thebillsman

idk man e36's are pretty well built cars. i'm not really concerned about age because the s52 is a fairly strong motor and besides the headliner and seats the interiors are usually pretty solid.

why the evo?

4g63smokinall4s

iTrader: (64)

well there is more than enough information on here for you to make you own decision...
its pretty easy tho over a 98 m3...
weight/horspower..
handling
price for modding
RWD/AWD

i mean evo wins outright period.....

enough said AGAIN...

thebillsman

I feel like your being kind of nieve in this situation, I respect your opinion but it's not that easy..

I'm pretty sure the M3 weighs somewhere in the region of 2900lbs where as the VIII weighs around 3300. Which is a pretty big difference. Another thing regarding this is the naturally aspirated S52. For all the money I would put into the Evo, I could save all that an buy forced induction for the M3 and be going pretty damn fast, but the likelihood that i FI an e36 is pretty low. With a new suspension the e36's handle incredibly well and it's a different kind of handling style compared to the Evo, they're good for different things. Price for modding isn't really a concern with me because I've got a couple tuner shops that I've been dealing with for a long time and I usually get products at wholesale. I would like AWD but I feel that RWD is the proper way for a car to be, granted I wont move in the snow but thats what the Explorer is for.

No car ever wins outright..

explain yourself..? why the evo..?

tarmac4g63

iTrader: (5)

dude jus go buy your bmw already no matter what we say youre jus goin to find a reason not to get an evo and i really doubt that an e36 will weigh less than an viii

erald01

iTrader: (5)

^^^^because first you are in the evo forum....number two i am not sure you are reading all the posts so read my previous one. BMW are way more expensive to be maintained let along built to run 11 sec, on the other side evo's can run 11's with bolt ons and a nice tune...convinced yet? To rebuilt a bullet proof s52 it will take a lot more money cause as mentioned before BMW PARTS ARE EXPENSIVE, to built a nice bullet proof evo engine it takes a lot less...convinced yet? Well an evo bottom end can hold up to 500-550 whp on stock internals, the S52 can not come close to that...convinced yet??? The awd is more fun and traction is the best compare to a rwd (unless you like to drift or go sideways)...convinced yet??? The evo stock trans and stock rear end can withhold a lot more abuse than the old M3's (trust me i had that car before so i know)...convinced yet??? Evo engines are built to run some very aggressive timing with no knock, but s52 doesn't come close to it...convinced yet??? Any more ? let me know cause i had an M3 before.

Brsox10288

Unless your going to buy a newer m3 dont even bother.

thebillsman

that works out great. i'm not trying to build an 11 sec car but I would like something thats fairly quick and can move its own ***. ive been in a few e36's that can seriously move without spending too much money. as i said before, BMW parts are not going to be that expensive for me, I've had BMW's in the past and I do like them. I did this at an evo forum because I want someone to convince me to get an evo, but i feel like a lot of the information coming at me is objective or bias'd. Any car can be tuned to run 11s, no matter the cost. A naturally aspirated inline 6 would be nice to work with, and they're 5.4 to 60 so they are fairly quick. A lot can be done to the S52 to make them quick, as with the 4g63. Personally, I respect all wheel drive and love that it can go anywhere at any time but I beg to differ, I think that rear wheel drive is muchhh more fun than AWD. I'm not an aggressive driver and I need a good, quick daily driver.

Oh yeah, and insurance.. lol evo

vtec2mivec

iTrader: (8)

sounds like you've made your decision...

NickieBlaine

iTrader: (9)

what more are you looking for. everyone has given their opinions why they think the evo is better, and your looking for more. Do some of your own research so you can find whatever the hell your looking for, and then go buy your m3 as youve already got your mind made up, and quit wasting this forum with useless threads.

thebillsman

not at all, i'm just playing devils advocate so i can truly be persuaded to buy an evo. I want an evoVIII, i've been hunting around for a good deal on one for the past 3 months and havent come across one yet. believe me, i want an evo just as much if not MORE than an e36. I know old M3's are falling apart after 10-13 years and I know their motors arent as strong and dont have as much potential as a 4g63 but there's something about the e36 that i love, its like a tractor beam.. sucked me right in. I live in PA and we get snow, so AWD would be ideal but I could live without it.

erald01

iTrader: (5)

if you already had bmw's then its time to move on to something different, that should be your only reason.

thebillsman

go to hell man, this is exactly why i dont want an evo. people say evo owners are always just immature young kids. i went to a mitsubishi dealership and the salesman said if i got an evo "I would be joining a crowd of angry teenage racers." If your not going to help then f... off. Why are you honestly providing in the progression of this thread. If i didn't want an evo i wouldnt waste my time asking this question. It's in the Newbie forum and I am no "noob" to cars, I put it here for a reason.. because i know its a dumb redundant topic but for the benefit of myself, i need it. This is a big investment and has a big impact on the next few years of my life. So stfu, gtfo or whatever you kids are saying these days but no thank you for your comment.

Chef-j

iTrader: (16)

Its depends on where you are going to use. Is this for daily or project? Money is second, anyway modif cars will cost a lot. But keep that in mind tho, that bmw is very old. You might have to junk all the out, replace with new. Good luck. Do whatever you like, after all, its all from your pocket and its your life to enjoy.

thebillsman

yeah ive been trying to pull away for years now and i really do want something different.. i've never owned anything japanese before but it seems like a pretty good investment considering their potential performance numbers and reliability. i wish this wasnt so tough.. i guess i'll have to take a few more joy rides in some local VIII's.

thebillsman

Thanks man, i truly respect your input. Because no matter what car any of us buy, a ridiculous amount of money is going to go into it, we're guys and it's just how it goes. But yeah most of the BMW's wear items and some motor accessories are going to have to be swapped out just because of their old age. It's just going to be a daily driver, i really have no intention of seriously tracking the car, but whatever I get might see the autox a few times a year for fun. Price is another thing, I could pull a 1998 M3 for $10k and have ~$4k to rebuild/modify it.. but if I got an VIII certainly all of the $14k (and then some) goes directly into buying the car with no money left for parts.