Thanksgiving Special: 1997 BMW E36 328i

Skyline Drive above Reading PA

[@Francoberry]

The start felt like GTA in first person

[@kingblinky3072]

The day Mr Regular drove my car...and I fooked the info on 1:1 gear ratio!!!!!

[@greenrolaids]

3:28 6:55 play these over and over for full affect. Thumbs this up so it stays on top!

[@gerfall]

Nothing sounds better than a BMW inline 6.

[@jaspersa4987]

As an EP3 Type R owner, i also think it sounds amazing.

[@TheXsK]

M88/3 or the S38B38 (3.8) are probably the best they ever built imo, nothing quite like a huge well-built straight-six engine. This E36 sounds great too though.

[@smittywerbenjagermanjensen9802]

Gerfall Except any v8

[@lsh3rd]

Great sounding exhaust! Authoritative without being overly loud.

[@jockeleu]

Ahhh, finally and at last. A nice E36. Brings me back.

[@jockeleu]

However, Im disappointed you never revved it out. Even though the 328 was a bit more 'torqy" than the 325, it really starts to happen at 4500 and up due to VANOS!

[@lancerevo1994]

The fact that the Fox was mentioned in this video makes me happy. My family had a 1991 when I was growing up. Learned to drive stick in that car. It weighed about 5 pounds and made 80hp new. That car was a riot, I miss it. Oh, and it was red!

[@omar.islass1213]

Such a beautiful car. I currently have one as a project, with 170k miles on it.. But it runs like new. The e36 is easily one of the best cars in history.

[@shaiapouf420]

still have it?

[@Rosegloweyes]

I agree, I have mine with 50k on it, love this car! 6 on the floor, sexy little ride!

[@SmileyLegoGuy]

He stops at 4k everytime :( Those M3 cams never have a chance to do their job :(

[@richardharrold9736]

SmileyLegoGuy 200-some horses, cold, wet, snowy, icy, winding roads, and no traction control on the E36 IIRC... you got to be careful.

[@richardharrold9736]

***** It's very dim-witted traction control, you're fully sideways before it wakes up. You have to be careful.

[@kanalnamn]

@@richardharrold9736 E36 had traction control as an option.

[@richardharrold9736]

@@kanalnamn right, but from my experience of E39/E46 TC (never been in an E36), it's incredibly dim-witted.

[@kanalnamn]

@@richardharrold9736 There are two different TC, one that just cuts power and one that can apply brakes. The former one is actually better than one would think on snow. :) On dry paved roads it's not very good, but will keep you from spinning. (I haven't driven the more advanced one.)

[@j0wt0ng]

Haha, even americans hate e36 compact! :DDD

[@j0wt0ng]

Jimmy Joji wheel base is same on all e36.

[@aurimassimanavicius350]

j0wt0ng I'm pretty sure the compact is shorter. Alot of drifters use the compact because they say that the base is basically the same as e30, which is shorter and it's more responsive when you go sideways. Not a 100% sure about that, too lazy to check.

[@j0wt0ng]

Aurimas Simanavičius You got weird facts. You can check it yourself. Wheelbase is same and only rear suspension is almost same as e30. Also, most drifters DON'T use compact because of e30 rear end (people convert them to normal e36 setup quite easy) and also because compact with powerful engine is quite rare. And cost to make swap is more expensive than to just buy sedan or coupe.

[@stumftim]

I have a E46.... so yeah :D

[@TheCatMilton]

Tim Pipp I have an e21.

[@frankyleandri3592]

E36's don't deserve all the hate they get in my opinion, it was the last relatively light M3 at just under 3,200 lbs so it handled pretty well and it has a very raw driving experience you feel pretty connected to the road when driving. A lot of the complaints about its predecessor the holy E46 M3 is how apparent the weight is around corners and how disconnected you feel when driving it when compared to the E36 M3. It feels weird saying this but the E36 M3 is my second favorite M3 right after the E46 M3 because its the underdog of the M3's nobody really cares for them so prices stay relatively low and since they share a lot if oats with the E36 3 series its pretty reliable and parts are cheap as a result. Just my 2 cents

[@frankyleandri3592]

Parts not oats damn autocorrect!

[@mariuszanfir2298]

I'm not even sure I would get an e46 M3 over a 3.2 Euro Evo e36, to be honest. However, a CSL is a whole other story...

