Need some help deciding

[m3f_M3Fury]

Hey all, i'm in the market to get my first M3, i've been trying to research as much as i can for the options and what not. Here's what i got so far, i really like the vaders first off. They seem to only be in the 95s i've seen. Also, on the 95 the front facia looks alot cooler, it seems to have more of a lip on the bottom..plus the air dam is alot more wide open..? wondering if i'm seeing this right..i like that more. basically heres what i got, i have a 95 vs a 97..both black on black...97 has soccerball rims..lux package..not to hot on the wood trim..all that 75K. The 95 is mint looking...vaders..no spoiler with 92K..and regular spoked rims. One other thing i'm wondering is about the thermostat..the 96+ have all digital..as opposed to the analog in the 95. Basically i'm looking for opinions as to which one is better...any help from you guys is greatly appreciated..thanks...

[m3f_95GreenDin_a5d1e794f4]

Well, it's really up to you. I'm not a big fan of the Lux package. I hate the wood trim which came on most of the lux packages. From what I've heard the vader seats didn't come on Lux package either. Also, you have the horizontal slats on the front grill with the lux package, as opposed to the grill on the non lux package. Although I've seen people cut out the slats and replace them with a mesh grill, it's just more work.



I bought a 95 with 90k. I'm glad I did. 95's can be modded a bit easier, to mod a 97 you'd be better off replacing the manifold. There's only a 20k mile difference between the two cars. It's all a matter of price really. You'll need to get a compression test on both engines. As far as the thermo, I haven't heard much about the quality difference, both seem to work well, but I do think the digital looks much cooler.



Advice, get a compression test on each one you are considering. Test drive each. I've heard from other posters that to check the wear on the clutch, you should go about 30mph, then put the car in 5th gear. When you hit the gas, the RPM's shouldn't shoot up. The car should SLOWLY acclerate. If the rpms shoot up really fast, the clutch is worn out. Listen for knocks from the engine, note response time when you get on the gas. Good luck!

[m3f_Cleveland]

just to clear up a few things for you,



A) The "Vader" seat were available in every year of the E36 M3's run.(1995-'99)



These type of seats were not available if you selected the 'Luxury Package' on the original order.





B) The "Lip" on the bottom or the front air dam is also a product of whether or not the 'Luxury Package' was ordered.



Non-Luxury package M3's (also known as the 'Sport Package') got the lip standard from the factory . It was deleted only when the luxury package was selected.



C) The air damn is the same on all years of the E36 M3.(sedans & coupes)



What you are seeing is an optical illusion. The 1995 M3's front grill cover is color coded to match the car. The other model years 1996-'99 are not. The luxury model got the large slat grill while the 'sport' model got mesh grill cover. This gives some people the false impression that one is larger than the other.





D) The "soccer ball" rims you discribe are probably the CONTOURS and came on most E36 M3's.



There are a couple of different type of 'spoked rims' so I'm not sure which one you are referring to in your post.



E) Some M3 owners decided not to get the spoiler option on the car.



This is not a big deal. You have several resources to purchase replica (identical) spoilers that match or exceed OE quality if your willing to pay for it later on. Many M3 owners here have done this after they bought the car. I'm sure you could find help here if you ever decided you wanted one.





F) No one here can decide for you what is 'better' in general.



You have to make up your own mind in reference to anything we say. You alone must decide on things such as look,color,trim,or feel of the car. We can only advise you on what's good or bad for a particular reason (reliability, performance, maintenance, troubleshooting, etc.) You can't ask such a broad question like "which one is better...". Better at what? You gotta be more specific, so we can offer you the kind of help you want. :thumbsup:



G) Learn the terminology so we can understand what you're talking about.



It's very confusing to try an answer a question or offer an opinion on something, when you have to guess what you are asking in the first place. eace:



I'll offer you two links to very valuable resources. They will teach you things about these cars that you need to know. It will help you decide what route you should take.



BMW Registry FAQ



E36 M3 FAQ



We all want to help, but you have to do your part. :beer:



I hope some of this information helps you. Welcome. :wave:





EDIT: Some M3 owners replaced the seats that came with the 'Luxury Package' and installed 'Vaders' after the fact. The same can be said with adding the "Lip" spoiler to the front air dam. I installed the 'sport package' look complete with a lip spoiler on my luxury package sedan after I had my air dam repainted.

[m3f_PurpleM3Pursuit]

Here's what i got so far, i really like the vaders first off. They seem to only be in the 95s i've seen. Also, on the 95 the front facia looks alot cooler, it seems to have more of a lip on the bottom..plus the air dam is alot more wide open..? wondering if i'm seeing this right..i like that more.

this kinda inaccurate.. u can find the vaders on alot of 96+ and the airdam is the same size, just the lux has the slats and the sport has the mesh.. as for the lip.. its there.. u can see it in my pix.. my is a 99 with everything (almost i guess)... has the vaders, digital air controller, and lip... etc... the obdII is just as easy to make power in as the OBDI... its just the OBD takes some thought.. bigger engine, different emissions... u can get the m50 manifold on an OBDII and already ur ahead of the game.. it can be done.. it costs a bit more.. but its alot of fun.. plus u get the extra .2 liters of displacement.. but when it comes down it it.. its all about the money.. in the case with the 2 cars u have i would definitly take the 95 just based on the lux package etc.. im not a fan of it either..



