E36 M3 converable 3.0 or 3.2

[anthonytsang]

:confused: Looking for a e36 converable. but can't decide which to go for.can any one give me any advice thx.

1995 m3 3.0 in dark blue 21,500 mile. elc seat, a/c, heat seat ,full bmw s/h 1 lady owner.bad point the car had some rust around ariel and two little bubble on the driver door two parking dent and krub wheel, broken frog light cover things not sure the clutch paddle about 5 mm higher then brake paddle. need services soon. up for sale at 9000 at volvo dealer the saleman told me they will carrry all the work to bring the car to top condition if i paid for screen price.no hard top.the car feel very solid.

second m3 evo lot to choose form. arg or low millage depend on spec

which is the better buy why.

[Handler]

Go for the M3 Evolution is much faster then the older 3L M3.
The M3 evo is the upgraded a better lump then the old 3l

the e46 330ci uses a similar block to the old M3 3L

[MARTY]

I've driven neither i'm afraid mate but i've been told that there is a considerable difference on the evo. Thats where my money would be.

[stone-islandV8]

When it comes to the Ms buy the best you can afford be it 3L or 3.2.

Having driven both and owned a 3L I don't agree the Evo is 'much faster', certainly not on realworld roads.....once up about 100+ the Evo starts to pull away but the 3L is a solid engine...5 speeds nice gearbox, Evo 6 speed IMO is bit notchy. 3L is single less troublesome vanos than the Evos double. Better brakes on the Evo.

TotalBMW ran a dyno report on a load of M3s a while back, 3Ls in general were much closer to the quoted power figures.

But 3Ls are starting to get a bit old now so newer Evo might be better depends on how much you're spending.In terms of relaibility in the 3yrs I had the M3, apart from servicing, I replaced tyres, brakes and radiator and that was it.

£9k for a 3L IMO it would need to be mint,not needing stuff doing. I'd also look at very low mileage with 1 lady owner......maybe its been coddled too much which wont have done it any favours....or maybe driven 15 miles a weekend or so and thrashed from cold?

[BMW JAY84]

IMO i'd steer clear of the EWvo as they are prone to vanos failure. Also the SMg is not what you'd call reliable and is expensive to fix. I also agree there isn't much difference between the 3.0 or 3.2 but agian its personal choice

[dodgyken]

3.2 might on paper give more power - but many don't hit what they should.

A lot of people prefer the 3.0L unit - and the gearbox is certainly lighter - the weight of the 6th gear is quite substantial.

You are looking at high performance cars that are 10-14 years old - approach with caution, and buy based on condition not engine or mileage

[Missle]

Had an M3 evo vert and i've driven the M3 vert and dont bother paying the extra money mate as it aint worth it. There is no difference and you have all the extra hassle of twin vanos in the evo.

Just get the M3 - trust me

[anthonytsang]

thx guys. phoned the dealer todayand if do all the work myself they can drop the price down to 7800 what your guys think?

[stone-islandV8]

The guys at BMWorx run an E36 M3 Evo stripped out racer with nitrous.....previous to the nitrous they ran the orig engine and the vanos packed up.....slapped another Evo engine in and the vanos went on that as well ( may well be bad luck or driving there though!!) and currently its been running for the last 18 months on 3L engine,5 speed box and now the nitrous...they reckon the engines more durable.

[Jazz]

I had a friend who was in a similar position when he was looking at purchasing his e36 m3 a few years back. He went with the 3L after advice from his mechanic on Vanos.

[M3 THUG]

i had a Evo vert running 100hp nitrous and the car done me well for 5years without a hitch !! the vanos went early when i first bought the car and was replaced under good will from BMW and from then on had no troubles (well apart from the clutch if you gave it too much with the NOS)

I;d go for the evo just cos its the later car

[XKaLiBaR]

thx guys. phoned the dealer todayand if do all the work myself they can drop the price down to 7800 what your guys think?
i would offer him 6500. he would still sell it. its an old car and its the earlier model of the m3. they arent evey going to get rid of it otherwise. probably go to auction.

id stay away from an m3 owned by a woman. no offense to anyone on here lol. last time i test drove a e36 m3, owned from new by a woman, the car felt fucked, looked fucked, and smelt....well....fucked :D

[styler2002i]

felt fucked, looked fucked, and smelt....well....fucked :D

you know what they say a car reflects the owner... i now feel sorry for the woman she must have been fucked up... :D