Thinking about an e36

[TwoJ's]

airbag saved my life when i hit a pole. i did have some nasty rug burns all over my face though. made it "painful" to shave.

[Bimmerista]

That said, E30s can handle a lot more abuse and are more fun to drive. Noisier too.

Exactly why I like my e30

[bmwmike]

IMHO the e36 looks better, is more refined, and obviously more modern. The only advantage of an E30 is going to be the feel going through corners. Its light and more of a true drivers car, made when BMW knew how to make proper drivers cars. But if its a dd, id take the e36 over it anyday. More style (but less character), class and comfort.

[Jon325i]

Like any car, there are strengths & weaknesses to be weighed when comparing them to another model (i.e E36 against an E30). My brother has had two E36 M3s, his current one is a '98 model. I've had a chance to work on and drive these cars. Here are my thoughts on them....

THE GOOD

A more refined powerplant (especially in ///M trim). Great power and torque and my brother's car gets better mileage than my '91 325i (which has a JC chip and 4.10LSD - 5spd BTW). On track days the VANOS thingy starts ticking some due to oil starvation during hard cornering, otherwise its been fine.

The early E36s suffered from interior fitment problems....rattles, poor fitting parts. The later models seem to be improved upon some. The inside of my brother's car looks great to this day. More flexible hauling options with the E36 thanks to fold-down rear seats (especially handy in the 2-door coupe).

The driving experience is great....solid feel, good feedback. The M3 goes like stink and builds speed quick. 120+ can be acheived in impressive time. The longer wheelbase and better aerodynamics make it a good crusing/commuter car. Noticably more comfy than an E30. Good erognomics and sightlines too.

THE BAD

With all these improvements and a larger overall size, the E36 is a heavier car by a few hundred pounds. Although my brother is quite smitten with his E36 M3, he has often said his misses the 'tossable' nature that the E30 has (he owned two of those before going with the E36). The tossable feel can be had with an E36 if you throw some suspension mods in and rip out some of the equipment.

Working on these cars is not as pleasant when compared to an E30. Everything is packaged tighter which makes getting to hardware more difficult. With all this additional 'stuff' loaded into the E36, there's more to potentially break. Ask a veteran mechanic which he sees in his shop more for repair work, the nod goes to the E36.

So that's my take on it. Spend time researching and drive a few before you decide to take the plunge. Like the E30, when you go shopping you will find some real beaters that are worthy of crushing while others look very, very good. How the owner(s) took care of them dictates this.

Jon

[Speed25]

Why are you getting such crappy gas mileage? I commute with my IS at about 80-85mph, and always average over 26mpg. That's including some city driving, and is calculated (not the OBC). On a pure highway trip I once got over 29mpg! It never gets babied, either.

[Iain]

I'd LOVE an E36 325i coupe as a daily driver.

In my experience, they're quiet, comfortable, styling and have their own personality that differs from the E30's. To me, the E30 is more of a classic car, something special to keep in the garage whereas the E36 is a killer street car (plus I prefer the E36 coupe's styling).

I'd definately go for a 328 over a 325. More torque makes it that much better in traffic, plus the M50 manifold swap will liberate 20-30hp...

PS: www.jonsibal.com <--- I love his car. It is almost what I'd want from a no-budget E36 ('cept I'd use a proper M3 engine)

[bmwmike]

PS: www.jonsibal.com <--- I love his car. It is almost what I'd want from a no-budget E36 ('cept I'd use a proper M3 engine)

ive never seen that car before, but that things badass..

[MR 325]

An E36 as a DD is understandable, no arguments there. You saying the M50 is powerful, now that has me scratching my head. My buddy drives a E36 325iS and it's so damn boring IMHO, slow too.

[Apex381]

So does anyone know of any good online e36 community? I'd like to buy one but the ones for sale around here dont call you back.

[NC325iC]

just do BF.c
i like e36s just fine, you should get atleast a 328i, those are the much better, they get the full painted kit (side skirts and such) and more powerful engine, my GF has one and she gets about 20 city mpg and atleast 30 highway, the suspension is a bit too soft though, bottomed it out on a speedbump once

[Apex381]

Yeah I know 328's are nice but I really dont see them being in my price range.

[postmaster]

The best way to do this is to drive one, just to see if you like it. The best solution here is to get both. I have an e30 and an e36, but the e30 is the DD and the e36 is the track whore.

[Apex381]

So nobody knows of a good e36 message board?