Discussion
Im thinking about getting an M3 (E36 one) as a regular car....
My first question is how much difference is there in the real world normal M3 and the newer M3 evo
Ill be looking for one under 10k (there are loads on Autotrader) but is it a car to worry about high miles as it will be hard to get an Evo with low miles within my budget.
My first question is how much difference is there in the real world normal M3 and the newer M3 evo
Ill be looking for one under 10k (there are loads on Autotrader) but is it a car to worry about high miles as it will be hard to get an Evo with low miles within my budget.
Theres quite a performance difference between the two
The M3 is fun no doubt, but the Evo is evil LOL
Standard puts out 286bhp, and the Evo is claimed as 321bhp. I've yet to see an Evo put out this figure without being modded. Its closer to 305
There are a few issues. The Evo has the dreaded VANOS paranoia with it. You can figure spending £2k on a replacement. Its a nasty cloud that hangs over an otherwise, near flawless car
The other is the SMG box. Avoid at all costs as the failure rate is pretty high. And again, expensive to rectify.
You can find Evos for less than £10k, but if you want something thats been cherished, figure on spending £11k upwards. There are deals outthere though. It is definitely a buyers market.
As with all BMW lumps, they can go on forever given the correct servicing
You can get standard M3's from as little as £6k now, but as I mentioned, its a completely different animal. A lot of prospective owners prefer the "solidity" of teh standard model. You really need to drive each of them to see where your loyalties lie.
>> Edited by liquidken on Tuesday 22 June 01:27
The M3 is fun no doubt, but the Evo is evil LOL
Standard puts out 286bhp, and the Evo is claimed as 321bhp. I've yet to see an Evo put out this figure without being modded. Its closer to 305
There are a few issues. The Evo has the dreaded VANOS paranoia with it. You can figure spending £2k on a replacement. Its a nasty cloud that hangs over an otherwise, near flawless car
The other is the SMG box. Avoid at all costs as the failure rate is pretty high. And again, expensive to rectify.
You can find Evos for less than £10k, but if you want something thats been cherished, figure on spending £11k upwards. There are deals outthere though. It is definitely a buyers market.
As with all BMW lumps, they can go on forever given the correct servicing
You can get standard M3's from as little as £6k now, but as I mentioned, its a completely different animal. A lot of prospective owners prefer the "solidity" of teh standard model. You really need to drive each of them to see where your loyalties lie.
>> Edited by liquidken on Tuesday 22 June 01:27
EVO is a much smoother drive, has better steering, is noticeably faster and 6-speed box gives great motorway cruising (it can crack 30 mpg)- but the old 5-speed box is MUCH nicer to use.
The single VANOS can also go on the pre-EVO cars: it did on mine, but luckily BMW warranty covered it.
You won't be disapointed with either, but gearbox apart, I thought the EVO was a much better car!
The single VANOS can also go on the pre-EVO cars: it did on mine, but luckily BMW warranty covered it.
You won't be disapointed with either, but gearbox apart, I thought the EVO was a much better car!
Basically, what happens is oil gets starved, and it doesn't get lubricated properly. Then its starts getting tappy...you can guess what happens with oil starvation...
Its basically a £2k fix. Most will argue that a fully serviced car at BM will give you creedence for a full goodwill gesture, as it is a design flaw...but this is not always the case
Its basically a £2k fix. Most will argue that a fully serviced car at BM will give you creedence for a full goodwill gesture, as it is a design flaw...but this is not always the case
Well business use insurance isn't bad (miles cheaper than my cossie's limited mileage ins!) and the VX goes on Wednsday.... so I will be out looking at M3's soon.
Unfortunatelly my budget leaves me with only the cheapest EVO's but they all seem to have a FSH.... so I think it'll just be a matter of waiting for a good one to come along.
Unfortunatelly my budget leaves me with only the cheapest EVO's but they all seem to have a FSH.... so I think it'll just be a matter of waiting for a good one to come along.
chippy69 said:
There is a lot to be said for the non Evo car, the power and torque come in much lower so unless you are revving the c**p out of it the 3.0 feels every bit as quick, it does not have the Vanos issue coupled with a 5speed box is more reliable, it is also cheaper to buy and run
I agree, I used to drive a ton of E36s (non-Evo and Evo) and they all felt as fast (or as slow) as each other in most situations. A 328 feels almost as quick up to the legal limit; the E36 is v easy to drive and the engine is so linear there is no shove in the back. Nice car and all, but ever so slightly soulless. Agree that E36 SMG is abysmal. Best E36 I drove was the AC Schnitzer demo track car, with trick suspension ('RS', plus all bushes and ARBs etc.) which handled beyond all recognition. Standard E36 Ms veer towards understeer on track, especially if you mod them with front strut brace. Cheapest Evo I heard about from a trade contact recently was in the 6k region... may have been 6800 or sommat.
>> Edited by domster on Thursday 1st July 14:29
I've seen quite a few Evo's for 7-8k with FSH.....
I think I've decided that I'm going to not worry about weather it's an Evo or not and worry more about condition, interior (want light coloured leather) and mileage.
don't want an Estorial Blue one either as I re-sprayed my cossie that colour about 6years ago and it'd seem a bit samey!
Trouble is all the ones that seem to fit the bill are miles away and I'm not good at waiting.
I think I've decided that I'm going to not worry about weather it's an Evo or not and worry more about condition, interior (want light coloured leather) and mileage.
don't want an Estorial Blue one either as I re-sprayed my cossie that colour about 6years ago and it'd seem a bit samey!
Trouble is all the ones that seem to fit the bill are miles away and I'm not good at waiting.
sorry I meant the SMT auto mode thingy box.......
Will be adding the GT spoiler soon, I've got it I just need to find the time to paint and fit it.
I fighting the urge to not start modding it at the moment... I got to say I think its an awsome car and its certainly proving I made the right choice using the BM V12 for my next project.
Will be adding the GT spoiler soon, I've got it I just need to find the time to paint and fit it.
I fighting the urge to not start modding it at the moment... I got to say I think its an awsome car and its certainly proving I made the right choice using the BM V12 for my next project.
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