Very nice post. (e) (archive)

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: : I couldn't wait and got an E36, but I still want that E46. However, it is tough to make that decision, the fact AA is coming out with an obd2 turbo kit is tempting, but so is 343hp NA...

: : I think we should just wait and see, for all we know, the '46 might be a better handler

: I was on the fence between a modified E36 M3 and an E46 for all of a few hours.. For me it comes down to the fact that the E36 is dated. It's been around for 5+ years, it doesn't look that much different from a normal 3 series, and there are simply tons and tons of M3's and 3 series where I live. (In Brentwood / Santa Monica, CA it's almost impossible to drive for more than 10 minutes without seeing an M3; more than 1 minute for a 3-series!).

: Then comes the hassles of modifying the E36 to get to e46 performance- upgrades not working out the way you want, smog issues, etc. I've heavily modified my past 3 cars (my current car puts out 225 horsepower per liter, how's that for output?). A few simple mods are no problem, but it'll take a lot more than a few simple mods to bring an E36 up to E46-level performance. And, if you add body kit parts + paint to try to make the E36 a little more eye catching (arguably the E46 will be eye catching, at least in its first year) and you're probably right around the same price you'd pay for an E46.

: (I think it's a much tougher decision for a European by the way, since it doesn't sound like the E46 will have that much of a performance difference compared to the Euro E36 M3).

: The most cost effective way to go is to find a nicely modified E36 where someone else has sunk tons of $$ into it, and now you get to come around and pick it up for bluebook wholesale + 20 - 30 cents on the dollar for all the mods/labor they put in. Of course, who knows if they thrashed the car, and there probably aren't a lot of nicely modded M3's out there to choose from, most owners tend to keep them stock/near-stock.

: The best of both worlds *for me* will be to get an E46, AND to modify it too. I'm kinda concerned I'd be wasting $$ on buying a car with an engine that's optimized for being normally aspirated - I'm sure much of the 343hp will go bye-bye in order to properly supercharge/turbocharge it. (The NA car gains HP benefits from cam overlap and high compression, a good forced induction version would likely have to lower both and drop the power down before "building the power back up" again.)

: I have to disagree with Bruce re: preferring 350 NA ponies to 350 force-induced ponies, but that's just a matter of preference, there's no right answer. The NA engine will likely be far more peaky, the Forced engine will have an incredible torque curve, and it's that curve that usually wins most races (at least the ones I've been in), not peak power. However, I must concede that the NA engine will often be more responsive and linear which is very important on a racetrack as well.

: Since I plan on keeping the E46 for many years to come, I figure I'll have the time (and the $$ that comes with time) to modify the car. I just couldn't see myself holding onto an E36 for very long, in my opinion the car looks old now and my personal preference is to have a car that stands out a little. Besides, modifying a car is exciting, it's neat to choose new parts, slap 'em on, and (hopefully) experience/enjoy an improvement. I've taken my current car as far as I'd like to (which is pretty far!) and I miss the excitement of adding something new.

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