i daily'd my first E36, a 328i sedan, for two years, 100 mile commute 5 days out of the week and it never left me stranded. Recently got into a E36 M3 coupe and I am convinced that E36's are the best cars I've owned so far.
I just got one myself, it has reasonable miles but has rust... The car has an extensive maintenance history and is bullet proof. Just trying to tie up the loose ends.
I too have an old rusty, 8 owner, 173,000 mile 328i and it has never left me stranded either. Just gotta watch and listen for issues. All the maintenance ive done on it has been pretty easy, despite rust; Its basically a lego car. Wouldn't trade it for the world.
I've had my 99' M3 as a daily for about 6 years now. It has only left me stranded twice, once was a battery the other was the radiator. The cooling system is the achilles heel of these cars, I upgraded to an over the top cooling system. Never selling this car, it rules the mountain roads.
Battery is understandable, happens to every car haha. Cooling system like you say is a weak point. It's one of the major things I talk about in the first video I suggested watching about reliability in this video. 👍 Good to hear you've had a positive ownership experience!
I daily an E36 M3 in the mountains of NC. Kirkey racing seats, back half roll bar and all. Only car I own. Does everything I need it to do. Late model cars are numb and boring. E36 M3 is... not. 😜
Nitrous LTX 6Gen Generally speaking, yes. Mine has relatively low mileage. So drivetrain has been solid. Drivetrain needs occasional TLC as miles get up there. But with regular oil changes and stuff they can go to 200,000+ miles without a whole of trouble. Other things need attention sooner than that because of age, but overall, they are as reliable (or more) than anything else that’s 20+ years old. Also depends on what you do with it. I also track and autocross mine so I have to keep an eye on it a little more than if it were just being street driven.
I don't know why people talk about bmw and vw being unreliable. They have small problems that you need to take care of, but they will literally outlive you if you do those little cheap stuff. They're the kinda cars that will give you small problems once in a while (still less often than a lot of other brands, really don't know why people hate on german car's reliability when they're more reliable than 80% of other cars) but you will never have a real engine failure. And I'd rather have that than a car that won't give you problems but that will have really worn out bearings and piston rings and low compression at 170k miles.
@BBD Design You might've had luck with Toyota, but personnaly I've never seen a Toyota newer than the late 90's be reliable. To me Toyota was reliable, it isn't anymore. But I'm in Europe, our cars might be different than us spec ones. I don't really know much about the gti, but I've had experience with the 1.9tdi, the 1.8t and the 1.4 and they're bulletproof. (except for the o2 sensor that breaks after 2 weeks and that throws a check engine light lol) To me they're still really reliable compared to most other brands, for example, in the past couple years with a bunch of other brands, we spent minimum 2-3k a year on repairs, with the Bmw we spent less than 1k...(timing chain, and it was because we are unlucky and picked one of the only engine that has known issues with it) And both the bmws we had never left us stranded. Which I can't say about any other cars we owned. I'm not trying to say Vw and Bmw are the most reliable brands because they totally aren't, they sure do have their issues, just like every other car, but in the end they're still more reliable than most cars and surely aren't unreliable enough for it to become a meme.
@BBD Design Tbh a lot of new toyotas are a bunch of pos. But in general yeah, toyota is more reliable, can't deny it. Edit: But while toyota just keep getting worse and worse (let's be honest the reliable toyotas you're refering to are all at least 15 yo), bmw doesn't change. So that says something.
@@imnota volkswagens and bmws have great longevity they will keep going as long as you keep them going. I had a 280000 mile vr6 but they are more expesive to run and not reliable by any means
It has problems, but you'll seriously fall in love with it, all you really need to do is take care of the body, refresh cooling, and suspension, change the oil every 3,000 miles and you'll be good.
I daily drive my e36 m3, and it works for me! It has all of the creature comforts that I'd ever need, and it makes every commute a blast! It sure wakes me up in the morning before work haha
I also daily my e36 M3 coupe. Only points I want to add are, you can get a bluetooth tape adapter so you can stream music from your phone wirelessly. The back seats fold down so I can get a whole set of wheels with tires in the car. Getting your windows tinted helps a LOT with keeping the heat down in the summer and not being blinded at night by all those damn SUVs. One negative though, the cupholders are absolute garbage! Still, very liveable as a DD, and way more fun than almost any other practical car. Never left me stranded yet either!
Fujikawa42 Yeah that was always a pain for me, but thankfully you can replace that whole plastic piece with the crappy cup holders with a new molded piece that has cup holders that actually work. I can't remember what mine is called, but it's definitely something to look into if you frequent your cup holders
I daily drive my e36 M3, summer, winter, autocross, runs to the ski slope, long highway trips, it works great for everything! Only had it towed once due to a dead alternator. I am not afraid to drive it anywhere, put 20k miles a year on it. I highly recommend as a daily. Mine has been way more reliable than the 2013 Mini R56 and 2002 BMW M5 that proceeded it in my garage. It's also less expensive to maintain from a parts cost standpoint.
Been using my e36 m3 as a daily now for the last 6 months with around 230k on the clock. Not once did I ever get left stranded or have to perform anything other than regular maintenance. Of course from person to person it varies but, for the most part these cars are just tanks. It’s taken all the abuse and begged for more. But watch out, these cars are really really hard to put down when you get rolling with them.
Ive bought an 95 325is & ive been daily driving since August .. not one issue. Ive reinforced my whole rear end & put a new clutch & thats all ive done for her to run good
Same 328i coupe fits my needs perfectly, I drive alone 100% on the time, almost never carry anything more than 1 shopping bag. I even can fit inside my xl size 29er mtb, because I removed all the seats and everything www.bmwpower.lv/files/member_galleries/6262/8884/500/1532948172_1766.jpg
All used cars have their unique problems. As long as you know what to look for when buying a specific are, and you replace those parts as need you should be ok. The E36 has great bones and worth investing in. IMO
My first and still is a 318ti, 13 years strong! In that time ive purchased a 328ic, m3ic, 328sedan(sold) and two rare super cheap 318ti project cars. Its a full house.
