Just a bit of a significant correction. The E36 M3 didn't have 213bhp, in the early E36 it had a 3 litre with 286 bhp. In the later EVO it had a 3.2 with 321bhp. So quite a bit more BHP.
Wonderful vid! Got a 1996 323i Automatic. 100% original (M-suspension, sunroof, climate control, BMW RDS radio, alloys, etc), with basically the same engine (M52B25 here, 170BHP). The sound of the engine is, indeed, one of the best reasons to buy one. If you can find an original one.... Very, very difficult. Buy now, prices are reasonable, but will go up when all decet E30's are picked up.
This is one the last e36 to be produced, production of the touring continued after the e46 saloon was introduced and they included a lot of high end options as standard for these run out models including the dual zone climate, PDC, onboard computer and sport body kit amongst others. I had one of the very last ones T36KBP in "Meergrun" colour
The door speakers are just the tweeters, the actual (front) speakers are in the foot wells on the E36. Great cars the E36, don’t forget about the Compacts! They were just as fun to drive.
Ah, I've never seen the mids! Ive not owned an E36 so never changed the speakers out, but I had forgotten the Compacts even though there was one in the family for a while
Though with a cheaper interior than the rest of the E36 body styles and (like the Z3) with the semi trailing arm rear suspension from the E30 rather than the Z axle.
My parents used to have a 97 318i saloon. Though not top of the line, still a very nice car, very refined. It didn't have as much options as this one. No front fog lights, no automatic climate controls, wind up windows in the back, no leather seats but it was a very nice car nonetheless.
I doubt many F30s will make it to 20 years old tbh, their maintenance bills will render them non-viable long before then! No great shame mind, they are a design monstrosity IMO.
I had 2 of these ('92 325i Coupe, '96 328i Saloon) and have always regretted parting with them, especially in light of how much more they are worth now than 15 years ago. Finding a mint "original" car like this (though that exhaust is definitely NOT OEM) is the tricky part as so many have been gutted for drift use or badly modified by boy racers. And the early cars in particular suffer from rust. This car probably survived so well because it is a touring and also has a beige interior - both very effective boy racer repellent. Virtually all the 328 manual Coupes have been molested in some way. If you can find a tidy one then now is a good time to buy... just look at what mint E30 325is are selling for nowadays!
Great video. I love these cars. Rust can be an issue but to be honest all cars of that era suffered rust. But parts are available. Great engine, comfort and handling. Engine mods: M3 exhaust (de-cat) K&N air filter (air box removed) M50 intake manifold U.S M3 CAMs Remap. Could get to 230bhp on a good engine. M3 3.15diff Handling: M3 arb and shock & springs M3wheels. Polybush all round E46 purple tag steering rack. For touring cars M3 saloon is the plug and play when it comes to interior bits and chassis Job done
Brilliant. I had a 328i SE auto saloon in the year 2000 for three years. It was a brilliant car. I then bought a 520i SE auto touring E34 for the dog we got. Great memories. I now drove a 3.0 auto Amarok with all the toys on.
I had a 1998 328i Sport in Avus Blue, fantastic car especially with the 5 speed manual gearbox. The sport had M3 suspension including Bilsteins and all the bushes were M3 so the car handled beautifully. The sport also had M3 body kit although the front bumper had bars in the lower air dam where the M3 had a mesh insert. So from outward appearance and handling it was on a par with the M3 but the M3 trumped the Sport with its stunning engine and performance and also of course the Vader seats! It was a lovely car with few if any faults...although changing the time on the clock was such a complicated affair that I took it back to the dealer to sort...for free thankfully!
The most common was the MSport which had the body kit, but was only half an inch lower than the standard car with upgraded shocks but did not have M3 suspension. MSport was an option on sedan and wagon but I believe all 328i coupes were at least MSports by default.
