First tank of gas guzzled on the S50 m3... 18.99mpg

So I got my first tank of gas all used up, and the car gets (so far) 18.99 miles per gallon.  Not bad considering how I have been driving.  I have a feeling I would see about 24 or so if driving 75mph non stop on a freeway.  I expect to see below 10 on the track!

Why the 1995 M3 is such a cool choice…

Now you might be wondering why I didnt’t buy another M Coupe.  Well, first off they are going for too much nowadays, they have established themselves as collector cars, and the prices are just going up and up, kind of like the e30 M3.  Really I should buy one now before they are totally unaffordable! 

The e36 M3 has some advantages as well, Its got 5 seats, a trunk, and pretty close to the same performance as the M coupe.  I specifically chose the 1995, because it has a slightly different motor than rest of the E36 M3’s from 96-99.  It has a 3.0 liter motor designated an ‘S50’, whereas the 96-99 has an ‘S52’.  Now in the world of automobiles more displacement is usually better, but in this case the 3.0 is a slightly more desirable motor, because it used OBD-1 instead of OBD-2, basically a more modern way to limit emissions, which cripples the owners ability to modify the car for more power.  Also note that the 95 3.0 and 96-99 3.2 make the same HP & Torque.

The 1995 motor with an addition of a Cold Air intake, new fuel injectors, a new MAF (Mass Airflow Sensor), and an ECU chip can make an additional 35 Horsepower, which is stunning for a BMW.  Add a free flow exhaust, underdrive pulleys, and headers and you are pushing a 50HP addition.  Replace your cats with Hi-Flow Catalytics, replace your tranny and diff fluid, switch to an electric fan, and you can make it all the way to +60 HP!  Granted that’s $1200 for a stageII kit, $700 for exhaust, $200 underdrive pulleys, $500 headers, $500 hi-flow cats, $150 tranny/diff fluid, and $200 for an electric fan, totaling about $3500.  But to make 60 reliable and safe horsepower in a Normally Aspirated BMW motor is almost unheard of for even twice this amount!

Out with the old, in with the older?!?

Yep, you guessed it, its that time again.  New car time!  Well in this case, old car - new to me time.

I decided to get back to my roots, and bought an E36 M3.  Let me explain;  My first REAL car, the one that got me hooked on cars, and more specifically driving on race tracks was a 1999 BMW M Coupe.  Now this might LOOK like a Z3 hatchback, but the majority of the running gear is identical to the same year M3 (engine, transmission, differentials, suspension, etc.). 

There is something special (to me) about these specific cars.  They have a unique feel to me, the throttle response, placement of the pedals, gearshift, how the motor revs, everything just feels great to me.  So I decided to buy a 1995 M3.  I would have loved to have gotten another M Coupe, but I already owned one, and as weird as it sounds they are commanding a mint right now.  The car I sold in 2005 for $22,500 would probably still be $20k today with the same mileage!

So here is a pic of the car!

Yep, its a 1995, built in 5/1994 (thats 15 years old kids) with only 54,000 miles on it!

[More to come, about the money spent on upgrades, tires, impressions, etc.!]