Teatowel Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 101,000 miles on the clock, 1997, 3.2 Evo with a 6 speed box. Stock car, with a new clutch, bushes, and KW Clubsports. £7500k I didn't buy the numberplate - it came with it I thought about getting an E46 M3, but it just looks too big, bloated, and much more expensive to run. If I had the balls I would have bought an E30, but I am a fan of the E36 - classic look, with no hint of Bangle anywhere The Clubsports are a revelation - the car changes direction instantly, with minimal amounts of roll. It feels like it's mid-engined - it's the closest I have felt to the feeling of driving a VX220 with so much feedback at the wheel. I took it out for a day at Millbrook before going to the ring, and it behaved superbly, even on old knackered tyres. Benign understeer at the limit, even in standing water, abuse it and you can do what you want. After Millbrook it did 30 laps of the ring in 2 days without breaking sweat Love these alloys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Glad you enjoy it, after all thats what car ownership is all about. Do you still have the zed and use this for fun or is it your only car now. If anyone else is looking for a bimmer track car these are just what you want http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/classifieds/537072.htm & http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/classifieds/537055.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teatowel Posted June 2, 2008 Author Share Posted June 2, 2008 The Z went in January - my daily drive is a V reg CLK and the M3 is mainly for the ring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Love it mate, a good friend of mine has one as well and it's a stunning car. He's just swapped his Motorwport wheels for a set of Schnitzer II's but I think I prefer the Motorsport ones! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 I had a v reg 320 clk for four years before trading for the zed, was a great car. Why not back to the vx or an elise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H5 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 £7.5k for a 101,000 mile, 11 yr old car?! Have fun thrashing it round the track!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teatowel Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 Why not back to the vx or an elise. Good questions! I did think about either a year or two old 111R or an old VX NA which can be had for not much more than what I paid for the M3. I didn't want to spend a whole lot of money (needed to pay off a few people ) which ruled out the Elise, and I wanted to pay for it outright. Another VX was very very tempting, but there was a feeling of "been there done that". Most of all is the cost of replacing bodywork - the price of a new clam on either car is huge relative to replacing panels on an old M3. Plus, every muppet can service or fix or rebuild an M3, especially near Nurburg, but getting an Elise or VX fixed, or even just spares / brakes and tyres near Nurburg is a bigger problem. I had that in the Z too - the Z standard tyre sizes are ones that aren't used very much at all on German cars, as most 18" are 35 or 40 profile. When I needed a new set whilst out there it took a lot of phoning and hassle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teatowel Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 £7.5k for a 101,000 mile, 11 yr old car?! Have fun thrashing it round the track!! A lot of car for the money mate I could have spent £2k less easily, maybe more, but most of those cars are a bag of nails. £7.5k got me one that is mint enough to use for it's intended purpose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickya Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Nice mate Remind me of my old mint M3 Evo cab in Estoril blue which some **** wrote off Check out Bovingdons Ring M3 in Evo mag. ps make sure the double Vanos is running ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teatowel Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 Nice mate Remind me of my old mint M3 Evo cab in Estoril blue which some **** wrote off Check out Bovingdons Ring M3 in Evo mag. ps make sure the double Vanos is running ok Hiya Ricky! Long time Vanos is currently fine TBH if I hadn't bought this one I would definitely have bid on Jethro's E36 - it went for £10,500 on ebay which is an absolute bargain given what's been done to it, and the number of headaches it would save when starting from scratch like me I won't go as far as he did - you don't really need a BBK for the ring, and given I still drive it on normal roads I need the rear seats! I will however get a harness and decent seats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Hi Teatowel... Love the e36... as you can see in my sig i've always been a fan! Just a point to check though - your right rear suspension looks a little low - you need to check that the spring is intact! They have a habit of breaking at the top or bottom of the coil. It happened on both of my e36's - once while i was driving and it hit my wheelarch!! Just take the wheel off and feel inside for the ends - if they're sharp/rough, they've snapped. It doesn't affect handling that i know of - but it is an MOT failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickya Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Good to see your fine & still a track day junkie!! ps if changing seats keep old Clubsport seats or sell for good money on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H5 Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 £7.5k for a 101,000 mile, 11 yr old car?! Have fun thrashing it round the track!! A lot of car for the money mate I could have spent £2k less easily, maybe more, but most of those cars are a bag of nails. £7.5k got me one that is mint enough to use for it's intended purpose I just meant generally, having seen some other track specials for sale on PH recently (am on the look out for a toy now). Sounds like you have plans for it, steer from the rear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teatowel Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 Hi Teatowel... Love the e36... as you can see in my sig i've always been a fan! Just a point to check though - your right rear suspension looks a little low - you need to check that the spring is intact! They have a habit of breaking at the top or bottom of the coil. It happened on both of my e36's - once while i was driving and it hit my wheelarch!! Just take the wheel off and feel inside for the ends - if they're sharp/rough, they've snapped. It doesn't affect handling that i know of - but it is an MOT failure. The car has KW clubsports - set and lowered to KW's settings for the ring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oliie Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 These are great value for money now... I wonder if they are as quick as a new 335i? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teatowel Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 A 335i is a ridiculously quick car, and in a straight line probably would be quicker than an E36 M3. The 335 though is a pretty heavy car, and is roooollllls a lot in the bends, certainly when I had a test drive a few months ago! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greido Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 I've never driven an M3, how does it compare to the 350Z you had? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teatowel Posted July 28, 2008 Author Share Posted July 28, 2008 Good question! I am not sure about a stock E36 M3, as my car has KW Clubsports. I imagine a stock E36 now would be pretty wooly. With the KWs the M3 is absolute magic, almost feeling mid engined given how fast the steering response is, light and agile. Speed wise, to 60 it is about equal, third gear is much longer, taking you to over 100mph at 7500rpm. It pulls really strongly to 140 before petering out a little. I hit the speed limiter at 162 on the autobahn. Interior wise, it's solid, with good leather, and being 11 years and 110,000 miles old has less squeaks and rattles than my 3 year old Z did. That said, the styling is definitely 90s. All in all it gives huuuge performance for £7k. Although, given how fast Z prices are dropping, Zs are now awesome value Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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