A great daily driver plus you get questions and compliments all the time when you are pumping gas. An e36 M3 still gets respect for what is, an honest car that is a blast to drive. Every turbo ricer wants to race you on the interstate but there are no takers on the twisty back roads where the stock 240 hp is more than enough. I've embarrassed plenty late models from every maker on my morning commute in a 22 year old car with 227K+ when we get to the curves!
You guys in the U.S got lucky with the M52 engine E36's, everyone else got the aluminium block M52 aka the butterblock... I'd strongly suggest you look at 325i E36's over the 328i if you're outside the U.S and Manual over Auto. and don't touch a 4 cylinder one for the love of god if you want reliability... My current 1991 325i Manual E36 Sedan (U.S missed out on 1991 models) is awesome to drive and a super reliable daily and my previous 1993 325i Manual Coupe was also awesome but didn't quite handle corners as well as my current 4 door sedan does. Also worth noting I live in Australia so the usual E36 wear and tear on trim pieces can be a nuisance because it happens twice as fast here. Mechanically they are awesome and incredibly easy to work on, cosmetically they can be a bit iffy especially if they see the sun a lot but regardless they are a great car and extremely fun. If you get a proper one with a 141kw+ 6 cylinder it will be easily comparable to the Toyota GT86. In fact my 1991 325i is quicker with stock engine parts and handles better with the coilovers I have installed than an 86 with a catback and stock suspension, for the price of the E36 325i and coilovers you get more car and more performance in comparison to the GT86 in my opinion haha
you are correct. My 318 puts a smile on my face every time i drive it.. just regular drive and i like it. And i like your videos, like the toning or video profile you are using
i just got my 95 M3 with a 98 m3 engine swap for a steal. It's an auto but looking forward to your 6 speed manual swap videos so i can get an idea of how much it will cost and how much time i would need to do the same on mine. Love the videos!
I had e36 Touring with M52b28 swap, fully track ready I was dailying it But I sold it because rust and too much thing needed to be replaced for years inspection and I needed to get something more daily capeable so now I own 98' BMW e46 sedan Great video and fun
Same bro, I'm on my 3rd e36 after losing my licence a couple of times, mines a 328 mora metallic (jeanie) she's gorgeous on repainted 2 piece 328 bbs's with a lil stretch and 40mil spacers back and 25 front pretty cambered lol sorry just feels nice to hear someone daily drives there vert and loves it. I totally feel you man :D
Great video once again, for me my e36 m3 was a huge mistake! Let me tell you, Always been a bmw fan my whole life. Finally it was time to get my first car. My mother had a e34 525i she bought since new a kept it (the car was a 93 so it’s 4 years older than me) so the car wasn’t running . Few months after I turned 18 and finally saved up enough by myself (luckily) to buy the car . I always called the m3 my dream car (mainly because an m3 seemed so far out of reach as a kid growing up) so I bought a aesthetically beautiful arctic silver one with 160,000 miles. Luckily before we got rid of the e34 I knew to take out the m50 mani :). Being 18 with my first car it felt great and I loved driving it. Sadly my fun lasted 3 and a half weeks. Turns out my motor blew from “oil starvation” the inlet cam was scored it’s been uphill from there. I’ve spent $1,500 before the mechanic decided to tell me the head was done. So now it sits in my driveway. It’s been 3 years since. I got a B5 2.8 to daily hoping it’s be reliable. Wrong. I’m 22 now , Soon I’ll hopefully find an affordable S52 to put in there so I can resume posting the content our chassis deserves! Could never part ways with it!
I daily drove my E36 M cabrio last summer when I was inbetween daily drivers. Most fun car Ive ever owned, but not the best daily since the back seats and trunk are small. Biggest problem for me was leaving in parking lots and at the airport as I was afraid someone was going to scratch or ding it.
Hey man! I know this vid is old, but thought a bit feedback will help. Don’t be so stiff with the wheel! Let go of it and then grab when necessary. I’m no expert, but if you practice without being so stiff on the wheel, your drifts will be so much more enjoyable to execute!!!
I bought an 03 330i with 150k miles for 3k that had a ding and scrape on the body with interior sagging and transmission replaced, so far that and the engine are the only thing I haven’t replaced, definitely spent over 10k on parts and labor so far but also added performance parts.
I'm in South Africa, I own a 95 m3, this is the "euro spec" Is it a good daily driver, well it depends what you compare it to. It's a very mechanical car and that's what makes a good "driver's car". Comparing it to something newer, the clutch is a bit hard, gearshifts are notchy, etc. It's a great car to drive fast but not so great for sitting in traffic, plus the fuel comsumption sucks. Car is pretty reliable, the only major issue was front subframe that I reinforced as mine was torn on both sides where the engine mounts go onto.
I daily a 318ti (the compact), they draw the right type of crowd. Plus, it’s juuuust big enough to fit my skis, a 12in subwoofer, with 3 seats still available. Doesn’t hurt that it gets 32mpg either
Nice i have a 328i touring, its has some mods like coilovers m50 intake manifold. But imo the compact is more fun to drive, the back is lighter and more lively
@@kentrelldesean2849 Still amazing. There's been a couple things I've had to replace but that would be the case with any 27 year old car nearing 300,000km. I've had fun with some basic mods at this point and continue to add to it as funds become available. From going to work to long road trips it hasn't let me down. 100% recommend as a daily. (If you're willing to get your hands dirty and fix the occasional part)
getting a 98’ m3 in a couple of days. always wanted a M3 and i like older cars, i had a old porsche and i took care of it. the guy i’m getting it from takes care of it and daily’s it and only has around 150k miles. i don’t plan on using it everyday and i do plan on dumping my money into making sure it’s good but this video just made me feel so good abt it
@@RexFixx yes. I had it for 6 months and only had to replace the vanos system, which was already needing replacement as the previous owner knew too. Best car I’ve owned over the 2 years since I made this comment. Make sure you find a good one tho bro some of them are beat.