[@unlisted9494]

If E36's were as hated as you think, they wouldn't cost 2x as much as similar german cars >.>

[@SmileyLegoGuy]

Skylar Garrett I bought my manual 97 E36 M3 sedan for 4900$ and about 120k miles on the clock, great condition, how is that 2x as much?

[@edimenn]

SmileyLegoGuy Oh.. is that US M3 ? Here normal euro M3 286 or 321hp in good condition goes 8-9k+ $, They are getting more rare so the price will go up like E30s.

[@alf279]

So nice to see you've driven one of these. I have a 325i Coupe from '98 currently and I love it, especially the sound of the engine (I have the M3's complete exhaust system installed). Great car.

[@kipamore]

A notable lack of bird carcasses in this Thanksgiving video.

[@Dowsewashere]

The E36 was easily the best driving and most fun bmw you can buy.

[@rrrandommman]

I'm not a BMW fan boy, but I love that noise from their 6 cylinder engines.

[@Mrb00st]

Makes me miss my E36 328i sedan. Love that noise.

[@MackTheKing31]

he's wrong about the defrost thing. You dont need to touch the ac at all. there are three buttons to press when it comes to which vents you want to use. ones for the windshield, face and feet. the fact that he doesnt actually know this kinda frustrates me.

[@andrewm8389]

Damn, I can't believe I missed this meet now. Best car group for E36 enthusiasts; East Coast E36 baby!

[@GodBoredWas]

You shouldn't tilt the sun visor down like that, if you get in to a front end accident, it'll scalp you as the front edge sits just at forehead height. Just friendly advice, you should tilt it all the way forward against the windshield.

[@logmegadeth72]

The defrost thing acts the same way in my B5 Audi A4. Haha. You want a little defrost? TOO BAD!

[@inudude15]

My, my the 2.8 sounds good with a bit of work...

[@dexcoon]

I learned to drive on the exact same thing, 97 328i convertible with a 5 speed, really nice car

[@Adriangent95]

Watching this in 2024🎉

[@HarryVerolme]

Still with the Jalopnik wrist band huh?

[@RegularCars]

STILL WEARING IT!

[@idrinkpowersteeringfluid]

RegularCars How does it not fade away?

[@SurneySingh]

bushwood4568 he doesn't shower....

[@HarryVerolme]

bushwood4568 you've never been to a festival have you? These special types of paper don't really break down. They just kinda sit there until you want to get rid of it. I had one on for a about a month after a music festival because I liked the colour haha

[@HarryVerolme]

RegularCars KEEP THAT AROUND YOUR WRIST! I CAN SENSE IT'S VIBRANCE FROM ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. (should be read in in your dark voice)

[@SASQUATCH109]

GOD, I LOVE DRIVING ON THAT FUCKIN ROAD MAN.

[@Ryukachoo]

0:28 nice jump cut

[@UnkaD013]

I had to do a double take after I glanced away for a moment and all of a sudden the other cars had vanished and there was another guy in the car. That is some trick editing.

[@macinsocks6960]

That man teleported into the car.

[@1monstertech]

Ya'll need to do a review of an E34!!

[@meechg0stupid110]

E34 525i pleaseeeeee

[@1monstertech]

Thats what I drive haha

[@DieselWeasel]

This video makes me want to go back and play NFS3/NFS4 again.

[@maximus9401]

I wish the E46's had the same interiors as these E36's. Absolutely love E36 interiors. E46's look boring and dead from the inside

[@Che1seabluesdrogba11]

Go on..

[@noredcr]

Funny I have an E46 and thought the opposite. lol.

[@DiegoRuiz1991]

noredcr Same!!! E46 interiors are much better, so well-organized...

[@dailydriver55]

The e36 interiors are pretty shitty quality wise, I was happy with the change...

[@Xtoxinlolinecronomicon]

maximus9401 I have the same feeling. I guess it's nostalgia.

[@coscohash3745]

Only do videos like this pls this is the best vid you've done.

[@archivepm]

DAT VISOR

[@shreyd4198]

I just got a 99 cis version of this car, and my Grandfather recently got a lincoln, when he mentioned the words instead of symbols thing I actually super geeked

[@RegurgitateEucharist]

lmao i love his description of the 90's bmw's dash

[@NikolasKartalidis]

Dear Mr. Regular, how come you've never done a Mercedes? An early-90s S-class would be nice.

[@LupineTendencies]

The lil' thing sounds pretty fierce at high RPM! What was peak RPM when you threw it outta first, 'round 6k?

[@JasonWMorningwood]

Nope, sounded more like high 4s to low 5s.

