This is what I’ve been dreaming of doing. I recently bought an e46 coupe and it’s my only car. It’s in great condition inside and out and only got 68k on the dash. So for that reason I don’t wanna turn it into a drift car cause it’s it’s on too good condition to lessen how to drift in so I wanna get a cheap e36 and build it into a drift spec project car
As an e36 owner I can confidently say that they are one of, if not BMW's most reliable car on the market next to the e30 and e46. The cooling system and coolant hoses should probably be your first upgrade with these cars, but other than that they last forever if you do regular oil changes and maintenance on them. Not only that, but they are super super easy to work on, to the point where you can work on every single problem yourself if you have the time and patience. Tons of videos on youtube about how reliable and great these cars are for all avenues such as drifting, racing, anything. If you're looking for a 90's shitbox as a first car and/or project car, this is a car that you should definitely think about getting. Cheers.
Cooling system is a myth I swear...still rocking my orginal system,with A/C and just came off the 2 hottest summers on record. Tho I am gonna be doin the electric fan conversation,but more to gain back the parasitic losses. If one does repair it I HIGHLY suggest the composite OEM replacement. Idk pumps that last 150+k miles don't live up to the rep they have got
@@BMWiE-lz3nu idk about the e36 but the e46 cooling system isn't that great. From what I heard, they typically last about 100k miles. Not to mention that if one part of your cooling system goes, you're gonna prob have/want to replace the entire cooling system because all other parts will fail sooner or later.
Great video ..As a BMW mechanic for 15 years and when the e36 was new ,I still think as a car nearly 30 years old They are one of the best looking and performing cars even comparing them to newer cars .. Window regs and door panels are usually in need of replacement after that long , not a big deal but they really dont have any weak links in the drive train. .The headgaskets where never the issue but the plastic water pump impeller that falls apart leading to an overheat that pops the gasket . The rear subframe mounts as you would expect on a welded diff car that gets abused will stress crack so if you buy somones drift project, maybe look into the support plates . if you can find a 325, they seem to pull much better then the emission choked 328 . M3 is obviously the creal of the crop but prices the last few years have gone way up. .. Im not as up on the e46 but if you can only find a 323 , you may be disappointed with its lack of its performance . Its kind of like the old e30 " E " model..lol
I have an E36 Evo Euro 3.2 tuned to over 340bhp. Completely resprayed, Titan Silver, lowered on coilovers, upgraded brakes, cat delete, Simota intake, newly rebuilt blue printed race engine, OMP steering wheel, cobra Nogaro heated seats, GT rear wing and front splitter, Fiamm air horns, Sony head unit, etc. So basically the E36 M3 Evo is my favourite. Oh I had brand new one in 1998.
Both cars deserve high marks based on what they offer...it's simply a matter of which one appeals to the individual more...for me the E36 carries a slightly sportier feel and can be transformed into a top level sports car with time..patience..and of course proper funding.
I drove both. The e36 is more polarizing and is more iconic, but a beautiful e46 can also attract attention and is a bit sportier in terms of performance (newer engine), but in my opinion the e36 engines last longer and are easier to repair Greetings from Munich... BMW Hometown ;-)
Preference is e36 - so many beautiful cars in the 90s. Love the front headlights and shape. Really hard to find e36 or e46 in Canada right now that's clean and comes with PPI. Thanks for the video!
E46 is honestly like the perfect car for anyone ages 16-35. They can be made to be the perfect commuter to get you to and from work comfortably or planned to be the sickest project to take on the track. Shit you can even build it out to be the perfect car to deliver door dash order instyle 😂 (the only way I’d be willing to do a job like that would be in a nicely built up e46!!!). It’s an old car yet the styling of the interior still holds up to todays standards. Especially compared to the e36 which aged pretty badly in my opinion. Amazing car, and I’m actually in the market to get another one right now! Really hoping I’m able to snag an AWD wagon or a manual ZHP this time!!!!!
Nice vid. I am a 2002 & E30 fan. Started looking for a new e30 project (last one was over a decade ago) & MY GOD... those prices. I have always liked the e36 & never owned one... seems e46s are more plentiful in my area. But did just find a 36 sedan for 3k I am going to check out tomorrow. If not, I'll likely go with a 46 coupe that's been sitting for a while.
Bro you like the same cars like me. Growing up I was a full on Nissan guy especially the s chassis but once I got older it's way too expensive to buy an s chassis. Drove a BMW once and instantly fell in love . It's so cheap to maintain the e46 now too.
Bro I just wanna say I love you man! Love how u go into details about it. I got an E46 myself and got some oil leaking but other then that it drives great!
I had a 2001 330i e46 , I loved that car , only issue was it needed so much work and anything I couldn’t do myself was so expensive compared to other cars , got mine at 145,000 miles out around 5 grand into it to get it running good and it only made it to 190,000 until it wouldn’t start and I sold it
1999 Toyota Carola works for me, way less headaches. I have owned both of those cars, problematic especially the E46 M3. Unless you have deep pockets dont bother.
both are great choices but i think that nowdays the e36 is more suited for a weekend car,it got so rare in europe that i wouldn't risk it daily if it's a project car or fully restored,especially if you live in a crowded city like me,i have an e46 for over 2 years now,i found my freshly painted m3 mirror scratched,i got a long intentional scratch on my door,bumps from other doors in the parking space,a van crashed into me,it's impossible to keep a clean car in the city,keep that in mind
Just picked up an e36 wagon for a daily driver. Absolutely love it! We never got them stateside so it does get a lot of attention from true BMW enthusiasts
Someone that uses an E46 without abuse will have that car last forever . Nobody buys a bmw without abusing it .... then some smart ass comes and says, unreliable
have to go half way across europe nowadays to find a good one of any of these, unless you live in the middle of germany. but at the end of the day it might just be worth it
Getting mine delivered tomorrow e46 2003 2.2 petrol little monster had bit work in to it 1 owner looked after it well paid £1700 from good mate brand new wheels an tires too little bonus you think good price?
