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Editor’s Note: We love scouring the internet for reasons to spend money we don’t have on cars we daydream about owning, and these are our picks this week. All prices listed are bid amounts at the time of publishing.
It’s widely known that of all the BMW M3 generations the first — the E30 — is the most beloved. The E46 (third generation) isn’t far behind; it’s followed by the fourth, then probably the fifth. What is incredibly clear, if you couldn’t tell from the glaring omission, is the second generation M3 (E36) is the black sheep of the family. Despite being faster and more powerful than the E30, the follow-up generation seemed tame by comparison. There were no flared wheel arches, the interior and its materials looked and felt downmarket. The E36 was seen as a way to make the M3 more affordable and more viable for BMW.
Whether that was BMW’s real motive and intention is arguable. What is accepted as fact is that the E36 carried one of the best handling chassis of the decade. The interior might draw out some critics, but if you’re driving this car like it was meant to be driven, you won’t be focusing on the interior. This 1997 BMW M3 certainly has some faults all its own; regardless, this might be your best bet at affordable German performance.
What We Like: Right out of the gate, conceding this particular M3 was in an accident is important. The airbags were deployed, but the damaged front bumper, fenders, headlamps, grille, radiator and air conditioning condenser were all replaced. And it should also be noted even though there are only 63,000 miles on this example, the previous owner tracked the car regularly. “The seller recommends replacement of both rear tires due to wear,” in the description should say it all. Now, with those caveats out of the way, as considerable as they may be, if you don’t treat this car like it’s destined for a blue ribbon at a car show (because it isn’t), you’ll thoroughly enjoy your time in it.
Being the M3 known for looking and feeling a little less upscale than all the other M3s, the E36 should be driven and driven often. In the same way an old off-roader with dents, scratches and other beauty marks is always going to be the more fun car because you don’t care as much, this E36 is the sports car equivalent. Yes, it has faults, but don’t we all?