Amazing review, I own an e46 clubsport 330i and I don't even plan to sell. Its an absolute treat. I absolutely love wagons too. I considered an m3 but my clubsport is just so much more usable on a daily basis and alot easier and cheaper to DIY
The original M3 3.0 was a bit of a weapon...at least 286BHP, but preferred my 328 with it's smoother delivery ,lighter clutch and it was very reliable.Briefly had M3 evo but didn't really notice much difference.
Let's just agree the E46 was something special compared to the earlier e36 and leave it at that. I dailiied a 2.2 6 E46 and it was a riot. Still got it. Currently restoring it with much hassle from my wife. Such a perfectly made car and best quality BMW ever made I think. Luv and Peace.
We had the automatic P plate version. These engines had issues due to unleaded petrol. The car needed a new engine. Done under warranty. Lovely sound and performance. Was replaced with an E46 touring 330 which was not as good (worse ride, noisy but more boomy exhaust that was irritating at low revs). Always liked the E36 styling too. It wasn't very safe though. Poor rating in Euro NCAP test. I think that's why it got swapped for the much safer E46. That and the nicer interior. I think the version of the E46 330 touring was not the best. The sportiest one. I've been in a 330 coupe and that was awesome and sounded superb.
I really like the looks of an original E36. It feels like it looks a bit more classic every year. I own an E36 320i touring. And in my experience the car looks bigger than it in reality is.
Very nice presentation, as always.Congratulations, you run one of my two favorit car channels. Please, if it's possible, make a review of an e34. Nowdays you don't see a lot of them on the road and I believe it will be one of the top future bmw classics. Greetings from Greece.
Thank you too.. The other channel has a completely different orientation from yours. It is one called one take from Matt Farah in US. But as I said its about modified cars and not classic ones as is yours. Me, unfortunatly, am in both these worlds. I have a heavily modified WRS STI and one e34 535i.
I had one for 13 years. Brilliant car. Engine was a beast. Then it just stopped one day and never started again. I had a Fiat Scudo van after that, the very thought.makes me feel unclean.
Don't know where did you get the hp of M3 but they make 286 and 321hp in Europe. Even the US M3 which is 240 barely can be called M3 in terms of performance (buffed M52 inside)
There’s only a few older cars that live up to the hype: the Peugeot 205, the Mazda RX-7, the Mazda MX-5 S1-2, the Ford Escort Mk 2-3, the classic Mini and the BMW E36 3-Series.
I personally own one off them m pack chassis and body kit from factory drive it everyday and love it. I can’t find Something to remplace it. this engine is so lovely and versatile smooth and torquy at low rpm and angry at the top
Pardon me?! An M3 has just 23 HP more? At the time of the 328i the M3 had 321 HP that is quite a difference! And the accleration figures should give you a hint ;-) However a 328i is surely an interesting car especially as Touring I think.
@@furiousdriving Nobody was buying wagons, thats why. More expensive to introduce another model in the lineup than they could make back in profit by selling so few of them.
Yeah a 328i is the same as an M3... just without the iconic ITBs, 100bhp less, no LSD, soft suspension, pathetic brakes and a rubbish interior. 🤔 Please don't fall into the trap of saying a standard BMW is like an M car in future. It's like saying a VW Beetle is a Porsche 911. It's a good joke, but it's not anywhere close to the truth. I don't know how I'm just finding your back catalogue of videos now. All in all I enjoy your videos. If you're ever in Scotland hit me up, I can get you behind the wheel of some interesting cars.
I had a '95 E36 as my first car. The M52 was a fantastic engine, but I was underwhelmed by the rest of the vehicle. Not particularly well built, unimpressive boot, cramped interior and unimpressive spec by the end of production compared to rivals. The slightly newer E46 I replaced that car with was lightyears ahead in terms of build quality and refinement, and the interior was a massive improvement.
furiousdriving maybe, but the car didn’t have a proper ibus system so it was difficult for them to integrate newer systems. There also wasn’t much space for new equipment. I took the dashboard apart on mine for a couple of repairs and it was very tight back there.
I have to disagree. My 02 E46 interior hasn't stood the test of time with air vent controls coming away and the trim is all scratched and looks awful. My 97 E36 interior however, looks as fresh as it did when it came out of the factory.
