Discussion
thinking of purchasing one as need something a bit more practical than my E30 M3, are they reliable etc...
I have heard in many ways they are a better buy than Evos, ie running costs, initial purchase price, reliabiltiy and they are not that much slower...anyone know if this is true?
I have heard in many ways they are a better buy than Evos, ie running costs, initial purchase price, reliabiltiy and they are not that much slower...anyone know if this is true?
Here's a table of the different versions I compiled for you quickly:
www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/comp/?id=56155&id=14245&id=56144&id=54967
Hope that helps in terms of raw numbers ;-)
Ciao
Zak
www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/comp/?id=56155&id=14245&id=56144&id=54967
Hope that helps in terms of raw numbers ;-)
Ciao
Zak
RobbieM-Evo said:
Ive gone from a 98'M3 Evo coupe to a 95'(3.0) M3 Cab..
Not much dif in them really, im finding the (3.0) M3 better for every day driving but the best thing is knowing that the vanos is not going to go costing me 2-3K! So peace of mind is better if all else is not...
exactlythat is why I was thinking of the non evo, possibly interesting: I was talking to my mechanic yesterday regarding these cars and he says he can rebuild the Vanos units thus saving a fair amount of cash, I had never heard this before.
Neither have I!!!
I have learned in the last year there are 2 x parts to the Vanos system 1. the gearing part. 2. the variable timing part. Now I had a BMW warranty on my vanos on the evo I had, thats why I bought the car and it started to rattle so I took it to BMW and they said its the gear part and not the timing bit and WAS NOT covered, so this is now why im in a 3.0 and not the 3.2 Evo.
If going for an evo check with BMW to make sure the whole unit is covered.
There is only about 26BHP in it, enough said.
Im going for a Gruppe M Induction kit for £176 and this will give a bit more BHP.
>> Edited by RobbieM-Evo on Friday 10th June 14:37
I have learned in the last year there are 2 x parts to the Vanos system 1. the gearing part. 2. the variable timing part. Now I had a BMW warranty on my vanos on the evo I had, thats why I bought the car and it started to rattle so I took it to BMW and they said its the gear part and not the timing bit and WAS NOT covered, so this is now why im in a 3.0 and not the 3.2 Evo.
If going for an evo check with BMW to make sure the whole unit is covered.
There is only about 26BHP in it, enough said.
Im going for a Gruppe M Induction kit for £176 and this will give a bit more BHP.
>> Edited by RobbieM-Evo on Friday 10th June 14:37
RobbieM-Evo said:
Neither have I!!!
I have learned in the last year there are 2 x parts to the Vanos system 1. the gearing part. 2. the variable timing part. Now I had a BMW warranty on my vanos on the evo I had, thats why I bought the car and it started to rattle so I took it to BMW and they said its the gear part and not the timing bit and WAS NOT covered, so this is now why im in a 3.0 and not the 3.2 Evo.
If going for an evo check with BMW to make sure the whole unit is covered.
There is only about 26BHP in it, enough said.
Im going for a Gruppe M Induction kit for £176 and this will give a bit more BHP.
>> Edited by RobbieM-Evo on Friday 10th June 14:37
do induction kits make that much difference I have heard it is only a case of a couple of horsepower?
RobbieM-Evo said:
Ive gone from a 98'M3 Evo coupe to a 95'(3.0) M3 Cab..
Not much dif in them really, im finding the (3.0) M3 better for every day driving but the best thing is knowing that the vanos is not going to go costing me 2-3K! So peace of mind is better if all else is not...
Hi Robbie,
I'm just about to buy an E36 M3 Cabrio and can't decide between the 3.0 and the 3.2Evo,
and you seem like a very good person to ask, having owned both!! I am swaying towards the 3.0 for the exact same reason as you - peace of mind!! Thing is, I've currently got an E36 2.8 Cabrio and was worried that the performance increase by going to a 3.0 won't be enough to satisfy my 'need for more power'. What's your opinion on the difference in the power (did you notice a drop in performance when you went from your 3.2Evo to the 3.0)? Thanx
Edited to say, if anybody has any pearls of wisdom on this subject, please feel free to send 'em my way - ta.
