Historically teenagers’ cars are terrible. Usually students wind up driving a hand me down Toyota Camry or some sort of econobox that once belonged to a deceased family member. These cars, although practical, tend to be dull, slow and extremely boring to drive. For anyone who actually cares what they drive, many alternate choices for a fun and cool car can be made; like buying an E36 BMW 3 series.

The E36 BMW is a natural choice for any gearhead because it’s actually fun to drive. Originally the E36 was meant to be more refined than its predecessor; the legendary BMW E30.  The car had rounded corners and a more stout tail along with a completely redesigned leather interior with new gizmos sprinkled throughout it. The beloved M20 straight-six engine in the E30 was replaced with an updated straight six, the M50. The new engine featured a timing chain rather than a timing belt that had to begrudgingly be changed every four years, and it also featured many new plastic parts for weight reduction and to keep BMW service centers busy for years. The cars were fitted with plastic thermostat housings, intake manifolds and even the water pumps had plastic propellers fitted on. After time, the heat from the engine makes the plastic very brittle and very susceptible to cracking, making repair and replacement inevitable. Later models featured VANOS, BMW’s new for the nineties variable valve timing system. The VANOS system has a tendency to leak oil all over the front of the engine, or even detonate if a plastic guide or tensioner fails. With scheduled maintenance performed and updated parts installed these issues should no longer be a problem. 

Aside from all of the horribly designed plastic components, the E36 is spectacular to drive. The straight six is very willing to rev and is unbelievably smooth. E36’s with a straight-six ranges from 168 horsepower with the 323 model, all the way to 190 horsepower with the 328. Now even though those numbers aren’t very high, the bimmers light weight makes it a joy to drive. The steering is very direct with little movement needed to make the BMW dart down a twisty road. With a shorter ratio steering rack, the E36 handles even better than an E30. Possibly the best part of it is the exhaust note. When one of these cars is fitted with a straight pipe, the sounds it makes are epic. Sweet straight-six sounds fill your ears with a little hint of glorious Ferrari V12 rasp. With quick downshifts the car snarls and pops making all of the oh-so-desired race car noises. Even if being a loud and obnoxious hoon isn’t your thing, or you’re just boring, the E36 still can be a quiet and refined luxury bargain. 

With prices ranging from $1,000 for a rotted out basket case, all the way to $13,000 for a mint M3, there’s a car for everyone. Decent condition 325’s and 328’s go for around $3,000-$5,000 with a massive selection of models to choose from with convertibles, coupes, sedans and station wagons (Europe only) all available. The best model to go for would be a 328i or a 328is. They came with the updated M52 engine that had a higher displacement at 3.2 liters from 3.0 liters with the original M50. You should expect to make 190 horsepower from the six with 206 lb-ft of torque. The engine is very smooth and quiet with an extremely linear power band.

Stock examples drive like any other luxury car. The floors are lined with dense sound deadening and heavy carpet. Wood accents are splattered throughout the dashboard and door handles if the original owner sprung for it when they purchased it new. Nearly every E36 came with a sunroof as a standard option unless it was one of the very few that came without it. The seats are ridiculously comfortable and five adults can easily squeeze into the sleek body.

Noah Krauter

I come from a long lineage of BMW owners, as everyone on my dad’s side of the family has owned one or still does. They love the simple yet elegant body lines, spectacular sound of the straight six, and sublime handling. My uncle Thomas Verachtert was no different, which is why he decided to purchase a new E36 328i convertible in 1997.  The car was eventually totaled by a semi truck on a trip from St. Louis to Chicago, but what made that car so great resonated in his son, my cousin Matt’s mind.

When it came time for Matt to buy his first car, he knew that he needed a BMW. His dad drove one every day of his life until he tragically became sick and could no longer drive. Sadly in March of 2016 he passed away after a long heroic battle with ALS. To honor his dad and the first BMW he fell in love with; Matt knew the only car he wanted was an E36. On a freezing December day last year his goal was finally fulfilled: he purchased a 1998 323is in “Arctic silver metallic”. The car was a little rough around the edges from its past life as a drift car, but it still ran great and started up on the first crank after sitting for 2 weeks in the corner of a driveway. So far the car has been extremely reliable minus the clutch needing replacement and the rear wheel bearings going bad from drifting. The car feels well put together and is a blast to drive.

Noah Krauter

“I love driving the car,” Verachtert said “The sound it makes and the phenomenal handling makes it one of the best values on the market.”

We were browsing craigslist and facebook for a suitable car when this one popped up. It had 182,000 miles with minor modifications done already like coilovers, new wheels and tires, and a straight pipe exhaust.

“For only paying $3,000 buying this car was a no brainer,” Verachtert said “I can’t think of any other car that’s more fun for the money.”

When purchasing an E36 some things to looks out for include rust on the rocker panels and jack points, timing chain rattle, drivetrain rattle, oil and coolant leaks along with janky wiring. The right car should have some sort of service history with it along with most of the preventive maintenance done to it already. Things like the water pump, thermostat and housing should be replaced with their aluminum counterparts.Noah Krauter

The E36 is a well built and long lasting car that anyone can hop into and enjoy. They’re fairly easy to work on with some mechanical know-how and parts are extremely cheap and easy to come by. The E36 has such a massive and diverse fan base for a reason: the chassis is very capable and can be molded into anything the driver wants it to be. Go out and buy one before all of the drift kids crash them into more curbs and drive the prices up just out of reach. Someday E30’s will be out of reach for anyone on a budget, but the E36 will still be around and priced better. Just think of them like your drunk uncle on Christmas that you can’t seem to escape from; it’s inevitable that you’re going to have to spend some time with him.