Best and worst BMW 3 series in your opinion?

Objectively the best: E46
Worst: apparently F30 but i've never driven one so idk lol

>>14826885
>best
E21, possibly first series steel bumper E30s.
>worst
I'd say they progressively got worse with each following generation, not that I'd turn my nose up at a 6 cylinder E36/46 with three pedals.

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e46 is so nice looking

Best: E46; not a bloated, numb, overpriced pigfat mess
Worst: E90; bloated, numb, overpriced pigfat mess

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>best
N/A

>worst
All of them.

They literally started off the best and then got worse with each iteration.

>>14826885
e90. You know I'm right

>>14827009

this guy knows

lada

Best for practicality or sportiness or luxury? Because the 3-series has been very different in its iterations, they really are just held under the same badge name for the most part.

>>14826967
The E90 will be cheap soon. Trust me.
>>14827009
Too pigfat heavy

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Anything after the e36 but especially the e46. E46 is an epic pile of shit for spoiled little colleges girls.

>>14827024
This
I love my E92 Coupe

>>14827070
>t. E36 owner who can't afford an E46
If you moved both of those up a generation you'd be right.

Is it wrong to say that I prefer e36's styling over older generation but consider everything after ugly? Usually I find people who either say that the design went progressively better or worse

>>14826885
>Best
None
>worst
All
BMW a shit

>>14827097
this

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For looks, and because I know nothing about internals, the E36 seemed to have the best styling and nicest engine noises.
F30s look fucking disgusting and BMW ruined their personal aesthetic in pursuit of making them the official car of Bluetooth Headsets and Pomade.

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>>14826885

i like the e30 the most but id have to say e46 is the best
f30 is awful

>>14826920
"This is what wanna-be rich people who are really poor convince themselves"

>>14826885
F30 is the best 3 series and that is not arguable.
The 3 series only got better and better, except the interior quality from the E46 to E90.

The F30 has a fucking great chassis and it is really well built.

ANYTHING AFTER E30 IS PIGFAT DISGUSTING
P
I
G
F
A
T

Does BMW still even offer an N/A 3 series anymore?

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The comparison of the cars from the 70s to modern times based on just the cars themselves is inherently flawed. Each of these generations faced different competition and were suited to different purposes despite all being the same "series". To understand what truly makes a car great or poor, you must put it up against what it was built for in its period. You wouldn't compare a Ferrari Dino and a 488 would you?

Sure, the E21 is somewhat basic, not all that dashing looking, but so was its competition. E30 went compact to suit the 80s. E36 stepped up the power and aero because its competitors were doing the same. E46 introduced more luxury appeal as wreckless spending came to the rise now that the 90s were gone, and that only caused the transition furthermore to E90 and F30 becoming luxury cars as are their competition today. You can't compare it any other way without being overtly subjective.

>>14827457

YOU'RE POST HAS SOME RELEVANCE AND INSIGHT,

THAT SAID,

ANYTHING AFTER E30 IS PIGFAT DISGUSTING
P
I
G
F
A
T

>>14827375
>he forgot the E30 is an absolute nightmare handling-wise
>even the M3 bodyrolls as a fucking truck
Go to bed, grandpa.

>>14826885
E46
E30
F30
E90
E21
E46

>>14827516
E36 on the bottom. My bad.
I also got an E30 in my captcha just now.

E21 worst.

E36/E46/E90 all the best, as they're brilliant to drive and were all class leaders.

E30 is obviously god's chariot and far above any car ever invented.

>>14826885
>best
e90 because V8
>Worst
F30 because too much stupid tech

>>14827009
None of your comments have any merit on this thread sperm bank

>>14827264
This guy

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Love e46's, look great but pigfat as fuck.

E30's are probably my favourite all around even though they are slow as fuck and have shitty suspension stock they're still fun to drive.

>>14827009
this except fuck lexus too

>>14827457
Anyone who bags on the damn post can jump off a bridge.

>>14827024
>>14828052
Yeah the E90 was actually nominated "World car of the year" in 2006 so it's pretty good.

>>14827457
>>14827471
are they try to take some of Mercedes market ?

