Gordon Arnold, Bavarian Autosportwww.bavauto.com(800) 535-2002Arnold is call center manager at Bavarian Autosport, a long-established BMW parts house in New England. We chose him because he's the face you're most likely to see at BMW CCA events such as Oktoberfest and Gateway Tech.
"For me, it's the E28 M5, because it's such a great value on today's used car market-you just can't beat the deals." While M6s still command high prices, a nice E28 M5 can be had for $8,000. Project cars are out there for $5,000, and beaters that need an engine overhaul can cost even less. But bear in mind the M88 engine can cost $10,000 to rebuild. Arnold is not deterred: "The best thing about the E28 M5 is it works as an everyday family car that is nevertheless a 170-mph [delimited with a performance chip] sports sedan. And parts are available to do whatever you want with the car, from basic upkeep to wild track car if that's your chosen direction.
"I'm a power junkie, so if you were going to give me whatever I wanted, it would be an E46 M3. I think it brings BMW back to the place it started with the E30 M3, only with more power to stand on its own. I like the more aggressive styling, and the price is not astronomical."
Josh MacMurray, Eurosportwww.eurosporthighperformance.com(801) 886-2185MacMurray is president of Eurosport LLC, which works closely with BMW performance software legend Jim Conforti. "I generally spend my time managing my company and vehicle hardware projects, which include the development of the Bonneville Motor Werks Shark Injector electronic programmer casing and tooling for the Conforti Cold air intake system.
"A 2001 M3 is my current daily driver and, at the moment, favorite M car. Unfortunately, being my favorite M car has its side effects, like the problem of my odometer reading almost 17,000 miles with less than a year of ownership. However, I have owned several BMWs, including the E30 M3, which I consider the most simple and pure example of BMW's M-car philosophy. My experience with M cars has included being a mechanic at our local dealership here in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as wrenching at various local independently owned repair shops. In fact, my very first wrenching experience was working on a somewhat rare 1985 European-specification M5 (serial # 007). I consider my wrenching experience on that Euro M5 as the catalyst of my longtime fascination with BMW automobiles.
Steve Dinan, Dinan Engineeringwww.dinanbmw.com(650) 962-9401Dinan Engineering has been an American BMW tuner for 22 years. Road testing has consistently demonstrated that Dinan-enhanced BMWs can perform as well as the most sophisticated exotic cars in the world, yet its hallmark is that BMW civility and reliability are maintained. And Dinan's warranty sets it apart from all others, essentially picking up where BMW's leaves off in terms of performance modifications. It also tends to be first to market with software upgrades for new vehicles such as the E46 M3.
Steve Dinan was in the dyno room when we called, and that's pretty much where we expected to find him, not at the peak of a Himalayan mountain, as some might think. "I don't have a favorite M car," he admitted, "I have an M3, an M5 and a 540i Sport, all new. If you were going to take all but one away from me, I'd keep the M3. I think it's the all-time best M car." Of all time? "Yes, I'm not an 'old car' person at all. I don't have this nostalgia thing that some people have. I mean, I appreciate old cars, but I don't want to drive one. Every time BMW brings out a new car, it's better than the one it replaces. That's the cool thing. Anyway, what are other people's favorite M cars?"