E46<S2k<E36 E36 is definitely looking dated as well.

 

I owned an E36 M3 for 10 years. I bought it new. I spent close to a year and a half looking for a replacement that would still get me excited everytime I started up the car. I looked at E46 330ci - Infiniti G35 coupe - Lexus IS 300 - Audi A4 - Acura TL Type S - Acura CL type S - Nissan 350 Z - etc, etc. When I drove the S2000 it was a no brainer. My only thought was color option.

I don't want to sound like a prick but when you look at the list of cars my family has owned I can honestly say the S2000 is just as exciting to drive as any of them.

It may not have the name brand factor, but honestly I do not care. I bought it to make me happy, not impress my neighbors. It does impress them because they have never seen one before.

I have had 3 BMW's and I still love the brand, but they are getting away from affordable, exciting cars. Repairs are crazy. In my last 18 months I replaced :

ABS pump
Alternator
Condensor
Fuel pump
AC compressor

I finally said enough was enough. I am 43 and I am more interested in having a blast while saving a buck.

Ther S2000 is an underpriced car. Buy it, you will be very happy especially if you order a hardtop.

RW

 

Dated, smated. I loved my S2k, but the M3 has the daily driver thing down just a little better. With the S2k, I always felt I had to rev it to 6K just to get around an F150. Both amazing cars, and I would definitely like to own another S2k for a weekend car, but for now, I'm liking the M3. Twinscrew SC'er should be on within the next few months . The maintenance has been worse than the S2000, granted the car is 10 years old, but I've only spent about 1500 getting the M3 up to snuff. No issues at all.

Dated? Nah, good lines are good lines, no matter how you cut it.

 

i think you're a little confused there haha

its

e36<s2k<e46

or better yet

e36<e46<s2k

 

i sold my e36 m3 4dr and got s2k. i think you will be happy with either one of them IF you know what you are getting into and what you will get out of it. like many others mentioned above, you will need to make a decision based on your situation...

like how important is the 3rd, 4th seat?
how about trunk size?
which you would be happy with "bmw" prestige or "honda" reliability?
how would like the driving characterics of each car?

-m3: lots of torque, tight handling, forgiving to novice driver
-s2k: raw driving expericence, open air, unforgiving to novice driver

i liked my m3 a lot and found it to be very reliable...
didn't experience any electrical or mechanical problems...
but regular maintenance is more expensive...

it really comes down to few things:

1. economics, $$$$$$$ speaks

2. performace to price (MY, Miles) ratio: s2k >> e36m3

3. e36 m3 is already outdated....

not by other cars,
not by the design of the car itself,
but by its evolutionary sibling, e46 m3 with improved performance and design.

in contrast, s2k MY00 - 05 looks and performs pretty much the same.

4. if u r single without family or kids,
r not a designated driver for your friends,
rear seats are really overrated feature, especially in a sports car.
really. really...

in your mind, you r thinking...well..it's friday night, i can haul a bunch of my friends or even better, bunch of girls in my m3 and share the fun....
really, you're friends do already have cars you want to race..
really, most of the time, you want one really hot girl with you to WORK with..
really, let's say you have 3 passengers with you in your m3 and it's about to turn green with a s2k in another lane...really, you think you will do better?

with 4dr m3, i drove alone 95%, 99.9% with one other passenger.

really, it's your decison.

 

I owned an E36 M3 for 3 years and 40,000 miles... a 95, drive it from 6 years old to 9 years old, 42k miles to 82k miles.

The thing was god-damned bulletproof (electrical problems on the 96+ cars are strictly limited to the climate control system, 95 has a non-digital system). Parts were cheap, easy to work on -- water pump was $35, replaced as preventative maintenance.

The car was sexy, fast as hell, and felt great. Always swallowed all of my stuff with no complaints. Perfect car, really. Absolutely perfect. I was not let down once -- in reliability or performance. Pass an assload of cars in top gear on the freeway? No problem, it ALWAYS had performance to spare. I never once had to back off from many hairy passing moves on long drives. Excellent companion for my 900 mile commute between home and school.

I sold it last year because I was low on money, college you know. Couldn't justify having a car payment and insurance for a car I barely drove.

Now I'm going into my senior year. I need a car for the summer, and figure I can swing pretty much anything for 9 months of college before I graduate. I'm looking at S2000's -- being in California, I just want a convertible, and not a sedan-turned-convertible like the E36 M3 cabrio, an honest-to-god roadster, and I think the S2000 fits the bill. Yeah, I'm sure I'll hate it when I drive 900 miles home to Seattle, and can't fit any stuff in it, and so on, but I don't need a daily driver, and it's an incredible car.

The E36 M3 is more expensive. Sure you can get one for less than you can get an S2k, but it's for a much older car. It's just a lot more car than the S2000 is, frankly. More luxury, bigger engine, more everything. That doesn't mean it's better, it just means if the S2k is the right car for you, the E36 M3 is more than you need.

Honestly, the only reason I'm not considering another M3 is because I can't really justify buying another copy of a car I already had, but I would buy another one in a heartbeat if it weren't for that. Maybe in a year or two I'll pick another up when they're @10k. Will be the best bargain for a car, ever.

But at the end of the day, they're completely different cars. Drive them both, you'll know. Think about what you'll use it for. Daily driving, some crappy weather, long distances, you probably don't want an S2k. But who knows, maybe you do. Fun toy car in a nice climate, that works fine as a daily driver but maybe isn't the best car for it, S2k is your car.

Drive 'em both, you'll know. I miss my M3 every day, but the S2k is just MORE FUN. I suspect I'll wish I had the M3 back when driving the S2k not infrequently, and I'd probably never wish I had an S2k if I bought another M3, but a roadster is just MORE FUN!

 

 

One of my good friends just bought a 99 E36 M3 recently (a beautiful car hands down), but had planned to buy an S2k from the start (and still wants one too), but unfortunately wasn't able to because insurance was gonna be too high compared to the M3. I drove his M3 though, a lot heavier than S2k that's for sure (I could feel it from the doors lol), but the power and torque make up for it. I guess you really have to drive both cars and get a feel for which one is comfortable, and think about other issues, like seating and cargo space, gas mileage, maintenance, etc. (btw he had a some electrical problems like someone mentioned before climate control and other stuff, but he fixed those by himself), anyways good luck with your choice...

 

i don't think you can go wrong with either car... the convertable should seal the deal.

 

S2000 all the way. It handles better than e46 M3s, let alone e36s. The BMW has advantages; more comfortable, can carry more people, larger aftermarket, etc. I could care less about it's "dated" apperance. Stock for stock though, the S2000 is going to be the more fun car.

BUT, I'm actually considering going from S2000 to e36. My evil plan includes stuffing an LS1 V8 into it. A bunch of my friends are running LS1 powered RX-7s so I thought I'd do something a little different and go with a BMW. (Not the first LS1 e36 though, there are several of them out there terrorizing tracks already.)