yes!! when i was 18 my 2nd car was a E36 318 sedan 5 speed and i loved it. Now at 37 years old i bought another E36 sedan manual. great car to learn on driving and working on them
i have a 328i convertible with m suspension shocks, as my only car : - ride is too stiff - gas consumption is high - poor sound insulation - some stupid electronical failures to fixes (cheap tho) - some plastic noises in the cabin, doors - u feel the inperfections of any little pebble on the road -> if you don't ride it like it's meant to be (fast and in the high revs) it's not worth it nor comfortable and not a pleasure just for driving in commute / bad roads i've had a 318i e46, 1998 (just like my e36) very slow but damn that was way more confortable, and with good shocks you can have a good chassis (but didn't lacked power lol) with 0 noises in the doors or stuff like that
like every car, these need maintenance, in this case, quite a lot more than most cars. I would say the maintenance is 100% worth it, just make sure its always kept up
I agree with Gavin 101% here! Only one thing that i think should have been told is - Don't buy e36 as your first car, ever. Because 1) them 36's are fast as hell, trust me. For example my 320i with 328's camshafts and a mod or two besides that was wrapping 100km/h on 8 seconds. Todays 330 (325 stroked) rounds it at 5,8 - 6sec. now 2) metal construction is not very good on e36s, actually it's pretty bad. It bends like paper. So for any new driver - be extremely careful. These cars are fast af but keep in your head you have almost no protection without suficient rollbar inside. and my favourite 3) once you get into the BMW e36 community, there's no backing up! When you just find all the mods and possibilities, oh my... if you're like me or Gavin for instance, you'll spend at least 70% of your free time either looking on DIYs or buying car parts 😅 oh and maybe as thing number 4) you have to know at least thing or two about mechanics if you wanna own e36. As Gavin said, there will be parts that need changing. And if you don't know some basics, shops will usually rip you off and you miss half the fun. e36 is enthusiast's car on main level. It can serve really good as daily but keep in mind that even if it's sedan, it's still mostly sport car. As for reliability and durability - my slightly powered 320i had 334,000 when i took the engine out. Broke on me just once - bad alternator. Once! And I took the engine out just to put stronger one, it still runs as new. Now in regards to comfort - honestly it's not the best car, seats are old, no (seat) heating and all that crap. So you can't really compare it to M2 or M4 or these sick plastic things on four wheels you can buy nowadays, but nonetheless enjoyment you get out of this car is through the roof and more than make up for that. Only downside is fuel economy, if you live in Europe (and you can even register it because of Euro2 tier)... You have to ready your wallet for the fuel. It's expensive here but hey you live only once right! Top quality video Gavin, and i'm so happy to see you actually having some fun with mister M on the streets 🤗catching them curves ey 🤩 Cheers!
I don't know why but I recently started to love E36 sedans whit fern green and tan interior. Still loving the estroil blue coupes with white interior though.
After many years of owning my M3 I would still say it is a great daily driver, every time I get out of the car I still pat the steering wheel and quietly whisper "Thanks babe, what a car!". Not many cars leave you feeling that way after 13 years of ownership. However, nothing in life is free and she's getting old now. Some parts are getting harder to find, so that's a consideration. It is expensive to run, not very fuel efficient, but here in the UK, cheap to insure using classic car insurance. I budget on one properly expensive thing going wrong each year, plus more than £1500 a year in regular servicing and consumable parts. Suspension seems to need a rebuild every 5 years or so, but maybe I have been unlucky. The worst thing I can to say about it is that the heating system is not that great compared to modern cars, especially in the winter. The aircon makes a noticeable drag on the engine. Also, it isn't easy to fit decent speakers without cutting into the metal, which I prefer not to do. To get some extra bass, I fitted a subwoofer that fires through the ski hatch, but that's boxed in and costs me some rear boot space. It's a trade-off I'm happy with, the boot is pretty big anyway. All in all, I have never loved a car more. It is everything I think a car should be, everything feels just right.
Great video I love having my e36 m3 as my daily driver. But it sucks I haven't got to drive her for more than 30mins in the past 4 months. But the motor is almost done being rebuilt and I'll be driving her again.
I just bought 1998 E36 318i a few weeks back, trying to take care some of the small problems, its a lot fun to drive. I also have C240 Mercedes, 2004 model. I like 3 Series better than C Class for daily commute
@@Tom-Bartlett the 318i? Or 335i ,if is the e36 318i yes, definitely, is not a fast car by any means, but is reliable and solid,now the n54 335i,is really fast,but if you are not into cars,make sure you get the car under warranty, however my experience with VW wasn't that good,I use to own w8 b5.5 passat and was really unreliable ,miss a lot my slow 318is
@@DailyImport thanks for the advice appreciate it mate I’m looking at a clean 318i but wanted something with a little more power but hey driving a slow car fast is better than driving a fast car slow!
1999 323ic e36 240k miles, Iv put about $6k into it, a few upgrades, the rest maintenance. Got it for $1000. But don’t get the convertible. Sooo many microswitches, sensors, motors, cables that go bad ALOT. So then if you need rear shocks, like me, you can’t replace those without fixing the top on my case because the locking motor gears were stripped out. But besides that yes great car, engine is sooo good even with high mileage. But do plan to rebuild it so I can supercharge it. Complete bolt on kit you can get.
For years i daily drove a 97 328i 5 speed 96 miles a day 220K miles never had a issue. i miss it sold it to a kid that needed a car for he and his young family so i let it go. Now i daily a Acura TSX i love japanese cars but i miss my old E36 sedan
I got my 325i for $700 and have drove it 7k miles, and it sat in my buddies drive way for 2 years, didnt have problems until recently, doing to kany burnouts and fried the oem clutch, and im think the crank sensor has it starmded rn
Daily an E36 m3 auto. As much as I wish it was manual I live in the city and can be stuck in traffic for hours at a time. Good Suspension is a must, good brakes are a must
as much as i love these cars and want one, i do emergency towing in a metro area and they are my most picked up car! always on my flatbed. but dammit i still want one!
So originally I was supposed to get a Miata, but my parents said it wasn’t safe and it doesn’t have back seats. I ended up with an 09 Accord. As reliable as it may be, I want something more fun and enjoyable, not some family car at 17. Would this be a good car in replacement for the Accord?
got an e36 on 31th of december, kinda my new year gift to myself. its a coupe with an iron non vanos M50B20. although its reliable, it turned out to be a rust bucket, which im going to be fixing soon !
