328 or M3

[white328]

Like i said in another thread, i crash my car last saturday night :( and it's finally a total lost.

I'm looking to by a M3 but i wanted to know if the price for the part are about the same as my 328 or it is much more. I wanted to know too if it is as reliable as other BMW or, since it most probably have been beaten up, it will always be broke.

Thanks in advance,
Alex.

[mayor]

My E46 M3 has been more reliable than my E46325Ci; parts are much, much more expensive on the M3 (call the dealer and ask for pricing on rotors, for example).

[Karim E36]

Alex,

Tu devrais parler à Seb. Il considerait vendre sa M3 :)

[white328]

Alex,

Tu devrais parler à Seb. Il considerait vendre sa M3 :)

C'est vrai, il m'en avait parler :D.
Je pense qu'elle est en bonne condition aussi ;) avec une belle peinture neuve ...

[Andrei]

M3s are reliable. But as Martin said be ready to spend on parts.

And if you are getting any E46 then stay away from 2000 model year cars. Rear subframes are very fragile on those. 2001 and up only.

[Gregster]

M3= Expensive to maintain because most stuff is dealer only but very fun to drive.

328= Cheap to maintain because you can get jobber parts anywhere, less fun to drive though.

Thats pretty much it.

[bmwqc]

In general, how good are the jobber parts compared to OEM?



M3= Expensive to maintain because most stuff is dealer only but very fun to drive.

328= Cheap to maintain because you can get jobber parts anywhere, less fun to drive though.

Thats pretty much it.

[Gregster]

In general, how good are the jobber parts compared to OEM?


The jobber parts are either OEM suppliers or other trusted european brands. Febi Bilstein, Sachs Boge, Lemforder, Jurid, Pagid, Zimmemann etc and yes even FAG bearing :D I had a stack of TUV certificates in my tool box before I tossed them all.

Parts like tables actually have the flat area where the BMW part number is usually stamped on but because it wasn't bought at the dealer it doesn't have it.

But hey what do I know!

[Silverblades181]

I know three persons with E36 M3 besides myself. Only 1 think it's expensive to maintain and that's Seb, but he doesn't do anything himself.

Buy OEM parts online, their cheap. I just go to the dealer and get employee prices..but internet's good too.

Very reliable, more then the 328i. It's basicly a 328i with a stroked and cammed engine, stiffer suspension, everything reinforced from factory and nicer overall. They're also very cheap to buy now for what they are.

[ScardE30]

[quote=Silverblades181;28429]I know three persons with E36 M3 besides myself.

I think i'm one of them :D

www.turnermotorsport.com (http://www.turnermotorsport.com)

and

www.bavauto.com (http://www.bavauto.com)

That's all you need for maintenance and/or upgrade and a couple of track days ;) to kept the car.

[FrankyGoes]

Alex,
If you plan on tracking the car I would go with the M3. This is the choice I would make now.

I often find myself purchasing parts from sites/suppliers mention before made for the M3. I pay the premium so I don't have to worry about the part wearing prematurely again.

The fact is even with stiffer bushings and other upgrades my car will always be a 328. It will never have the beefed up transmission, brakes, anti-sway bars.

There is a reason the M3 parts are more expensive. In my opinion it's a good reason.

[Emre]

arts are much, much more expensive on the M3That's certainly true for the E30 and E46 M3. But it much less of an issue with the E36 M3. There isn't all that much difference between an E36 M3 and a 328is of the same vintage.

[white328]

thanks to all !
You have convice me. I will search a M3 :cool:

Now i have to find one at a decent condition at a decent price :p

[Andrei]

I have a 2006 going on sale. I am not sure if the price would be decent as it's a 2006. It has to be 15% higher than dealer trade-in offer (which I don't have yet) to cover the tax advantage on trade-in.

With the current US dollar I think my chances of getting a better trade-in price are improving.

But I can throw in a set of StopTech brakes, cooling ducts already installed, and Ground Control Koni single adjustable suspension (from my first M3). And alcantara steering wheel plus the stock steering wheel.

[white328]

I have a 2006 going on sale. I am not sure if the price would be decent as it's a 2006. It has to be 15% higher than dealer trade-in offer (which I don't have yet) to cover the tax advantage on trade-in.

With the current US dollar I think my chances of getting a better trade-in price are improving.

But I can throw in a set of StopTech brakes, cooling ducts already installed, and Ground Control Koni single adjustable suspension (from my first M3). And alcantara steering wheel plus the stock steering wheel.


thanks, but i was more thinking of 10-15 000 price range :p I'm on a (very) tight buget :(

[Gregster]

thanks, but i was more thinking of 10-15 000 price range :p I'm on a (very) tight buget :(

If you are planning on spending 15k then you can get a 05 E46 325i for around 17k-20k. Thats just a thought.

