Trackday Car: Why the E36 M3 is the Obvious Choice
If you’re in the market for your first, or your next, track car, do yourself a favor and go with an E36 M3. This iconic BMW strikes the perfect balance between affordability, durability, speed and parts availability. This is your ideal, all around, trackday starting point that you can build in a variety of directions. These cars have hit the bottom of the depreciation curve and aren’t likely to be substantially affected by the speculative nonsense that’s been driving up values in the collector car market. So don’t freak out and buy something tomorrow. Take your time—you’re going to stand by this purchase. Here’s why:
Just what you need
The E36 M3 has everything you need and nothing that you don’t. It’s a very simple car in all the right ways, with minimal concessions to luxury. It bridges the space between the old-school world of tougher and simpler cars, while being sophisticated enough that you’re not short-changed or at a substantial disadvantage compared to the newer stuff (e.g., your buddy’s Toyota ‘86).
Durable AF
Straight-sixes are famously tough and the S50 and S52 are no exception. These motors are under-stressed and capable of thousands of miles of lapping without a rebuild. Most of the trackday E36’s you’ll encounter are clocking well into the 100k mile range. Despite clattering valve trains, they pull hard on every straight. In 2012, the E36 M3 made an unprecedented run in the Alcan 5000 rally from Seattle to the Arctic Circle without breaking down, starting hard, or once nose diving into the snow (rare for this race). Dan Koch, a respected instructor and TT racer, stands by the M3’s grit. He brought his E36 up from the South at 150k miles, and it’s been breaking lap records and hurting feelings for more than three seasons.
Sexy, enough
This is the X-factor in track cars. You can pretend that you’re not concerned about aesthetics, but you won’t fool us. The E36 M3 may not be the most beautiful car, but the design is both sexy and practical. You can’t find too many vehicles that look more at home on the race track.
Does it all
Ask a drifter, an autocrosser, a street racer, an endurance racer, and a track rat to list 10 cars that don’t suck. You’ll get a few M3s. You can configure these cars to do almost anything you want, and the aftermarket will support your vision. Suspension, chassis reinforcement, drivetrain, cages, cooling, wings, wheels, and fender flares. They make everything you could want for these cars.
Sized just for you, Goldilocks.
On the track, being comfortable in the driver’s seat is a literal consideration. The E36 fits a huge range of drivers. Yeah, you can squeeze into a Miata, but add safety equipment, a helmet and start dancing around in that same car. It gets awkward quick. A bigger/taller seat like the OMP WRC-R fits snug in an E36. Fitting this same seat in a Miata would require planning and possible modification to the transmission tunnel. In the M3, you pick your seat sliders and bolt it in. “The answer is always Miata,” but the reality is more like BMW.
Super accessible
BMW built over 71,000 E36 M3’s in total. That’s not good for speculative investors, but it’s great for actual drivers. The E36 is the least distinct M3, particularly the US variant. In E36 money, the difference between a 328i and an M3 is subtle. They look similar and they don’t perform that differently. The interchangeability of the M3 makes them appealing cars to own and run. It’s not that the M3 isn’t good, it’s that the basic E36 was very good to start. However, the M3 has more of what the hard-core track driver wants including a clutch-type LSD. In this case, it’s worth starting with the cream.
Let the Right One In
Once you’ve come to your senses and realized the M3 is the car to start with—it won’t be too hard to find a keeper. If you want to make your life even easier, here are some tips, from a driver with experience finding, building, and maintaining a fleet of these track stars.
1. Consider the Automatic Option
Car enthusiasts will make all kinds of noise if you suggest that a manual transmission isn’t the only way to shift. Even the best automated manuals and dual-clutch transmissions won’t satisfy them. They are hot-blooded and purely purist. The reality is quite different. Sometimes the best self-shifting enthusiasts have issues translating their skills onto the track. The track-ready automatic E36 M3 Sedan serves just right as a novice trainer. The M3 auto is 90’s sophisticated and won’t be super responsive, but it works. The torquey straight-six allows the slushbox to do its job well enough and keep the newbs focused on the line and braking points. Automatics are cheaper to buy, too. Go ahead and talk shit, I’ve got my Nomex undies on.
2. Check your source
There have been 36,000 M3’s sold in the US, so it’s worth spending the time to find one that’s in good condition (i.e., not rusted to shit)—it’s out there. This may be be difficult in some parts of the country. If, like myself, you live in the Northeast, you may want to look for a car in the South or on the West Coast. You’re better off getting a higher-mileage car from a drier and warmer climate than a higher-value car with a rusty underside. If you’re planning to sort this car for track duty, the rubbery bits will need to be replaced whether it’s a 100k mile car or a 200k mile car.
3. Work it
The E36 had its big moment in the 90’s and like anyone that pushed the limits during the Clinton Administration, it’s well intentioned if a bit loose and unpredictable. Expect to replace all the rubber in the suspension. Even if the previous owner took care of the car, chances are the subframe bushings are still original. While they may look ok, they are are going to allow your rear suspension to deflect like an umbrella on a windy day. Also, keep an eye on your cooling systems— the plastic coolant expansion tanks like to split open and piss all over your favorite backroad. The upside is that you don’t have to be a seasoned wrench head to keep these cars well-maintained. Invite a buddy over to YouTube and chill and you’ll learn all you need to execute the mods yourself. There’s enough on the net to keep you from dumping unnecessary cash—and you and your M3 will end up all the closer.
Simplicity and beauty go hand-in-hand
All the money, colorful driving shoes and hotboy lifestyle cues won’t net you shit when the joy isn’t there. The E36 M3, if nothing else, is like a big-hearted kid sprinting around a playground. If left on the stock end of the spectrum, It’s not going to blow any minds with outright pace and drama, but it’s tenacity and enthusiasm are infectious. Run an M3 hard until happy tears are streaming across your helmeted face. Stop worrying about proving you’re special, or better, or different. Prove that in the driver’s seat. Get off Reddit and go buy a goddam E36.