E36 M3 vs FR-S vs S2000 (for me)

[RearDrive]

Originally Posted by YukiHachiRoku

Keep the Honda and invest your money wisely.

I did consider that but the thing is I LOVE driving and the Honda just doesn't cut it anymore it's an auto fwd. I also invested in a private company that's hitting the stock market so if that goes well that will be some huge gains.

[Esoteric]

Originally Posted by Mitch

*If you test drive the M3, you'll buy it. They're wonderful.
*Get a pre-purchase inspection done no matter what.
*(I do) regret selling my (e36) M3.
*Regardless of whether you go M3 or S2k, get that beast on the track. That's where they really come alive.

Quoted, and edited a bit for first-person truth baby!
I work with BMW owners on a daily basis; there isn't a better "do everything well" car ever MADE than the E36 M3. Plus.... They are starting to go up in value. Not a bad thing.

The most disappointing car I ever drove was the S2000. Believe it or not.
Was it a very good car... Yes and no.
Did it do things better than an E30 M3, E36 M3 or RX8... or Miata (that I had at the time)... some... but it lacked something that kept me from connecting with it, and the complete lack of torque feels unnatural. Also, surprisingly the earlier AP1 is actually more fun to drive than the AP2, that statement you will see a lot of on the forums.

This is coming from somone who loves torque-less NA cars like the Miata and the AE86, yet the S2000 highlights this lack constantly- and thats another reason the FRS/BRZ is going to be a better over all car, the 2L mill, like the Si and RSX have a nice fat torque curve that makes the car feel balanced...
Oh and torque...haha wait till you drive an E36 M3.

Good luck deciding between an FT86 and E36 M3 :happy0180: you will need it I bet

[serialk11r]

I always get really confused when people say the S2000 is torqueless...it has very respectable torque below 2500, and it has the shortest gears you could ask for. Maybe it's a "feeling" thing.

[RearDrive]

Thank you sir I will need it, definetly a hard decision. And I do love torque I even noticed the lack of torque on the fr-s from my v6 accord even though the fr-s is a little faster.

[Sammyzuko]

Originally Posted by justaquestion

The door frames are a lot smaller, and it has a real b pillar. Its just the way it was designed, its not a general rule of thumb, just for the e36. (Maybe some other cars, I don't know)

Plus some of the M3 sedans have solid, non-folding rear seats for added chassis rigidity. This was not an option for the coupes.

I have an E36 M3 sedan and my roommate has an AP1 S2000 which I often drive. My favorite aspects of the S2k are the steering rack and the look of the car. The engine is fun to wind out, but the lack of torque is noticeable during daily driving. Seems like I'm always shifting to find the sweet spot.

The M3 is a very good all around car. It does everything well, although the big steering wheel/slow steering rack makes it feel like a truck after driving the S2k.
I would say skip the E36 M3 unless you REALLY love them. It's not a good car if you are just looking for a cheap fling. So many are neglected and they won't drive like an M3 should without proper maintenance. S2ks are newer and probably less maintenance intensive.

The FRS is the hot new intriguing car of the moment. I'm looking forward to seeing how it stacks up once the hype dissipates. I think if you got something else, in the back of your mind you'd always wonder about the FRS. If I was in the market for a new car, I'd strongly consider one. However, I'd just get a cheap car until a higher HP version of the FRS comes out.

[SUB-FT86]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

I always get really confused when people say the S2000 is torqueless...it has very respectable torque below 2500, and it has the shortest gears you could ask for. Maybe it's a "feeling" thing.

I was in a AP1 and I must say for me it was torqueless feeling. But after 6k rpms it changed into a psychotic beast. It goes from feeling like a sub-compact 2L to a true sports car in acceleration.

[hyper4mance]

From what I've been hearing from some old members on the s2ki forums, since they have stopped production prices have gone up a decent amount, especially for an unmolested low mileage one. I've never owned an e36 nor s2 but known friends who had them. The one who had the e36 got his for a good price, but there always was some sort of maintenance needed due to being an older car - nothing mechanically wrong with it thou. If this is going to be your daily car, the S may have trouble fitting in stuff/passengers.

In my opinion I'd stick with your current car, invest the extra you would have paid to get those extra gains and get a car after those gains are realized. Yeah it sucks, but I prefer taking those opportunities especially if they are certain. If there is more risk in the investment then I'd probably end up doing a more in depth cost/benefit analysis, but in this market 15+% gains are not too shabby especially for short term investing.

[iLuveKetchup]

There's a big difference in terms of tq between an AP1 & AP2. A tuned 06+ feels fantastic, but might be out of your price range. The AP1 feels anemic. I wouldn't want one. I've been through a few cars and an 06+ is the best car I've had (within the price range - obviously not including Porsche / Lotus).

So to answer your question..
E36 - yes if you really like it
AP1 - no
AP2 - yes 06+

[RearDrive]

I actually found a gorgeous e30 custom with an m30 swap all done by cg motorsports that I might check out this weekend. I'll keep you guys updated.

[iLuveKetchup]

Originally Posted by RearDrive

I actually found a gorgeous e30 custom with an m30 swap all done by cg motorsports that I might check out this weekend. I'll keep you guys updated.

Whoa! E30 is my favorite ///M.

[RearDrive]

Originally Posted by iLuveKetchup

Whoa! E30 is my favorite ///M.

Here it is! It was imported from japan and started out as a 320i and turned into this beast http://www.cgmotorsports.com/cars/past-projects/335i-cg 8500$ the guy is asking for it which i think is reasonable he spent 25k on the build.

[hyper4mance]

Looks awesome. Hope all goes well!

[MmmHamSandwich]

As others have said, I dunno where in the heck you are gonna get a 15-20% yearly return on investment, but if that was the case, you would be an absolute fool to not contribute the maximum you could toward that investment.

[RearDrive]

Originally Posted by MmmHamSandwich

As others have said, I dunno where in the heck you are gonna get a 15-20% yearly return on investment, but if that was the case, you would be an absolute fool to not contribute the maximum you could toward that investment.

Like I said the building industry can be incredibly lucrative, most people just don't get the chance to get in on it the way I have. You need to have connections which fortunately my dad has. But yea I might hold off or if the showing for the e30 goes well ill try to get it for 7500 and sell my car for around 4-5k which wouldn't be much extra so most of the money will be going into it.