Hey Gavin, great video as always. - Question - Did your M3 come with that computer? and how can I find one? Mine has fewer buttons and I'd like to upgrade it. Cheers
As far as I know you can get 2 different types of OBC's: the 11 button or the 18 button. I'm assuming you have the 11. Mine came with the 18. People have done the swap. Search "18 button OBC swap" and you should find what you need. 👍
Paid $600 for an e36 they were told the engine needed rebuilt it was missfire,probed around and found it was a coil,has a manzo catback just need to do the drivers rear wheel bearing
@@roland9637 Its the best e36 if you plan on racing. The interior is more like a e30 and the rear end is the same as the z3, which is also similar to the e30. Engine swap it and you have the lightest and most nimble e36.
@@3DGEM3 Compact has the same wheelbase, I would only recommend it for non competitive drifting, because of Z3/E30 rear end, it will always have traction problems, compared to regular e36
Use to drive my s52 328is everyday clutch kicking and abusing it for two years straight. Broke a trans bought a trans got four more years of hard abuse out of it lol
Love my 1998 328i 5spd sedan 263k miles and counting love that beast. Fixing her up little by little. Btw does anyone know how to fix the right turn signal out mine got water in it and idk what to do replaces the bulb!
ive had my 325i as a daily for 6 years radiator blew up and i replaced the whole cooling system one day besides that not much issues just normal maintenance probably faster then a gt86 to not to mention sounds better straight 6> flat 4
The cooling system is the weak point for sure. I talk about it, as well as other things, in the first video I mentioned you guys can click. If you upgrade it right when you buy the car you should be good for years with no issues 👌. And yes, the e36 m3 is much faster than a gt86. I raced a turbo one and we were dead even. Most e36's are probably faster than an 86 😁.
i daily'd my first E36, a 328i sedan, for two years, 100 mile commute 5 days out of the week and it never left me stranded. Recently got into a E36 M3 coupe and I am convinced that E36's are the best cars I've owned so far.
I just got one myself, it has reasonable miles but has rust... The car has an extensive maintenance history and is bullet proof. Just trying to tie up the loose ends.
I too have an old rusty, 8 owner, 173,000 mile 328i and it has never left me stranded either. Just gotta watch and listen for issues. All the maintenance ive done on it has been pretty easy, despite rust; Its basically a lego car. Wouldn't trade it for the world.
i want an e36, i currently own an e30. should i sell the e30 to get an e36?
@@blakeyou538 I would. get a e36 sedan with a manual and build it up ;)
E39 is pretty fun. But it’s got its cons.
the e36 is a mistake that you will fall in love with
Claude Akel I’ve fell in lol
O2 Smith same without even owning it where can i find one ?? And how much does it go for?
sounds like me
Same dude the maintenance and the repair is high don't really worth it in malaysia but I like the car too much
Like my ex wife
I've had my 99' M3 as a daily for about 6 years now. It has only left me stranded twice, once was a battery the other was the radiator. The cooling system is the achilles heel of these cars, I upgraded to an over the top cooling system. Never selling this car, it rules the mountain roads.
Battery is understandable, happens to every car haha. Cooling system like you say is a weak point. It's one of the major things I talk about in the first video I suggested watching about reliability in this video. 👍 Good to hear you've had a positive ownership experience!
Hello where to order parts of Bmw 316i manual...??
Am in
Pangasinan, Phils
Please.forward the address to my messenger
Melitz Donasco
On where to order bmw316i parts...?
Thanks!!!
I daily an E36 M3 in the mountains of NC. Kirkey racing seats, back half roll bar and all. Only car I own. Does everything I need it to do. Late model cars are numb and boring. E36 M3 is... not. 😜
Has it still been reliable?
Nitrous LTX 6Gen Generally speaking, yes. Mine has relatively low mileage. So drivetrain has been solid. Drivetrain needs occasional TLC as miles get up there. But with regular oil changes and stuff they can go to 200,000+ miles without a whole of trouble. Other things need attention sooner than that because of age, but overall, they are as reliable (or more) than anything else that’s 20+ years old. Also depends on what you do with it. I also track and autocross mine so I have to keep an eye on it a little more than if it were just being street driven.
I live in NC as well where do you find cars like an e36 here
I don't know why people talk about bmw and vw being unreliable.
They have small problems that you need to take care of, but they will literally outlive you if you do those little cheap stuff.
They're the kinda cars that will give you small problems once in a while (still less often than a lot of other brands, really don't know why people hate on german car's reliability when they're more reliable than 80% of other cars) but you will never have a real engine failure. And I'd rather have that than a car that won't give you problems but that will have really worn out bearings and piston rings and low compression at 170k miles.
True!
@BBD Design
You might've had luck with Toyota, but personnaly I've never seen a Toyota newer than the late 90's be reliable. To me Toyota was reliable, it isn't anymore.
But I'm in Europe, our cars might be different than us spec ones.
I don't really know much about the gti, but I've had experience with the 1.9tdi, the 1.8t and the 1.4 and they're bulletproof. (except for the o2 sensor that breaks after 2 weeks and that throws a check engine light lol)
To me they're still really reliable compared to most other brands, for example, in the past couple years with a bunch of other brands, we spent minimum 2-3k a year on repairs, with the Bmw we spent less than 1k...(timing chain, and it was because we are unlucky and picked one of the only engine that has known issues with it) And both the bmws we had never left us stranded. Which I can't say about any other cars we owned.
I'm not trying to say Vw and Bmw are the most reliable brands because they totally aren't, they sure do have their issues, just like every other car, but in the end they're still more reliable than most cars and surely aren't unreliable enough for it to become a meme.
@BBD Design Tbh a lot of new toyotas are a bunch of pos. But in general yeah, toyota is more reliable, can't deny it. Edit: But while toyota just keep getting worse and worse (let's be honest the reliable toyotas you're refering to are all at least 15 yo), bmw doesn't change. So that says something.
@@imnota volkswagens and bmws have great longevity they will keep going as long as you keep them going. I had a 280000 mile vr6 but they are more expesive to run and not reliable by any means
My e36 never breaks down I maintain it very well
It has problems, but you'll seriously fall in love with it, all you really need to do is take care of the body, refresh cooling, and suspension, change the oil every 3,000 miles and you'll be good.
