As of late, BMW's (as well as other luxury cars) are becoming appliances more and more everyday. Stuffed with all the latest techno gizmos and gadgets, this new breed of luxury car takes the driver out of the equation almost entirely. Rewind the clock back 15 years ago, and the European performance wars were at their finest; Volvo had the 850 R and 850 T5-R, Mercedes had its C36/43 AMG and 400E/500E/E36/55 AMG and BMW had a full stable of M cars, too.
The E36 represents, to me, the pinnacle of semi-modern BMW design. While it was introduced in 1991 overseas, and 1992 in the states, the E36 still looks every bit as good today as it did back then. Ever better than the 325is coupe and sedan was its M3 brethren. Sporting either a 3.0 straight 6 or a 3.2 straight 6, the car had 240 horses from the factory. While not a considerable amount of power by today's standards (a Honda Accord has a 280+ HP 3.5), in 1995, 240 horses was something to be proud of. Because the E36 was a race car as well, BMW had to homologate the M3 for race use. In 1996, a limited CSL model was introduced, a trend that started in the early 1970s and one that continues today.
While I cannot comment on how the drive, I will say that all the reviews I've read (Top Gear, Evo, Car, and some American publications) reveal that the E36 M3 is one hell of a driver's car. And it shows. Almost every E36 M3 I see on the road is being flogged, or at least driven in a manner that would put stress on a non-performance oriented vehicle of the same vintage.
This example was clean. The paint and body were in outstanding shape save for a trunklid dent, which can easily be fixed. The wheels and tires were in decent shape, save for a little balding on the rear tires (hmm I wonder why?:P), and the interior looked fairly fresh.
I think I'd like one in this exact color, but on some BBS LMs and a BMW M Motorsport spoiler and front lip combo. Oh, and some Dinan performance mods, maybe an intake, and new ECU? I can dream right?
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