However finding a clean E36 M3 is rather easy, well I don't know about around here but while I was in VA they were on every used car lot I passed by.

[blacksheep]

That's certainly true for the E30 and E46 M3. But it much less of an issue with the E36 M3.it depends - if you find one of the super-rare 286hp early "Canadian" E36 M3's ... those would be expensive to maintain (at least the engine) because it's a complex engine and parts are very rare here.

But the latter 240hp "US version" M3's are pretty common

IMO For the track an E36 M3 would be more fun than an E46 325 ... the E36 just feels lighter and more "direct"

[sebdavid]

332i (E36 M3) all the way. It's a fun car great to learn on. Expensive to maintain because of labour if you don't do anything yourself (because you're a dumbass), otherwise you can find loads of well-priced good-quality parts. The engine pulls nicely. It's not a beast compared to other ///M engines but it's great on the road and on the track because of the generous and linear torque delivery.

I think I'll be selling mine. Still not totally sure though, and I dont know what to ask.

Just came back to Montreal tonight, wasn't able to enjoy the new paint because it was dark and rainy...

[Emre]

IMO For the track an E36 M3 would be more fun than an E46 325 ... the E36 just feels lighter and more "direct"No argument here.


it depends - if you find one of the super-rare 286hp early "Canadian" E36 M3's ... those would be expensive to maintain (at least the engine) because it's a complex engine and parts are very rare here.I thought it went without saying that I was talking about the US-sepc E36 M3. The Euro-spec cars are obviously a whole other game. But good luck finding one for any price (let alone under $15K) around here.

BTW, early US-spec 3.0L E36 M3's are selling at or below $10K USD now. I've even seen some low mileage California cars for $12-13K USD. Looks like these cars are hitting the bottom of their depreciation curve. Like the E30 M3, E28 M5, and E24 M6 we can probably expect the prices to start climbing as rust, accident damage, poor maintenance by 2nd and 3rd owners, and sheer age take their toll.

As the number of clean E36 M3's dwindles and modern BMWs keep getting bigger, heavier, uglier, and generally much less fun to drive, prices will start to rebound.

[white328]

ok, now i have another question !

Am i better with a 95 with the 3.0 OBD1 or newer with the 3.2 OBD2 ?

[Emre]

Am i better with a 95 with the 3.0 OBD1 or newer with the 3.2 OBD2 ?The big advantage of the 3.0L OBD-I engine is that it's easier to modify with big cams, VANOS delete, etc. This has to do with the difficulty in modifying/tuning the later engine management, rather than any inherent difference between the two engines themselves.

If you plan to leave the engine totally stock, then it probably doesn't matter which engine you have as performance is about the same. And you can always convert an OBD-II engine to OBD-I electronics for about $1000. So, even that's not really a big deal.

As always, the most important thing is to buy the cleanest, most carefully maintained, lowest mileage, rust-free example you can find. Model year (hence engine displacement and OBD status) would be pretty much the lowest item on my priority list.

[johnmdanskin]

I am having a lot of fun on the track in my e36 325is. I have a full coil-over suspension kit though. I don't have fancy brakes, but in a low power car you don't have to brake much. I love watching the high power cars disappear on the straight and then reappear on the first corner. The suspension kit was $1500 + installation. Not so much given that I picked up a really clean car for $7000.

These cars do feel very direct and the handling is very neutral without being twitchy, at least with the turner recommended alignment.

[sebdavid]

the suspension kit AND REDUCED WEIGHT change the whole feeling in your case John.

my M3, to me, feels a bit soft and heavy for track use. which is why I'm looking into a dedicated track car. that means selling the M3 though, and I'm not enchanted by that prospect...

or I could put a suspension on my trusty steed, but that leaves me with the weight issue, and I'm not stripping it. it's such a nice street car, it doesn't deserve to be stripped bare.

[Phil]

the suspension kit AND REDUCED WEIGHT change the whole feeling in your case John.

my M3, to me, feels a bit soft and heavy for track use. which is why I'm looking into a dedicated track car. that means selling the M3 though, and I'm not enchanted by that prospect...

or I could put a suspension on my trusty steed, but that leaves me with the weight issue, and I'm not stripping it. it's such a nice street car, it doesn't deserve to be stripped bare.

An E30 325is in JP is in the same ballpark in terms of lap times as a E30 M3 JS and a SPEC36. However, the costs of purchasing and making a track car are going to be the cheapest of the three.

Phil

[white328]

I have seen one that seem interesting but it is in Toronto :( but it is 3-4000 cheaper than the ones here. it's on Kijiji number 76714042

The interesting part is that it seem stock exept for the suspension that already have Koni strut ant eibach springs.