[rhudeboye]

I'm currently in the market for a low mileage 968. Once mine is sold and I acquire the garage queen, I plan to keep the mileage low. Putting me in the market once again for a daily.



Test drove a M3 E46 NICE! Great lines, good power delivery, tons of options and support as well. But $24K is too steep for me. Would you agree that a 1998 E36 is on par with the 968? Power, comfort cost etc.



Thoughts, comments and insults below.



Thanx

David

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[SpeedRacer64]

[quote name='rhudeboye' post='47499' date='Feb 14 2008, 08:53 AM']I'm currently in the market for a low mileage 968. Once mine is sold and I acquire the garage queen, I plan to keep the mileage low. Putting me in the market once again for a daily.



Test drove a M3 E46 NICE! Great lines, good power delivery, tons of options and support as well. But $24K is too steep for me. Would you agree that a 1998 E36 is on par with the 968? Power, comfort cost etc.



Thoughts, comments and insults below.



Thanx

David[/quote]



I believe you’ll find in the way of developed aftermarket racing parts and just parts in general....a plethora of choices...overall they build a great car. I owned a late 80’s and drove it hard...really hard...other than cutting a turn to tight and hitting the concrete median cracking the aluminum oil pan. The car performed flawlessly...the driver...not so much...lol



LuKe

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[flash]

funny - we are looking at a few right now, but they are all about 50k (low mileage ragtops)- ayn really likes the E46 325cic we have now, and consequently kiboshed my plan to get another 968cab - so, now the "plan" is to trade the 325 in for a ragtop E46 M3 - she's crazy about her interior though, and i'm not sure we'll find what she wants there



to answer your question though, on specs alone, the E36 M3 is pretty close - but they drive totally differently, and really cannot be compared much



something to consider too - you can probably get the E46 financed, and definitely as a certified pre-owned, which would carry a warranty

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[biotechee]

Do you mean a '98 E36 328 or '98 E36 318 or '98 E36 M3 or '98 E36 325? (Not sure which one - 325 or 323 - they made in '98)



If any of the above other than the M3, performance will be lacking compared to the 968. E36 M3 performance will be close/equal to 968 overall. It has more horses (240 v. 236) plus I think it has more torque. Not enough of a difference to warrant concern. I think you would find that the E36 series of cars handles very well and provides a nice ride. 968 *should* handle better than E36 M3, both stock. Depends on driver of course! Creature comforts are probably a little better than the 968. If you find a well maintained E36, I think you would enjoy it as a DD. I miss my '98 318i dearly. My '04 Jetta pales in comparison overall. My E36 was rock solid for over 170K miles. Only isses were it ate brakes (rotors) every 50K and towards the end of my tenure with it, things started to fail from age, mileage, stress, wear&tear (heater core, exhaust, suspension). In hindsight, I should have spent the $4-5K to fix everything instead of spending the $20K for a new Jetta. The Jetta has been fine so far though- 50K miles in 3 yrs.



One of the other benefits to the E36- huge network of support/servise because there were a hell of a lot more E36's than 968's. Parts are readily available and generally a lot cheaper than those for the 968, of course!



Good luck!

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[rhudeboye]

good points. I notice the difference in driver feel and car characteristics as well but I like them both. The M3 E46 can be had for under 30K if your not too concerned about mileage. The M3 E36 is more like $10K and with the abuse I'm going to put on it Id rather not spend more then 12K. But knowing how I think, I'm sure I'll start to love the car, add more power and finally sell for the E46 M3. After all, those things are the epitome of compact sport cars!











PS- Flash

I think your next project will be building a bigger garage.

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[rhudeboye]

[quote name='biotechee' post='47505' date='Feb 14 2008, 08:30 AM']Do you mean a '98 E36 328 or '98 E36 318 or '98 E36 M3 or '98 E36 325? (Not sure which one - 325 or 323 - they made in '98)

My '04 Jetta pales in comparison overall. My E36 was rock solid for over 170K miles. Only isses were it ate brakes (rotors) every 50K and towards the end of my tenure with it, things started to fail from age, mileage, stress, wear&tear (heater core, exhaust, suspension).

Good luck![/quote]



Only looking at M3's. and I guess I'd better start lurking on some of those M3 forums for things to look out for. Thanks for your comments. Very helpful. Wonder if that rotor thing is common place?

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[flash]

i guess i characterize the cars differently - but then, i'm old, and remember when we actually had real sports cars - the bmw is a sedan or coupe - the 968 is a GT - neither one is a sports car - the TR-4A about to arrive here is a sports car



anyway, as such, they all "feel" very different in how they drive - no matter how much the bmw is pumped up, or how fast it is, it's still a sedan, and drives like one - that's fine, if that's what you are looking for, and actually one of the reasons ayn wants to keep it - the 968 is a GT car, and will drive like it - it's more than just the numbers



having both, i am keenly aware of the differences - both have their strong points and weak ones - i enjoy both for different reasons - they both serve different purposes - in my mind, neither was a wrong choice



as for the E36, i agree with all of the above points - one thing to consider is how much you want to end up wrenching - old car - old parts - the good news is that it should be pretty inexpensive to fix, and easy to find mechanics - it will also likely be a better commuter



and yes, we are talking about a bigger garage - may just rent a shop space in the interim

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[PorscheDude]

This way I am looking to get out of my 968. I WANT AN E46 M3!



