Here's Why the E36 BMW M3 Is Now an Enthusiast Favorite 

I miss my E36 328i, but now I have my e39 540i/6.

Haha

@@DK-421 I almost bought one of those instead of my m3, but I couldn't find one with vanos

Haha

but we still be thrashing them no matter what

No, he doesnt…

I hope not, they're overpriced already. We don't need more if that bs man

אדריאן בת@ im very sure if it's imported it's most likely cheaper than the American one

@@user-cg7tn2gs5d it's kinda funny how a R32 GTR is almost the same price as a Euro M3 R32 GTR is 36-40K and the E36 M3 is around 30-41K

Really does smh ! I honestly hate when RU-vidrs do that ruined the market

@@S54VR6 that’s your opinion

Maybe because the base is identical to the M. No wide fenders :(

@@S54VR6 what are you smoking?

@@S54VR6 and yet somehow paradoxically the e36 m3 ended up in car and driver's best cars list every year it was produced. Maybe drive one before writing it off?

@@S54VR6 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

I’d take a corvette because BMW is trash they never made a good car. BMW is unreliable AF

You're delusional and not hetero.

Wasn't BMW's tagline "Driving Sheer Pleasure"?

E36 M3 can not outrun a vette of its era in the twist. I own 2 e36s and a M coupe and the vette is still a better performer in every category. C4 corvettes dominate A stock category at the track. E36 is a B stock car.

@@jackc7943 the real e36 m3 has 321cv

Agreed, especially with some of the more opinion based scores like fun factor, cool factor, and styling.

I want it back too. I noticed that Doug started changing his videos a little bit recently.

Yes! I noticed it quite a while ago!

he has already addressed this many times and says he will never be going back to the old way.

Well guess what, when he did that, people hated on his scores. When he took that away, people are crying about it. Shut up ffs

6000 for an m3 are you crazy?

@@HaloofBlood1 who said anything about starting

The fact you are talking horsepower and not torque tells me your age. We older BMW enthusiasts recognize that not only is it torque values that get you down the road these engines are designed for high torque values.

@@davidwilson2657 Torque dont mean much if you ain't got any power along with it lol

the US spec engine is a crap. only the 3.2 european.

I would hesitate to say "cheaper to maintain". The US cars have much weaker cooling systems, and the VANOS refresh service on the Euro S50's is not that complex or expensive. The chassis stuff is all the same (source: me, with a RoW E36 M3 and experience with both the S50B30 and S50B32).

@@jsquared1013 yeah, i understand the hesitancy, but cooling system refreshes aren't that terrible either. I'd rather change my pump than have the rod bearing and main bearing issues that the high revving euro 3.2's have. to each their own! sounds like you've got a rad garage.

How does it feel to know that a school bus has more power than your American M3

@@SICW1970 have you driven a nicely sorted usdm e36 m3? they’re still fun! I have multiple cars and yes, it’s the slowest in my garage. However, it’s my favorite to take out for spirited driving on backroad twisties or Sunday rallys - if you were actually asking.

I'm looking for an E36 M3 as my first car and it's my dream car do you know how much are they

Ok thanks for the tip! Stupid question, but I gotta ask. Leaning over to each side is just for adjusting the mirrors? Or are you also supposed to lean over while driving? The leaning over confuses me a bit, because from reading your tip, I would have just adjusted the mirrors from my usual driving position and adjusted them a bit further until I don't see the side of my car. :)

@@TituzzzD just adjusting the mirrors. Look through them as you would normally, by simply glancing and turning your neck

When I got this car I had to do some research on this as the visibility was indeed very compromised. Adjusted my mirrors properly, and have never looked back! I have plenty of visibility now

This is how I've been adjusting my mirrors for years and it boggles my mind why people would set them to look down sides of car

@@TituzzzD hahaha just for adjusting. In the past I would push them out to where it was just past seeing the side of the car from my normal driving position, but this "winged out" method is a significantly wider field of view. I think you'll like it.

Get a same era 325i exhaust, that will fix it!