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>>14827070
I own both an e36 328 that I did the S52B32 swap in and an e46 330Ci that's been unswapped. Both have similar milage on them. The e46 holds up far better than the e36, particularly with regard to the interior. It's far harder to find an e46 in manual, and I freely admit the e36 is far more fun to drive however my daily is the e46 because it's so much easier to live with.


As for best and worst (of the ones I've driven) e46 a best
e90 a shit

>>14827009
Get this fuck ugly pigfat low energy snoozefest out of here. Pic related.

Best: E46
Worst: F30

Honorable mention: E36

Best: e46
Worst: f30
All time best: e39
All time worst: all new bmws

they are all shit like all german cars

>>14827013
>>14826920
>E21 better than e30 or 46


Nigga you dumb

>>14827051
>Too pigfat heavy

But it's lighter than the 3 series

>>14826885
As regards to aesthetics, E30 and E36 are the best. Modern, yet classic. They're timeless. E46 is the fucking worst (i know you guys love them because they're dirt cheap, but that doesn't make them less ugly): not recent enough to look like a recent car, but not classic/convetionnal enough to be considered as timeless. They just seem out of date with their retarded "not geometrical yet not organic enough to look like those 'progressive' angry cars".

>>14827009
>>14827195
Too edgy m8

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>>14832365
THE KING OF ALL BMWs

>>14832640
[Exploding VANOS intensifies]

>>14826885
E30 for looks, E36 for still being managable and more or less simple. Also - parts avaible on every junkyard.

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Does anyone know if any of the 1 series from 2004 - 2011 ever sold in the US/Canada ?

>>14826885
F30 for worst, feels like a boat, no steering feedback, you sit on the car rather than in it.

>>14826885
best: e30
worst: e90

>>14833654
never did i was looking just a few weeks ago because my dad was in the Netherlands and sent me pics of his rental car which was a blue one

>buying a 3
>but not getting the coupe

I hate this meme.

They're all great except for the last two pigfats.

>>14833808
>>14833654
only the coupe/cabrio

No dirt cheap hatch sadly. I really like them.

>>14826885
/o/ says the E90 and F30 are shitty and pigfat, only because they are out of their price range.

Just give it 5 - 10 years and they will be praising them

Nothing will beat those stupid sexy boxy bmw's
E30 for sure

>>14834105
in 5 to 10 years they are still going to be pigfat

cars don't lose weight over time

>>14832807
E36 M3 was rated best handling car at any price in 1997 (funny I've had two '97s), although to e46 credit, the S54B32 was awarded best new engine. Still, e30... it's the retention of the shark nose design while being a bit more aerodynamic that makes it the best looking.

best looking: E30
best performing: E46
best balance of both: E36

Between the E36 and E30
Waaay down hill at E90
>>14827097
>>14827231
The truth hurts but I'm slowly trying to like it.

>>14834105
No. I owned an E90 and my friend had an E46. The E90 is more comfortable, but the E46 is much more fun to drive.

As an e93 owner... Disregard anything other than e30,36 and 46

Don't get me wrong. It's fun to drive but it's almost an appliance now.

>>14826885
Best: e30
Worst: e21
Source: Driven every series and trim from 3.0csi and up except f30 M

>>14834494
3.0csi isnt a 3er tho

>>14832535
Yet remarkably the current gen IS350-F is still slower than a last gen e90 335i.

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>>14827009
Dat predator grill doe

How overblown and hyperbole is the whole E46 subframe?

>>14834494
>>14828052
What exactly makes the E21 so bad ?

How much of a money pit would buying a used E9# be?

>>14835508
My 328i has been very reliable. Stay away from anything with an N54, and you won't have many problems.

>>14835508
Depends if it has a warranty or not. I've spent a grand total of $0 on mine. Dealer even gave me new wipers when asked lul

>>14826916
A agree, while I would prefer to own an E30 the E46 has the best driving experience out of any BMW and most cars in general.

My friend has an F30. It's fast and comfortable, but the interior is too futuristic and the car feels lifeless.

>>14832535
No it isn't. Check the specs.

>>14826963
But first of the pigfats

>>14835573
My 2003 E46 325i weighs 3050 lbs when empty. Not exactly pigfat for a early 2000s saloon.
Also the base model E46 318ci coupe weighs only 2650 lbs

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>>14835202

I have 113k miles on mine. Subframe reinforcement was done in the 70ks. Not a crack anywhere.