My brother just bought e46 (he said he had to get it because it was blue) and made me want reject brand loyalty even more and buy my own -They seem reliable enough to daily -They look so perfect even without cosmetic modifications -I have worked on them and saw people working on them, alot. -Everyone and their dog owns one if not, they might own e39 or a Mercedes W124 or W201 or Audi A4 -Common so plenty to pick from -They are good enough even without modifications and poweful enough -Coupe e46 is the best looking 3 series ever made in my and my dad's opinion (could be even my brother's because he bought one) -Ok fuel economy (of course for public roads and ecpecially in straight road without stopping and that's what the overdrive gears are for) -Only thing stopping me from buying it if something special and good pick pops out of nowhere for as affordable price or my budget being unexpectedly higher -these are seriously good cars to drive (have not driven one but based on what others said) being 50/50 weigth distribution but well these are called driver's car anyway they have cons too but the pros overpower them might not get E36 because they are broken, expensive and more sketchy pick like more things can go wrong because daily car should have least problems as possible and the project car is for fixing it and doing it propely
Wow that is some great info man! 🔥🔥 I love the insight on the iconic E46 chassis! Those are some good points. 👍 This should for sure help people who’s looking to buy one. 👌 thank you
Get a auto e36 and swap it...ull have the clean e36 everyone wants and since it was an auto u KNOW no young kid beat the living hell outta it so the motor will still have PLENTY of untouched pep seeing how it never spent much time above 5k rpm. That's what I did and I absolutely love mine
Both of these are nearly unattainable in my state or surrounding states now, they’re going for 10k+ for a 328 e46 and 5k+ for a 325i even autos. 8k for a 318i e36 🥲 wish I had bought one sooner.
My biggest con on the e46 is the weight and the size of the car compared the e36. i tend to stick to the E30, not the best in every way but the most fun for sure, dont even need a 325i to have fun, even a 316i can be very much enjoyable, wich just cant be said about either e36 and e46 wich are just slow as heck with any 4 banger under the hood
@@stevedickson5853140hp and no torque is still not quick for a 1250kg. In my eyes atleast, Its fun when you weld the diff. Not gonna lie you can make the m42/M44 very quick with a few modifications but its never really worth the buck if compared to just swap it out for a M50b25 or M52b28
@@jspeedracing quick update i have a e36 common problem on my car thts pretty annoying like door cards falling but so far its pretty good all of the pixel screens like time and dash radio prettt much gone cuz of age wheel bearings are shot of course from age but my last car had same issue so not worried the rears are a lil tough but ill get er done overall 8/10 car for reliability
e46 in eu is for me the better pick. U just find them more often from people who just daily driven them for like 150'000km with a good record for a good price
So I have an E36 1993 and I just blew my Torque Converter so the car has been sitting for a month, tbh I love the car but I don’t know if I can afford to maintain it anymore.
The E36 has reached the "Wait, you're asking how much for it?" stage. They're overpriced now. They are getting much more rare. Don't see them on the street much and there's not fifty of them for sale within a ten mile radius any longer. It's also tough to find versions like 328is coupe woth a manual See a bunch of convertibles and also 318s, but I think most of the "good ones" aren't being sold or have been heavily modified. The E46 is next but those are still fairly reasonable. When those go up the E90s will drop. They're already a decent bargain and they sold a ton of those. They're not as good as the 36 and 46 though. Better motors but that's the point where they got too big.
Yo, im from the Alfa world we have the same cars last 30 years only Alfa is FWD BMW in RWD we both also have some AWD variants but im here to say we have same preformance cars (BMW sells way more options) and the same problems mainly the sporty chassis and the interior😂
Agree. Went back 2 back 2 back street driving both, and pretty hard on each and the e36 was just more fun. Sorry. E46 was great at 5500 and above, but that was it.
@@jspeedracing not saying cars are reliable and unreliable but bmw certainly aren’t reliable. They have a lot of problems. Especially the fact that e36 have a lot of issues cuz it’s under the bmw name. I work as a mechanic and the most amount of cars that come in broken or needing loads of service is bmw
I have an E36 318is M44 with 230.000km .. the car runs great and the engine still feels very healthy.. it had interior issues as with steering wheel, heating problem that fixing it wasn't cheap.. When i was searching also had E46 in mind but 2 mechanic friends i had they told me that have serious engine issues with the double vanos and cooling system and also some models had serious oil consumption problems since new!!.. the interior is also not seriously improved.. so i had the 318is and im happy up to now.. also almost all parts i need are still available through BMW!! That is astonishing for such old cars.. All the 4-6 cylinder non vanos E36 cars are the most reliable choices.. as the E46 8valve engines are also very good.. E46 also had a lot more subframe tear issues than E36s .. for E 36 there is a reinforcement kit available that solve the problem that generally occurs with abused cars and modified ones..
Hey, I’ve been looking into an 96 318i sedan with the M44, your engine has some mods or are completely stock? Don’t want to go turbo way, I know it will be cheaper but want to maintain it naturally aspirated and maybe put ITBs and camshafts to see if I can get at least a bump to 200hp
@@HoolaaBaaloo totally stock.. just a supersprint cat back exhaust.. ITBs is a difficult and expensive task.. best way is to swap a 2,5 non vanos preferably in..