@@johnsoul3161 thanks I'll look into that!

I have a 1996 318i convertible 5 speed. My dad bought it from the original owner back in 2007 at 100k miles and now it has over 260k and absolutely bulletproof :)

I also have a 318is ,it's a 95 automatic I bought it new. Nice ride it has now nine thousand miles on it,always garaged.fun car ! Plus got a 94 325 convertible 5speed awesome little ride , it's my daily driver.

@@michaelniece5680 9K. Wow. Wow. If you have kids they are going to be jockeying for position for that creampuff.

Yeah the rest of the light is actually light, not just reflector...

@@Atanyrhate Yeah I think the bulbs are out or its wired weird. Mine work lol.

@@80PercentAshamedOfU He was doing the review with the lights off is probably the more valid explanaion.

Doug is like a kid reviewing cars made before he was born. He doesn't understand anything. I'm telling you what's weird. Lights that turn off and are being replaced by the turn signal. Brake lights that replace the running lights and a gigantic touch screen that controls everything in the car. Nobody needed that. Not everything needs to be controlled by touch screens. If they still made 90s and 2000s cars now, I'd buy that instead of those bad jokes they call cars nowadays

I don't care for red turn signals either.

it still is for me

One of the most beautiful car ever

not even close

@@maximusX_ yes it is. Nostalgic time capsule

@@andeleputo89 the 1990S BMW 850 CSI coupe looks way better and is a lot cooler then this

@@mafek Absolutely, buddy! I have an E36 coupe and I'm in love with it. I just can watch it for hours and with every second it becomes more beautiful to my eye. ❤❤❤

You and me. LOL

Literally tho

Tell me about it, seen so many teenagers buy them to 'fix up' but they make it inevitably worse and then sell it because they don't want to put the effort in

You can get a decent 325-328i for 6k

The E36 and the E46 are my favorite M3 generations.

@@314jrock both are in fh5

@@GummiJoker-nm9yu How do you like FH5? I have FH2, FH3, and FH4. I haven’t played FH5 yet. Does FH5 have the third generation Bentley Continental GT in it?

@@314jrock no

It's a simple, clean, understated design with no unnecessary wings or vents or bulges.

The pop out rear windows go back to the 2002, and possibly before that.

Bimmer.

original post and first reply are the bmw community in a nutshell. AKSHYUALLYY ITS A BIMMER. weird childish nerds LOL

@@td1751 It is though. It doesn't hurt to be correct.

@@earnestbunbury2103 beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer beemer

@@earnestbunbury2103 “Bimmer,” “beamer” and “beemer” The origin of the nickname “Beamer” The nickname “Beamer” comes from Great Britain - and originally served to distinguish it from a British manufacturer* whose motorcycles bore the nickname “Beezer”. But BMW motorcycles also achieved great success on the British racing scene, including the “Isle of Man TT Races”.Over the years, riders and motorsports fans coined the nickname “beemer” for BMW motorbikes, by analogy to “beezer.” “Beemer” is a lot snappier and generally easier to say than BMW, especially as it cuts out the difficult long W sound at the end.How beemer gave rise to bimmer The nickname “bimmer” originated in the 1970s. At the time, BMW automobiles were enjoying something of a boom in popularity in the US. Americans had initially called BMW cars “beamers,” like the motorcycles - with the exception of the Boston Chapter BMW club, whose newsletter has been called “Bimmer” since the 1970s. In the meantime, and entirely independently of the Boston Chapter, an identically titled magazine for BMW fans hit the shelves in the US, and “bimmer” won out as the preferred nickname for BMW cars (as opposed to “beamer” or “beemer” for motorcycles). The name has now been embraced by car fans around the world, even in Germany.

This.

Or that style of pop-out, but with some sort of remote control, either manual or power.

