Why all the E30 M3 love?

Why all the E30 M3 love?

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Mr Dave

Original Poster:

3,233 posts

210 months

Tuesday 25th January 2011
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This is not an attempt at trolling for a start.

I am seriously confused about all the hype over the E30 M3 as it is the most disapointing car i have ever driven.

Now I am a very big fan of BMWs and have been lucky enough to drive many different models on roads and on track.

I will start off with the good points, the M3 I drove was a very good condition well kept example on the standard fit tyres, I drove it on track and to be fair compared to other cars of a similar age, Sierra Cosworth and so on it is pretty good, very light feeling and quite "chuckable". Pretty good brakes, very driver centric dash, great looking and good steering.

Here comes the but. It has entirely the wrong engine for a sporty BMW, the S14 being nowhere near as good to drive as the straight 6s in the 635csi or the later M3s. It really did feel pretty gutless and it does move you along rightly and does rev well and has a very direct throttle but I just didnt feel any great love for the engine and I honestly believe that a well sorted 325i will be almost as quick day to day on real roads. The 325 feels heavier at the front but not in a bad way, and the old 318s seemed to handle almost as nicely with the sports suspension. I honestly dont think the car is worth all the premium it demands over other E30s unless you want that badge and those wheel arches (which are lovely)

Its very good and when it was new it must have been great but it has been greatly surpassed.

The E36 M3 gets slated for being not as pure and less of a drivers car but I think this is nonesense. It goes a lot better, steering is as good, just as involving to drive on track I reckon and so much of an improvement on the road where better ride and the extra grunt makes it a faster car.

E46 M3 is a car where you can really feel the extra weight, over the E30 but i think that engine makes up for it, having had a go in a CSL on track I can honestly say it is a far better track car than the E30 M3 and again for the road the power is easier to access and there is a lot more of it, steering is better, brakes are better, diff is better, gearbox is better, seats are better, steering wheel is better throttle response is better nothing the E30 does that the 46 CSL doesnt do better. It also seemed to me that the CSL had more character and seemed far more special than the E30.

But to me the best of the M cars is the Z3 M coupe. If the E30 M3 is your thing then I really think you should try one, I was expecting it to be a real mess of a car but it isnt, I honestly think it has been the best M car yet on the road and on track it copes well and it just feels special to me. If I had to choose any of the ones I mentioned that would be the one.

Captain Flashman

653 posts

186 months

Tuesday 25th January 2011
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Mr Dave said:
Its very good and when it was new it must have been great but it has been greatly surpassed.
bingo! and most of the people i know that have owned e30s and have moved onto an e46 or something else all have commented on how they miss the involvement and feedback they get from an e30.

I regualarly drive an 325Ci e46 and i'm about to buy a 330ci but as a drivers car i would take my alpina any day of the week. that feeling of connection with the road and car is just not present in modern cars.

in terms of prices on e30 M3, well thats just market forces.

Smike

23,876 posts

218 months

Tuesday 25th January 2011
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I guess there is a certain element of people who couldn't afford one when they were young being able to buy one as a second car/hobby car. It's similar to the Mk1/Mk2 RS Escorts enthusiasm and prices