TIFF

I have never really thought of the 4dr version of these cars....probably as you dont see many of them about.

BUT

Just noticed Jays one he has for sale and got me thinking.....
What would these be like as a nice, fast family car.
Are they good to live with day in day out???


The more i look at them the more i like them, and around the 4k mark will get you a good one.

YODI

iTrader: (1)

Yes mate great cars all round and no real difference to the 2dr versions apart from the obvious....

Just check for any Vanos history

4dr is Uber cool too

PS.3K is a good price

fordsportjay

iTrader: (6)

around the 3k mark will get you good one!

TIFF

Jay

I am very tempted tbh..................but i go on holiday tomorrow so i will have to wait.

AND.....i think the 4dr ones will of been looked after a little more.......

Madbradz

Good cars... Check for Vanos history, Manifold flexi joint and general service history!

Mine is a summer toy, And its very heavy on petrol but does get used hard!

Saloons are cool

bud-weis

Love them, great cars to own, although i'd personally be wary of a cheap one.

Lots of car for the money though, i actually found fuel wasn't to bad either

booner999

3-4k wont get you a really good one.

I paid 5.5k for my cosmos black 4 door 3.0 M3, and its the best car I have ever owned!



No rust what so ever, no vanos issues, the engine is bomb proof, and I mean its had some punishment and it loves it, effortlessy quick

great motors and recommend getting one

Jay,

iTrader: (4)

all i see is them up forsale for ages they seem not to sell very easy

TIFF

Your right.....i think the 4 doors puts people off..

But if you ARE in the market for one that is a good thing as its a way of getting a few quid off

DangerousBryan

agreed you wont get a good one for 3k. i paid 4.8k for mine with slight rust bubbles on the back arches but it had full main dealer service history. now on 150k and loving it.never had the vanos done or anything else major.

booner999

mines really tidy, i didnt relise how tidy until a year ago when we decided to have a proper look lol.

no rust at all, prone on the archs but just dont have any.

low owners, bought it with 95k on the clock, full BMWSH, and boy dont it go, my escossy wont touch it.


Nice car up there btw, love them wheels thinking of getting a evo 3 dr and making it very quick

booner999

also, i looked into these cars, and they say when new and they run the mag tests etc on them, that the saloon handled better as it had a bit more giff in the chassie..... never driven a 3 dr one so cant comment but know mine handles really well, and getting the ass out is the best

DangerousBryan

quite hard to make them very quick really without chucking bucketloads at them,there bloody heavy as well.i have just got nitrous to stick on mine at some point which should see 400hp in short bursts. better off turboing or supercharging really. most you are going to see na is 360ish

Madbradz

Agreed not really a car you can tune up...

Love mine, Fast, Smooth, Reliable, And really does handle pretty well once you learn to drive it.

And Can Hang the ass out all day long!

booner999

yeah looked into Turboing it, they say SC is the best way with them.

U can get bolt on turbos or SC kits for about 7k lol...

I spoke with DTM about turboing mine, they said what sort of power are you looking for, I said around 450ish but would accept less for reliability, the chap replyed, you should get 500bhp with low boost lol..... mind you it was going to cost me 17k lol

SapphyMike

you loose the air con with turbo's as the air con pump is in the way

booner999

i dont mind that, hate air con, and its bloody heavy lol, but must admit, want to do this work to a 3 dr one rather than the 5 door, also dont want to ruin the one I have now

SapphyMike

if its a daily drive i couldnt do without air con / climate control now. but if its a weekend blast, then i could maybe push it lol.

Frankly though as im bored of wasting money on cars, im just gonna buy one that does the full job and wont break on me lol.

im already utterly bored of my scooby, and i've only had it 3 weeks

booner999

hahahaha buy a M5

fordsportjay

iTrader: (6)

quite frankly,you CAN get a decent m3 saloon for 3k!
129000 miles,no rust on the arches,huge history file,no vanos noise,new tyres,strut top mounts,suspension,brakes,etc.

reading the above suggests my 3k car is no good-sorry it is if you can live with the red leather,and dont mind paying £100 to do the stonechips on the front bumper.

the m3 saloon is an absolute bargain car and not usually as thrashed as the coupes.

booner999

if it was me looking for one, i would want one thats not been tracked, a full service history with bmw failing that specialist, and with out the rusty archs... these cars should be looked after, so finding one that has not got a f ull service history makes me question it, if there is full history and recipts for previous work then not a prob, if you are looking from one, find out which dealers its been maintained at, they can go through there system and tell you lots about the car. I did this and it is really helpful

andya2z

Great cars but totally different to a Cosworth.
The car feals so much heavier than a Cossie. And that RWD is like the good old days of a 2.8 Capri. You have to be awake in the rain.
I bought mine as we were trying for a family and was best of both. 4 doors and performance. Now wife won't drive it as it's a bit too heavy for her. Throttle is not girlie enough.
I'm now selling my 4dr Silver at the moment but people don't find them desirable. Most people don't know they exist and think it's a 318 body kitted up.
Maybe have to by another Cossie????

