I was first introduced to the phenomena that is the BMW M3 back in 1994 on an overseas study tour in Taiwan. I first read an article about the E36 generation BMW M3 in Dakar Yellow and just fell in love at the sight of one parked at the base of a ski jump in Lillehammer.

When I finally witnessed my first one North Carolina I was mesmerized with its speed, power and refinement. It wasn't until 2000 that I finally found myself in the enviable position of finding a slightly used '98 M3 in Arctic Silver. One owner, meticulously maintained, and looking to unload it at an unbelievable price to make room for a new BMW M5 direct from Germany. It took almost 6 years of searching used car classifieds, but I finally found an eligible 5-speed silver M3 that hadn't been raced. After two years of ownership, I'm ready to impart my thoughts on the love/hate relationship.

Trained classically as a mechanical engineer and a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, I'm an avowed automotive nut that likes to do his own work after working at a BMW/Porsche/Mercedes/Volvo shop during college.

Here's the specs at a glance: 3.2 liter premium octane, dual overhead cam 240hp at 6000 RPMs, inline 6-cylinder engine with VANOS variable valve timing. All BMW M engines are hand assembled by BMW Motorsports Gmbh in Germany. Hence the higher premium for M engines. For those engineers out there, you already know that the inline 6 engine design and the V12s are the only engine designs that are naturally balanced from harmonic vibrations, thus eliminating the need for counterbalancers. The result? A naturally smooth powerband delivery that at full throttle sounds like ripping silk. Wonderful! 0-60 in 5.4-6.2 seconds depending upon who you reference. 1/4 mile in 14.6 seconds at 97 mph.
Top speed is electronically limited to 137 mph.

A ZF 5 speed has a direct-drive fifth gear. The engine's torque band and transmission are matched for a wide range of U.S. style-driving, not German autobahn cruising.

EPA estimated 19 mpg city, 27 mpg highway.

Unidirectional 225/40/17s on front and 245/40/17s on the rear. Michelin Pilots come stock but are very expensive to replace. I don't consider myself a leadfoot but my front tires last about 20k miles and the rears about half that. NOTE: Most regular auto shops won't or can't mount M3 tires due to their extreme low profile compounds and large width wheels. Be sure that you check with the shop in advance as to whether or not they have the tool necessary to mount your new tires.

The 10-spoke unidirectional wheels are designed for their cooling efficiency. Unfortunately they're very difficult to keep clean due to their design. Way too many small nooks and crannies to clean out with a very narrow brush.

Brakes are monster strong! 60-0 in 2.8 seconds and needing only 114 feet of tarmac! I'm never concerned that I won't stop in time in an emergency. But now my fear is that the cars behind me won't be able to stop in time unless they're in a Porsche or Ferrari. BMW also seems to uphold the general rule on German machines with their notorious ability to accumulate brake dust. Until I replaced my stock brakes with a set of Pagid street pads, washing my wheels was a twice weekly chore. Now it's a biweekly event.

My M3 came with a customer mounted X-brace for a convertible M3. The X-brace, or so I'm told, makes turn-in on the M3 even sharper than normal (which is already instantaneous). A 25% limited slip differential also helps to keep things under control. Handling on the M3 is everything that Road & Track, Automobile, and Car & Driver raved about. Impeccable handling and when the rear end does come out after you've given it a little too much gas, the rear end is very easy to catch with some lift-throttle oversteer. Fun!

Road & Track did an article a few years ago on the best handling cars in the world, and as a test just for fun, placed a stack of coins on the road and then drove over them with different cars at speed to see whether or not you could feel them telegraphed to the driver through the steering wheel. Of 10 sports cars tested, the M3 only needed 2 stacked quarters. The connection between the driver and the road was equivalent to 2 stacked quarters. Amazing!

Now you know why they say that the best handling cars in the world are engineered a few miles from the Alps.

Stock headlights on the M3 are unusually strong (compared to my beloved '91 Acura Integra). No need for aftermarket foglights. Light is where it needs to be, and if for some reason it's not enough, the high beams definitely demonstrate the difference when it comes to cars engineered to run on the autobahn.

The interior has supportive front bucket seats, typical German sparsely designed dash and decent space for adults in the rear so long as their under 6 foot for short trips.

Side view mirrors are purposely engineered to be aerodynamic but may leave a large blind spot depending upon reflection style. Best remedy I've found for this was to let the car pull up next to you, then step on the gas for 2 seconds and then change lanes. Very few cars on this planet will be able to keep up with you.

