4 door e36 m3 dd or e30 318 and s50 the wagon?

[ColdAccord]

I guess this is kind of a stupid question to ask on an e30 board but maybe I'm just looking for some reinforcement. I went down to middletown yesterday to trade my e34 + $2500 for what was supposed to be a very nice m3 sedan

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...249943574&rd=1

and it was crap. all seats were beat, all door panels were beat, carpet had bleach or something on it, clear was gone off the hood, roof and trunk, etc. So I kept my e34 and my cash and drove 6 hours home. Waste of $140 in gas.

So I've been thinking. Maybe I should just get an e30 318 sedan, drop it, and get great gas mileage. Then spend ~3k on a wrecked e36 m3 (they seem to be going for about that these days) and put the motor, tranny, steering rack, and diff in my e30 wagon and sell off the rest. it would be nice to get the touring going again for sure

Trying to decide between that and just buying an e36 m3 sedan and letting the wagon sit for a couple years before I can afford an m3 parts car for it. It's just tough as it's difficult to find a 318 4 door, with under 130k, in nice shape without paying out the ass. Plus the m3 would be half the age, and they can easily be found in the $7's in 4 door. I like the e36 as well, a lot more modern looking than the e30 for a daily driver

I guess it's the difference between having a great car to drive every day, or having a decent car to drive every day and a fun once-in-a-while-wagon

what chall think?

[Jesse30]

get an e36 318 4 door. then get the m3 parts car and do the swap.


cake, you have it.

[e30e]

Doing e36 318i s52 swap is not cheaper than buying an m3, doing just bumpers sure.... My e36 m3/4 is my DD, even with a bad o2 sensor I still get 23mpg and I routinely hit 7.5k 2-3 times a week getting on the freeway. My daughter's car seat sits in the back just fine. I don't drive my e30 anymore, I miss it but modern convenience of e36 m3/4 with all the safety bells and whistles makes me feel comfortable with having my family in the car. Plus I've crashed an e36 at 80mph and I walked away with out a scratch. E36 has plenty of faults but I've owned 3 and all were pretty reliable after doing the common stuff and maintenance. Personally if I had e30 wagon, it would not be a DD until it had an s52. If gas mileage is your only concern e36 318i all the way but I like having fun and for 5 mpg less I'll take a m3.

[ColdAccord]

sorry I may have not worded correctly.

My wagon would never be my dd, just a fun car. the 318 would be the dd (or the e36 m3/4 if I went with that option).

I would dd a 318, buy a wrecked m3 and swap everything into my wagon, and leave the 318 stock, maybe a drop and wheels but thats it

[Lair]

Another vote for the e36 M3/4.

It may be the world's best daily driver. I put a trailer hitch on mine and used it to haul motocross bikes to Oklahoma, Illinois, GA, Missouri, and other points across the states. I've folded down the back seats and hauled everything from lumber to mini bikes and never got worse than 23.8 mpg average.

Even with the trailer & bikes attached, I averaged 20.1 mpg.

They're hard to beat for an all-around utilitarian vehicle that will haul ass when the need arises.

[e304me]

i have a e36 m3 and a 91 318 and personally think the 318 is much more fun to drive

[Jesse30]

Doing e36 318i s52 swap is not cheaper than buying an m3, doing just bumpers sure.... My e36 m3/4 is my DD, even with a bad o2 sensor I still get 23mpg and I routinely hit 7.5k 2-3 times a week getting on the freeway. My daughter's car seat sits in the back just fine. I don't drive my e30 anymore, I miss it but modern convenience of e36 m3/4 with all the safety bells and whistles makes me feel comfortable with having my family in the car. Plus I've crashed an e36 at 80mph and I walked away with out a scratch. E36 has plenty of faults but I've owned 3 and all were pretty reliable after doing the common stuff and maintenance. Personally if I had e30 wagon, it would not be a DD until it had an s52. If gas mileage is your only concern e36 318i all the way but I like having fun and for 5 mpg less I'll take a m3.

.. i was saying dd the e36 318 and put the s52 in the touring.

[yberther]

why not daily the touring?

and s52 the 318 ;)

[Jesse30]

why not daily the touring?

and s52 the 318 ;)

cause then your doing more work and paying more money just to have an m3 in the end.

when you could have the s52 in the touring and have something more badass than it already is and really fun to drive.

i'd rather have a bad driver hit a e36 318 than an e30 touring.

[e30e]

why not daily the touring?

and s52 the 318 ;)

because obviously you didn't read my post