this is why i hate bimmerforums.com

[DSP74]

I didn't read the thread but I will add that I'm not that impressed with the E30 M3. Or for that matter the US E36 M3.

I understand what the E30 M3 was/is all about. But many of those owners think that there car is such a perfect animal.....Save for the engine, we can make a regular old E30 perform, just as well, and IMO the regular E30 body looks better than the M3.

The E36 is a great car but in stock form it's just bleh. Euro cars were badass with much more HP....

In the US BMW didn't get it just right, in stock form, till the E46 M3.

[Lair]

I've never been a huge fan of the early M3. It's a great track car, but driving one on the street would have to be a PITA.

I'd pay $15K for one with nice paint/wheels/interior (and an S52).

[DragonOrta]

IMHO, the e30 M3 body is one of the most beautiful, and yet badass, looking bodies ever made.

[Jordan325iC]

That forum isn't much different than here. They just pray to a different car.

+1
I love this site.

95% of new bimmer owners could not tell you the difference between a 85 318i and e30 m3 or 90 e34 325i and 1993 e34 m5, which is good for bmw, terrible for enthusiasts.

In their defense, I would have trouble identifying an e34 325i too.

[Lair]

IMHO, the e30 M3 body is one of the most beautiful, and yet badass, looking bodies ever made.

"A blistered brick with a wing."

[chucko]

In the US BMW didn't get it just right, in stock form, till the E46 M3.

The E30 M3 in stock form is virtually the same as its european counterpart.

[PiercedE30]

I'd pay $15K for one with nice paint/wheels/interior (and an S52).

Hell, for the S52 I would have to subtract about 3 grand off the price. I wouldn't pay that much and NOT get an S14.

[Lair]

I haven't driven one since 1996, but I wasn't impressed back then.

[m3_eater]

I've owned and/or driven regularly all of the US-spec iterations of the 3-Series. The worst of the lot is the E36 by a long shot - the result of BMW entering their mass-market, cost cutting phase. E30s were just designed and built so much better. I hated my '98 328is, and BMW didn't get it right again until around 2002 (early E46 cars had poor build quality and failing dual VANOS - and don't get me started on the dreaded 2001 M3!).

[rThor432]

Hell, for the S52 I would have to subtract about 3 grand off the price. I wouldn't pay that much and NOT get an S14.

Damn right.

[blunttech]

I haven't driven one since 1996, but I wasn't impressed back then.

did you drive it down to get eggs and milk or did you drive it at 7k on a track? i agree the e30m3 is nothing special on city streets stop and go but on the ragged edge at 7200rpm in a properly set up car theres not much like it out there today let alone 20 years ago. it has a certain character that grows on you

[Lair]

did you drive it down to get eggs and milk or did you drive it at 7k on a track? i agree the e30m3 is nothing special on city streets stop and go but on the ragged edge at 7200rpm in a properly set up car theres not much like it out there today let alone 20 years ago. it has a certain character that grows on you

I drove it at 8/10ths on an infamous local road - back to back with my 968 cabrio and my other neighbor's G60.

It's a fun car to flog, but I wouldn't want to DD a stock one. Peaky I4's aren't my cup of meat for the street.

[TDE30]

did you drive it down to get eggs and milk or did you drive it at 7k on a track? i agree the e30m3 is nothing special on city streets stop and go but on the ragged edge at 7200rpm in a properly set up car theres not much like it out there today let alone 20 years ago. it has a certain character that grows on you

E30 M3's are very much like E34 M5's in that sense. Around town, they seem like their non-///M counterparts that dislike sitting for long period of time (e.g. in traffic, at stoplights, etc.) but when you get them on the right road with no traffic, you understand why both cars have the following that they do.

I've never been a fan of S5X swapped E30 M3's, I'm sure in terms of numbers it's a no-brainer, but the S14 has so much more soul than any M50 family motor.

[reelizmpro]

I haven't driven one since 1996, but I wasn't impressed back then.

Although back in those days 192hp was powerful, it's how the S14 makes that power that gave it the impression of being slow on the street. To be honest, in stock form it is a pain to drive and is not that impressive. Below 4-5K it was very flat. It doesn't have the throw you in the seat acceleration you might expect but you must understand that for the longest time everybody was doing the same expensive mods (Dinan/Evo cam gear sprocket, chip, K&N filter, evo airbox, 87mm "2.5" crank ONLY) that only gained a few real world HP. Then someone made an affordable way to get rid of the bottleneck AFM which really makes a big difference. It's almost pointless to do anything else to the engine now, without getting rid of the AFM in my opinion. It's just not worth it, except for a chip but that's cheap and easy to change out. Drive a well sorted M3 with properly modded S14 and you'll see the potential that BMW Motorsport and many racers saw but the problem is it's not cheap so for the street it's no surprise many opt for swaps.

[Lair]

It doesn't help that I was comparing it to my 3 liter, 240hp 968. The M3 felt like a light switch compared to my car.

I've seen several dedicated track M3's, and they're still amazingly effective.