The 130i is superb (Ive driven a few, and the 135i which is something else) but in terms of collectability those are at the bottom of their value arc as they are seen as 'used cars' at the moment and the E36 is now old enough to be on the way up, this one is strong money because its nearly flawless, there are lots of cheap ones with rusty arches or mechanical issues but this drives just how it should and is solid, so to a collector this is THE one, and it still smells like the 90s!
Honestly the first gen 1-Series is and probably always will be bottom of the desirability table for BMW fans and collectors. They are ugly, small and cramped inside and not very reliable either. The 130i and 135i are saved by their great engines but still inferior to equivalent 3-Series. The only one that is still cool today is the very rare 1M Coupe. The cooking versions will be scrapped just like any Ford or Vauxhall or the same era, and deservedly so. It was arguably the car that took BMW truly downmarket and into the mass-market economy class.
I've riden in e36 BMWs and I've driven a coupe all of them were great disappointments harsh hard crushy suspension without great handling and just whole thing feels heavy not my cup of tea
@@fvresonanator I didn't say they're slow but I just don't like they say these things drive at find it unesersly hard and harsh I've driven an e46 much rather that but still it's not cup of tea
This wasn't hard suspension at all, quite the opposite as I found it was quite soft but was able to grip and corner well enough (not that I was pushing it vary hard as its not mine!) The M cars are very hard though so if someone had fitted M springs or dampers to one it would give a harsh ride. It was heavy steering though and you can feel the cars weight as it turns - but maybe thats why so many of these have been stripped to be drift cars?
@@Thanos.m I've got both and yes the E46 is more refined for comfort, but a stock E36 with fresh suspension is not crashy at all, it provides better feedback to the driver than the E46. Bilstein suspension is the closest (stock on E36 328i Sport) to the original setup, a perfect balance between sport and comfort. E46 is where BMW began appealing to shopping mums
Just a bit of a significant correction. The E36 M3 didn't have 213bhp, in the early E36 it had a 3 litre with 286 bhp. In the later EVO it had a 3.2 with 321bhp. So quite a bit more BHP.
see how this comment didn't get highlighted, just for speaking facts? xD
Wonderful vid! Got a 1996 323i Automatic. 100% original (M-suspension, sunroof, climate control, BMW RDS radio, alloys, etc), with basically the same engine (M52B25 here, 170BHP). The sound of the engine is, indeed, one of the best reasons to buy one. If you can find an original one.... Very, very difficult. Buy now, prices are reasonable, but will go up when all decet E30's are picked up.
This is one the last e36 to be produced, production of the touring continued after the e46 saloon was introduced and they included a lot of high end options as standard for these run out models including the dual zone climate, PDC, onboard computer and sport body kit amongst others. I had one of the very last ones T36KBP in "Meergrun" colour
The door speakers are just the tweeters, the actual (front) speakers are in the foot wells on the E36.
Great cars the E36, don’t forget about the Compacts! They were just as fun to drive.
Ah, I've never seen the mids! Ive not owned an E36 so never changed the speakers out, but I had forgotten the Compacts even though there was one in the family for a while
Though with a cheaper interior than the rest of the E36 body styles and (like the Z3) with the semi trailing arm rear suspension from the E30 rather than the Z axle.
@@roddenshaw And no 6-cyl option in the UK.... which was at least half the reason to buy a 3-Series in the first place.
My parents used to have a 97 318i saloon. Though not top of the line, still a very nice car, very refined. It didn't have as much options as this one. No front fog lights, no automatic climate controls, wind up windows in the back, no leather seats but it was a very nice car nonetheless.
An original E36 BMW is a handsomely understated classic. Good car designs age slowly: think of an F30 in 20 years. No.
Sometimes a simple design works best as it defies fashion
I doubt many F30s will make it to 20 years old tbh, their maintenance bills will render them non-viable long before then!
No great shame mind, they are a design monstrosity IMO.
You should definitely have bought it.