@@kc9scott In Europe there was an option to make those rear vents powered. It's pretty rare though. It was a different system than the powered rear vents in the e46

@@Bdude1111 I bet lot of Americans find it unfair that Europe get more the goodie that they wish US got.

if someone says their E36 doesn't have either of those they're lying

@@felixnurscher6017 I got both lol

@@Cristian-if3wy same here lmao

@@felixnurscher6017 the door cards are great on my one but on my old one they were very bad actually hah

@@felixnurscher6017 or they fixed them. In which case it's a medium-term temporary status 😂

Exactly. The euro-spec S50 was very problematic.

He forgets to shit on this and the e92 but couldn’t wait to shit on the e60 smh

Also forgot the m logo on the dash, the better obc display that will tell you lap time etc. didn’t look at the spare, there’s a lot of adjustability to the Vader’s for what they are, rear reinforcement problems.. I fell like he bit his tongue making this video

@@EagleEyes11497 We love Doug but he can be extremely biased and such a butt muncher sometimes.

He can't say anything too negative as it is being sold on cars and bids.

Lol, this was practically a luxury car back in the day.

@@trevor4533 how tho?

@@Maximus20778 because it had all the high end creature comforts and amenities of the day.

@@trevor4533 I thought the 7 series had those and the M3 was a sports car

@@Maximus20778 sports luxury car maybe. They even had a specific luxury package for the e36 m3. Ironically, everything op claims to hate about modern cars, is what the e36 m3 would have been considered when it was new. Especially compared to its predecessor. It’s cyclical. Give it 20 years, and people will say the same thing about cars like the m2 and the m235i.

don’t even get me started on the 996. favorite gen

Reason he say it slow because probably all he is driving in fast car so the pull feels slow. But if you look around in normal traffic then even a 318 is fast LOL just depend on how heavy your right foot is. And to be honest faster cars mostly only go faster in straight but in the corners its matter less.

Anyone that bought the runny egg 996 back when they were cheap before they started gaining appreciation is about to be sitting on gold.

Funny, most people make excuses not to ride JDM cars.

@@humushumus2219 Yeah. Skylines, Chasers, Silvias, etc. Everyone hates those.

Not to mention the obvious, that the M3 doesn't feel like a buzzy tin can like the Subaru lol

convert it to manual man. it’s easy.

And the aftermarket of the Usa model was more fun

There were numerous inaccuracies in that video, which was presented more as a personal perspective than an objective examination of the differences. The driving experience difference is NOT negligible 😂. And not really cheaper to maintain. And they didn't make the same amount of torque, either.

@@jsquared1013 I'm on my 3rd US spec E36, and I know two people who have Euro cars with the S52. The euro engine takes quite a bit more maintenance than the US S50/S52. For starters, solid lifters which need adjustments (vs. the self adjust hydraulic ones in the US car), and the far more complicated linkage for the ITBs. And it goes on from there. Plus, parts peculiar to the euro motor are available but far more expensive.

@vrtxte nice! I go back and watch it maybe once a year. Always a good time

Yeah Chase had the 328i

I mean a wider field of view is great but can only get you so far on such a tiny mirror

@@sfwqr7977 if you adjust it right, and you’re a good driver, it’s probably just fine

@@sfwqr7977 I never had any issues with those mirrors. I always came from behind anyway. 😉

1980's and 1990's were the height of touring car racing. It gave birth to legends people know and love today.

that is a stock steering wheel...

@@choybo1 he means he would only change the steering wheel, while keeping the rest of the car stock

@@JTSuarez ahhhh makes sense

But as a guy who’s owned three of them, I can say this euro steering wheel is WAY better than the generic one found in the US cars. I swapped mine over to this one on the car I had for 14 years, as I wanted a BMW part

@@993mike it’s not just a euro wheel. They got it part way through 98 and 99 m3s had that wheel too

Then it went to good hands instead of ending up in an accident then the crusher

@@eVerProductions1 lol there’s a place for track built cars, custom building a car for the track is far more interesting and it means the car actually gets pushed to its limits which is also cool

japanese designer

@@v12-s65 Chinese and Austrian not japanese, Pinky Lai and Boyke Boyer designed.

And I was just about to comment that this is arguably the worst design on any 3 series.

