Am I mad for wanting an E36 M3?

eidolon said:
paradigm, what cars have you previously owned? Have they all been powerful FWD cars?

If so, might be time to try out a FWD car (Fun Wheel Drive ;))
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Lol I wish they had all been powerful FWD cars:

Corsa 1.2 8v (hey it was free)
Saxo 1.6 VTR
Leon Cupra R

I also have or had regular access to:

MINI Cooper S (x2)
E46 330d Touring
E46 320 SE
A4 Quattro Cabriolet

So my experience is pretty limited, although not exclusively, to majoratively BWD (boring wheel drive ;))
 
Only mad if you buy the one I was offered in Cyprus...

Garage wanted cyp£19,000 for it...

He looked offended when I walked away wetting myself laughing, can't think why...

Maybe cypriots dont like it when you laugh at their jokes

:D
 
Well Mark, the ITR is FWD for a start ;)

Secondly Mr Winkle, find me a soft-top with similar or greater performance than I currently have, that still has "some" practicality for £8-9K and I'm all ears.

Thirdly, every man and his dog may have a 316, but certainly not an M3.
 
I was in the same situation as you.

I had a few cars like a Jag, Mini, a BMW 325i, and a clio.

Didn't keep any of them that long, though the 325 was good.

The M3 just awesome. Was only planning to keep it 3 months, like the others, and now I've had it well over a year.

It's not tunable like a big turbo car would be, but as an all round package it's hard to beat. Even still, they are propperly quick and you can get a little extra performance for a few £££.

It'll be nice on a long journey if you need to, while still being fun to hammer round also.

Running costs can be quite high if you drive it hard though. Apart from the fuel which is the same with any car, I think I've spent about £5,000 on mine last year, some of that was making it go faster.

If you're in Reading give me a shout and I'll give you a ride.
 
There is the S2000, but you're going to struggle for quality in that price range I think.. and ignore the practicality thing too, haha.

When living at my parents, next door had an E36 M3 saloon. It was my morning alarm clock. Lovely sound.

Here's a pic

I'd save some money and get an E30 M3. A less refined fun machine.
 
jp: What kind of costs are incurred with just normal running? Average tyre cost seems to be lower than my current tyres (assuming I have the correct sizes of 245/40/17 and 225/45/17), and brake parts seem cheaper too (the only downside to brembo 4-pots).

Insurance seems to be similar to the Leon, as does fuel economy.
 
cdcopyman said:
keeps saving and get a e46 m3 , style and grace all in one ;) :D , can be had for £15k+ at the mo
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The idea is to get something for the sale cost of my car, not save anything towards a new one ;)

All my spare cash is being added to my house deposit fund.
 
paradigm said:
jp: What kind of costs are incurred with just normal running? Average tyre cost seems to be lower than my current tyres (assuming I have the correct sizes of 245/40/17 and 225/45/17), and brake parts seem cheaper too (the only downside to brembo 4-pots).

Insurance seems to be similar to the Leon, as does fuel economy.
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My car eats pads and discs, and managed to warp a set on track. It eats tyres too, tend to get about 5,000 miles from them, but they are Eagle F1's so made of cheese anyway. Thankfuly they are quite cheap at £350 a set.

The services are expensive even at an Indy if everything is done propperly, and because it's quite highly strung you notice if somethng isn't right. I tend to get the valve clearances adjusted every other service.

It is however very good on fuel. When you're driving hard it'll get around 15mpg but being gentle you can squeeze more than 30mpg from it.

I think the costs will depend on how hard you drive it. When it's as fun to thrash as it is... you'll be spending lots. :)
 
If you're trying to save for a house then I wouldn't get an oldish M3. Chances are something will go wrong with it and I'd imagine that the general running costs are pretty high anyway.

I still stand by my original idea to get something like an MX5, huge fun cars, nice and reliable and cheap to run.
 
eidolon said:
Get another car to use as your practical car? (hey, the MGF is practical, honest ;))

£700 will get you a Mondeo or something equally interesting

Alternatively get an MX5/MGF, not blisteringly quick but huge amounts of fun. I'm absolutely loving the MGF at the moment.
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The man speaks the truth. My estate has more power than the MX5 yet the MX5 is mega fun. It's great fun reving the nuts off it and enjoying the corners. Not as practical as your current transport however.
 
eidolon said:
I still stand by my original idea to get something like an MX5, huge fun cars, nice and reliable and cheap to run.
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As the OP has stated quite clearly that this is a money saving idea to release funds, chosing an M3 doesn't seem like the most sensible option bearing in mind the probable running costs. So I'll go along with Eidolon's suggestion.
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
As the OP has stated quite clearly that this is a money saving idea to release funds
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Who said anything about "releasing" funds? This is just me fancying a change of car, and buying something interesting with the money that my current car is worth, adding nothing.

So long as the car isn't monsterously more expensive to run and maintain (doesn't seem it from initial research + jp's input), then technically the difference is £0.

I am already budgeted up for saving for my deposit, this is not an exercise to add to that.
 
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