Safety: dual airbags, side airbags, central locking system that can only be operated with a key in the ignition, side marker lights help increase your visibility. The keys use a wireless antenna to detect a microchip embedded within the keys. You cannot start the car without the key. Period.

The Highway Loss Data Institute compiles data on how vehicles and their occupants fare in real-world accidents. HLDI rates cars in 5 categories: Poor, Below Average, Average, Above Average, Excellent. The injury losses are presented in terms of the frequency of insurance claims filed. The collision and theft losses are presented in terms of average loss payments per insured vehicle. HLDI Occupant Injury is Average, HLDI Vehicle Collsion is Poor, HLDI Recent Theft is Poor.

Bumper to bumper warranty 4 years/50k miles. No powertrain warranty, 6 years/unlimited miles corrosion warranty, free roadside assistance.

I've had strange things go wrong on my M3. Among them, one freezing morning, the gas cap lock on my gas tank broke. Couldn't refill my gas tank until I had it fixed under warranty at BMW. My driver's side one-up window wasn't coming up with one touch. I broke one of the vertical fins on the passenger side air conditioning vents while cleaning it out with a Q-tip. My on board computer's digital display has areas of the display that don't display until the car is warmed above 80 degrees. I wouldn't call them earth-shattering issues, rather hard to accept issues on a car costing over $30k.

Insurance on my M3 for a mid twenty something male with no points on his record is a little over $1200 per year. One ticket will easily swell your insurance to double that here in NC.

Maintenance on the M3 is not too bad when doing oil changes and air filter changes. Everything else will require the $60 Bentley manual and some time to research whether or not you've got the mechanical faculties to do it. Oil and filter changes at BMW run about $80 for a 3.2 liter synthetic oil change. Only problem is, you'll need a BMW oil service reset tool (~$120) to get the lights on your dash to turn off with every service. Everything else maintenance wise is very expensive compared to my trusty Integra.

Now for the intangible benefits. People's impressions. The first day that I took delivery of my new car and went to the local BP to fill up its tank, a gentleman in his Jeep Wrangler on the other side of the pump just stared wistfully at my M3 just gleaming in the fluorescent lights of the gas station. Attractive young women coo at being chauffeured around in this poor man's limousine. Guys love this machine. Police tend to overlook it due to its stealthy nature in silver. Mom, who only likes pretty paints on expensive marques, loved it. Brother loved it.

It's not that the M3 does one thing extremely well, it's just that it does everything brilliantly. I can drive this car in another 30 years and it will still look classic with me at the wheel. Its timeless style and solid performance more than offset the little things that tend to go wrong. If you're a car aficionado that can absorb the greater than average cost associated with owning an M3, by all means, you're doing yourself a disservice by not owning and driving such a wonderful machine created by the hands of man.

Little BMW Design Nuances I've Noted:
- When you enter and leave the BMW at night, the lights gradually dim to full brightness and then gradually dim to darkness after locking the doors from the outside. The only documentation I've been able to find about this is that BMW believes that when you enter a BMW, it's just like seeing a live theater performance where the lights dim and the curtains pull apart. BMW tries to replicate this experience in detail nuances as small as having the lights gradually come on to full brightness.
- When the car is locked, and you lift up on the driver's side or passenger side door handles, the interior lights come on. Only indication as to why this is designed this way is that the owner's manual states that if you lift the driver's side door handle twice while locked, it activates some kind of heating mechanism that unthaws your door keyhole in the event of icing. The interior light may turn on to let you know that it's been activated.
- Factory BMW radio actually automatically adjusts its volume based upon your speed. The faster you go, the higher it ramps up to overcome increasing road and wind noise.
- The factory BMW radio also has a channel called WB that can be activated at any time. When you press it, it tunes into the NOAA Weather Band that warns you of inclement weather in the area.
- The toolkit is pretty high quality complete with tow hook, wrench, and screwdriver with reversible Phillip's head and flathead.
- Factory jackstand and hand crank are some of the best and lightest I've ever seen.
- The spare wheel in the trunk is a full size front wheel. A word of caution, in the '98 M3s, the front wheels are smaller sizes than the rear wheels. On top of this they are also unidirectional meaning you can't really rotate any of your tires. If you purchase one, check the spare to make sure the previous owner hasn't swapped out the spare as part of the front wheel rotation.
- M3s have a rechargeable flashlight in the glovebox. Great little light that comes in handy.
- The interior cabin filter takes a bit of time to get to in order to replace. Total time will take you about 2 1/2 hours to remove all of the cladding and to swap out the filter, and then to put it all back together again. Definitely do this at least once every 2 years to clean out all of the leaves that get sucked into this.
- Brake pads are fairly easy to swap out if you unscrew the brake bleeder hose to push the piston back into its housing. Also take a look at the Bavarian autosport brake bleeder kit. Helps make changes a lot easier.
- The wheel lock key is kept in the same place as the toolbox. If the wheel locks start to lose their shape, swap them out immediately with new ones or you'll have to drill them out of your wheels.
- The wheels are connected to the wheel hubs as one piece screws as opposed to the standard lug in the hub connected to the wheel with large bolts. If you ever strip your lugs, you'll have to drill out the bolts vs. chiseling off the bolts.
- M3s with a standard transmission has a light in the shifter that illuminates when your headlights are turned on. If the light blows out, you can't just replace the bulb, they actually have to get you a whole new shifter because of the way its built. This is at least a $100 replacement from BMW. Stupid but there is a light in there.

