View Poll Results: Which would you buy?
EVO VIII
63
77.78%
E36 M3
17
20.99%
Other...
1
1.23%
Voters: 81. You may not vote on this poll
What to Buy... EVO VII vs. E36 M3
Apr 22, 2005, 03:01 PM
#16
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well,
If you plan to track the car a lot, you cannot lose with either car. Well sorted e-36 M3's make EXCELLENT track cars, very well balanced, and even with stock power and well driven, a good match for even modded evos. I've owned both. just depends on your preferences. Love my Evo track car, but there are times I miss the dynamic qualities of RWD.
Percy
If you plan to track the car a lot, you cannot lose with either car. Well sorted e-36 M3's make EXCELLENT track cars, very well balanced, and even with stock power and well driven, a good match for even modded evos. I've owned both. just depends on your preferences. Love my Evo track car, but there are times I miss the dynamic qualities of RWD.
Percy
Apr 22, 2005, 05:21 PM
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Originally Posted by hagakure
well,
If you plan to track the car a lot, you cannot lose with either car. Well sorted e-36 M3's make EXCELLENT track cars, very well balanced, and even with stock power and well driven, a good match for even modded evos. I've owned both. just depends on your preferences. Love my Evo track car, but there are times I miss the dynamic qualities of RWD.
Percy
If you plan to track the car a lot, you cannot lose with either car. Well sorted e-36 M3's make EXCELLENT track cars, very well balanced, and even with stock power and well driven, a good match for even modded evos. I've owned both. just depends on your preferences. Love my Evo track car, but there are times I miss the dynamic qualities of RWD.
Percy
Can't agree more. E36 M3 is a very well-balanced car, very neutral at the limit, no turn-in understeer or nappy oversteer during corner. Very good baseline car to train drivers. Very rewarding for good driving. Adequate power output. 240hp, ~5.4-5.6s going 0-60. Superb transmission. The engine noise is just heaven. The only thing I am having second thoughts about an older BMW is the inline-6 doesn't tend to "age" very well and as a given...you will have minor but costly electrical problems...
Don't have much experience with the 7. The Evo7's look doesn't cut it for me. In terms of performance, I am sure it's a great car. It's an Evo afterall, right?
Apr 22, 2005, 08:27 PM
#21
Hi,
My brother had a 97 M3 , then he traded it in for a 98 M3 and he also installed
a Dinan supercharger(the only company that wouldn't void factory warranty).
Anyway, the M3 are sweet, the interior and the equipment is far superior to an EVO, their engines(3.0 from 95-97 and 3.2l from 98 and up) are very reliable and torquy.
The veredict is this:
EVO is faster, handles better, possibly brakes better and is soo much easier to upgrade
M-3 holds the value very well, much better equiped, not as fast, pricy on parts/labor and much more expensive to upgrade.
Even if you have the moneyI will stay with the EVO unless you are talking about the newer 333hp M3's.
My brother had a 97 M3 , then he traded it in for a 98 M3 and he also installed
a Dinan supercharger(the only company that wouldn't void factory warranty).
Anyway, the M3 are sweet, the interior and the equipment is far superior to an EVO, their engines(3.0 from 95-97 and 3.2l from 98 and up) are very reliable and torquy.
The veredict is this:
EVO is faster, handles better, possibly brakes better and is soo much easier to upgrade
M-3 holds the value very well, much better equiped, not as fast, pricy on parts/labor and much more expensive to upgrade.
Even if you have the moneyI will stay with the EVO unless you are talking about the newer 333hp M3's.
Apr 23, 2005, 06:47 AM
#23
I've owned both, a 95 m3 and a 03 EVO, if you just want to drive 8 or 9ths the EVO is your car, it will make you look good, and at that pace it's easy to drive. If on the other hand this is a track car which you plan to learn to drive on the limit 10/10ths then go with the m3. If you can find a 95 model that would be your best bet and spend the money save on modding the brakes and suspension. Properly set up an e36 m3 is a great car and can teach you how to be a great driver. The 98 and 99 m3 don't have the chassis failure issues of the earlier cars, but with the OBD II they are less responcive to engine modifications.