And as for best, I'm going for E46 in terms of aesthetics, reliability and performance.

I love the E36 M3 too, but our market only has the lackluster S52B32. Europe has the bad ASS one's!!

Having owned mine for alnost 5 years now, there isn't another BMW that could get me out of it.

I've only driven this one and an E60 550i.

S54 I think is the best engine ever produced by BMW. The E9X was ok, but it all went downhill from there.

while I am a poorfag, I genuinely wouldn't trade my E46 for an E90 or F30

I would do anything to alchemy it into an E30 M3 however

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>>14826885
>tfw really fucking want a E46
>tfw never owned a german car and afraid of the dreaded maintenance costs.
it's a meme, r-right guys? is not that expensive, r-right?

alright, heres my opinion being a bmw tech and having the oportunity to drive pretty much every model bmw in the past 25 years. this list is based on driving feels, not aesthetics as that is a whole other list. i have never driven an e21 so ill exclude that from the list

e30
e36
2002
(e92 m3 only)
e46
e90
f30

>>14835661
I have a 2003 E46 325i 5 speed. Last week I replaced the oil filter housing (got a used one for $75), a belt ($15), and a valve cover gasket ($55) in my apartment's parking lot with no more tools than what I can carry in my hands

That's a pretty significant amount of work, but easy to do. If you can figure out how to read pelicanparts.com then maintenance is cheap. If you're a retard and like to burn all your money on the dealership pyre then get a bicycle

german cars get expensive when illiterate soccer moms see a CEL and immediately give themselves over to be robbed and gangbanged by stealership jews

>>14835661
also if you don't buy an E46 immediately while they're cheap you will regret it for the rest of your life as they go the way of the E30 and appreciate rapidly

>>14835729
1000% true in every way shape and form

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>>14835661

I have like $3k more spent on a bumper, new fuel pump, new grills and badges, lights, Mishi radiator, etc..

I need to replace my diff bushings, chase a vacuum leak (need to remove intake assembly. Have to spend like $80 to $100 on new clamps alone.), possible engine mounts and rod bearings in the future.

Seriously $2 to $3k more and I'm set for the long haul with no risk of breaking down. Gonna be fluid changes and valve adjustments.

Total overhaul so far is like $4k. Nothing really ever required, just preventative stuff.

The remain est. $3k is nothing required. My rod bearings - which require the engine to be removed for access - have already been replaced under recall 80k miles ago. If I do them again, it's just for total assurance all will be well with my engine.

>>14835526
My research said the same, looking at N52s
>>14835530
Can't say specifically

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>>14826885

1. E46 - timeless, perfect proportions and styling. Perfect simple interior. great handling and power. well built. enough luxury to feel special but not overburdened. NA I-6 glorious final form.

2. E30 - timeless 3-box styling and started perfect 3-series proportions. Set the bar for euro sport coupes/sedans. stock chassis dynamics are now dated but can be easily fixed.

3. E92 - elegant exterior (coupe), interior isn't aging as well. Sedan by far the worst looking 3-series. started turning to the "luxury" darkside. continued award-winning engines. outclassed rivals.

4. E36 - still great proportions, good angular exterior styling, shit interior quality. started the 10Best legacy. raised the bar from E30 in chassis dynamics.

5. F30 - ugly exterior, ugly interior, pigfat. No longer outclasses its rivals.

6. E21 - very dated design. had some handling flaws. continued the 2002's legacy at best.

source: my completely biased opinions, like everyone else.

pic related, my ZHP.

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>>14835889
>E46
>Great power

>>14835899

In terms of the M3, yes.

>>14835916
Eh, fair enough

>>14827264
>E36 god of the engine noises

Meet the E36 3.0 M3 motor in it's ultimate form:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R-F3hI2Ptw

>>14831585
M or non M?

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>>14826885
>no e92
the fucking fuck?

>>14835605
>E46 318ci coupe

Had one of those and it was slow as fuck, like EG Civic with 100hp that I had before was fast car for it and got almost double the mileage.

