VTECS2000

I was thinking of buying a 95 BMW M3 for 15500 from a guy in New York. I have never been in an M3 of that year and I was wondering if anyone has had one or has been in one. If you have could you please tell a little about it. I want to know if they are really fast and how good they handle and things like that. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Christople

I say if it's a Sedan go for it.

waltk88

The M3 sedan didn't show up until 96. All the 95 M3s were coupes.

VTEC_Junkie

if you are planning to keep your s2k, then go ahead and consider getting the m3. but i would never replace a 2000+ s2000 with a 95 M3. i don't know if you've checked the car out already, but an 8 year old M3 at that price must have either lots of miles and/or in moderate to poor condition. unless this is your project car and plan on replacing and upgrading lots of drivetrain and suspension parts, i'd definitely have a good mechanic who is familiar with the M3 to drive and examine the car thoroughly. as for the driving characteristic of the m3, this car has lots of low end torque. unlike the s2000, you get power from 2000 rpm onwards. even though most car mags have the 0-60 and 1/4 time of the 95-00 m3 to be around the ballpark of that of the s2k, the m3 does not require drastic launching techniques to get those times. bottom line is that a 95 m3 may not necessarily be faster than the s2k on paper, but it definitely FEELS faster due to the massive amount of torque and it is definitely easier to make it go fast. as for handling, it has great road holding for a car that size and weight, but it is nowhere as nimble as the s2k. don't get me wrong, the m3 is an awsome handler but imo, it's not as fun to toss around as the s2k. of course my driving impression of this car is based on ones that are no more than 2 years old with less than 15,000 on the odometer, so depending on the condition of the m3 you are considering to purchase, that m3 may not perform anywhere near the way it was designed to perform. the bottom line is that m3's are more at par with corvettes. both have abundant torque throughout the powerband, and both are great handlers that are more at home in high speed corners. in other words, an m3 is a grand tourer, so if you are interested in owning a GT, the m3 is probably one of the best out there for the price.

MDXLuvr

i don't quite agree with the above post. The e36 m3 was considered one of the best handling cars of mid 90's. I remember a C&D article in which the M3 was rated 1st, f355 2nd, and nsx 3rd. The article was purely about handling(not HP, or 1/4 mile times). sure its not as nimble as a s2k, but its still a great track car. Actually, many people feel that the e46m3 is inferior the the older m3 from a handling standpoint. And, they are highly modifiable. I just wonder if its been abused, and reliability.

negcamber

Here is a link to a thread on Bimmerforums that might be helpful.

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthre...&threadid=64311

There are many areas that need close review and attention on an older M3. Make sure you have a good BMW mechanic go over the car and perform a leak down test or at the minimum a compression check.

I raced my '95 M3 frequently for the first year I owned it...the handling does not match the S2k, especially on the autox course. My E36M3 was prepped to the max of SCCA stock rules, including very expensive Koni double adjustable shocks...but completely stock my S2k was quicker through the cones.

On the track, they are much closer...but the S2k is still faster around the roadcourse.