Apr 23, 2005, 08:27 AM
#26
Originally Posted by brodster600
Used Evo w/ less than 30k miles = $22-25k
'98-'99 M3 w/ less than 60k miles = $18-20k
'98-'99 M3 w/ less than 60k miles = $18-20k
You can get one certified pre-owned E36 M3 with a 3 year warranty and everything direct from a BMW dealer for less than the price of a used Evo 8. The BMW CPO program is really good. I would be very comfortable with a CPO E36 M3.
And once you stick a Will Turner or Ground Control suspension on the M3 you'll have an amazing track car. I find M3's of all generations can be much more rewarding to drive on the track than the Evo 8. Hell, I still prefer to track my modded E30 325is than my Evo. Sure, it's slower...but it's more fun to drive.
Emre
Apr 23, 2005, 08:41 AM
#27
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If the M3 is going to be a daily driver... and you dont want to mod either car, get the M3 (very good looking, great all around car). If you want to do some serious tracking and mods, get the EVO! I've done two track days so far this season and the M3 has NO chance. They seem to be the slowest of all the higher dollar cars. (50k + sports cars) I run all over them with my Evo.
Apr 23, 2005, 09:36 AM
#28
Originally Posted by kingkyle
I've done two track days so far this season and the M3 has NO chance. They seem to be the slowest of all the higher dollar cars. (50k + sports cars) I run all over them with my Evo.
Emre
Apr 23, 2005, 10:03 AM
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They are undoubtedly both incredible cars-- if you are about bang for the buck-- Evo should be your choice for most of the already mentioned reasons.
1) It's a newer automobile with a good reputation for quality. Yes clutches fail prematurely, interior rattles in the cold and we have rock chips due to the rear driver door not being pulled out enough-- but in general the engine and transmission on a stock Evo is very stout. I'd almost always take a 2003/04 over a 1998 or 1999 regardless of make barring exotics.
2) It responds to modifications much better and is forced induction from the get go and is also much cheaper to mod.
3) I may be laughed out of here for saying this-- but the aesthetics of the E36 Bmw's in general seem very dated. I also often see headlight assemblies damaged by moisture, water pumps often fail at less than 50k miles and electrical problems are fairly frequent.
4) Finally frequency-- Mitsubishi has sold approximately 10-12k Evos since 2003, while BMW often moved 7.5-15k M3 (Coupes, sedans and convertibles) per annum. I like to stand out!
Good luck though-- not a bad situation to be in. Both rock!
1) It's a newer automobile with a good reputation for quality. Yes clutches fail prematurely, interior rattles in the cold and we have rock chips due to the rear driver door not being pulled out enough-- but in general the engine and transmission on a stock Evo is very stout. I'd almost always take a 2003/04 over a 1998 or 1999 regardless of make barring exotics.
2) It responds to modifications much better and is forced induction from the get go and is also much cheaper to mod.
3) I may be laughed out of here for saying this-- but the aesthetics of the E36 Bmw's in general seem very dated. I also often see headlight assemblies damaged by moisture, water pumps often fail at less than 50k miles and electrical problems are fairly frequent.
4) Finally frequency-- Mitsubishi has sold approximately 10-12k Evos since 2003, while BMW often moved 7.5-15k M3 (Coupes, sedans and convertibles) per annum. I like to stand out!
Good luck though-- not a bad situation to be in. Both rock!
Apr 23, 2005, 10:44 AM
#30
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Asking a group of Evo/Lancer guys will provide you with a biased response. It will also let you know whether we like our cars. But the look of the vote numbers...we like our cars 
My friend has a mildly modded e46. It is very pretty and the interior is plush. He spent $60K plus mods, I think I'm around $35K and he can't compete.
My friend has a mildly modded e46. It is very pretty and the interior is plush. He spent $60K plus mods, I think I'm around $35K and he can't compete.