@@Raven16691 r u on drugs

@a pimp named Mdot agreed with the G80, but for the best looking I'd tie the E90/E92 with the E46.

it had 275 kmh top speed (without the limiter) and 5,5 sec acceleration. I think this is still very fast

Doug fluffed it- he was off cam in the wrong gear for his first attempt and Vanos only kicks in above 5000rpm. Not a torquey engine but get it singing and it's joyous, like a rich man's 2zz. Agree on the need to put things in perspective- it's a 25 year old car now. Straight line spanked an AM DB7 in mine and the old duffer was deeply unchuffed! p.s. Dear Doug, Stop blethering on about buttons and drive it more. Shame on you if on opening that hood you don't mention the Individual Throttle Bodies!

@@garethmcrae668 your conceptualization of VANOS isn't correct. It's not like VTEC or VVTi. The cam doesn't switch profiles; the cam gears change timing. The VANOS is actually active between ~3000-5000rpm to increase the midrange, it is *inactive* at high rpm.

@@jsquared1013 Yes, I agree that is a poor effort on my part. I'm not too clued up on the technical side of things but do have both engines. The vvtl-i (ie Celica 190 2zzge) has a distinct surge at 6250- it's similar curve to 1zz up to this point, then goes mental up to over 8k. Good old Yamaha. Particularly in admittedly slightly tired double Vanos, after a linear delivery (classic straight 6 feeling) there is a distinct pick up from about 5+k rpm up to red line in the mid 7's. If Vanos is receding by then, mibbe the surge is more because the engine is merrily revving and on cam? Damn this arts degree 😬

@@garethmcrae668 the high rpm surge is likely from the engine being in its happy place with the cam profile and the resonance of the short intake manifold runners. Might want to check the VANOS solenoids, there was a noticeable difference in mid-range on my 3.2 after I fixed a wonky solenoid (the factory soldered connection from the wire to the solenoid circuit board had deteriorated; replaced the seals with Beisan kit as preventive maintenance at the same time the solder connection was repaired). Also, my phrasing might be inaccurate also 😅. The VANOS (whether double or single) is a progressive shifting of the cam timing, so instead of saying active or inactive, I should say that it shifts cam timing gradually as the revs climb into the mid range until it hits a "max" advance (for the intake at least, I can't remember if the exhaust is advanced or retarded), then shifts back to "base" timing as revs climb towards redline. So basically it's on a curve, ramps up and hits a peak at midrange, then ramps down as you go towards redline. Your 2ZZ acts more like Honda VTEC, where there are two cam profiles and the ECU switches over at a certain threshold. I _think_ the 2ZZ *also* has a cam timing phaser (like VANOS) in addition to the two cam profiles, but I can't remember for sure, I'd have to look it up. (The addition of the timing phaser to the two cam profiles is what changed from VTEC to i-VTEC, which I think Honda released after Toyota's system in the Celica GT-S).

E36 is just simply a german classic :-)

Agreed, I always thought this was the 3 series to have!

Considering the lack of body differences compared to a regular e36, I could see why its 'a' m3 instead of THE m3 like the others. Especially standing out between the e30 and e46 with their distinctive fender flares. That being said Ive always considered the generation of e36 as THE 3-series, for its fantastic chassis, sporty looks and driving feel.

The E30 will always be "THE M3". It was a true race homologation car, it looked like a race car and it was the M division really doing it's thing rather than being just the top tier 3 series. It was wildly different to the base models in a number of ways, specifically for motorsport.

Nope, its the E30. The E36 is too big and it falls apart.

He ranked it last because he talked about the US market M3. The Euro M3 is the one he reviewed. The US M3 is not good, just like any BMW ever made

@2 Corinthians 4:7-11 I mean you speaking facts, and also that “God demuro” guy, I bearly see him anymore

@@drippgxd Jesus drove a Honda but didn't really want to talk about it. John 12:49 -- "For I did not speak of my own Accord...."

