Demuro: All the BMW M3s Ranked from Worst to Best

[maw1124]

My first intro to these M cars was in an E36M3 sedan 6MT through the hills and back streets of Westchester NY and Peekskill in probably ‘99/‘00. “Trash” is not a word that comes to mind. 20+ years later, debatable. But there are a lot of great cars where the interiors don’t really hold up. Lots of BMWs and Porsches come to mind.

If you’re going to keep a car for that long you’re going to replace interior parts, seat covers, switches, etc., just like brakes, control arms and the rest. It’s part of the game. Doesn’t make the cars trash. The owners maybe (for buying cars they can’t afford to keep up) but not the cars, IMO.

It just means you need to find a garage kept example from someone who could afford it, or your 964/993/928/30/36 will have brittle plastic and dry leather all over the place. In those old car forums, the posts are not so much about engine or suspension mods but NOS parts and Leatherique. It’s just a different game for a different player.

But any car that old you can drive today and still enjoy is saying something, when you think of the ones that are gone and happily forgotten.

maw

BTW, this is great stuff… https://www.obenaufs.com/natural-pre...eather-oil.htm

[01SG]

But there are a lot of great cars where the interiors don’t really hold up. Lots of BMWs and Porsches come to mind.

The 90s was a bad time for interiors. It is worth remembering the 911 was relatively poor quality too.

Mechanically though, the e36 is a tank. Also, one of the last cars with a nice open greenhouse. You can easily see all around you; no pillbox windows. And the cable throttle is beautiful. I detest drive by wire.

Perhaps the euro e36 m3 is the best of all.

[01SG]

I think we tend to look at this on the Enthusiast to Mainstream spectrum of BMW M commenters.

Doug is the worst and doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

Matt Moreman is an authentic enthusiast with his own taste - he’s an E9X guy over any other Generation.

Matt Farah is kind of in the middle - and will go whichever way makes more financial sense.

The problem is they are just that, enthusiasts, or less. They're not mechanics, engineers, or race car drivers. It is cool when Tiff Needell says the m3 is a good drive, because he has legitimate racing credentials. His opinion carries weight. Denis Jenkinson was the navigator to Stirling Moss in the Mille Miglia, and he raced motorcycles. These guys are just bores. They are youtubers. They are not the genuine article.

[bmw]

The G80 M3 is one of the ugliest cars ever created in the entire history of automobiles. Putting it ahead of the E9X M3 is just clickbait to generate controversy.

[Obioban]

Perhaps the euro e36 m3 is the best of all.

[Obioban]

The e36 is both poorly made (especially the interior, but also the chassis) and super fun to drive. It's super well sorted and predictable, yet has lower limits that make it much more accessible on back roads than any of the M3s that followed it.

[Duck360198]

Does this list change at all if a Euro E36 is considered?? Never driven one.

[Poowill]

Great video, I spit out my drink at the end laughing when he's driving and the glove box keeps opening 😆.

[usdmej]

Great video, I spit out my drink at the end laughing when he's driving and the glove box keeps opening 😆.

very interesting to learn that the push to make their interior materials recyclable is what lead to them being so crappy

it's laughable that people say bmw interiors are high quality

[01SG]

The e36 is both poorly made (especially the interior, but also the chassis)

That it may be, but for the cost of sorting out the E46 RACP issue, you can reinforce every suspect area on the E36 and have money to spare.

I've always maintained the benefit of the U.S. E36 being 200 pounds lighter. Still, I wonder how it is with the proper engine. It hardly sounds scarier to maintain than the s54. I'm interested in finding out, having never driven one.

As for BMW in general, they do have nice interiors. The e46 is. Compare it to the 911 or Corvette that was out at the time. Furthermore, the E39 interior is basically perfect, especially in that tan/sand color.

[02_lsb]

Cammisa video is amazing. Loved it. Thank you for posting. Hard pass on the e36 though. But he’s right. Still. Hard pass. It is however a better looking m3 than e46.

[Chas3n]

Cammisa video is amazing. Loved it. Thank you for posting. Hard pass on the e36 though. But he’s right. Still. Hard pass. It is however a better looking m3 than e46.

Trololoooooollllll

[02_lsb]

Trololoooooollllll

I like cammisa. I really do. Just not this time.

[jet_dogg]

Quality =/= durability

[Obioban]

Cammisa video is amazing. Loved it. Thank you for posting. Hard pass on the e36 though. But he’s right. Still. Hard pass. It is however a better looking m3 than e46.

I feel like there’s a lot of confusion about camissa’a e36 video— he was saying that the US e36 was better than the euro e36 M3, not that the e36 M3 was the best M3.