To M the 318 or just get an M3

**Breyton E36** · 12-31-2003, 12:55 PM

Let see where we start. I have a 1995 318is....... with 129,xxx miles & its a automatic. The car is in mint condition inside and out.

Right now it's either do an M3 conversion (motor, tranny & M3 suspension parts that are needed) and the fact that i know where my car has been, because i am the first owner.

Or, get a 96-99 E36 M3.

Which do you guys think would be the best plan? Money wise. I'm not really too concerned about resale value because this will be a project car to represent an online store, body shop and i may track the car eventually & i plan to keep the car around for weekend fun, being that the E36 is my Fav. 3 series.

Some Insight would be great for those that have done this or thought about doing it and purchased an M3 instead.

**ken_vs_ryu** · 12-31-2003, 12:59 PM

get the m3.

**ClintonM3** · 12-31-2003, 01:01 PM

M3 has more exotic and exclusive color choice. Better resale value.

**NegativeCambre** · 12-31-2003, 01:01 PM

Well, be prepared to shell out some dough for an S50 conversion, buying an M3 will *probably* run you less in the end. I say that tentatively because I really don't know the resell on 4-cyl E36's. Can't imagine its very high though.

Also, buying that M allows you to run the M3 badge on the back of your car, and for people that won't know what they are looking at under the hood, sometimes that little M on the back is important for them. Normally I wouldn't bring up this benefit, but since you are using the car for publicity sake as well, it may be important to draw attention to the fact that the car is an M3.

Good luck!
Steve

**Theodore** · 12-31-2003, 01:05 PM

I'd say practicality wise, just buy an M. However if you want to showcase a shops work and that shop will do all the work, might wanna try the conversion, although I don't think much is involved in terms of special skills or labor. Hope it helps.

Ted

**LinearX** · 12-31-2003, 01:45 PM

The subframe, reinforcement welds, suspension geometry, it is a LOT of work to do a conversion and you never quite end up with the same car. If you want to pay more money and have to work on the car a lot to make it what you want, then by all means do it. Financially it is never going to be worth it though, unless you keep the car for years and years because the insurance premium is a bit less on the 318.

**Ridgeway** · 12-31-2003, 02:35 PM

I wanted to do it when I had my '95 318i, but the cost would have been similar to buying a ~95-96 M3, so I held off for the M3(which I then put on hold for the Z....).

**SilverBeam** · 12-31-2003, 02:48 PM

An S50/tranny and instal will set you back probably about 10K. What have you already done to the car? Do you have the suspension and brakes to back up an engine and tranny swap? Selling the 318 + what you would pay on a swap would put you into a nice M3. Because you are the only owner of the car, I can see there is a sentimental aspect, if it's worth the swap or if there are payment or insurance issues, go for it. But if there isn't I say go for the M.

**Croak** · 12-31-2003, 02:53 PM

Well, you can do a conversion for less than the cost of a M3.

I have a grand total of $20k in my car now, but that includes the cost of the original '93 325, the cost of the wrecked M3 donor, and a lot of mods, including the supercharger (see sig).

Last year when I bought the 325, a clean 95 M3 with the same miles I have on my current engine was going for $15k and up. If you then add my current mods on top of that, it would have easily cost $25k+.

Prices haven't dropped THAT much on clean '95's in the past year, so it's still a value. Keep in mind though that this requires you to do as much of the mechanical work as possible yourself, because shop labor can drastically increase the cost of the project.

However, I got pretty lucky on the donor car, getting a car that had all the M3 bits mechanically intact, and an intact interior, for just a little bit more than the price of an M3 engine alone. Deals like that don't come along all that often. I also offset a good bit of the cost by selling my old 325 parts (interior, wheels, engine/tranny, etc).

In terms of resale, the real M3 is obviously going to be a better deal, so doing a conversion is not something I recommend for a car you're only going to keep a year or two, you'll never get a decent amount of money back out of it. In my case, the car is going to be in my garage a long long time, probably becoming a stripped-down track only toy when it's no longer my daily driver.

**Jwright** · 12-31-2003, 03:28 PM

Buy an M3.

**332 RustBucket** · 12-31-2003, 03:28 PM

Don't waste your time, get a M3.

