexy car, and I would say that it's certainly more of an elegant, timeless design than the E46 M3.

[Tave]

I voted for the E46. After that it's a tie between the 36/92.

[Raza]

In order:
E30
E36
E46
E90
E92

In order of likely to buy:
E36 (sedan, then cabriolet, then coupe)
E46
E30


E90
E92