Im looking for a new car and I have narrowed it down to the two. It seems to me that the 328 is the better buy. The 328 doesnt make too much less power and Id prolly replace whatever suspension it has anyway. any other m parts i could probably buy for a couple hundred such as lsd. Any thoughts? Im just waiting for the jokes on the tittle. 
the 2.8L with S50 m3 cams/springs and an m50/s50 intake manifold makes really good top end close to that of an m3. the cylinder head castings are identical.
ive heard e36 LSDs arent cheap to come by but ive never looked myself, not sure about brakes, but suspension's easily done.
Look in my garage and you can see the choice I made. The 328's insurance is half what an M3 would have been, the car was $5k+ cheaper to buy back in 2006, and yes, I did replace and upgrade all of the suspension components that differentiate the two cars anyway. Mine dynoed at 186hp/196tq with a 3" filter in place of the airbox. With an m50 manifold and software it should make similar power to a stock M3. I added a 3.23 LSD to mine for $300, they are pretty easy to find in the $3-400 range depending on mileage. The M brakes are slightly better, but the non-M still brakes much better than any other car I've ever owned. The only thing I'm really jealous of from the M3 are the seats, and for $500-800 I could fix that one too.
Josh wrote: Look in my garage and you can see the choice I made. The 328's insurance is half what an M3 would have been, the car was $5k+ cheaper to buy back in 2006, and yes, I did replace and upgrade all of the suspension components that differentiate the two cars anyway. Mine dynoed at 186hp/196tq with a 3" filter in place of the airbox. With an m50 manifold and software it should make similar power to a stock M3. I added a 3.23 LSD to mine for $300, they are pretty easy to find in the $3-400 range depending on mileage. The M brakes are slightly better, but the non-M still brakes much better than any other car I've ever owned. The only thing I'm really jealous of from the M3 are the seats, and for $500-800 I could fix that one too.
right this is exactly what i was thinking. ive just started looking for 328's today because i ust started to realize this. are they somewhat rare? i seem to find allot of m3 and 325's but not many 328's
These days the price difference between a 328i and an M3 is often only two or three grand - it was a no-brainer for me (my M3 cost me $7K two years ago), but it's your call to make. I don't have full coverage, so the insurance cost is identical between the two.
I went M3. Trust me, you want the M3.
The M3 chassis has been strengthened where the non-Ms can sometimes rip. I'd personally rather have the M having owned one of the others, but a good non-M still drives really well.
Yeah, if you need what the M3 has, then start with an M3. My wife just got a 328iC for pretty cheap. Nice low-mileage car. She says it's too slow. Knowing her lust for speed as I do, I suspect nothing short of forced induction will make her happy.
If you want a car to drive fast, the M3 tops almost everything at that price range for balanced driving fun. The differences between the M cars and the E36 328i are akin to the differences between an Acura GSR and a Type-R. You can get close with the weaker model, but in the end you'll spend more.
To make an M3 out of a 328i, you'll upgrade some things you'd probably throw away anyway, and then at the end of the day you'll spend a lot of money on stuff you wish you had.
Stuff you'll throw away/upgrade: Suspension (shock/spring) LSD Wheels/tires Brakes
Stuff you'll wish you had that's free on an M3: Body reinforcements Aluminum control arms (pricy) Better seats Engine (even with similar power levels, the S50 is a better engine. Quicker/better throttle response, revs better, sounds fantastic, etc.)
I'm probably leaving some things out - this is off the top of my head. Overall, if I'm looking at a 5K 328 and a 7K M3, I'd buy the M3.
Better engine (ultimate hp/tq notwithstanding, the S50s will always offer quicker response) Body/chassis reinforcements
And don't forget: the M3 will always be easier to sell in the future. I REALLY miss mine: the best car I've owned. I'm pretty sure I'll get another.
I have one big question here: How old are you?
Because if you're young, you probably can't afford insurance on an M3.
Not trying to hate, but IIRC you're still teens/early 20's, right? I've been there recently. Multiple times when I was in that age range I found a car I wanted and could afford until I checked insurance prices. A 328 will probably be quite a bit cheaper to insure (although it still might be more than you wanna pay).
In my experience, the insurance thing is greatly dependent on the company and region. An M3 might be more money, it might not be. It was cheaper (for me) than my E30 325 sedan. Auto.
The Corvette, for whatever reason, is cheaper yet.
