2-door vs 4-door e36 m3?

[oraph]

what are the major differences between them?
is there a notisable handling/ weight differance?

I also noticed the 4-door models are not as popular as the 2 door.. i am wandering if there is really much diffarance beside athsthetick?

[five3five]

Anyone that tells you the 2 door is more popular than a 4 door is a damn biased liar
As far as I know the only difference is the looks. Performance is the same. I say if you have a family/kids..go for the 4 door no doubt.
Good luck
Hamada

[95dakar]

I think the only differences are:

* sedan does not have adjustable steering column
* doors are smaller on a sedan

i like my 4 door way better than the 2 door i had before

-- ricardo

Anyone that tells you the 2 door is more popular than a 4 door is a damn biased liar
As far as I know the only difference is the looks. Performance is the same. I say if you have a family/kids..go for the 4 door no doubt.
Good luck
Hamada

[EFU]

They are teh same. I was on the market for a four door actually. I didn't really care how many doors. I like em both.

Do you pay less for insurance having a 4-door M3 vs. the 2-door?

That would be a differance well worth it!

Someone somewhere said that the E36 was built to be a 4-door car??????

[Patrokloss]

I think the only differences are:

* sedan does not have adjustable steering column
* doors are smaller on a sedan

My coupe does not have adjustable steering column either. Not many M3s do from what I have seen.

The coupe and sedan both have the same wheelbase, height, curb weight, weight distribution, etc. The only real difference is the size & placement of the doors.

Also, I've heard that the sedan actually handles slightly better, due to increased structural rigidity from the door pillars. Could just be rumor though.

[oraph]

thanks guys, i looked at a 97 m3 recently with 96k miles. It's stock except for dinan software and looks to be in excellent shape... but the lowest he says he is willing to go is 14,750. which is still too much IMO.. what's a good value for this car?

[auto_pilot]

I chose 4 door...because I might have kids one day and don't want to hassle w/2 door (back breaker for sure)...Also, I always have people with me so 4 doors is more convinient. However, a lot of the 4 doors were autos and not manuals.

As far as performance is concerned, the CandD article that declared the 1997 M3 as best handling car at any price was a 4 door.

So I guess the preference depends on looks and practicality.

[Thrasherlife]

As far as performance is concerned, the CandD article that declared the 1997 M3 as best handling car at any price was a 4 door.

I was just looking at that and from the quick glance I took it looked like a 2-door

[318daily]

less than $15K for a 97 sedan and it's too much ?

That's almost half of what i bought mine for. Makes me want to go out and buy one as a beater.

[slcook54]

less than $15K for a 97 sedan and it's too much ?

That's almost half of what i bought mine for. Makes me want to go out and buy one as a beater.

, you bought your car from Bucky Lasek though.

[oraph]

the thing is that it has 96k and the hood has been repainted... that scares me a bit.

[Pino]

also, the front windshield is more vertical in the sedan. Some poeple like that more than the more slanted coupe.

[Ty Vil]

that says stay away

[MJFX328]

318daily has a beautiful sedan... Im in love with it.

[Luftwaffe1O1]

The sedan is a little bit higher i believe, the body itself, but other than that, they are both pretty similar, i wanted coupe because those extra 2 doors advertise TAXI!!!

[NakNak]

According to Road and Track the 4 door is .2 seconds slower on the 0-60 and .1 seconds slower on the 1/4 mile than the 2 door. Are they right on this?

[buckwilly]

the thing is that it has 96k and the hood has been repainted... that scares me a bit.

LOL. Good luck. I had my hood repainted. That doesn't mean anything except that it had some hood chips. You are better off looking at the sides of the car and the front end to see if it was in an accident. Not the hood. $15,000 is a deal if it was taken care of. Most owners that take care of their M would expect at least that. I have over 100K on my sedan and it runs like a champ. Why don't more people just have the seller bring it for a prepurchase inspection for $100?

And no the sedan is just as fast as the same year coupe. I run 13.8 with just an intake and original clutch. That is fast enough for me

[MMNJTWA]

adjustable steering columns are in the REALLY early 95 M3

the price difference b/w the sedan and coupe may be mainly b/c the coupe came out ealier than the sedan and you can be comparing older models with newer ones

[wannaMMM]

As far as the insurance question. I was quoted like 17$ or something close i don't remember the exact number more per 6 months for the 4 door, 2 doors arn't allways more expensive. Thought that was a little wierd but they're almost identical cars only the number of doors makes the difference.
-Evan

[hal9000]

I believe the 4 door is 1" taller. Same wheel base, stance. Same performance as they both weigh almost identical (depends on options). As for insurance 4 door < 2 door < vert. When I shopped insurance years ago, 2 door was $150 more, vert was another $150 over that.

[bowtieboy]

2 and 4 door differences:

The only differences are the width 2 door 67.3" 4dr 66.9". the leg room in the rear has a "tad" more room as well (don't have the exact measurements on that). Other than those two things these cars are identical in regards to measurements and weights. Therefore, with all things being equal they *should* perform the same......but I too have heard the rumor about the 4dr being more rigid.

[psychocandy]

I chose a coupe because to me it was aesthetically more pleasing to the eye. It just looks slightly "sportier" than the sedan IMHO. Also, I am meticulous when I wash the car and I only have to clean 2 door jambs instead of 4 (yeah, I'm lazy in this regard).

I have 2 kids and still find it very easy to raise the seat and let them climb in the back. They are trained not to step on, but rather over the pretty ///M sills. The 4-door sedan doesn't buy you any more room in the back, just adds 2 extra doors. This seems to be a common misconception.

It's all a matter of personal preference, neither is inherently better than the other.

[Don Nguyen]

Cmon, we all know 'verts are where it's at.

[oraph]

i actually called my insurance.. and they quoted me a price that was 300 more a year for the 2 door.... still thinking..
thanks for the replys though...

[EURO M3 CSL]

hm too me.. i see no difference. but i still think the 4dr might be a LIL heavier bout a couple pounds due to the more metals (extra 2 doors in the rear) and extra windows.. extra window motor.. extra lock motor.. i unno.. u just get more wit the same amount of price. (thats my thoughts tho)