It was also breaking down all the time and on top of that all the rubber around windows rotted away (the fuck?), all the interior textile delaminated and sagged, even simple things that never go bad like switches, locks, power windows everything broke down.

I mean I would have gone with Toyota, Lexus or another Honda but I live in europe and those are very expensive here. Why would anyone in US want euro car like bmw is beyond comprehension for me.

>>14835738
... lets see if the E36 does it first.

The only thing appreciating right now are pristine E36 M3s

>>14835661
German cars can get stupid expensive if they haven't been maintained. Pay a little more and get one that has been taken care of.

The trick is to get one with a good history and do all of your own wrenching. The parts themselves are a little more expensive than japanese cars, but the big difference is that parts are designed to be replaced at intervals. If things have not been replaced there is either a ton of things that need to be replaced to make the car feel decent or very expensive things are getting fucked up.

Take the suspension bushings for example. You could take an 80s Honda and drive it for 400k on the stock bushings. It would get looser but nothing would break.

Take a BMW and drive it 100k on the stock bushings, and you will be ripping up the body sheet metal (RTABs).

t. E36 owner

>>14836899
ugliest shit BMW ever made

>>14836970
>Why would anyone in US want euro car like bmw is beyond comprehension for me.
It gets the butch americunt girls wet

>>14826885

E46 master race.

>>14832640
*QUEEN

Am I the only one here who thinks the E36 and E38 look ugly?

Their fronts look really weird (especially the wide grille on the E38), and they both look really dated.

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>>14837534
>E38

You son of a bitch

>>14837006
This. Don't underestimate the importance of a well maintained German car.

>>14826885
Objective rankings from best to worst coming through:
>E30
>E46
>E36
>E21
>E90
>F30

>>14835345
It's an almost 40 years old car now. It's literally ancient and a 20 years old Corolla does everything it does better for cheaper. Except the feeling of driving somethings special, because you sure as fuck aint gonna get that in a Corolla

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>>14837534
If by dated you mean not having frivolous design elements and having intakes and lamps that actually serve a decisive purpose, then yes, it is.

>>14837006
Sooo...you're saying that Hondas are built much, much better than BMW's? Seeing that preventing a catastrophic design failure hinges on replacing a factory part, I'm gonna go ahead and maintain the opinion I formed whenI briefly owned a few: BMW's are shit. Deplorable fucking garbage being sold for the roundel, not the merits of the cars.

Best: Mercedes 190e Evo
Worst: All of them

>>14837682
You may return to your Xbox now, young one.

>>14835729
I actually have a 2003 325i 5 speed as well. It needs a new rear left shock, a new diff bushing and probably a new belt as mine is making a noise. All that will be around $150 to fix. Good car.

>>14826967
>E90
Sorry I'm retarded, I meant F30.

>>14837680
You don't buy a 10-20 year old BMW to brag about the roundel. That's stupid. You lease a brand new one like everyone else. No one brags about a used old BMW.

Are they built as well as Hondas? Fuck no, a lot of cars aren't. But how many cars drive like a proper BMW ///M car or even one from their peak in the late 1990s? Very few. They're the overall package of sports luxury/practicality. Hell even sports, try finding cars that were like it (FR, 50/50 weight balance, decent suspension geometry, easy to drive fast without "bad" handling traits). Very few folks. And the steering response and feedback on the E30/36/46 and all the ///M cars is simply sublime.

It's a car that's more than the sum of its parts. BMWs sell purely on feels. You can get faster for less money even when they were at their peak or brand new but it's not a car that feels as good or complete. Especially the ///M cars, I wouldn't bother to own a BMW that wasn't one (E30s withstanding, those were almost all universally good).

>>14837014
>ugliest shit BMW ever made
t. poorfag who bought an E30 for the badge

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God tier: E46
High tier: E90
Okay tier: E36
Low tier: E30
JUST tier: E21/F30

>>14837680
>Sooo...you're saying that Hondas are built much, much better than BMW's? Seeing that preventing a catastrophic design failure hinges on replacing a factory part,
No I'm not.

Honda and BMW use different design philosophies, thus they look at wear items like bushings differently.

Honda looks at bushings as a way to reduce NVH. They should be replaced regularly but not everybody will. Honda knows the people that buy their cars look at them like a consumer appliance.

