2001 Honda Prelude -> e36 M3?

[m3f_hwani.em36.]

Hello e36 M3 owners.

It is my honor to meet you guys here in this forum.



I own a 2001 Honda Prelude base 5-spd.







I tried to balance the mods between engine/suspension/looks.

After 4 months of owning the prelude and spending over 10g on it, somehow I want something different.

My previous car was also a honda, 2002 honda accord v6.



Can you guys give me some HONEST opinion on this decision?

I don't know much about e36 m3s. Except that they handle like a dream, got some punch, looks great outside, but shitty inside like prelude.



I will do a search, but it is tough, and mean while Im doing it, I want to hear some information on e36 m3s.

Such as Pros and Cons, reliability issue, cost to fix/mod, insurance rate, etc.

From what I heard, m3s got high insurance rate, they have some reliability issues and it takes alot of money to mod or fix..

If there is ONE thing that honda owner can brag about, is as you all know, "reliability".

6 years of owning 2 hondas, never had any problems.. I hoping this as well with my first experience with BMW.



Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.



-sean

[m3f_Extrav.Dreams]

First, on your comment of the bad looks of the inside of an e36, I'd have to disagree. I mean sure, it’s not new or a grand luxury car with wood and carbon fiber (which can be had), but it is ergonomic and relatively easy to look at. If you haven’t sat in the driver’s seat of one, you won’t know how well everything forms around you. Feels like a sports car should, only with a little more comfort.



I don’t have a long history of different vehicles, but of all the cars that I have been in, this one fits my style the best and that is a decision you will have to make alone. However, I can tell you, BMWs aren’t cheap. Well, e36s aren’t that expensive... any more, but that also means an older car. Older cars have more problems than newer ones, some more than others depending on the previous driver(s).



There are several threads that answer your questions in detail; start with the e36 faq section. To sum it up, a fine tuned, race inspired, German car = more expensive to fix, requires more maintenance, will bring you lots of driving pleasure.



Mods? Well, smaller market means you will be paying premium prices.

[m3f_salty]

Nice Prelude, I have always wanted to try one. The M3 is a departure from the Prelude in design philosophy. The controls are heavier. The interior is more function over form. It is a great interior in my opinion. It has all you need, and it falls nicely to hand. When you hit the power door button, you hear a loud mechanical thud. When you shut the door or trunk, the body integrity is obvious. Honda has spent a lot of time making their vehicles Teflon slick. I admire this, but in the end find it less satisfying. Our family's Japanese vehicle feels like more of an appliance in some regards.

The M3 again feels more mechanical when you drive it. The engine has some power down low, and the car feels ready to pounce. I feel most city driving is holding the car back, with bursts of speed when appropriate. My Corrado on the other hand is more into running through the gears all day. The M3 is much better at 9-10/10th's speed.

[m3f_hwani.em36.]

Thanks guys for honest opinions.

I read them very carefully, and will keep them in mind. Perhaps, Im copying-paste all the posts from you guys to microsoft word. Im going to be keep reading it over and over..



I want a car that has,

-Fine Looking Exterior

-Functional Interior (little extra style can't hurt though.)

-Enough kick in low-end for city driving. No more revving up to 4000rpm to keep up with traffic like my honda.

-Enough high-end to NOT get smoked by usual hondas (e36 m3s run low-mid 14s?)

-RWD, and torque

-Great suspension to begin with. I care about handling alot. My prelude's handling was great. I read that e36 M3 is one of the best in the world. Weight distribution is almost 50:50 right?



And because those are things that I want, e36 M3 perfectly falls into all the categories I listed.

It just seems like a perfect match for what Im looking for.

However, all these "problems" from e36 BMWs are really scaring me..



I'll narrow my questions.

-Which year e36 M3 is safest to buy?

-Any general reliability issues? What are some common problems with e36 m3?

-What kind of maintence cost am I looking at?

(Hopefully it doesn't break down every 1000miles like VWs)

-I know low-end is good, but how's top-end on e36 m3? average 1/4 time?

-How expensive are the aftermarket parts? How small is the market towards e36 m3?



Again, thank you guys, I appreciate every word.

[m3f_97BLKM3COUPE]

Find the newest M3 with the lowest miles you can afford. The OBD I vs. OBD II argument is really not important as at the end of the day they can all be modded just the same (unless you go F.I. as the OBD I is easier and less expensive to swap chips versus an ECU reflash).



That being said, go test drive one locally if you can. You will really love the extra power of your Lude. Additionally, with a good driver, an M3 will dip into the high 13's in the quarter.



You will also love the RWD of the car with the best handling around.



Like everyone else mentioned, you will pay a bit more for mods and maintenence, but if you can do it yourself, it is really not that bad. Check out the FAQ section on what to look for.

[m3f_Purple99M3]

i think we have all hit it.. as for the interior.. just some pts.. on the "sport" edition (not really sport just the non luxury) u get leather seats, some heat seats, some fully powered seats, OBC, the usual.. its a good lookin interior i promise you... where are from.. maybe someone can give you the run around on one.. inthe city... ur gonna want to jam the throttle.. driving at any RPM is fine due to the very nice torque... but definitly find the one u want... there are many out there... priced from 15-25 (really wouldn't go as high as 25, just giving it as a perspective)... but definitly find what u want... there are colors that are harder to find such as avus and byzanz... so u might pay for that by waiting... ur lude looks awesome.. i had a buddy with a lude, cams and stuff.. laid something like 260 fwhp... hot car.. just no torque.. from there he moved to an IS300... i wish he would have kept that lude though.. grrrrrrr.. anyways.. welcome!

[m3f_Purple99M3]

sorry for the **** pic.. but here is my interior (minus my shiftknob.. i was installing my stereo, thats why its gone.. but anyways.. here is somewhat of a view of what they look like,.

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/atta...ntid=5755&stc=1

[m3f_Predator]

2 lines



The BMW M3 is a driver's car. The interior is focused on driving.



The E36 was one of the finest drivers cars ever made.

[m3f_97BLKM3COUPE]

Here are some more interior shots. The car is actually pretty nice inside.

[m3f_uansari1]

Here's a decent shot of my interior... it's totally stock, so you can get an idea of what it's like. Not that the flash was on, so the interior looks more gray than it is... it's really black.