edit: the man above beat me to it.. and did a damn fine job! :thumbsup:

[m3f_M3Fury]

Ok thanks guys, i'm definately looking for the sports package..not lux...so the lip on the facia comes standard with the sport package? I think i'm more interested in a 96+ like you said becuase of the displacement...stiffer suspension and i also like the digi thermo controls...I definately want vaders. All this seems hard to come by..most M3's I see have the lux package. The spoked rims i was reffering to are the ones in PurpleM3Pursuits signature. I definately would like the contour rims. Is this that hard of a package to come by? If the lip was gone is it easy to get one aftermarket...and does anyone know of a url that i can get the factory spoiler from. Lastly, is the 95 all that bad compared to the 96+..???? It looks mint to me, plus I'm sure it will be cheaper....thanks again

[m3f_95RogueM3]

Ok thanks guys, i'm definately looking for the sports package..not lux...so the lip on the facia comes standard with the sport package? I think i'm more interested in a 96+ like you said becuase of the displacement...stiffer suspension and i also like the digi thermo controls...I definately want vaders. All this seems hard to come by..most M3's I see have the lux package. The spoked rims i was reffering to are the ones in PurpleM3Pursuits signature. I definately would like the contour rims. Is this that hard of a package to come by? If the lip was gone is it easy to get one aftermarket...and does anyone know of a url that i can get the factory spoiler from. Lastly, is the 95 all that bad compared to the 96+..???? It looks mint to me, plus I'm sure it will be cheaper....thanks again

No, the 95 isnt "all that bad" when compared to the 96+ m3s.



Yes the lip can be retrofitted to a Lux front bumper..if you buy a non-lux car (there is no such thing as a sport package..just a non-lux) then there should be no reason for it not to have the front lip.



The rims in Purple's signature are the 95 Double Spoke 1 Wheels (soft and replaced in 96+ models with a contour or Double Spoke 2). The contour on a "sport" package is harder to find as Lux m3s came standard with the contours wheras "sport package" m3s came with Double spoke 2s.



The suspension will be unnoticeable...it really is only stiffer on paper..not on real world roads.



The digital climate control might look nice...but it does no more than the analog control as found in 95 models.



Hope this helps. Pick whichever of the 2 you can a) afford or b) looks nicer depending upon your financial situation.



-Richard

[m3f_dpwaters_12caf35ce8]

I gotta tell ya, as much as I like the ///M colored corner on the vader seats, I REALLY like the electric seats offered in the Lux version. With seats as adjustable as those, theres no reason not to be completely comfortable on long trips. It was the perfect seating-wheel-instrument positions that ultimately sold me on my 97 M3 Lux. I drive around 800 miles per month on very curvy roads and I have a less-than-perfect lower back.



I have yet to find anyone who is fond of the wood-grain junk in the car, but those parts are just begging to be replaced with Carbon Fibre! Aside of that, the car is blazing fast with no mods whatsoever and there is a plethora of upgrade and performance parts available.



My boss has driven BMW's for years. He currently drives a loaded 2004 745il. When he found that I was looking at a BMW, he said, "After you drive it, you'll never buy anything else". When I told him it was an M3, he said, "Oh sh*t, you better be careful, those things are fast!" He repeated that last statement over the next week everytime he saw me. (I guess he doesn't like the possibility of replacing his network administrator!!)



Have fun!

[m3f_PurpleM3Pursuit]

I gotta tell ya, as much as I like the ///M colored corner on the vader seats, I REALLY like the electric seats offered in the Lux version. With seats as adjustable as those, theres no reason not to be completely comfortable on long trips.

my seats are fully powerd and heated.. hmmm.. i like them.. to me there is no support in the lux seats.. just my opinion

[m3f_jdwgig]

I have a 95 Lux .....with a front lip on it...it was added as a mod..but it fits fine and looks perfect.....also the lux package is said to be heavier....like 100 pds or so....i could be wrong about the weight ........i also thought i wouldnt like the wood grain but you know what you get used to it and i am not sure i would change it.... if you are wanting a "racing" look dont get the wood trim...if you are wanting "lux class" look get the wood grain.... you wont be dissapointed anyway you go with an M...



heres a look at the lux with the lip ...need to get activated still and download some better photos



http://members.cardomain.com/jdwgig



oh yeah the seats are great but i am not sure about the Vaders because i have never sat in them.... but lux seats are fine ... basically if you want a race look get a non lux........its as easy as that......but it all comes down to money and you know your own limits so like i said earlier any way you go you will not be dissapointed with the M!!!!!! yeah baby

[m3f_95RogueM3]

perfect.....also the lux package is said to be heavier....like 100 pds or so....

The quoted weight of the Luxury Package is higher because of the heavier seats as well as the contours which are slightly heavier than Double Spoke 1s or 2s.



The difference is more like 30-35lbs. (seats and wheels)



-Richard