BMW looks at bushings as a way to reduce NVH but also as a way to run aggressive Anti-Dive and Anti-Squat geometry. The bushings will take a lot of abuse from this but they are supposed to be replaced at an interval, right? Besides, What car enthusiast would forego maintenance on their car? If you follow the manufacturer recommendations, they will never fail catastrophically on you and damage the body.

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>>14832640
>king
>posts a pic of a stanced car

>>14839965
>posts fagwagon
>tips fedora

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>>14837622
E39 or e38 best car, pref. 540i
I got rear ended in my e39 so i have had this for a couple years now

>>14838791
>But how many cars drive like a proper BMW ///M car or even one from their peak in the late 1990s? Very few.

A fucking Honda Integra R. inb4 not rwd

>50/50 weight balance

Pretty sure 50/50 isn`t actually the most optimal especially when considering the different layouts.

>sublime
>feels
>more than the sum of its parts

You couldn`t even give a worse description of italian cars.

3 series are limp dicked econoboxes for spoiled teenage brats.

>>14840431
>t. poorfag busrider with massive insecurity issues

>>14840451
>poorfag
Very
>busrider
I fucking loathe travelling with public, always try to go with my own car no matter what
>with massive insecurity issues
Got me on that one too

>>14840469
So you want to fuck or what?

>>14840476
Sure, why not?

most beautiful/timeless: E46 Coupe post facelift
Best driving: either E36 or E30. The E36 needs to be atleast the 325i, E30 has to be the M3 or with a fully built S10 4banger

>>14840498
You mean M10?

>>14840406
I've driven a Integra R and owned a heavily modded one with equivalent or better suspension mods. I daily drive a stock Civic.

The ///M cars feel a little better, IMO. More playful at lower speeds. And RWD means you can throttle steer it. And there's other factors like more power, more practical/comfortable and luxurious while giving better performance, far lower theft risk (especially compared to a DC2R), etc. The BMWs are more of a overall package. A car you can drive to and from work every day 50-100 miles, do groceries in, then drive to VIR 3 hours away over the weekend and come back refreshed. The memes are real you just actually have to own both.

Drive both. I like the shifter/clutch feedback in the Hondas far more, the BMWs had slightly better steering response/feedback. And yes, you don't have to tell me about weight balance but we're dealing with front engine RWD cars. I already know FWD/AWD likes 60/40 and MR/RR is closer to 35-40/60. I definitely feel like the BMWs feel smaller than their weight/size actually is when you drive them hard.

The holy trinity of affordable drivers cars is the NA/NB Miata, E30/36/46 BMWs, and 1990s Civics/Integras. And honestly if I had to choose between a DC2R and a E36 M3 I'm getting the M3 any day. One was another $10-15k when they were both new for a reason

>>14840512
yah, sorry i don't know what i thought there.
M10 is lighter than most later 4bangers and gives the thing a 50:50 weight distribution. when it's stroked and bored with a good DOHC head it can have north of 200hp

>>14840528
The shop where I currently work at actually has an M10 powered E30 with, if I remember correctly, around 700 or so bhp.
Thing was a full blown no frills race car.

>>14840538
Yeah but that's not streetable. My perfect car would be a E30 2door with a ~170hp NA M10 in it. Perfect thing to hoon around and treequinox myself

>>14840551
Actually, I think like fucking Africa got the E30 with the based as fuck M30 straight 6.
That would be pretty neat, although it would be much heavier than an M10 E30 and lose the 50/50

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>>14840518

>The memes are real

>>14840575
Yeah for a 6pot i'd go to the E36 chassis. More engine space and cheaper.

>>14840575

http://www.bmwblog.com/2015/07/07/bmw-e30-333i-south-african-m3/

>>14835867
What about n55 335i?

>>14831610
>>14831677
>>14835164
The IS350 is actually good though. A bunch of reviewers placed it ahead of the 335i.

>>14840705
I've heard less than favorable things

>>14840757
why using my name though? lmao

>>14826885
E92 M3 with dat V8

There is nothing better than the German muscle car feel

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bump for E36 overrated/E90 underrated

>>14826885
E30 best because its simple and great.
E46 and up> shitty mechanics and parts that fail