Clean E36 M3 Sedan near SF

January 8, 2010 by Nate

The E36 M3 sedan is the first fast car I drove, and, like a first love, has stuck with me ever since.  Unleashing a couple of 16-year-olds in a Dinan M3 was perhaps a foolhardy move by my best friend’s dad, but luckily we kept it in good shape other than a few check-engine lights due to impatience with the M warm-up sequence.  It was a dream to drive; every pebble in the road gently communicated to the hands, every gearchange a satisfying snick, and every corner was our own railed rollercoaster.  E36s in general are fine, but the 4-door M3 has always struck me as markedly sexier than any of its generational brethren.  I tried to buy that Dinan a few years ago at $14k, but couldn’t make the finances work (luckily it’s being saved for my friend).  These days its not difficult to find them for under $10k, and this nicely modified 1997 sedan demonstrates the accessibility of clean examples.

1997 M3 Sedan for sale on Craigslist SF

I could do without the Supersprint DTM exhaust (Dinan’s looks almost stock but sounds perfect) and I’d raise the adjustable rear suspension just a little, but this is a very clean example with some nice, simple modification choices (I don’t know of a car that looks bad with BBS CHs).  157k miles is on the higher end, but at $9k it’s still a great value, and if the engine goes bad, spend some money swapping in a Euro S52 or S54 and you’ll still have a performance bargain.

Final Note: Thank god it’s a manual.  In my mind, automatic E36 M3s might as well be junked.

-NR

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Posted by Nate in BMW | January 8, 2010 |
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7 Responses to “Clean E36 M3 Sedan near SF”

  1. #1
    Paul
    January 8th, 2010 11:25 am

    I agree with the manual versus auotomatic assessment, Nate. I’ve driven both versions of the E36 M3. Why anyone would have had the auto was beyond me.

  2. #2
    Nate
    January 8th, 2010 12:20 pm

    Word. Having a slushbox mitigating the power would be a bummer, and also that gearbox is just so damn good! If it has an automatic, it’s no longer an M3 to me.

  3. #3
    bob Salter
    January 13th, 2010 10:57 pm

    I am an M3 owner with a 1998 Sedan. That car is nice, but overpriced for the mileage. The market for M3′s is not very good really. A clean sub 80K car seems to be going in the 13-15 range, so a 157K car should be less than 9K.

  4. #4
    Jim
    January 14th, 2010 7:36 am

    After the original E30 M3 the next gen was nothing more than a marketing tool. They were no longer hand built and they made so many they have little value.

  5. #5
    Nate
    January 14th, 2010 10:04 am

    Bob-
    The rims could be sold for at least $1500, not to mention the suspension bits and exhaust. Yes, it’s high mileage, but with $2-3k of additional pieces it’s more like a $6-7k M3, which is just fine in my book.

  6. #6
    1998 M3 Sedan, Dakar Yellow, 59k miles  | German Cars For Sale Blog
    January 15th, 2010 8:02 am

    [...] Nate:Bob- The rims could be sold f [...]

  7. #7
    1998 BMW M3 Sedan for sale | German Cars For Sale Blog
    June 28th, 2010 4:05 pm

    [...] I’ve said before, the E36 and I go way back and they always strike a chord in my heart. Especially when it’s a [...]

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