I'm rather new to the e36 daily driver game, I purchased a 1999 M3 coupe exactly a month ago. It was a dream car of mine for the last 3 years, ever since I first drove an e36 328is.
When I finally doubled down and actually decided to buy an e36 M3, I drove it home 9 hours from Wisconsin back to Pennsylvania. I was a bit underwhelmed with the car. The highway driving just wasn't exciting and I didn't get attached to the car like I was expecting too. Additionally I was disappointed by the sound, not raspy and begging you to rev it, more just deep and throaty like an e39 M5. Then, I got the opportunity to really find out just how balanced an e36 is. We got a good 10 inches of snow over night and I had just put on a set of brand new Good Year Ultra Grip Ice wrt tires. With back country roads covered in packed snow, I had an epiphany. The throttle is so linear and the steering so nicely weighted that it was perfect to throw around a corner with the tail sliding happily behind. The way the LSD would just hook up and launch the car made me want to do it again and again. The M3 just shrunk around me and became a part of me. I was one with the car, the sound of the engine ripping up in the revs, the perfect thickness of the three spoke wheel, the lack of a big screen distracting from the driving experience. It all made sense.
I love my e36 and I would like to here what moment made you fall in love with yours.
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Current fleet:
1999 BMW e36 M3
1999 BMW e36 328is with rotary valve engine head
1999 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight
1990 Jeep Comanche Eliminator
1962 Austin Healey Sprite
hmmm, this is a hard one. I have to say, honestly, that it was working on it. You see, I started very early on my e36, started working on it even before I could drive. So, I just naturally started wrenching on it and I've slowly done a TON to it. The manual swap did it for me. When it was an automatic, it was rather underwhelming, and slow. As soon as I swapped transmissions, I had an absolute field day with the car. It truly made me realize what these cars are all about. They're not the fastest things, but they're quick for what they are and that's all that matters.
The first on ramp to the highway after picking up the car was the moment in happened.
Ran first gear to redline: (this is a realistic interpretation of me at the time)
Second gear all the way:
Took third almost to the top of the rev range and let off to hear the pop, pop from the decatted exhaust
Fourth and fifth were fun too...
Before I knew it, I was several exits past my house and had to turn back. Many, many smiles per gallon since
ChuckDrizzel, your experience was just like my first experience driving my e36 328is project car. Up the on ramp in first to red line, grab second and wind it out to red line, go for third, put it right back into first and let the clutch out all of the way. The rev counter shot to about 9,000 rpm and I immediately stabbed the clutch. Luckily no damage was done aside from a noisy throw out bearing for the next month.
Lesson learned, if you have terrible shifter bushings, fix them.
The 328is still hooked me on e36s. Driving that beat up old car home convinced me that I needed to sell my e39 M5 and go for the slow car fast lifestyle.
Current fleet:
1999 BMW e36 M3
1999 BMW e36 328is with rotary valve engine head
1999 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight
1990 Jeep Comanche Eliminator
1962 Austin Healey Sprite
Dad pulled up behind a Dakar M3 at a stop light while driving me to school in about 1999... Liked the boxy style.
CARS
02.92 325is / 06.72 2002 / 02.91 XJ / 08.04 R53 JCW
I come from a Ford family....Grandfather worked 30+ years for Ford. Every vehicle we had, of course, was a Ford. In 1996, my family was stationed in Germany. Parents were looking for new car. When they came home and announced it, went outside, and there was a brand new 1996 328is in montreal blue with gray interior....absolutely gorgeous. My only gripes were 1) it was an automatic and 2) it had cloth interior (special order because my Parents didn't want leather which was the only option.) 5 years later, they gifted it to me as a college graduation present, and in Feb 2002, I traded it in for my 97 M3, 5 speed manual I still have today.
1997 Arctic Silver/Black M3
CES Stage IV (651rwhp/615rwtq @ 24 psi)
1999 Techno Violet/Dove M3
Auto/Convertible and staying stock!
Well, for me I was replacing a fun car I had owned from new for 23 years (240sx convertible) in 2017. The test drive at the dealer included the mandatory highway ramp test and that was fun, but the deal was sealed in a 7 hour 500 km round trip that I planned on back roads last summer; gave me the opportunity to push the envelope a few times and get to know the car dynamics much better
It seems that pushing the car's limits does it for a lot of people.
Some cool stories.
Current fleet:
1999 BMW e36 M3
1999 BMW e36 328is with rotary valve engine head
1999 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight
1990 Jeep Comanche Eliminator
1962 Austin Healey Sprite
Went to look at a 325is 5 speed from craigslist, it was 10 minutes from my apartment so why not. The only cars I've driven/owned before were diesel VWs and diesel trucks. The guy was about 35, really laid back and had to sell the car because his wife or girlfriend was complaining about it taking garage space. He tossed me the keys and told me and my roommate to go have fun. I met this dude 15 minutes ago and he tossed a 20 year old his keys. All he asked was if i knew how to drive stick. We live in a rural type area with tons of amazing back roads. I could not believe how well the car handled, and I thought it was so fast coming from a diesel jetta, all i could think about was how I was gonna buy this car. Well, I didn't have any money at the time but my roommate bought the car that day because he was as sold on it as me. Shortly after I ditched the jetta and bought my 540i, then my 318, then my 325, then my 328is, then my 328i turbo build. I guess the guy knew what he was doing when he tossed me the keys. I just wish he warned me about the rabbit hole.
1998 318i m52 swap 3.38 lsd, 1995 540i/6 speed (SOLD), 1993 325i, 1999 328is m-sport, 1996 328i GT35
I was walking home from school in Concord Ca and I saw an estoril/dove m3 sedan that was lowered with a rollbar. I've had a few cool cars, but I have always loved the e36 lines.
Second time I fell in love with these cars is when my avus non m sedan saved my life in a 70mph accident. I've owned 11 e36s so far.
Last edited by vaderTT76; 01-31-2019 at 11:13 AM.
I owned an 86 325e when i was 16, and had it for 2 years. It was my 1st manual car and i wasnt really into BMW's at the time, nor did i really know what i had, still miss that car; sold it for 2900 . Needless to say i never drove that car hard, just to and back from Highschool. Sold it when i was 18 and picked up my E36. I revv'd out 3rd gear all the way to 85 and that was it. I was hooked. Almost 10 years later and ive owned an E92 335, and an E39iT and a few other cars, but the E36 is the only one i cant picture myself getting rid of.
Last edited by Thrifty S50; 01-31-2019 at 10:52 PM.
We took it on a 3500KM road trip for our honeymoon down the pacific coast. Thats when it went from a car that I loved, to a permanent resident.
DSC_0087 by Chris West, on Flickr
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