Change the oil every 3,000 milesss????
@@oberfranco292im changing oil every 3000km
homie cruising the same 4 blocks for like 20 minutes
I just bought my first car today and it happened to be a e36 323i for a crazy ass deal! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Rocky Falcone mannnn the go for like 1000 or 5000
Rocky Falcone regrets?
Do tell what happened the last few months
Hows it going
Is the car still in one piece?
How is it
I daily drive my e36 m3, and it works for me! It has all of the creature comforts that I'd ever need, and it makes every commute a blast! It sure wakes me up in the morning before work haha
I also daily my e36 M3 coupe. Only points I want to add are, you can get a bluetooth tape adapter so you can stream music from your phone wirelessly. The back seats fold down so I can get a whole set of wheels with tires in the car. Getting your windows tinted helps a LOT with keeping the heat down in the summer and not being blinded at night by all those damn SUVs. One negative though, the cupholders are absolute garbage! Still, very liveable as a DD, and way more fun than almost any other practical car. Never left me stranded yet either!
Fujikawa42 Yeah that was always a pain for me, but thankfully you can replace that whole plastic piece with the crappy cup holders with a new molded piece that has cup holders that actually work. I can't remember what mine is called, but it's definitely something to look into if you frequent your cup holders
@@MrXeleris1 thanks for telling me this. I can never fit anything in my cup holders lol
e36 318i - my daily for 8 years - cheap, reliable, and does 47mpg on autobahn. Looks cool with schnitzer type 3 rims
I daily drive my e36 M3, summer, winter, autocross, runs to the ski slope, long highway trips, it works great for everything! Only had it towed once due to a dead alternator. I am not afraid to drive it anywhere, put 20k miles a year on it. I highly recommend as a daily. Mine has been way more reliable than the 2013 Mini R56 and 2002 BMW M5 that proceeded it in my garage. It's also less expensive to maintain from a parts cost standpoint.
Mine is a ‘96 convertible I bought used 15 years ago, I still have it. Best car ever
Are you planning on selling?
Been using my e36 m3 as a daily now for the last 6 months with around 230k on the clock. Not once did I ever get left stranded or have to perform anything other than regular maintenance. Of course from person to person it varies but, for the most part these cars are just tanks. It’s taken all the abuse and begged for more. But watch out, these cars are really really hard to put down when you get rolling with them.
Ive bought an 95 325is & ive been daily driving since August .. not one issue. Ive reinforced my whole rear end & put a new clutch & thats all ive done for her to run good
& yes i beat the hell out of it
I daily drive my E36 every summer, can’t wait for it!
Same 328i coupe fits my needs perfectly, I drive alone 100% on the time, almost never carry anything more than 1 shopping bag. I even can fit inside my xl size 29er mtb, because I removed all the seats and everything www.bmwpower.lv/files/member_galleries/6262/8884/500/1532948172_1766.jpg
Why is some people so weird. You drive your E36 every summer and you can't wait for it.. If you can't wait for it, why not just drive or now? LMFAO
@@syncbalistic3672 I live in Iceland.. hope it answers your question.
Thanks for this bro. I'm all the way in South Africa 🇿🇦. Love your stuff man.
All used cars have their unique problems. As long as you know what to look for when buying a specific are, and you replace those parts as need you should be ok. The E36 has great bones and worth investing in. IMO
Awesome vid!! I now (past 3 months), daily drive my '93 328i. Have it for 3 years now. almost 37k kilometers on it. Best cars ever!!
Let’s not forget it’s sharp, handsome appearance. Definitely a plus
Of course!
M3 left me stranded once since I had it. Fuel pump. My newer yukon breaks everytime I turn around
my 01 suburban has 367k miles and still runs and never left me stranded and I drive far like 40 miles
1988 Mitsubishi Montero, over 350k km, still works just fine, despite having been used for offroad by previous abusive owners.
the best thing about these cars is they are a JOY to drive, everything just feels good
Picking up an E36 328 on sunday. Can't wait to be part of the cult
My first and still is a 318ti, 13 years strong! In that time ive purchased a 328ic, m3ic, 328sedan(sold) and two rare super cheap 318ti project cars. Its a full house.
i got a e36 318i wagon on coilovers and powerflex bushings and i love the car :)
I want a wagon bad we just dont have them in the states
A great daily driver plus you get questions and compliments all the time when you are pumping gas. An e36 M3 still gets respect for what is, an honest car that is a blast to drive. Every turbo ricer wants to race you on the interstate but there are no takers on the twisty back roads where the stock 240 hp is more than enough. I've embarrassed plenty late models from every maker on my morning commute in a 22 year old car with 227K+ when we get to the curves!
You guys in the U.S got lucky with the M52 engine E36's, everyone else got the aluminium block M52 aka the butterblock... I'd strongly suggest you look at 325i E36's over the 328i if you're outside the U.S and Manual over Auto. and don't touch a 4 cylinder one for the love of god if you want reliability...
My current 1991 325i Manual E36 Sedan (U.S missed out on 1991 models) is awesome to drive and a super reliable daily and my previous 1993 325i Manual Coupe was also awesome but didn't quite handle corners as well as my current 4 door sedan does. Also worth noting I live in Australia so the usual E36 wear and tear on trim pieces can be a nuisance because it happens twice as fast here. Mechanically they are awesome and incredibly easy to work on, cosmetically they can be a bit iffy especially if they see the sun a lot but regardless they are a great car and extremely fun. If you get a proper one with a 141kw+ 6 cylinder it will be easily comparable to the Toyota GT86.
In fact my 1991 325i is quicker with stock engine parts and handles better with the coilovers I have installed than an 86 with a catback and stock suspension, for the price of the E36 325i and coilovers you get more car and more performance in comparison to the GT86 in my opinion haha
So you’d recommend an e36 for a first car for a p plater ?
you are correct. My 318 puts a smile on my face every time i drive it.. just regular drive and i like it. And i like your videos, like the toning or video profile you are using
i just got my 95 M3 with a 98 m3 engine swap for a steal. It's an auto but looking forward to your 6 speed manual swap videos so i can get an idea of how much it will cost and how much time i would need to do the same on mine. Love the videos!