11/16/2002 Update
My On Board Computer (OBC) is acting up strangely, the stock LCD display screen isn't lighting up all the individual lines for proper readout. Unfortunately it's not covered under warranty at this point and although bothersome, no a major reason to spend about $400 to have a replacement unit.

The driver's side power window motor has also been disengaging intermittently. After about 2 months of intermittent operations, it decided to reconnect itself. Very strange.

The M3 also has a healthy appetite for rear tires. Have to replace those about once a year.

Everything else has been a relatively pain free experience.

1/26/2003
Well, I just did the unthinkable. After the massive snow and ice storms here in Charlotte I was on my way to a 4:00 PM EST workout at the YMCA and a grocery run when I hit an ice patch and sent my baby off roading into someone's front yard.

After a couple of spins I planted my driver's side fender immediately behind the front wheel squarely into a tree. The CRUNCH from the impact at only 20 mph was sickening as I literally heard the frame buckle from the impact.

Aside from a crushed ego, I emerged unscathed. Seat belts worked as they needed to, no side airbag deployed since the impact didn't involve the door, and the door locks unlocked automatically from the impact. Apparently there are shock and motion sensors that detect an impact and automatically unlock the doors to assist with rescue and recovery efforts.

After a AAA tow truck graciously extricated me from the roadside, I was on my way again. Unfortunately, I had to hold my steering wheel at a 90 degree angle to the right in order for the car to track straight. I'm pretty sure some expensive damage to the steering has been done. Also, the impact warped/buckled my hood and caused the beginnings of some major cracks in my windshield.

I'm pretty ill with myself because I just got new tires put on the previous week and I had an alignment done to get everything back to factory stock. Looks like 2 months of down time until I get this baby back. I'll keep everyone posted on what my repair experience with this is like.

3/22/2003
Got the car back, but after you wreck a car, it's never quite the same. The M3 was already a very rigid car, but after my snowmobiling experience, it just felt loose in the steering wheel. The repair shop did a decent job, but it was just never quite the same after the accident. Total repair bill came in at $7k. Definitely need to have full coverage if you have a BMW, the repair costs alone are killer. I also learned that body shops have the ability to fix scratches on the wheel that I caused after being too vigorous with a wheel brush during a car wash.

7/9/2006
Well, I finally did it, I'm getting married to a wonderful young lady and I found myself unloading the M3 for a shiny new Honda Element after a series of successive mechanical failures starting with the driver's side front wheel bearings that started to disintegrate ($2k repair bill). I was able to unload the car for $10k in trade in after 6 years of wonderful experiences and a love / hate relationship with the M3. Not a day goes by that I don't miss the immense braking, the tight cornering, the looks of admiration from other car enthusiasts, and the acceleration like a bat out of Hades. What I don't miss, is the tough entry to the rear seats, the small cupholders, a trunk too small for a trip to Home Depot or Lowe's, the higher insurance premiums, the expensive maintenance for oil changes and tires. Great experience if you can shoulder the higher costs. I'd recommend getting one slightly used purchased with under 20k miles on the odo, and then unloading it before 90k miles to get maximum driving time without too much time in the shops.
Amount Paid (US$): 32000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1998
Model and Options: 5 Speed