I think as modern 3 series go the f30 was way better than the e90 shape before it and the bulbous one thats just come along after.
I had 2 of these ('92 325i Coupe, '96 328i Saloon) and have always regretted parting with them, especially in light of how much more they are worth now than 15 years ago.
Finding a mint "original" car like this (though that exhaust is definitely NOT OEM) is the tricky part as so many have been gutted for drift use or badly modified by boy racers. And the early cars in particular suffer from rust. This car probably survived so well because it is a touring and also has a beige interior - both very effective boy racer repellent. Virtually all the 328 manual Coupes have been molested in some way. If you can find a tidy one then now is a good time to buy... just look at what mint E30 325is are selling for nowadays!
'boy racer repellent' lol
Great video. I love these cars. Rust can be an issue but to be honest all cars of that era suffered rust. But parts are available.
Great engine, comfort and handling.
Engine mods:
M3 exhaust (de-cat)
K&N air filter (air box removed)
M50 intake manifold
U.S M3 CAMs
Remap.
Could get to 230bhp on a good engine.
M3 3.15diff
Handling:
M3 arb and shock & springs
M3wheels.
Polybush all round
E46 purple tag steering rack.
For touring cars M3 saloon is the plug and play when it comes to interior bits and chassis
Job done
Brilliant. I had a 328i SE auto saloon in the year 2000 for three years. It was a brilliant car. I then bought a 520i SE auto touring E34 for the dog we got. Great memories. I now drove a 3.0 auto Amarok with all the toys on.
I had a 1998 328i Sport in Avus Blue, fantastic car especially with the 5 speed manual gearbox. The sport had M3 suspension including Bilsteins and all the bushes were M3 so the car handled beautifully. The sport also had M3 body kit although the front bumper had bars in the lower air dam where the M3 had a mesh insert. So from outward appearance and handling it was on a par with the M3 but the M3 trumped the Sport with its stunning engine and performance and also of course the Vader seats! It was a lovely car with few if any faults...although changing the time on the clock was such a complicated affair that I took it back to the dealer to sort...for free thankfully!
The most common was the MSport which had the body kit, but was only half an inch lower than the standard car with upgraded shocks but did not have M3 suspension. MSport was an option on sedan and wagon but I believe all 328i coupes were at least MSports by default.
Amazing review, I own an e46 clubsport 330i and I don't even plan to sell. Its an absolute treat. I absolutely love wagons too. I considered an m3 but my clubsport is just so much more usable on a daily basis and alot easier and cheaper to DIY
The e36 m3 is not 213hp ?
perry4298 286hp for normal M3, 326hp for M3 Evo. I think. Off top of my head
Yes thats correct, I noted it down muddled and didnt spot it while concentrating on the filming
@@furiousdriving
So, the M3 has around 50% more power than the 328i.
I think you'd notice that.
The original M3 3.0 was a bit of a weapon...at least 286BHP, but preferred my 328 with it's smoother delivery ,lighter clutch and it was very reliable.Briefly had M3 evo but didn't really notice much difference.
@@heed17 a bit more than that - 295 bhp for the first gen E36 M3
Let's just agree the E46 was something special compared to the earlier e36 and leave it at that.
I dailiied a 2.2 6 E46 and it was a riot.
Still got it. Currently restoring it with much hassle from my wife.
Such a perfectly made car and best quality BMW ever made I think.
Luv and Peace.
Ian, i keep my '95 Toyota t100 road Worthy soley because it upsets my wife.
If you want an m3 in estate form. Go and see what alpina did with the e36. The grail being the b8 e36. This wagon with a 4.6 l v8
We had the automatic P plate version. These engines had issues due to unleaded petrol. The car needed a new engine. Done under warranty. Lovely sound and performance. Was replaced with an E46 touring 330 which was not as good (worse ride, noisy but more boomy exhaust that was irritating at low revs). Always liked the E36 styling too. It wasn't very safe though. Poor rating in Euro NCAP test. I think that's why it got swapped for the much safer E46. That and the nicer interior. I think the version of the E46 330 touring was not the best. The sportiest one. I've been in a 330 coupe and that was awesome and sounded superb.