I had e36 Touring with M52b28 swap, fully track ready
I was dailying it
But I sold it because rust and too much thing needed to be replaced for years inspection and I needed to get something more daily capeable so now I own 98' BMW e46 sedan
Great video and fun
Nice! Thanks for sharing man!
I daily my e36 328 vert and I love it
Corey Hojewski better be 5 speed
Same bro, I'm on my 3rd e36 after losing my licence a couple of times, mines a 328 mora metallic (jeanie) she's gorgeous on repainted 2 piece 328 bbs's with a lil stretch and 40mil spacers back and 25 front pretty cambered lol sorry just feels nice to hear someone daily drives there vert and loves it. I totally feel you man :D
Lol also recently got a boston green 96 vert. Surprised as much as i pushed it,its still going strong
Great video once again, for me my e36 m3 was a huge mistake! Let me tell you, Always been a bmw fan my whole life. Finally it was time to get my first car. My mother had a e34 525i she bought since new a kept it (the car was a 93 so it’s 4 years older than me) so the car wasn’t running . Few months after I turned 18 and finally saved up enough by myself (luckily) to buy the car . I always called the m3 my dream car (mainly because an m3 seemed so far out of reach as a kid growing up) so I bought a aesthetically beautiful arctic silver one with 160,000 miles. Luckily before we got rid of the e34 I knew to take out the m50 mani :). Being 18 with my first car it felt great and I loved driving it. Sadly my fun lasted 3 and a half weeks. Turns out my motor blew from “oil starvation” the inlet cam was scored it’s been uphill from there. I’ve spent $1,500 before the mechanic decided to tell me the head was done. So now it sits in my driveway. It’s been 3 years since. I got a B5 2.8 to daily hoping it’s be reliable. Wrong. I’m 22 now , Soon I’ll hopefully find an affordable S52 to put in there so I can resume posting the content our chassis deserves! Could never part ways with it!
So for the 50$ oil service you ruined the whole car damn lmao
My E36 saloon is a far superior daily than my E32. So now city I drive it, while for longer trips the E32. Can't be happier
was daily driven it for 7 years , perfect machine, reliable af
I daily drove my E36 M cabrio last summer when I was inbetween daily drivers. Most fun car Ive ever owned, but not the best daily since the back seats and trunk are small. Biggest problem for me was leaving in parking lots and at the airport as I was afraid someone was going to scratch or ding it.
Hey man! I know this vid is old, but thought a bit feedback will help. Don’t be so stiff with the wheel! Let go of it and then grab when necessary. I’m no expert, but if you practice without being so stiff on the wheel, your drifts will be so much more enjoyable to execute!!!
I bought an 03 330i with 150k miles for 3k that had a ding and scrape on the body with interior sagging and transmission replaced, so far that and the engine are the only thing I haven’t replaced, definitely spent over 10k on parts and labor so far but also added performance parts.
I'm in South Africa, I own a 95 m3, this is the "euro spec"
Is it a good daily driver, well it depends what you compare it to. It's a very mechanical car and that's what makes a good "driver's car". Comparing it to something newer, the clutch is a bit hard, gearshifts are notchy, etc.
It's a great car to drive fast but not so great for sitting in traffic, plus the fuel comsumption sucks. Car is pretty reliable, the only major issue was front subframe that I reinforced as mine was torn on both sides where the engine mounts go onto.
Nice vid as always👊🏻, but you forgot the hatchback version (compact). Have a e36 station myself, and its hell a fun. And i am looking for coupe now
You're right I did haha. Thanks for watching man!
I daily a 318ti (the compact), they draw the right type of crowd. Plus, it’s juuuust big enough to fit my skis, a 12in subwoofer, with 3 seats still available. Doesn’t hurt that it gets 32mpg either
Nice i have a 328i touring, its has some mods like coilovers m50 intake manifold. But imo the compact is more fun to drive, the back is lighter and more lively
I daily my E36, first and only car as of now and it's great
Update ?
@@kentrelldesean2849 Still amazing. There's been a couple things I've had to replace but that would be the case with any 27 year old car nearing 300,000km. I've had fun with some basic mods at this point and continue to add to it as funds become available. From going to work to long road trips it hasn't let me down. 100% recommend as a daily. (If you're willing to get your hands dirty and fix the occasional part)
getting a 98’ m3 in a couple of days. always wanted a M3 and i like older cars, i had a old porsche and i took care of it. the guy i’m getting it from takes care of it and daily’s it and only has around 150k miles. i don’t plan on using it everyday and i do plan on dumping my money into making sure it’s good but this video just made me feel so good abt it
Did u got is it good
@@RexFixx yes. I had it for 6 months and only had to replace the vanos system, which was already needing replacement as the previous owner knew too. Best car I’ve owned over the 2 years since I made this comment. Make sure you find a good one tho bro some of them are beat.
So happy that there are a full 9 seconds of doing a long pull at the beginning.
dude I saw a 1997 328i that looked practically new for $5k but I can’t get it cuz I’m only 14 and I’m really sad
I dailyd mine for yrs. Great daily driver
the e36 has easily become one of my favorite cars, I’m gonna start driving soon and I’d like it to be my first car would you recommend it?
323 325 or 328😏 its for the fun🙈
same buying my e36 in 6 months
yes!! when i was 18 my 2nd car was a E36 318 sedan 5 speed and i loved it. Now at 37 years old i bought another E36 sedan manual. great car to learn on driving and working on them
This was 3 years ago so how'd it turn out? I'm looking at one for my first also
i have a 328i convertible with m suspension shocks, as my only car :
- ride is too stiff
- gas consumption is high
- poor sound insulation
- some stupid electronical failures to fixes (cheap tho)
- some plastic noises in the cabin, doors
- u feel the inperfections of any little pebble on the road
-> if you don't ride it like it's meant to be (fast and in the high revs) it's not worth it nor comfortable and not a pleasure just for driving in commute / bad roads
i've had a 318i e46, 1998 (just like my e36) very slow but damn that was way more confortable, and with good shocks you can have a good chassis (but didn't lacked power lol) with 0 noises in the doors or stuff like that
like every car, these need maintenance, in this case, quite a lot more than most cars. I would say the maintenance is 100% worth it, just make sure its always kept up
Money solves all, drive what u luv!
