1995 BMW M3 from North America - Comments

Regular maintenance past 100K miles: CV joint, ball bearings, front suspension, front brakes, and rear brakes replaced.

The car is the ultimate driving machine. The year it came out it was the named the best handling car, in cars ranging in price of 30,000 and above. It is the car to which all others look to as a benchmark.

I've driven in a heavily modded Mitsubishi Eclipse that handled very similar. Audi's S4's have very good handling, but not on par with M3's. There are so many m3 wannabe killers out in todays market. However, handling is the one characteristic that can't be touched. The handling is second to none.

The acceleration is pretty good. 0 to 60 in 5.5 s with a manual, about 14 flat in the 1/4 mile. There is a large aftermarket scene for M3's from Schnitzer to Dinan. If you want to make your M3 go faster, turbo and supercharger kits are available.

I've owned a 1988 Porsche 944 turbo and my M3 was a refreshing change. Not only is it quick and the handling is phenomenal. The dependability of the car is above average for a German sport/sedan. No turbo problems, no problems with timing belt. The in-line 6 engine is bullet proof. Hardly any problems. I spent 4,000.00 in 2 months on my Porsche. The car is a money pit.

Probably the only negative aspect about the BMW M3 is the interior. It's not on par with Lexus, Audi, or even Saab's. The interior is spartan, but dooable. I suggest getting a good stereo and enjoy the drive. There are no little neat devices like I've seen in Saab's and Audis.

Thank you very much for your insightful comments!

Your review is perfect and now I don't feel so crazy for trying to decide between a 1st gen DSM, '95 M3 and an 86' Porsche 944T.

I still want to go for a test drive in all three cars to see how I feel about these different vehicles, but I cannot

thank you enough for writing a well-rounded review!

(I am now leaning towards the M3:)

:.BL.

I've driven a 944.. amazing handling, better then a m3.. stock at least, but the m3's torque is whats intoxicating.. go m3, and never look back.. except to watch the other people in your rear view mirror, that is.

I just got an 95 m3 and it is incredible in every apect definitely commend BMW for this car.

Anyone who realy drives the M3 will be looking at the rearview mirror a lot that is assuming you haven't left them miles behind and they are not even is you rear view mirror!

It's the ultimate all round driving machine!

My 1995 M3 was lovingly cared for by its previous owner who had it from new. I have carried on in the same vein for the last three years and only use it between March and November, and even after 80,000 miles the paintwork and the Nappa leather seats are still almost like new. The acceleration is fantastic in all gears and especially responsive even in 5th gear. Road holding and handling is exceptionally reassuring especially when I am driving at speed. I have averaged 25mpg overall since I bought the car which I am very pleased with. As the car cost £45k new with all its extras, I am reluctant to sell it as it is probably now only worth £8 and what can I buy that is comparable for £8k.

I am glad to hear a lot of positive feedback regarding the 95 M3. For a while now, I have been researching and looking for cars that would match up to my needs. I stumbled onto this site and learned that the 95 M3 meets each one of my necessities. This review has definitely corroborated my decision in getting an M3. I once looked at A4's and GTI's, but I learned that their maintenance costs are quite high. Excellent review!

I am 16 years old, and my first car was a 93 m3. And I absolutly love it, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Even though I have nothing to compare it to, I still don't think that you could get the amount of power and torque for your money. I bought one in July of 2006 for 11,500 with 104k miles. It now in September had 106k miles. One of my friends dads in 95 bought one brand new, and sold it for a 2001 Porsche Carrara c4, and said the m3 if a much for powerful car, and he also enjoyed driving the m3 more.

Gotta love M3's, my 1995 is very fun to drive and has a good amount of power. But I really don't see all the fuss on handling... my first car was a 1989 porsche 944 n/a, of course the m3 is about twice as fast, but the handling of the 944 far surpasses the handling of the M3, and I hate hearing people saying that m3's are one of the best handling cars out there. To be honest I'd much rather have a Porsche 944 turbo than my M3, the only thing stopping me is the high maintenence problems with the 944.

In response to the above comment about the M3's handling. "All the fuss" about this car's handling is that it really does corner like it's on rails. Very good steering response. I own a '98 sedan M3, can't express how great the car is. I owned a few imports before ('97 GSX, '00 Si, '99 A6) none of those come close to the power and handling of this beast. You might want to check out the links and strut bars on your vehicle, as those do go bad in a while. Plus, you should definitely get the tower bar - 20% more handling accuracy if you will. Other than that I don't see why you would even ask "what's the fuss is about"!? Unless you do not own the vehicle yourself?

I have been researching 95 m3's for a while now, I'm tring to buy one right now, there is a few on the market, but they have over 120k mile on them, I was wondering if they are worth pay about 10,000 for. please let me know what you think.

To the above poster, bmw e36 m3 if looked after, should last way past 120,000 miles. However as to whether you should buy the car depends on what currency/ country you in. £10 000 is far too much as 80-100 000 mile cars can be had for 3500-4000 pounds. If your talking dollars, then I'm not sure, as these cars maybe harder to come by in the us. That aside at current exchange rates that would equate to just over £5000 which in the uk at least is a touch expensive. Hope this is of some help to you.

I have a 94 BMW 325is sport package and I've owned a 84 944. I've driven E36 and E46 M3s, and I'm looking into buying an e46, but I have to admit that the handling of the 944 far surpasses that of the Bimmers'.

The M3s are much better all around performers and far more reliable, but I still haven't been able to scare my friends, while going around corners, as I have in my old 944.