Which future Classic would you take? 

"AM3R shamefully returns " (am3rshamefullyreturns) 01/02/2015 at 22:47 • Filed to: None

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Interesting question, saw an old thread on an M3 forum about this and the results were less biased than I expected, so I thought I'd ask you guys. Which would you take and why?

1.) BMW E36/8 M coupe "clown shoe"

With the S52 engine, NOT the S54 out of the E46 M3. The difference? About 240hp versus 333hp. S54 powered Clown shoes still fetch nice amounts of $$. The S52 powered coupes are still fun and sharp to drive. They are also cheaper to buy and maintain, pretty much on par with the E36 M3. Anytime you take this out, you are guaranteed a thumbs up, and I bet you'll never park next to one unless you are at a meet. The coupe bodystyle gives a feeling of practicality, but remember, it's no wagon. This would make a great daily driver for an enthusiast looking for a something they can drive to the track on Saturday, the grocery store on Sunday, and then to work on Monday. The "bad" S52 engine is fairly easy to work on, and the community is amazing. Plenty of meets, organized track days, and aftermarket support. These are from BMW's golden era, this driver focused car is the epitome of A great BMW. Smooth inline six that loves to be revved and a smooth but sharp manual gearbox, putting the power down to the wide rear wheels. The flared fenders of the coupe are so mesmerizing, it's such an attractive car and it truly isn't something you see everyday. Treat this Bavarian well and you will certainly be repaid in reliabilty and miles of fun.

2.) AP1 Honda S2000

What else is there to say, 9k redline, Honda reliability, easy to work on, and a killer on the track/autox course. Combine all that with a Honda gearbox and fairly economical 4 cylinder, and it's tough to fault the S2000. I'm not a big convertible guy, but the S2k ticks all the right boxes. The small trunk (duh, it's a roadster) and the fact that it pretty much drives like a civic until you hit what feels like a scandalously high RPM (vtec, yo!) are the only two "bad" things I can associate with the S2k besides the fact that the totally reasonable price of them has allowed the typical Honda Civic owning douche bro to buy them, making it a little harder to find a clean one, which is still pretty easy, especially compared to the bimmer! There is a wealth of information available online about the f20c. Lots of crazy builds out there, whether you wanna go naturally aspirated or forced induction, you certainly won't have trouble finding inspiration.

So, which one will it be? For me, it's tough. Very tough. If it was an S54 powered M coupe I'd be all over it, I'll take it in estoril blue please! The S2000 is great in AP1 form. The relatively low cost to own really appeals to me. Throw on a hardtop and I'm all over it. I really can't decide. The bimmer would make a better all-arounder, but the Honda will be easier to find and maintain.

If I were to buy one as a second car, I'd have to go S2000. With how cheap AP1's are getting, this would make a great addition to the stable already occupied by one Bavarian. If I needed to buy a daily, the clown shoe would definitely take the cake.

jkm7680 > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 22:49

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I'd take the clown shoe. It's a little piece of BMW history, Looks unique, Isn't very common and would be daily driveable.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 22:50

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If I can have that super expensive hatchback for the S2000 I'll take that. My friend has a CR with a lot of money in it, kills the BMW people at the track.

Agrajag > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 22:53

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Clown shoe. And I'm not necessarily a BMW fan.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 22:54

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SRT 6 Crossfire

Dsscats > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 22:55

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M coupe all the way. Just much more stylish and special.

bryan40oop > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul 01/02/2015 at 22:55

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ew, to each their own i suppose.

No Prius Needed > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 23:00

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The S2k. Almost all of them are stanced/ruined/riced/wrecked.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 23:04

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Manual Ferrari.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > bryan40oop 01/02/2015 at 23:05

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It's an oddball, being the SRT variety it's rare and marked a turning point for Chrysler. Whether or not that was a good turning point is up for debate but it was a turning point regardless.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > No Prius Needed 01/02/2015 at 23:05

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Pick 2 at least.

SwissTony > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul 01/02/2015 at 23:06

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Hahahahahahahahahaha

CB > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul 01/02/2015 at 23:07

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I saw one of these a few days ago. The girl driving it looked cute, too.

AM3R shamefully returns > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 01/02/2015 at 23:09

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Rusto junior! Find me a Manuél ferrari for less than the price of an AP1 S2k and it will be bought immediately.

SwissTony > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 23:10

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Last time I checked, I could buy 2 decent S2000 for every good BMW clownshoe out there.

Purely because of that, I think the S2000 is more car for the money right now.

AM3R shamefully returns > SwissTony 01/02/2015 at 23:13

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yes, those $20k+ clown shoes have the S54 and are much more rare. They go for much more money because they are crazy fun and fast.

NJAnon > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 23:14

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I know there are of us in the minority selecting the BMW M coupe. I hold that car up there with the that old 1980's BMW M1 & that BMW 850. I put those ahead of the 3.5.7 series because they aren't fitting the marketing mold BMW touts for the other models. Whats crazy is that BMW finally returned to something for variety: The i3 & i8.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 23:14

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How much does an AP1 S2000 cost?