@@halfniak Jesus is a prophet not God. We must worship the creator of the world Allah not a human being. We see Jesus as a prophet like Muhammad

Doug getting lazy on us

That’s more then a couple… And also Star Wars seats? Yeah I don’t believe that I call it cap

@@pooolish334 100 % lazy in this video spouting off tired bs talking points from other lazy journalists

Hmmm.... There was no estate of the E36, whatever gave you that idea? This car, as far as I can see from the video, does indeed have the "Vader" seats.

@@drippgxd Its not star wars seats, its "Vader" seats, and its an inofficial nickname, presumably because of how they look with the headrest sides extending down and becoming the shoulder bolsters of the seat.

yess the e36 always been a good car. the chassis is just unmatched imo, you can drift bare stock 328is😭. actually pretty capable for a "luxury" car

@@nick0164 don't talk utter nonsense. I was a drift racer I'm in Scotland. The only decent drifting E36 was the compact and even that needed turbod or the 3.2 engine in with an aftermarket LSD. The 328 didn't have the power or thr diff to do proper slides it was a one tyre fire specialist and even the M3 evo struggled to transition it had an open diff too. You had to do loads of work to e36 to get it drifting good and you had to put up with diabolical reliability. To say the E36 chassis is the best ever is simply embarrassing, the e36 handled like a GT car compared to the E30. You should never comment on cars again as what you've just said is an embarrassing read for anyone in UK or Europe mainland.

@@fakevirus8828 lmao when did i say it was the best ever? i said unmatched, as in the time period. and then yall must not know what you're doing cuz my boy got a stock '95 325i and all it took was a 2 way lsd and removing the rear seats to be sliding through corners😭prolly like 150hp at the wheels, so dont say it needs hella work done. tell the UK i said fuck em😂🖕😂

@@fakevirus8828 uhh. I sold my 328i to someone who has since made it a drift car with minimal modifications, none of which were power related. And even when road racing it is a fantastic chassis. Felt raw and analogue as well, unlike e90+ which start to feel subdued. E46 is still good, though I’d personally take an e36

Ultimate unreliability machines*

@@drippgxd Compared to today's BMW's with lots of technology gizmos, these old BMW's were easy to maintain.

@@bonzobonanza they were unreliable back then, and they are still unreliable now. BMWs were never good cars

Was this guy drunk? I don’t live in Canada so idk about drinking laws there, but I live in Detroit which is near Windsor Ontario, which is where 401 begins

No idea but my bet is no. He was coordinated but brash. Guys like him always crash eventually. Gotta know your limits...

I wonder if it was one of the 50 original Euro spec M3s Canada imported ?

I'm assuming that it's because when reviewing current cars he takes into account the gadgets that competitors offer (even if they are more annoying to have them) since that's what potential buyers of a brand new car might be looking for. For us people that like to buy older cars, we already know that it doesn't have all that tech and the fact that it doesn't might even be a positive. For example, I have an older Jeep (95 Grand Cherokee) and the most avanced piece of driver assist is cruise control, and I have never used it. I have never really wished that my Jeep had something that newer cars offer, although that might change if I have a family someday given that my Jeep only had 1 airbag (for the driver) and I removed it.

Bro the comment is barely about the BMW in the video. Where did you see an old Jeep in the video?

because buyers of new cars want the tech and buyers of old cars dont

@@agtshaw wrong. People buy old cars because they are cheap. People buy new cars because they look cool and they are more safer than old cars

@@drippgxd Bollox! People who buy E36M3's don't buy them because they are cheap.

Yeah, that's how I feel too. At that point, I'll just wait until the m235i depreciates a little more.

Clownshoe, is a classic

And the Z4M Coupe 😁

BMW’s are overrated. Their cars have become more and more unreliable and more and more hideous and ugly. Mercedes made better cars. AMG > M unreliable trash

It does need another gear on the highway. Probably why the Euro 3.2 Evo got that extra gear 😅

and no Vaders.

@@JaxinBlue You could order vader seats as Individual equipment but without M stripes.

When I was in HS. Early 90s. Broncos were dirt cheap. It’s Crazy how much people want for one…