Jim Galbally

i read in a BMW magazine that they rated the saloons above the coupes for handling etc.

they were doing a "best M car" test and picked the 3.2 evo saloon as the E36 one to test.

one thing to check is rear legroom tho if youre looking at using it for the family. my coupe doesnt have much space in the back and dunno if the saloons are any better

YODI

iTrader: (1)

Just because you guys pay 4800 and 5500 for your cars doesnt mean they are better, they have less mileage and jays is cheap to shift

I dont like the red leather myself but again thats personal preference.

Price doesn't always reflect condition and that workd both ways

lozi

yep my sisters boyfreind has had his up for sale for ages without 1 call, its mint as well

Ginge !

you think there bad for leg room, my mates just got a 307 CC company car,,, theres NO leg room in the back,, the front seat butts up against the front of the rear seat !!!

thats a car thats for seats in the back for your jacket/gym kit

my coupe has ALOT of leg room tbh compared to other cars,,,, just getting in and out is a bitch

infact theres LOADS of room in the back and been told a mate done some proper nasty stuff in the back of hes coupe to hes bird,,,, not many cars you can get a bird to aggree to do her anal in the back

simonc

I 've had 2 M3's now, had the 3.0 as a family car bought it 7yrs ago & kept it for 3yrs, it was ok with one kid but when the next one came along i found the boot too small,it was very reliable, replaced it with an 850R estate then phase 2 V70R as i find the estate does everything i need for day to day stuff. Bought an M3 evo last september in estoril with black leather one of the later ones on an S plate,its too small for a proper family car for my needs but we do use it sometimes to all go out,also had the saloon aswell. There is a reason why the M3 on here is 3k, boston green is not desirable nor is red leather,would make a good track car though. M3's are very hard to sell,took ages to sell my last one but 1st person to view bought it. If you buy a dog it will cost you a small fortune to get it upto scratch they are not cheap to run/service though good on juice,mine averaged around 32mpg down to Le mans.

Simon.

SapphyMike

i am in November hopefully

booner999

good man, pics will be requiered lol

One thing that puts me off them, is all the kids buying 318is and putting the M3 kit on etc, really puts the M3 down, its only until you floor it that ppl know its real.

As for running costs ie servicers etc, its pricey, but thats the only money I have spent on mine

Anyway, anyone who wants one, my advice, get one. The best pound for pound fun factor car around if you ask me in standard form

Price wise, subject to some mug trying to rip you, price does normaly tell, this dosnt mean you dont check stuff, BMW mechanics have all said what a box of nightmares they can be if abused, not maintained or serviced. But like every car, there are bargins to be had. Just check everything and you wont go wrong

Mr S1

iTrader: (2)

If I was going to buy an M36 M3 the only one I'd buy is a 4 door car.

booner999

why? just interested?

Dan

I so nearly bought one of these in Estoril Blue, stunning cars and just as cool as the coupe if you ask me!

StephTell

TBH I think the E36 looks terribly dated nowaday's and especially the 4-door as it looks like a dressed up 325...very capable cars for the money though and should be pretty reliable!

How about the M5?

I used to have one and it was great!
Very very comfy, quick, understated and errr....black!

simonc

Yes the E36 M3 does look very dated, however i do think they look more modern in estoril blue its by far the best colour but i would say that as i have one ! People keep saying what about an M5 but an E39 M5 is £7500 upwards but you really need around 10k, the E34 M5 is in the same price bracket as the E36 M3 but the E34 looks really dated. My take on it is the M3 is a real performance bargain & built well too, get yourself a nice condition estoril blue saloon.

Simon.

StephTell

True, the E34 does look very dated but in a good way IMO.

If you get one in black with the original wheels (the vane-type jobbies) it's a modern classic!

Personally I prefer the way it handles/drives as well but I like big cars so...

fordsportjay

iTrader: (6)

ive had an e46 m3,e39 m5,e34 m5,e30 m3 and e36 m3.

i now run an e36 m3 track car-its been awesome and as quick if not quicker than my m5 was round the track,never took my e46 round but can imagine it would have been good.

as for the e36 looking dated-is that a bad thing?dont series 1's,sapphire cosworth etc look dated?

with the prices of e36 m3's now they represent excellent value for money.

StephTell

IMO S1's and 3-doors look dated in a good, classic way.

E36's and Saph's look dated in a 'cheap' way if you know what I mean...

Used to have a very very nice low mileage E30 M3 as well, very dated but again: classic.

jameswrx

The seats are a bit naff in the 4 doors too, aren't they the same as the convertible seats?