I feel the E36 M3 would be a great DD.

Fairly easy to work on.

I had a slew of BMW's prior to going down the Porsche road.

I am looking to get back in one but will be keeping my 951.



If I dont sell the 968 soon, I will just wait another year.

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[Glau]

We had an E36 328i for awhile and although it was a fun car my wife ended up not really liking it. She complained it felt much bigger than it is and I agreed. While it had nice torque, for a smaller sport sedan it had a bit of a boat/tank feel to it. Compared to our 968 cab, the E36 328 might have had the edge 30-50ft from a standing start but otherwise the 968 felt more able in all other respects, especially in cornering. The E36 was very comfortable and a great highway cruiser. Also, the E36 doesn't seem to be aging as well as some of the other BMW lines (fogged/cracking plastics, bad motor mounts, cracked strut towers, blown headgaskets, drowned ECUs, etc.). Personally, I would pony up the extra coin to get into the E46 line. Either way, avoiding the first year of any BMW line is seems to be good advise.



My DD for many years now is an E30 318i and I really love that little car. It feels much more nimble and peppy than the E36 328. The light-weight M42 4-cyl powerplant in the 318i really makes it a fun car to throw into corners with wreckless abandon, something I never completely felt secure doing in the 328. Plus the E30 318i with the M42 was only made for about 9 months in 1991, so its is a bit of a rare bird like our beloved 968s. Anyway, my point here is the E36 328 didn't provide any emotional attachment and was very easy to sell for my wifes current DD a MB C230 Kompressor Sport-Coupe, which she absolutely loves.



Just get out and drive as many examples as you can and you will certainly find one you love.

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[PorscheDude]

I had an E30 325. It was great little car for driving in LA traffic.

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[flash]

lol - i did too, and just for that reason - killed the hopped up mgb in traffic in less than 9 months and snatched up an 88 E30 ragtop for the commuting



fun cars all though

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[PorscheDude]

David,

Have a look here, they have some nice E36 M3's

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33

Also try,

M3forums.com

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[rhudeboye]

[quote name='Glau' post='47511' date='Feb 14 2008, 09:56 AM']Also, the E36 doesn't seem to be aging as well as some of the other BMW lines (fogged/cracking plastics, bad motor mounts, cracked strut towers, blown headgaskets, drowned ECUs, etc.). Personally, I would pony up the extra coin to get into the E46 line. Either way, avoiding the first year of any BMW line is seems to be good advise.[/quote]



Or find one with the maintenance issues already addressed. w/o a doubt the E46 M3 is a better car. Perhaps I can manage all 4. Land Cruise, 07 Camry (Wifes DD), 968 cab and a 2003 M3.



Currently I have a 2 car garage w/ a one car swing over space that works perfectly. Camry and 968 stays indoors. 4 cars is just to impractical unless the 4th is a paid in cash beater that can block the 68 in.

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[rhudeboye]

[quote name='smokiemon968' post='47522' date='Feb 14 2008, 10:40 AM']David,

Have a look here, they have some nice E36 M3's

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33[/quote]



Great link. Thanx the first post is right in my area MD.

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[ether_joe]

you need to ditch the Camry bro.

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[rhudeboye]

[quote name='ether_joe' post='47547' date='Feb 14 2008, 05:18 PM']you need to ditch the Camry bro.[/quote]

Not gonna happen. Its my wifes car and its just what she wanted. I know the rep Camrys have but For the record its a pretty nice car. Still has an appliance like feel, no soul, a bit too much play in the wheel. So its not my cup of tea. But I like the style, it has a V6 that puts out 270HP. dual exhaust, Sport shift, sport suspension. I'm tellin ya Joe. Don't try her you might get embarrassed.

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[wjk_glynn]

Not to muddy the discussion, but I recently drove a E46 M3 w/SMG.



SMG is a highly polarizing feature with critics pointing to poor shift quality... and I was expecting to be in the same camp as the critics.



But after driving it, I was very impressed.



True, if you drive it in 'automatic' mode, a modern traditional auto-box has far superior shift quality and the SMG is agricultural by comparison.



But if you do the following, it can delivery extremely quick, very smooth, and 100% reliable shifts:



* Operate in manual mode so the driver is initiating gear shifts

* Set the shift speed to maximum

* When doing an upshift, feather the throttle just as you select 'up' -- just like you feather/lift the throttle on any manual-transmission up-shift



If you do the above, its really great. Down shifts are no brainers as it has a throttle-blip algorithm.



So just to repeat, if you leave it in auto mode and you don't have the opportunity to feather on up shifts, it is crap. But manual-mode and feather is great.



A seperate subject is whether you want to row & clutch yourself, and that's a personal preference. I found the paddle shifting fun on my test drive, but I don't know how I'd feel about it long term.



But as regard the technology itself, don't let the SMG naysayers put you off.



Karl.



PS: As regards the other driving attributes, its a fast good handling GT car. And I have kids, so having a back seat is appealing...

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[PorscheDude]

I looked at SMG, I have never had an automatic.

When I move over to the M3 it will be full manual for me.

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[flash]

so, we just picked up an E46 M3 manual cab - nice car - more details to follow

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[rhudeboye]

Congrats on the new cab Flash. Not surprised to see such appreciation for BMWs on this forum.



Curious- Do we all feel the same way about Merc's?

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