[@mrdeath2128]

happy thanksgiving!

[@OvalboreCars]

that Z5D 310Z ZF 5 speed manual box has a 1:1 fifth gear, no over drive.

[@hans-erik5001]

Thinking about getting one & make it my project car

[@danlins1407]

should i get this rwd in a convertible for $1,950?

[@lotusjaggarage2989]

If it has good records

[@Puremenace21]

Just got myself an e46 325. That mpg gauge is thee most hilarious thing in the whole car

[@awesomeologyism]

Flatlines every time you touch the gas?

[@Puremenace21]

yup.

[@TheRunescapeslayer]

ugh I love that car

[@BXRchampion1993]

E36

[@jasonmoyer]

Dat Pagoda tho.

[@dcinhere]

I say BS THe e36 didnt have body and appearance mods! LOL. Hello the Wheels and ground effects were different than stock. If you got a sport version of the E36 I think it had the same body kit as the M3.

[@h1gashi]

Wow that 60 fps looks amazing

[@swsephy]

RCR when I wake up. Nice!

[@Che1seabluesdrogba11]

Hmmmmmuunnrrrrg Mr regular in the morning. freeman's mind

[@DeltaOps3]

idk how you can just jump in someones car and drive it well... im still learning RPM matching, and since my tires are complete slicks its a struggle not to spin the tires, so i end up lugging the engine.

[@Fishfood999]

That drone noise throughout the clip, ouch

[@TheZombaslaya]

Hope you had a good thanksgiving Mr. Regular. I love E36s but I probably would only buy an M3.

[@Jnunez00]

Happy Thanksgiving!

[@MrCargod05]

That defroster thing is the same on my '05 mini cooper. You can have full on defrost or none at all.

[@gcvmule4578]

Kinda late but I would LOVE to know what kind of exhaust system this e36 has..we had a 97 328i 5 speed with a similar exhaust system and cai..sounded incredible, but I don't remember what kind of exhaust system we had.

[@gcvmule4578]

Found out we had a dinan cat-back exhaust system that sounded identical to this e36 328i. Beautiful sound

[@mariuszanfir2298]

5th is not an overdrive, it's 1.000 ratio. BMW actually has a tradition of keeping 5th gear at this "golden" 1:1 ratio.

[@velocity211]

5th gear in E36 328i's and M3's is certainly not overdrive. It's 1:1. There is no overdrive in these close ratio ZF 5 speeds. Only the euro E36 M3 with the 6 speed has overdrive.

[@405thJoltyTacoMan]

velocity211 thank you, I came to the comments to make sure someone said it.

[@Rosegloweyes]

I have a ‘97 328ic, with 6 on the floor, 6 is overdrive. It’s a great car!

[@dapperbilt]

aha look its the car club im a part of :D I didnt make it to that meet though

[@alexp6016]

I have a 1999 528i. Trust me, the dashes aren't all black plastic. It's beige vinyl in mine. As for the defroster, it's kind of annoying. I thought it was weird that you could have a lower speed defrost in my dad's Hyundai.

[@speedys786]

a "bee em dubbuyuh"

[@rambow70]

God he is an e36 owner, I know one and this is what I hear riding with him. Even after knowing him and the car for years...

[@jose7777777777777777]

the E30 wasn't the "last"one, the E36 was just the only one without special fenders. E46 and E9X have wider fenders from their non-M3 counterparts as well as Euro spec engines.

[@ChevyBM]

makes a nice sound!

[@rsxboss302]

I should get you to review my S50 (e36 m3 driveline) swapped e30. E30 people just view the e36 as a parts car . Except I'm in RI. I visit NY a lot tho

[@apache1234657]

the e36 always reminds me of tom cruise, I think he drove one in mission impossible

[@thomascoursey6054]

Incorrect on the defrost Hold the defroster button for 5 seconds and it will give you the lower levels of defrost. It's totally asinine but most late 90s-early 2000s bmws (and minis) are like this.

[@kanalnamn]

What? Gotta try that.

[@Rosegloweyes]

@@kanalnamn me too!!

[@AudioCrossingVideos]

"No, it's overdrive" lol no it's 1:1

[@austinismadcrunk]

Cool. Review your Cressida! :)

[@josephalthaus3210]

No....no.....maybe....maybe....no.....HELL no.....ehhh... xD

[@LIFE4VW]

Actually the 28i badge is also a 3.0L engine, not a 2.8L.