I bought an e30 but I want to get an e36 because when my e30 is down I want to drive something as good
philippe roumain wanna trade?
Andre Moreno you got a e30? If so reply and we can talk about selling it if you want :)
Cole Kidwell sorry I actually sold it last night for $750
Andre Moreno you’re joking 😂
Cole Kidwell no why would I have two so I sold one of them and I’m thinking of selling my other one
I agree with Gavin 101% here! Only one thing that i think should have been told is - Don't buy e36 as your first car, ever. Because 1) them 36's are fast as hell, trust me. For example my 320i with 328's camshafts and a mod or two besides that was wrapping 100km/h on 8 seconds. Todays 330 (325 stroked) rounds it at 5,8 - 6sec. now 2) metal construction is not very good on e36s, actually it's pretty bad. It bends like paper. So for any new driver - be extremely careful. These cars are fast af but keep in your head you have almost no protection without suficient rollbar inside. and my favourite 3) once you get into the BMW e36 community, there's no backing up! When you just find all the mods and possibilities, oh my... if you're like me or Gavin for instance, you'll spend at least 70% of your free time either looking on DIYs or buying car parts 😅 oh and maybe as thing number 4) you have to know at least thing or two about mechanics if you wanna own e36. As Gavin said, there will be parts that need changing. And if you don't know some basics, shops will usually rip you off and you miss half the fun.
e36 is enthusiast's car on main level. It can serve really good as daily but keep in mind that even if it's sedan, it's still mostly sport car.
As for reliability and durability - my slightly powered 320i had 334,000 when i took the engine out. Broke on me just once - bad alternator. Once! And I took the engine out just to put stronger one, it still runs as new.
Now in regards to comfort - honestly it's not the best car, seats are old, no (seat) heating and all that crap. So you can't really compare it to M2 or M4 or these sick plastic things on four wheels you can buy nowadays, but nonetheless enjoyment you get out of this car is through the roof and more than make up for that.
Only downside is fuel economy, if you live in Europe (and you can even register it because of Euro2 tier)... You have to ready your wallet for the fuel. It's expensive here but hey you live only once right!
Top quality video Gavin, and i'm so happy to see you actually having some fun with mister M on the streets 🤗catching them curves ey 🤩 Cheers!
Thanks for all your input as always man!
My first car was an e36 lol I’m on my second e36 now
@@papichampuproductions292 well if it was 316 then.... 😁 great, this is my fifth 🎅
@@cortexcerebellum7050 i had a 318 lol but i want another 318 cause the mpg was so great
Plus its faster than the gt86 for lesss haha
It's also lighter then gt86, when you do this www.bmwpower.lv/files/member_galleries/6262/8884/500/1532948172_1766.jpg
Anything is better then that Toyota
Wat if it's a 328i
@@MrJarvisful Even a 325i is better
I don't know why but I recently started to love E36 sedans whit fern green and tan interior. Still loving the estroil blue coupes with white interior though.
I have one since 2021 and a I love It! Never let me down ;)
It has 230k km now.
I daily drove mine.. but city fuel economy just wasn't there for me. So now I daily my civic, and honestly its fun too
This sealed the deal. Still bargaining with one owner to give me a little more discount. Has coilovers already. Bmw e36 316i manual. Exciting
did you buy it?
Not a mistake, my only car is my e36 drift car that I drive to work in and transport my kids in haha
An I have also e46 it has so far 300k an still running fine all the cars that I have is Manuel...
That's awesome!
After many years of owning my M3 I would still say it is a great daily driver, every time I get out of the car I still pat the steering wheel and quietly whisper "Thanks babe, what a car!". Not many cars leave you feeling that way after 13 years of ownership.
However, nothing in life is free and she's getting old now. Some parts are getting harder to find, so that's a consideration. It is expensive to run, not very fuel efficient, but here in the UK, cheap to insure using classic car insurance. I budget on one properly expensive thing going wrong each year, plus more than £1500 a year in regular servicing and consumable parts. Suspension seems to need a rebuild every 5 years or so, but maybe I have been unlucky.
The worst thing I can to say about it is that the heating system is not that great compared to modern cars, especially in the winter. The aircon makes a noticeable drag on the engine.
Also, it isn't easy to fit decent speakers without cutting into the metal, which I prefer not to do. To get some extra bass, I fitted a subwoofer that fires through the ski hatch, but that's boxed in and costs me some rear boot space. It's a trade-off I'm happy with, the boot is pretty big anyway.
All in all, I have never loved a car more. It is everything I think a car should be, everything feels just right.
Great video I love having my e36 m3 as my daily driver. But it sucks I haven't got to drive her for more than 30mins in the past 4 months. But the motor is almost done being rebuilt and I'll be driving her again.
I just bought 1998 E36 318i a few weeks back, trying to take care some of the small problems, its a lot fun to drive. I also have C240 Mercedes, 2004 model. I like 3 Series better than C Class for daily commute
I’m thinking of getting a 318i is it much fun and has it got much power for a smalller engine?
My daily Drive is coupe 318is 1994 ,and its amazing car,154.000 miles on it whit 0 problems
Is the smaller engine much fun?
@@Tom-Bartlett got 335i now,but was a reliable engine
@@DailyImport fair one mate would you recommend one I currently have a mk4 gti 1.8l golf
@@Tom-Bartlett the 318i? Or 335i ,if is the e36 318i yes, definitely, is not a fast car by any means, but is reliable and solid,now the n54 335i,is really fast,but if you are not into cars,make sure you get the car under warranty, however my experience with VW wasn't that good,I use to own w8 b5.5 passat and was really unreliable ,miss a lot my slow 318is
@@DailyImport thanks for the advice appreciate it mate I’m looking at a clean 318i but wanted something with a little more power but hey driving a slow car fast is better than driving a fast car slow!
i have e36 328i 96 daily drive and 300k kilometer . no fail am happy whith it and i love it
I daily my 98 m3 and she runs like a champ
1999 323ic e36 240k miles, Iv put about $6k into it, a few upgrades, the rest maintenance. Got it for $1000. But don’t get the convertible. Sooo many microswitches, sensors, motors, cables that go bad ALOT. So then if you need rear shocks, like me, you can’t replace those without fixing the top on my case because the locking motor gears were stripped out. But besides that yes great car, engine is sooo good even with high mileage. But do plan to rebuild it so I can supercharge it. Complete bolt on kit you can get.