AM3R shamefully returns > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 01/02/2015 at 23:15

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I'll be generous, say $15k for a good one. They can be had for $10k all day long though.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 23:22

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That's not too bad actually.

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 23:22

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Definitely Clownshoe. Now, you could probably buy a much better S2000 for the money, but still.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 23:22

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S2k by a landslide. Partially because I've had a model one since they first came out, and secondly because I really don't find the clownshoe that attractive.

Clown Shoe Pilot > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 23:26

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the bottom picture is a laguna sea blue m coupe. estoril blue has flake in it.

ZweiDeutschesAutos > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 23:36

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Give me a sweet E46 M3!

Vicente Esteve > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 23:53

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R32 Volkswagen. Becuase UGHN

Twinpowermeansoneturbo > AM3R shamefully returns 01/02/2015 at 23:57

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The S2k is the logical choice. Its an equal performer to the M Coupe, is more reliable, and is a convertible. But there's something about that Estoril Blue clown shoe that just gets me going, and for that reason it's the one I'd go with.

shop-teacher > AM3R shamefully returns 01/03/2015 at 00:08

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Clown shoe for me. It's one of the very few BMW's that I like, and I like it a lot. I didn't even know they existed, until about a year and a half ago, when I saw one on my morning commute. It blew my mind a little bit.

Justin Hughes > AM3R shamefully returns 01/03/2015 at 00:09

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I love the clown shoe. I'd take one over an S2k. Even an S52. The couple of times I've driven them have been a ton of fun.

E92M3 > AM3R shamefully returns 01/03/2015 at 00:10

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I'd pick the S2000 in this case. If it were the Z4M instead I'd pick that.

AM3R shamefully returns > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 01/03/2015 at 00:11

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definitely, some clean AP1's going for under $10k right now on CL.

AM3R shamefully returns > E92M3 01/03/2015 at 00:13

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I'd go Z4M coupe too, which is why I didn't use it haha. Seriously, it's such a performance bargain. 200 pounds lighter than the E46 M3. Same engine. $25k gets you one with like 40k on it, even less if you look around.

gawdzillla > AM3R shamefully returns 01/03/2015 at 00:22

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i am surprised this is not posted yet

glemon > AM3R shamefully returns 01/03/2015 at 00:36

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Interesting article and question, I thought maybe there would be more cars to consider, couldn't you throw a Boxster or Boxster S into the mix? Anyway, although I haven't owned either, I test drove a couple z3s and an S2000 when I was car shopping last couple years. I was ready to like the S2000, love the specs, just don't like the vibe, the electronic dash says 80s Corvette to me, and the lack of low end grunt makes it feel, I don't know, not slow, but maybe "not fast" or at least not as fast as it really is.

The BMW hits the right buttons with the more traditional interior and torquey six. I always thought of the Z3 roadsters as a modern iteration of the old Big Healeys, with a little more engine than chassis sophistication, and more rugged than pretty looks. The coupe s of course its own funky thing. I like the looks, although they are pretty polarizing, also like the rarity, and having owned a MGB/GT and an RX7, appreciate the practicality of a 2 seater with a hatch to throw groceries and dogs and such in the back.

AM3R shamefully returns > glemon 01/03/2015 at 01:56

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Thank you, I actually almost put the Boxter S in but I couldn't find any clean ones near me to see how they compared price wise. Definitely would've changed how some people chose.

I like how you described the Z3, very insightful!

Georado > AM3R shamefully returns 01/03/2015 at 03:27

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Comments seem pretty split, and I changed my mind a couple times as I read through them. So if I can't answer both, I'll take an M convertible.

AM3R shamefully returns > Georado 01/03/2015 at 17:09

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haha it's a good trade off, I really took time picking, and I still don't even have a clear 100% answer.

If only they made an S2000 coupe...

Manuél Ferrari > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 01/03/2015 at 19:58

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I support this choice!

Manuél Ferrari > AM3R shamefully returns 01/03/2015 at 19:59

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It's a draw

I dunno which one I would pick

shockandAWD > AM3R shamefully returns 01/03/2015 at 23:10

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As much as I hate to say it...the S2000 based on looks alone but then the value and reliability pops up. They really aren't out of reach of some relatively reasonable e46 M3 Verts. Another up and coming classic. I've seen early 2003 models coming in at 12- 13k. That's getting into 100k mile territory though. And Beemers aren't wallet friendly after that. But if I were to pull up in a clean M3 anywhere... I bet I'd get noticed faster than that Honda. And get there a hell of lot funner and faster!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > AM3R shamefully returns 01/05/2015 at 21:06

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you can always get an aftermarket hard top.

AM3R shamefully returns > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/05/2015 at 21:22

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I know! I love that hardtop, spoon I believe. Too bad it's $5k unpainted!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > AM3R shamefully returns 01/05/2015 at 21:24

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Damn you could be a decent DD station wagon for 5k+5-600 for paint... and insure it for a year. lol

AM3R shamefully returns > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/05/2015 at 21:36

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Exactly what I would do haha. Hell, $5.5k is enough for an E36 M3 beater!