[@paulmitchell8797]

Incorrect actually, The 328 is a 2.8 Liter.

[@richardharrold9736]

paul mitchell LIFE4VW It's the M52B28 engine, which I think in the US had iron blocks. In Europe they had alloy blocks with Nikasil bore treatment, which reacted badly to the high-sulphur fuels of the time (as did the M60 V8, and Jaguar's Gen-1 AJ-V8). The same engine also featured in the E39 528i of the era, and was then replaced by the 530i with the M54B30.

[@albertaspetkevicius2322]

Don't the 320, 323, 325 and 328 models share the same 2.5L block?

[@nathaniziah]

Albertas Petkevicius The 2.5 from around 91 -95 had the iron M50 block, these are great for turbo conversions. The later 2.3 and 2.8 had the aluminium M52 block. These aluminium blocks had some issues with premature bore wear due to the Nikasil lining. Lots of these Nikasil blocks were replaced with Alusil blocks at BMW dealerships in the UK where I am from.

[@kanalnamn]

@@albertaspetkevicius2322 No. 323 and 328 both have the M52 block. The 323 is 2494cc (sic!) and the 328 is 2793cc. The 325 has the M50 block and are also 2494cc like the 323. I think the 320 exists both as M50 and M52. This is written from a european perspective, you had strange variants over there in the US.

[@dspy47]

the joy i got when you said m haha

[@kylestephens3077]

Ik I’m a lil late but are u actually in pa?

[@kanalnamn]

Mistakes a 328 for an M... :( (Red needles = M. Oil temp guage = The fun M.)

[@chr0m389]

My dad had this car, but it was a red convertible. Sooooo many issues with it.

[@bandombeviews6035]

chr0m389 Mine is fine.

[@Rosegloweyes]

@@bandombeviews6035 so is mine!

[@case1177]

Not bad!

[@rfoster2323]

yay

[@awesomeologyism]

hey mate, nice 328, the video is great Would you try my Delta 88?

[@gamelord]

This 60FPS is winning!

[@edelric4961]

i personally like the sound of these motors than the e46 ones

[@7ussainkadom]

i love e36's

[@g818]

What exhaust system is this?

[@Pinyoo81]

I enjoy your reviews, just one thing I'd like to mention: you always complain about your driving skills. If it really disturbs you that much, just join a driving course on your local racetrack and practise. Not like I had any complains about your driving but those fuckin excuses all the time... :D We understand you're not going to beat the shit out of someone else's car in traffic. ;)

[@Adicti0nsgaming]

random idea for a review. toyota celica.

[@SilverSpade92]

@Eradium I would also like to see this.

[@ParadoxdesignsOrg]

Is there no headroom in those things? the camera angle makes it seem so.

[@fraserdavidson6900]

There is, and there isn't. The seat adjusts vertically, so my 6 foot frame fits perfectly, but it's not exactly a ford econo line for head room either.

[@ParadoxdesignsOrg]

Yeah i thought that was weird cause I've driven 90's BMW's and they seemed to have lots of head room.

[@fraserdavidson6900]

paradoxdesigns He on top of his head, so you lose an extra 3 inches of perceived headroom on the video

[@BurntSaltine]

Any bmw 5 speed manual that I can find gear ratios for have a 1:1 5th gear, that includes the zf 5 speed and getrag 5 speeds the e36 used.

[@michaelsingh9663]

He literally said no to all the nice e36s and got in a vert

[@dasmaurerle4347]

It's a very good car. Of course the American doesn't realize...he's American, after all...

[@justinvanbibber349]

Ugh 60fps is almost painful to watch on the shaky gopro footage.

[@jaeger1447]

God damn it, making me miss my E36 M3... (Goes to look at 22k mi E46 M3 slick top in parking spot XD)

[@blues03]

0:29 He edited the people away!

[@Grant5321]

Hey man if you're ever in south Florida, which I know is unlikely, I would love for you to drive my M235i.

[@Dishmopo]

6:13 UFO Sighted!

[@ss3k937]

Lmao at the beginning of the video

[@S1ngula1rity]

Please please please review an e46 M

[@davidlamountain2248]

Need a new camera location!

[@bob505470]

i have an e46 and my defroster does the same thing. ITS INFURIATING

[@samdeshler]

@ 2:58 5th is not overdriven its 1:1.

[@bassoonistfromhell]

Drive and e39 M5

[@Crodon]

So this car is owned by a cyborg?

[@DaveCober]

A Baltimore cyborg!