I really like the looks of an original E36. It feels like it looks a bit more classic every year. I own an E36 320i touring. And in my experience the car looks bigger than it in reality is.
First time I’ve seen this video and interestingly my 328i Touring is
S71 BPH! Supplied by New Central Motors in Cobham. Great car.
Very nice presentation, as always.Congratulations, you run one of my two favorit car channels. Please, if it's possible, make a review of an e34. Nowdays you don't see a lot of them on the road and I believe it will be one of the top future bmw classics. Greetings from Greece.
Thanks, I have have a few 80s and 90s BMWs on my list to track down. Who is the other channel out of interest?
Thank you too.. The other channel has a completely different orientation from yours. It is one called one take from Matt Farah in US. But as I said its about modified cars and not classic ones as is yours. Me, unfortunatly, am in both these worlds. I have a heavily modified WRS STI and one e34 535i.
Said it in your newest BMW video I just love the noise and the look of these versions of the BMW.
I had one for 13 years. Brilliant car. Engine was a beast. Then it just stopped one day and never started again. I had a Fiat Scudo van after that, the very thought.makes me feel unclean.
321bhp in a m3 e36 evo and 290 in std m3 . FYI great blogs as always 😉
I know, I scribbled it back to front in my notes! Im going to be getting that comment alot! GAH!!
Yeah and 317hp after 95
The front speakers are in the foot well, those are tweeters in the doors
I think you got the M3 power figures wrong. 286bhp for the 3.0 E36 M3 and 321bhp for the 3.2 Evo version.
Don't know where did you get the hp of M3 but they make 286 and 321hp in Europe. Even the US M3 which is 240 barely can be called M3 in terms of performance (buffed M52 inside)
There’s only a few older cars that live up to the hype: the Peugeot 205, the Mazda RX-7, the Mazda MX-5 S1-2, the Ford Escort Mk 2-3, the classic Mini and the BMW E36 3-Series.
Original Range Rover, there are a couple more but yes to all those
And MR2
Ford Escort mk1
I personally own one off them m pack chassis and body kit from factory drive it everyday and love it. I can’t find Something to remplace it. this engine is so lovely and versatile smooth and torquy at low rpm and angry at the top
I wish Id made an offer on this when I had the chance, a really nice car
The M3 had a lot more power than what you say in this video. Even the US model had 50 horsepower on the 328
I know, I remembered wrong and didn't notice
Im with you on the long roof stationwagons laugh. Got to love the M52 S/S buy it!
Pardon me?! An M3 has just 23 HP more? At the time of the 328i the M3 had 321 HP that is quite a difference! And the accleration figures should give you a hint ;-) However a 328i is surely an interesting car especially as Touring I think.
Calvin's car diary made an M3 wagon
Do these have hydraulic clutches or mechanical clutches ?
I dont know, I think its hydraulic but could be wrong
Brilliant video.
Good video other than you're wrong about the engine power of the M3 of this generation.
Lovely spec!
M3 non Evo was 286 BHP, this car was 190 BHP... Almost 100 BHP difference, you have quoted US BHP values on this video not UK values
Great looking car. I hate we never got the wagon in the USA
I never understood that decision, you still don't get a lot of the cooler wagons we have over here judging by reading sites like Jalopnik
@@furiousdriving Nobody was buying wagons, thats why. More expensive to introduce another model in the lineup than they could make back in profit by selling so few of them.
Yeah a 328i is the same as an M3... just without the iconic ITBs, 100bhp less, no LSD, soft suspension, pathetic brakes and a rubbish interior. 🤔
Please don't fall into the trap of saying a standard BMW is like an M car in future. It's like saying a VW Beetle is a Porsche 911. It's a good joke, but it's not anywhere close to the truth.
I don't know how I'm just finding your back catalogue of videos now. All in all I enjoy your videos. If you're ever in Scotland hit me up, I can get you behind the wheel of some interesting cars.