Nathan
Josh wrote: Look in my garage and you can see the choice I made. The 328's insurance is half what an M3 would have been, the car was $5k+ cheaper to buy back in 2006, and yes, I did replace and upgrade all of the suspension components that differentiate the two cars anyway. Mine dynoed at 186hp/196tq with a 3" filter in place of the airbox. With an m50 manifold and software it should make similar power to a stock M3. I added a 3.23 LSD to mine for $300, they are pretty easy to find in the $3-400 range depending on mileage. The M brakes are slightly better, but the non-M still brakes much better than any other car I've ever owned. The only thing I'm really jealous of from the M3 are the seats, and for $500-800 I could fix that one too.
My M3 made 220WHp / 219 Ft Lb stock on a Dynojet 248C with 90,000 miles on it.
You won't be picking up 34WHP with the M50 mani swap
Mine was stock right down to the air box. For what M3's cost now I would skip the hassel of modding a car. My car was a 2 door 97 Estoril blue with dove gray interior and vaders , the car had seen a bit of a hard life.
4 years later I could buy the same car for a 3rd of what I paid. I have seen several in the 7-9 grand range.
get the real deal
There's what appears to be a black E36 M3 for sale at a small-ish lot about 3 miles from me.
For $4999. Arg.
If autocross is a consideration, the 328 is classed differently by SCCA in Street Touring and Street Prepared.
STX vs STU, DSP vs BSP?
STX is a great class for the 328. The M3 is harder to find a home for.
Lots of good points in this thread that I will try and not repeat. If you enjoy building a car and appreciating the progress each mod makes then get the 328. If you just want a fun car to drive and don't really get much joy out of doing the work then get the M3. I would keep both models on my radar as you are searching, you never know what kind of deals you will find.
AutoXR wrote:Josh wrote: Look in my garage and you can see the choice I made. The 328's insurance is half what an M3 would have been, the car was $5k+ cheaper to buy back in 2006, and yes, I did replace and upgrade all of the suspension components that differentiate the two cars anyway. Mine dynoed at 186hp/196tq with a 3" filter in place of the airbox. With an m50 manifold and software it should make similar power to a stock M3. I added a 3.23 LSD to mine for $300, they are pretty easy to find in the $3-400 range depending on mileage. The M brakes are slightly better, but the non-M still brakes much better than any other car I've ever owned. The only thing I'm really jealous of from the M3 are the seats, and for $500-800 I could fix that one too.My M3 made 220WHp / 219 Ft Lb stock on a Dynojet 248C with 90,000 miles on it. You won't be picking up 34WHP with the M50 mani swap Mine was stock right down to the air box. For what M3's cost now I would skip the hassel of modding a car. My car was a 2 door 97 Estoril blue with dove gray interior and vaders , the car had seen a bit of a hard life. 4 years later I could buy the same car for a 3rd of what I paid. I have seen several in the 7-9 grand range. get the real deal
Yes, but for the $5-8k difference in price (2006) I could have added a supercharger (and then some). The suspension upgrades on the m3 were a push, because I was going to replace everything no matter what I bought, everything I looked at had 8+ years and 100k+ miles on the stock parts.
Now that the difference is probably half that the choice becomes harder. When it comes down to it, I would probably do the same thing I did then - search for both 328s and M3s, and buy whichever particular car you feel most comfortable with.
SupraWes wrote: Lots of good points in this thread that I will try and not repeat. If you enjoy building a car and appreciating the progress each mod makes then get the 328. If you just want a fun car to drive and don't really get much joy out of doing the work then get the M3. I would keep both models on my radar as you are searching, you never know what kind of deals you will find.
yea I really do enjoy working on cars but I have a feeling that no matter which car i choose i will find something to work on. 
as for my age I just turned 18 so I doubt I wil be able to afford the insurance anytime soon.
im sure i will be autoxing but the class isnt that important to me. I just enjoy going out there and trying to push what ive got as much as I can 
SupraWes wrote: Lots of good points in this thread that I will try and not repeat. If you enjoy building a car and appreciating the progress each mod makes then get the 328. If you just want a fun car to drive and don't really get much joy out of doing the work then get the M3. I would keep both models on my radar as you are searching, you never know what kind of deals you will find.
Can't agree with this. Modifications that will improve a 328i will also improve an M3. Any E36 car will benefit from upgrades, especially squishy rubber parts that have 100k+ miles on them. The difference is you'll still have a much better overall car with the M.
I had cash in hand to put down on a 328i but opted for the M3 instead - it was the motor and the LSD which sold me, rest of the interior, exterior, chassis & suspension upgrades that came with the M3 were just gravy.
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