Want of the hour

Kinja'd!!! by "LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
Published 12/20/2017 at 12:58

Tags: I will come to my senses soon
STARS: 1


Kinja'd!!!

After reading a post on Grassroots Motorsports about a person traveling to my area to pick up a 1998 M3 as a new toy , I browsed Craigslist and found a couple of others for sale (and the one that I now know is sold). Kinda want a beat E36 M3 right now.

But I know that these are touchy for maintenance, and it weighs about as much as my 2016 GTI, with similar 0-60 performance, but with surely better handling feel, rear-wheel drive, and as a toy I would get it with a manual.

This “want” will probably pass. Hmm, maybe I should look for a Z3 M Coupe again . . .


Replies (10)

Kinja'd!!! "OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
12/20/2017 at 13:08, STARS: 1

I still search CL for Allroads. The want will not pass

Kinja'd!!! "E90M3" (e90m3)
12/20/2017 at 13:19, STARS: 2

You know that spread sheet you made to track the costs of the allroad? Take a screenshot of that and make it your desktop background. The want shall pass.

Kinja'd!!! "facw" (facw)
12/20/2017 at 13:23, STARS: 0

They are always so cheap too. Very tempting, until you remember why they are cheap.

Kinja'd!!! "syaieya" (syaieya)
12/20/2017 at 13:45, STARS: 0

The ones that really catch my attention are the cabrios with hard tops.

Theyre as cheap as the coupes and for as poised and sporting a 20 year old bmw with the wrong motor is gonna be, some drop top fun may be worth the weight compromise

Between those and the porsche convertibles i dont know what gets spat on more

Kinja'd!!! "46and2aheadofme" (aheadofme)
12/20/2017 at 13:52, STARS: 0

Who doesn’t want one?

Kinja'd!!! "LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
12/20/2017 at 13:56, STARS: 1

I mean, in theory, sure, most enthusiasts would want an M3, but I’m talking real-world-go-pay-for-it-and-deal-with-ownership-maintenance-and-pissing-off-my-wife-by-having-another-car-taking-up-garage-space want.

That kind of want tends to pass the more I think about a specific car. Although the general idea of a play-only car is constantly recurring.

Kinja'd!!! "Arrivederci" (arrividerci)
12/20/2017 at 16:17, STARS: 0

I’d love a M3/4/5 slicktop.

Kinja'd!!! "46and2aheadofme" (aheadofme)
12/20/2017 at 16:44, STARS: 0

Eh, the maintenance doesn’t worry me, I have a great independent mechanic (that I’d have do the PPI too). But I’m with you 100% on the other two concerns, especially since our 1-car garage is currently monopolized by my wife’s M3.

Kinja'd!!! "wbizarre - OEM fetishist" (wbizarre)
12/20/2017 at 22:34, STARS: 1

Knocking on wood here, for my own sake, but I think these are pretty good maintenance-wise. One of the upshots of the US version of the E36M is that it basically has a tuned-up M50 engine. That means it’s a less touchy for maintenance - no valve adjustments required, for instance. Like any performance car, it will work better when properly maintained, and unfortunately they’ve gotten cheap enough that some people don’t put the work in. There’s a lot of cheap, busted pieces of shit on Craigslist as a result. In my experience, proper (non-ebay) parts are bit more expensive than non-M e36, but significantly cheaper than E46 M3. A side benefit of the classic BMW layout, with RWD and an inline 6, is that things are pretty easy to reach.

tl:dr: Doo iit!

I lust after Z3M shoes too, but they’re basically investment-grade at this point, and I’ve never seen a seller who doesn’t know what they have.

Kinja'd!!! "NojustNo" (front24200)
12/21/2017 at 11:08, STARS: 1

I know what you mean. This is exactly the spec and color I like in these - and its been maintained!  https://seattle.craigslist.org/est/cto/d/e36-m3-4door-5speed/6415586984.html