You missed compact lol
Compact
Coupe
Cabrio
Saloon
Touring
And the cabrio saloon aka california
Since when does m3 have 213 hp and since when was 1991 40 years ago?
213hp m3 ???
You have completely misquoted the M3 performance figures. The 328i does not come close.
Always thought the E36 tourers were fine looking cars...
Good review. BMW designed the e36 in 1981?
Work began in 81, the actual design sign off was a good few years later
1988
Very nice car. i hope it's still in good, unmolested condition.
I think it went to a collector
@@furiousdriving That pleases me.
The m3 was 280, then 320.
eumm all the wood of the e36 is real wood...
A nice car but it was never large, way smaller than a family car like a Mondeo.
Real wood, not plastic
I had a '95 E36 as my first car. The M52 was a fantastic engine, but I was underwhelmed by the rest of the vehicle. Not particularly well built, unimpressive boot, cramped interior and unimpressive spec by the end of production compared to rivals. The slightly newer E46 I replaced that car with was lightyears ahead in terms of build quality and refinement, and the interior was a massive improvement.
Got to agreed about the boot, its a weird shape. I wonder if they were hiding down the standard kit to make the new model look better?
furiousdriving maybe, but the car didn’t have a proper ibus system so it was difficult for them to integrate newer systems. There also wasn’t much space for new equipment. I took the dashboard apart on mine for a couple of repairs and it was very tight back there.
I have to disagree. My 02 E46 interior hasn't stood the test of time with air vent controls coming away and the trim is all scratched and looks awful. My 97 E36 interior however, looks as fresh as it did when it came out of the factory.
Como um idiota ia preferir trocar marchas com a mão esquerda? E andar na contramão?
Nice car but for the money its up for you can buy a 130i which is a vastly superior car, I know I have owned both.
The 130i is superb (Ive driven a few, and the 135i which is something else) but in terms of collectability those are at the bottom of their value arc as they are seen as 'used cars' at the moment and the E36 is now old enough to be on the way up, this one is strong money because its nearly flawless, there are lots of cheap ones with rusty arches or mechanical issues but this drives just how it should and is solid, so to a collector this is THE one, and it still smells like the 90s!
130i is a woman’s car though.
@@skipintroux4444 Sure, that's why you'd wrap one around the first tree you'd come by.
Roger Manvell, you've totally missed the point...
Honestly the first gen 1-Series is and probably always will be bottom of the desirability table for BMW fans and collectors. They are ugly, small and cramped inside and not very reliable either. The 130i and 135i are saved by their great engines but still inferior to equivalent 3-Series. The only one that is still cool today is the very rare 1M Coupe. The cooking versions will be scrapped just like any Ford or Vauxhall or the same era, and deservedly so. It was arguably the car that took BMW truly downmarket and into the mass-market economy class.
e34's are as good but BETTER. In every way.
I've riden in e36 BMWs and I've driven a coupe all of them were great disappointments harsh hard crushy suspension without great handling and just whole thing feels heavy not my cup of tea
You must have driven an absolute dog then, because they drive fast better than most cars today
@@fvresonanator I didn't say they're slow but I just don't like they say these things drive at find it unesersly hard and harsh I've driven an e46 much rather that but still it's not cup of tea
This wasn't hard suspension at all, quite the opposite as I found it was quite soft but was able to grip and corner well enough (not that I was pushing it vary hard as its not mine!) The M cars are very hard though so if someone had fitted M springs or dampers to one it would give a harsh ride. It was heavy steering though and you can feel the cars weight as it turns - but maybe thats why so many of these have been stripped to be drift cars?
@@Thanos.m I've got both and yes the E46 is more refined for comfort, but a stock E36 with fresh suspension is not crashy at all, it provides better feedback to the driver than the E46. Bilstein suspension is the closest (stock on E36 328i Sport) to the original setup, a perfect balance between sport and comfort. E46 is where BMW began appealing to shopping mums
You really don’t know anything about cars! 😂🤣
🙄.... .w123!
It’s not