>> Edited by turbo tim on Tuesday 28th June 13:18
turbo tim said:
Ive gone from a 98'M3 Evo coupe to a 95'(3.0) M3 Cab..
Not much dif in them really, im finding the (3.0) M3 better for every day driving but the best thing is knowing that the vanos is not going to go costing me 2-3K! So peace of mind is better if all else is not...
Hi Robbie,
I'm just about to buy an E36 M3 Cabrio and can't decide between the 3.0 and the 3.2Evo,
Thanx
Edited to say, if anybody has any pearls of wisdom on this subject, please feel free to send 'em my way - ta.
>> Edited by turbo tim on Tuesday 28th June 13:18
Hi Tim, I think you will notice the power increase going from the 328 to the M3 3.0. For a start its an ///M and the sound of the engine with the roof down is great! As for the power differance in Evo/3.0 there is hardly anything in it! I had a blast with a new M3 cab the other day and kept up with him no probs, think he was a bit annoyed:-). I know the 328 is a 2.8 and the ///M a 3.0 but its all the other bits and bobs that make such a differance. If you go for an evo all I can say is get one with low millege and a BMW warranty cos if the vanos goes your looking at a 2k bill! Anyway good luck and if you need any help or have any questions drop me a mail.
At the end of the day an M3/Evo is such a car for not a lot of £££. You should check out www.e36coupe.co.uk im on there: RobM-Evo great bunch which are very helpfull, hope to see you over there. Cheers. Rob
I've had an E36 328i cab, an E36 M3 3.0 coupe, an E36 M3 3.2 cab and an E46 M3 Coupe so hopefully I can add something to what's already been said.
You will notice the difference between the 328i and the M3 3.0, as has been said the M cars perform in a very different way. The noise is fantastic, the push in the back is more fierce and the overall feel of the car is far more sporty. In theory the 0-60 time is about a second quicker but it feels a lot more. Overtaking in the M3 is a more positive experience than in the 328 as the mid range punch is fantastic.
The Evo feels very similar to the 3.0 but the six gears is useful if you do a lot of motorway work. I would opt for the peace of mind if it were my money now.
Just to mention the E46, I found it to be a much improved car in terms of handling, build quality and outright performance. Having said that a good driver in a 330i could probably give a bad driver in an M3 a run for their money. It's not what you've got it's how you drive it!
Just my 2p worth.
You will notice the difference between the 328i and the M3 3.0, as has been said the M cars perform in a very different way. The noise is fantastic, the push in the back is more fierce and the overall feel of the car is far more sporty. In theory the 0-60 time is about a second quicker but it feels a lot more. Overtaking in the M3 is a more positive experience than in the 328 as the mid range punch is fantastic.
The Evo feels very similar to the 3.0 but the six gears is useful if you do a lot of motorway work. I would opt for the peace of mind if it were my money now.
Just to mention the E46, I found it to be a much improved car in terms of handling, build quality and outright performance. Having said that a good driver in a 330i could probably give a bad driver in an M3 a run for their money. It's not what you've got it's how you drive it!
Just my 2p worth.
pdavison said:
I've had an E36 328i cab, an E36 M3 3.0 coupe, an E36 M3 3.2 cab and an E46 M3 Coupe so hopefully I can add something to what's already been said.
You will notice the difference between the 328i and the M3 3.0, as has been said the M cars perform in a very different way. The noise is fantastic, the push in the back is more fierce and the overall feel of the car is far more sporty. In theory the 0-60 time is about a second quicker but it feels a lot more. Overtaking in the M3 is a more positive experience than in the 328 as the mid range punch is fantastic.
