Yeah i heard good things about the E36s, just preferred the look of the E46. It was the 5 speed manual. It was ok, but fast shifting first to second was always problematic. The clutch delay valve did my head in too, should have had it removed really, but never got around to it. It had an issue, which is probably the bushes as you mentioned, where it wouldnt return to centre without a little tap. I got used to it in the end, but the cost to fix it was a lot of labour IIRC.
Overall though, i loved it... i dont miss the tramlining though.
I tried to post a photo, but imgur isnt allowed by the look of it... imgur is garbage though so im not surprised really.
Strange, I've driven/owned many and never had aproblem flying through the gears be it with stock throw or with ashort shift, even with the 'lean' and worn linkage bushings you canstill bang gears no issue... Your gearbox would have been the same as a 36 328i/3L M3 then guts and I think casing wise IIRC.
Yeah you want to get rid of the CDV that was probably your issue and thus wrecking your clutch/box shifting fast, that or you just had a dog of a gearbox, very unheard of though, you can literally sit them on the limiter the whole day at a track with a raised rev limit drifting them even boosted and silly horsepower450-600bhp and they don't care.
Ah see I'm the other way round I prefer the boxy 80's/stocky look of a 36 coupe. A 46 is nice but it's a bit girlier/curvier looking, I can't stand E36 M3 mirrors though, in the bin they go, my mate with the E30 M5 engine swap above even took them off his E36 M3 hahaha!
Tramlining? Sounds like you had some dodgy bushes/alignment on that car too? Only 3 series that loves to tramline is an E21 and an E30 (E28 5 series like to try and kill you at the front end as well so don't drive one they're rubbish compared to an E34/39), both E21/30 love to follow the ruts in theroad and make you use 2 hands on the wheel at speed. E36 you can drive with 1 hand flat out, they're just so predictable, IIRC the E36 was first car to be designed in a wind tunnel and with computers too?
E46's are way less reliable and have crapper designed access when working on stuff, for example the E36 you justpop the bump strips off the front or rear bumper and 4 nuts hold thebumper on into a rail either side of the wing and you can get thefitment spot on everytime and adjust it. The 46 you have to use a ratchet vertically in the grille mouth and **** the grille/bumper asyou're undoing it.
Very silly, they also took away the awesome sill mounted jacking points which the OEM jack has legs that go into the E36 sill and let you jack up even the most slammed/lowered car,versus using a folded section on the sill or a plate, the E36 had a jacking point and pad underneath too, but the sill access option was the one!
I hate the pathetic coolant system flaw on the E46/E39 where everything just explodes like the reservoir tank, and the fact they use stupid plastic proprietory end pieces on the hoseswith stupid vag like clips, vs being able to fit nice silicone hosesthat'll outlive the car with a simple hose clamp, ala the E36, and no one makes a aftermarket ally thermostat housing (which solves the cracking/leaking issues of the OEM E36 one), The E36 is so simple in that respect, just buy a £45 random ebay rad with a built in reservoir, any hoses, a £12 thermostat, £15-25 metal stat housing,a decent metal impeller water pump, and you're away.
The other thing that scares me with the M54 engines is the chain whip and oil pump nut issue, at 5.5K and above especially under sustained load like drifting/going fast, you get chain whip where they didn't bother to use a tensioner despite BMW leaving the dowel for it on the block
what then happens over time is you get chain whip thus damaging the chain and then the worst thing your single bolt on your oil pump's chain sprocket shakes itself loose and the nut comes off, you loose oil pressure and BOOM! Done! Or you can snap the sprockets spline off, either or WILL happen, to fix it you need to spend £550 on an aftermarket kit from Parkin Racing Developments which comes with a 4 bolt new sprocket design/spline and a hench tensioner, the housing is also made all out of sexy billet
You see these idiots that simply weld tacks onto the oil pump sprocket which then imbalances it and makes it snap offversus undoing the nut, or you see real ****** use lockwire thinking it'll work, and then the spline still snaps the sprocket.
Chavs and idiots on YT for you though I guess!
But yeah if you replace with all OEM expansion tank reservoir/hoses and go for a billet aftermarket Mishimoto radand slim fan, and do the oil pump fix along with the usual BMW leakygaskets/power steering pump/lines, you end up with a decent car.
I do like a 330ci facelift coupe. M3 is nice, but they're a flawed design big time with the rear floor and strut areas which need plates reinforcing them and loads of areas where water ingresses and stays and rots stuff out, along with the fact you'll wanna redo your bottom end bearings every 5-10k if you drive an M3 how it's meant to, or you'll end up with a lovely scored crank which costs thousands to replace!
I have seen countless ones torn down and it's hilariously bad how they murder the crank, as with the E9X M3 V8's and the E60 M5 V10...
My mate had to buy 3 engines just to get 1 ok'ish crank, and he changed the bearings to ARP and does them every 5-10k, the S54B32 also sounds awful exhaust wise compared to a S50B30. Just a tinny raspy mess.
Love how the E46 M3 handles though for such a boaty heavy car, some car be up to 1650kg or 1695kg depending on spec which is absolutely ridiculous for a late 90's 3series!
The power delivery isn't that great either and it's mostly mid-top end, so a bit of a let down, I'd much rather an E39 M5, if you drag race both they're neck and neck the whole way despite theE39 being a heavy old girl.
The S62B50 just has instant torque everywhere!
and is only powered on to play SP games on the tv with a controller - which I really enjoy and gives the best experience due to a 65" 4K TV...
4 coupes and 1 saloon, the last one I miss everyday and currently lives in Germany and is used as a ringtoy/driftcar. You have very good taste sir 
