Simple M3
Simple M3
Yeah, yeah I have commitment problems when it comes to cars. The Miata has been sold, and it was sad for a number of reasons. Loved the car, but I simply did not fit. But let’s back up a bit. Before I ever bought the Miata, and in fact before I had the 2002 I think, I have been talking about buying an E36 M3. I had a 318ti a few years back, but that wasn’t quite enough for me. I’ve always loved the E36 body style, and an M3 is just timeless.
A few problems. First, I wanted a sedan. I prefer the body lines, I like the functionality, and for whatever it is worth the chassis is stiffer. I’m not tracking the car, but it’s a nice thing to brag about in a parking lot with your friends. Second, I didn’t want to spend the prices these things are now going for. Does anyone remember a few years ago when E36 M3s were disposable? Finding a not destroyed M3 is nearly impossible, and those that are nice are far too expensive in my opinion.
I got a DM on Instagram one morning about this car. Low miles, manual sedan, decent interior, looked well kept. It just so happens that it also belonged to someone who is pretty well known in these parts. You may know him from his Trans AM build at SEMA last year. I reached out, and arranged to come take a look at the car while I was in LA for the Japanese Classic Car Show.
I wish I took more photos while at Stanceworks headquarters while buying the M3, but I was too excited about the car itself. I managed to snap the one photo after test driving the M3, just before I set off for the rest of my weekend adventure. Special thanks to Riley for making this an easy pick up.
After departing Stanceworks headquarters, I went straight to PCH for a cruise up to our hotel. Thanks to my friend @nhammon for grabbing this quick photo. Needless to say I was about as happy as I could be at that point.
Obligatory first fill up photo. The first day was pretty limited. I took it to Period Correct, took no photos in front of the store front for some reason, and then headed back to the hotel. The following day we went to the Japanese Classic Car Show, so I left the M3 at the hotel and carpooled with friends. But as we got to the evening, I was dying to drive the car again. I suggested we visit Neptune’s Net in Malibu, and take some photos in the canyons. So we all hopped in our cars and hit the PCH once more to cruise to the Malibu hills. I wanted to take some photos at The Snake car park. And it went like this:
Just past that sign was the car park, literally one turn away. I’m guessing the fires probably caused the road closure, but I’m not 100% sure. Either way, I didn’t dare go past the sign. The last thing I wanted was a trespassing ticket on this trip. Bummed, but still happy to have driven that evening, we went to Neptunes Net. We went down another canyon road and I opened up the M3 a little, windows down, sun setting. Then I saw a great little spot to stop.
Followed by a brief drive in Long Beach near my hotel to round out the night.
Sunday was the day I had to drive it from LA back to Phoenix. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t dreading this, I have had a bad history with E36s and this drive. Most notably my 318ti blew up just outside of Phoenix a few years ago. I had almost no history on this car, and really no recourse if anything went majorly wrong. I didn’t even have a spare tire.
It went without incident. The car cruises perfectly at definitely 100% legal speeds. The car was quiet, comfortable and really a joy to drive for such a long distance. After the first hour, all my worries were gone and I just enjoyed the drive back.
I temporarily parked it in the 2002s dedicated spot, since it’s still not back home. I put nearly 500 combined miles on it this weekend, and they were all trouble free.
There are a few catches. Part of why the car was so reasonably priced, was the paint on the driver’s side is torched. It’s gone on the fender, and the doors are starting to go as well. The wing is almost completely shot, and yet somehow the rest of the car is actually fine.
That’s the worst of the damage there, but it gives you an idea of what I’m up against. Otherwise the interior, of which I have no photos of for some reason, is clean. I have a few minor items to clean up, but compared to some of the other E36s I looked at, this interior is in mint condition. The engine pulls strong, and the trans seems healthy. Really hard to complain about any of that.
So now comes the inevitable question of: What is the plan for this M3?
I’ll be honest, I don’t know quite what I want to do with this car yet. Originally I wanted to daily drive an E36, but I have other aspirations of finally replacing my lemon of a Fiesta ST with a truck for that purpose. Which leaves this to a back roads bomber. For now, I want to clean the car up. Fix some of the little issues it has, refresh critical components and just enjoy driving it. Too often my projects end up on jack stands for too long, and I lose interest. I just want to put as many miles as I can on this car.
I do want to address the paint in some way. I’ve been debating wrapping the car, as I’ve never had that done to any of my cars before, and silver was one of my very last choices. I also have a very specific set of wheels I want for this car, so I’ll be on the hunt for those as this goes on.
The dream would be to put an S54 in this car someday, but that requires unnecessary down time. So for now, we focus on keeping things simple. Make it sharper, make it more enjoyable and just enjoy the car as it is. Perhaps that’s a bit boring for a build thread, but I’d like this car to focus on the adventures you can have behind the wheel, instead of the adventures you have behind the wrench.
So there it is. Another E36 build thread in the Stanceworks forums. But this one started at Stanceworks HQ, so that has to count for something?
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by gnmzl
paint is the classic hot-climate-fade, I'd leave it as is!