94 325is with 235k miles. $1000 maint. and repair in 6 years of ownership
I daily my E36. With 230,000 plus. But it’s an 4 door alpine white III. 5 speed manual. Best car ever.
For years i daily drove a 97 328i 5 speed 96 miles a day 220K miles never had a issue. i miss it sold it to a kid that needed a car for he and his young family so i let it go. Now i daily a Acura TSX i love japanese cars but i miss my old E36 sedan
Great video man I think you covered just about everything. Also congrats on hitting 15k subs ! Im trying to catch up lol
My 36 has been my daily for 8 years so far still going strong 👌🏻👊🏻 only cost me £100 originally..
I got my 325i for $700 and have drove it 7k miles, and it sat in my buddies drive way for 2 years, didnt have problems until recently, doing to kany burnouts and fried the oem clutch, and im think the crank sensor has it starmded rn
Daily an E36 m3 auto. As much as I wish it was manual I live in the city and can be stuck in traffic for hours at a time. Good Suspension is a must, good brakes are a must
I'll agree with you on that one-- stop and go traffic sucks!
Good thing my brother is a mechanic💪💪
as much as i love these cars and want one, i do emergency towing in a metro area and they are my most picked up car! always on my flatbed. but dammit i still want one!
So originally I was supposed to get a Miata, but my parents said it wasn’t safe and it doesn’t have back seats. I ended up with an 09 Accord. As reliable as it may be, I want something more fun and enjoyable, not some family car at 17. Would this be a good car in replacement for the Accord?
So what did ya end up doin?
got an e36 on 31th of december, kinda my new year gift to myself. its a coupe with an iron non vanos M50B20. although its reliable, it turned out to be a rust bucket, which im going to be fixing soon !
I'm a Holden fan but by far, ///M cars are *THE* *BEST* ! I'm buyin' one of these beauties soon☹️💕
Hey Gavin, great video as always. - Question - Did your M3 come with that computer? and how can I find one? Mine has fewer buttons and I'd like to upgrade it. Cheers
As far as I know you can get 2 different types of OBC's: the 11 button or the 18 button. I'm assuming you have the 11. Mine came with the 18. People have done the swap. Search "18 button OBC swap" and you should find what you need. 👍
Paid $600 for an e36 they were told the engine needed rebuilt it was missfire,probed around and found it was a coil,has a manzo catback just need to do the drivers rear wheel bearing
Thx sm man this really helps cuz this is literally my dream car an want it to be my first/only car
I have an e30, with an S52 in it! it is so amazing
The more I watch your videos the more you remind me of Travis pastrana. Keep up the good m3 vids!
Haha will do man!
the one im gonna buy has the 1.8 4 cillinder
Seeing as you forgot about the E36 Compact maybe you should buy one of those to daily drive. :)
Courtney Morgan compact is not a BMW😁
@@roland9637 Its the best e36 if you plan on racing. The interior is more like a e30 and the rear end is the same as the z3, which is also similar to the e30. Engine swap it and you have the lightest and most nimble e36.
@@roland9637 If you say so, compacts have character. Lol
@@3DGEM3 Compact has the same wheelbase, I would only recommend it for non competitive drifting, because of Z3/E30 rear end, it will always have traction problems, compared to regular e36
@@courtneymorgan9796 Compact is very practical, like a 2 door wagon, or hatcback
I bought a 323is for 2500 with a binder full of purchases
there's also the e36 318ti gotta love a hatch 🔥🤙🏼
I daily drive a turbo e36 m3. 100% recommend it
e36guy how reliable it is? How many miles you got?
Is it a good idea to get one as a first car and with 200k miles on it?
Use to drive my s52 328is everyday clutch kicking and abusing it for two years straight. Broke a trans bought a trans got four more years of hard abuse out of it lol
I like the way you think haha
@@TreatsOnTheStreets been thinking the e34 or 39 540 6 speed might have to be the next move lol
I daily a vert and I have no complaints
I drive my e36 328i more then 30000 kilometers in Year and that now for 5 year's.
Love my 1998 328i 5spd sedan 263k miles and counting love that beast. Fixing her up little by little. Btw does anyone know how to fix the right turn signal out mine got water in it and idk what to do replaces the bulb!
His insurance watching this like ( ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)
I have an E36 328i, I drive 40 km every day, and she has no problem with it. ;)
hi do u have a convertable if so how much do u pay for insurance i was looking into getting oen
@@bighomieisaac1515 no, mine is a Touring.
Okay thanks anyways@@Varga_Csongor
Looking at one of these for my first car. Found one for $5200,
Tax
What about the fuel economy? Does it last long?
E36 and e46 best bmw cars ever.
ive had my 325i as a daily for 6 years radiator blew up and i replaced the whole cooling system one day besides that not much issues just normal maintenance probably faster then a gt86 to not to mention sounds better straight 6> flat 4
The cooling system is the weak point for sure. I talk about it, as well as other things, in the first video I mentioned you guys can click. If you upgrade it right when you buy the car you should be good for years with no issues 👌. And yes, the e36 m3 is much faster than a gt86. I raced a turbo one and we were dead even. Most e36's are probably faster than an 86 😁.
Got me a e36 328is 5 speed for 1k w dinan exhaust, sounds good
I see you everywhere
I see you everywhere!
@@Twinkletoes1O1 same
Love your channel, was wondering what gauges those are that you added?
They're from VDO. They actually supplied some OEM gauges for BMW so they have the same look as the stock ones.
I’m 14 my family makes fun of me when i say it but this is my dream car
I dont daily but i sure do give it a go on the weekends. Not sure if you've mentioned previously but what tires are u running on?
My fronts are nitto nt05's (love them) and the rears are just crappy burners because I go through them so fast sliding around.
My dad got a 2010 bmw 535i and everything went downhill after the trunk latch was stuck, it lead to the fuel gauge not working