The Evo feels very similar to the 3.0 but the six gears is useful if you do a lot of motorway work. I would opt for the peace of mind if it were my money now.
Just to mention the E46, I found it to be a much improved car in terms of handling, build quality and outright performance. Having said that a good driver in a 330i could probably give a bad driver in an M3 a run for their money. It's not what you've got it's how you drive it!
Just my 2p worth.
How very true... 9 times out of 10 it's who has the fastest gearchange!
apache said:
So, to summarise, the 93 to 98 pre vanos/evo E36 3.0ltr is a pretty safe bet? on the previous list of specs it appears to have more grunt too?
upto 1995 is the pre-evo with the 3.0 single vanos unit.
Post 1995/6 is the evo 3.2 with double vanos unit.
Hope this helps
>> Edited by RobbieM-Evo on Tuesday 28th June 16:09
pdavison said:
You will notice the difference between the 328i and the M3 3.0, as has been said the M cars perform in a very different way. The noise is fantastic, the push in the back is more fierce and the overall feel of the car is far more sporty.
EXCELLENT!! That's what I hoped you guys would say.
Thanks to both of you for taking the time to give me your advice.
I'm now off to find a Black E36 M3 3.0 Cabrio with silver leather....
RobbieM-Evo said:
So, to summarise, the 93 to 98 pre vanos/evo E36 3.0ltr is a pretty safe bet? on the previous list of specs it appears to have more grunt too?
upto 1995 is the pre-evo with the 3.0 single vanos unit.
Post 1995/6 is the evo 3.2 with double vanos unit.
Hope this helps
>> Edited by RobbieM-Evo on Tuesday 28th June 16:09
So what's the best to get then reliability and power wise, I kinda like the early pre-vanos ones
Apache said:
apache said:
So, to summarise, the 93 to 98 pre vanos/evo E36 3.0ltr is a pretty safe bet? on the previous list of specs it appears to have more grunt too?
upto 1995 is the pre-evo with the 3.0 single vanos unit.
Post 1995/6 is the evo 3.2 with double vanos unit.
Hope this helps
>> Edited by RobbieM-Evo on Tuesday 28th June 16:09
So what's the best to get then reliability and power wise, I kinda like the early pre-vanos ones
Power the M3 Evo only by a fraction.
Reliability, Insurance & Running cost M3 3.0 Pre Evo all the way!
RobbieM-Evo & pdavision (and anyone else that can knows about/has experince of the E36 M3) - need to pick your brains again.......
Apparently the 3.2Evo has a limited slip diff and the 3.0 doesn't - did you notice any difference with the handling, specifically with regards to the cornering limits and also the 'progressiveness' of the tail-end breakaway?
Ta
T.T.
Apparently the 3.2Evo has a limited slip diff and the 3.0 doesn't - did you notice any difference with the handling, specifically with regards to the cornering limits and also the 'progressiveness' of the tail-end breakaway?
Ta
T.T.
Hi Tim, not to sure on that im afraid however I have noticed no differance in the handling and my Evo had a strut brace on which the M3 has not. The back end is lively on both cars you just drive around it, ie dont plant your foot coming out of a bend in the wet! Common sense really.
I think the best thing for you to do is try to test drive both back to back and im sure you will agree thats its hard to tell them apart (day to day driving) of course.
If you want to see some pics of the ///M I will email them to you as I noticed your after cosmos black which is what I bought.
Mine came with hard top, wind deflector (hair net!), FBMWSH and 39K on the clock and so on....let me know Tim ans what area you are in? Cheers Mate
I think the best thing for you to do is try to test drive both back to back and im sure you will agree thats its hard to tell them apart (day to day driving) of course.
If you want to see some pics of the ///M I will email them to you as I noticed your after cosmos black which is what I bought.
Mine came with hard top, wind deflector (hair net!), FBMWSH and 39K on the clock and so on....let me know Tim ans what area you are in? Cheers Mate
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