**TexasTechno4dr** · 12-31-2003, 03:41 PM

Get the M3.

* You'll never see the money back that you'd sink into the 318.
* You'll save yourself a bunch of time.
* You'll bypass many of the technical hiccups.
* I have an M3 and I am a supah-stahh!

**Croak** · 12-31-2003, 03:53 PM

Originally posted by 332 TMS car

Don't waste your time, get a M3.

"Time" and "Waste" are defined differently by different people.

I've enjoyed the living shit out of my project, still am. Tinkering with the car is a lot of fun for me. In return, I have a fine running, great perfoming, fun-as-hell car that I know like the back of my hand, and can be damned proud of. The fact that I saved a several thousand dollars in the process is just sweet sweet icing.

While I'm sure I'd have just as much fun DRIVING a real M3, I wouldn't have the pride I have in my car right now, the enjoyment of working on it, nor would the M3 perform anywhere near as well as my converted car with the same investment.

I have absolutely nothing against somebody that buys a regular M3 and then takes it to a shop to have it modified. Different strokes for different folks, some people just don't like working on cars, some don't have the skills, space, or time to do it, etc, and there's nothing wrong with that. And some people aren't happy unless they have a "genuine" M3, nothing wrong with that either.

For me, it just kills me to have somebody else work on my car when I could be doing the work myself, I could give a shit about the VIN number or badge since all I care about is the end results, and like I said, I don't have any intention of selling this car anytime soon.

**Croak** · 12-31-2003, 04:02 PM

To put this in further perspective, I've spent very little on exterior mods, most of my time and money have went under the hood, the driveline, the suspension, and the interior..all things that make ME happy, not things that impress others. I'll get around to doing the body eventually, but it's low low priority compared to making it handle better and go faster.

The car still has asstacular paint, black sideskirts, etc, but has one hell of a good looking interior and engine bay.

Parked in a row of M3's at meets, auto-x's, etc, my car looks pathetic, but I'm usually one of the best performing cars there. That's what matters most to me.

**SR20Fastback** · 12-31-2003, 04:05 PM

Why would you ever want to sell a GranitSilber car anyways, that color is just sex

I say if you really care about the insurance, or want to do the work yourself just keep the 318. Though, its probably harder to convert a 4cyl M42 or M44 to an S50 as opposed to an M50 or M52...

Good luck either way

**snk328is** · 12-31-2003, 05:11 PM

Just buy the M3.

**///MEric** · 12-31-2003, 05:21 PM

just get the m3

**dave is cool** · 12-31-2003, 08:06 PM

Croak, if I were you, I wouldn't work on the body. I would keep the stock 325 sideskirts, bumpers, mirrors, and all that. Your car is the true definition of a "sleeper", and that's what matters most

**Red Herring** · 12-31-2003, 08:29 PM

Just like StevenRyan said, because you are using it for show to the public, that little M in the back of the car can make a big difference. Also, someone who glances at the car but doesn't do a full on inspection will see it's an M3 and have a little more respect than looking and seeing, oh its a 318. In addition, if in the future you wanted to fix up the M3 that would be even more badass!

**Chris E30+M50** · 12-31-2003, 10:13 PM

Mike it really just depends on you but if you don't want to work on the car yourself just get the M3. The whole point behind a conversion is to do as much as you can yourself. You can't even come close to having it make sense if you have to pay someone else to do all the work. I have a 90 325 with a M-50 conversion and I am into the car probably about 8000.00 and it has walked all over numerous M3s. I love working on and playing with my car and it is constantly having something else done to it thats the way I like it.

**M3griff** · 12-31-2003, 10:57 PM

FWIW - I've been down some of the same path. I had a 94 318is (tho not from new) and I loved driving it. But as I started to get into more mods, I realized that what I really wanted and was trying to create was an M3. And, the only way to really get a real M3 is to buy one that BMW built. So - I did that and I haven't regretted it once. Everything that you have enjoyed doing with the 318, you will enjoy even more with the M3 - and you will have even more options so you will still be able to personalize it any way that you want.

Think of it this way: if you change out the engine, suspension, and tranny on your 318, it is not going to be the same car you had anyway.

Get the M3.

Jeff