By Daniel Golson March 20, 2026 10:25 am EST
BMW
Let's just shut down the discussion right now — it's got to be the E30 M3. It's not the King of 3-series performance, but it's the absolute Prince.
Submitted by: BuddyS
This was the very first comment, which is no surprise.
Alpina E46 Allrad
Alpina
E46 B3 3.3 Touring Allrad.
The very first car that I bought was a 2002 330xi sedan; i picked it up for $4,800CAD in the Fall of 2015, just before my 16th birthday.
Absolutely adored that car but only kept it for 3 years before replacing it with an R56 Cooper S. I found an Alpina B3 3.3 sedan recently and fell in love with that but couldn't afford a it... I can only imagine how lovely a Touring Allrad variant would be!
Submitted by: Zach Mockett
This is the best answer.
E36 M3
BMW
Eurospec E36 M3. It has everything you want and nothing you don't. The E46 is a close second, but doesn't have the forbidden fruit allure.
E36, I daily drive an e36 M3 Coupe and love it for its rawness, looks and low running costs. I don't particularly like the looks of the e46 as it looks a bit like a bar of soap to me unless in M3 form. The later Bangle era cars onward are just plain ugly to me but I'm a 90s BMW purist at heart so that's no surprise.
The car magazines put the E36 M3 on such a pedestal, you'd have thought it was the greatest car ever created by mankind. I remember one article claiming you could drive over a nickel and feel it through the steering wheel. That cemented it in my mind as the best 3 series.
Submitted by: Neal Richards, John Pearson, DTEL77
Everyone I know who has owned E36 M3s absolutely loved them.
Pre-facelift E90 sedan
BMW
The pre-LCI E90 sedan was such a clean, understated design, and looked especially nice in Arctic Metallic. Oh, and it still came with a manual transmission. :)
Submitted by: James S
My favorite 3 Series design.
E46 330i
BMW
E46. 330i. Red. I had one and miss it.
I had a blue 330i sedan and it was easily the best car I have ever owned.
Like most BMWs, the E46 had a fantastic blend of features. For the E46 in particular, it occupied a real sweet spot in terms of technology and design. In addition to the timeless styling inside and out, it had "simpler" modern features like DSC, optional xenon lights, and optional on-board nav without offering some of the more complex modern features like big touch screens, electric water pumps, or turbochargers. It also had a full-sized spare mounted to a matching alloy wheel in the trunk (not sure if all models did, but mine did) and was one of the last BMW models with a toolkit in the trunk.
Submitted by: PLAN-B 77, Stephen.
There's just something about a red 3 Series...
E91 diesel
BMW
E91 328d.
Sure the M3s were great, and the 3-series has numerous touchpoints in its history where it was the keystone of the sport-sedan class, but to me, the diesel wagon that drove well on any road, in any condition, with family, gear, and anything you wanted to throw at it; that was the ultimate driving machine.
The 335d swaps show crazy potential that was missed by relegating the 35d to sedans and SUVs.
Submitted by: potbellyjoe
It would've been awesome if we got the 335d Touring in the U.S.
E30 325i
BMW
M30 325i
Such a simple and elegant design. To me the premium to get to the M30 M3 is not worth the cost. With manual transmission the 325 in red on tan interior is the iconic BMW 3 series of all time.
E30 325i Touring. Absolutely love the driving experience of this generation, and make mine a wagon, please.
My first BMW was a 1989 325is coupe. Loved that car. Light, tossable, bulletproof engine and easy to wrench on. To this day, I regret selling this car. I have had several other BMWs over the years, including an X3 M40i and my current M Roadster, as much as I love my M Roadster, I would take back my 325is.
Submitted by: Tex, LarriveeC05, Michael LeVere
Living in LA makes me really want an E30 cabrio.
E21
BMW
White 1982 E-21 iS. Bought it from a friend for $1,600 in 2003 with 120K miles. Easy to work on, and the epitome of how fun of driving a slow car fast is. Had the white basket wheels, manually operated sunroof, Recaro seats, limited slip. Bumpers almost large enough to have a tailgate party.
Son spun the car in wet weather and took out half the grill, and a few weeks later got rear ended.
The 320 was replaced by a 2001 E-46 330, which was fast and had the convenience features expected in a newer car. I still miss the sounds, smells, and simplicity of that 320.
Submitted by: Scourge of Richland
Such a fantastic piece of design.
E92 M3
BMW
I have really enjoyed my E92 M3. About to hit 125k miles on her and its been great to me. I have been on roadtrips with it, back country canyons, and commuting. The back seats fold down so there is plenty of cargo space when needed, seats are super comfortable, and with my valved exhaust I can make great V8 noises when I want, and be quiet when I'm just cruising. I really fun car in my opinion.
Submitted by: Tyler
Probably the best-sounding 3 Series.
E46 330ci
BMW
E46 330 CI. It was my first BMW. I got a great deal on an older but very low miles and pristine outward condition example and drove it for a very long time. It was still in great shape right up to the moment I lost it to a deer strike. It had a lot less power than my current 435xi Grand Coupe, but damn was it a great little engine, great chassis, great suspension and steering. People always talk about BMWs being these maintenance nightmares, but I've had nothing but stellar reliability out of all my used BMWs, but I strictly adhere to the I6 models.
Put both of my teenage girls in older E91 328xi wagons (inline 6 models) for less than $10k each. They love them and they've been great college cars for them.
Submitted by: Gusty McGust
The pop-out rear windows on the E46 coupes are a fun detail.
E30 325iX
BMW
1989 BMW 325Xi (or was it iX?). Loved the idea of a 3-series that looked like that, in AWD with the BBS-look wheels.
Submitted by: LeftLaneTRDPrius
I always loved the wider fender flares on these.
Two M3s
DSFM2005/Bring a Trailer
My 2 favorites, both of which I've owned are E36 M3 Sedan and E46 M3 Coupe. My E36 was Techno Violet with Vader seats. Originally S50 swapped that car and then went to an RMS supercharger, but had to go back to the original manifold. After never really being able to get that car right, I pulled the RMS kit and went with VF, same issues but with both SC's when the car ran well, it was completely nuts. After the rear shock mounts started to rust heavily, I had to have them cut out and reinforced, I'm not a body guy, so I didn't do that work in my own shop. Second was my E46, it was a really well balanced car, much more polished, it was fun to drive, but I never tuned or modded that car. The E92 I owned was a love hate relationship car, I don't have much praise for that excercise in frustration. After these three, came and went, the E92 was my last BMW, I really have no interest in those cars anymore after wrenching on failures that seemed to be ridiculously overengineered but oddly fragile items.
Submitted by: ColoradoOnTheFly
You can't go wrong with Techno Violet.
Context:
The E30 M3 and E36 M3 dominated reader favorites, with the new electric i3 showing promise for future enthusiasts.
Context:
These choices reflect how the 3 Series defined the sport sedan category across multiple generations and driving needs.
Context:
BMW sold over 15 million 3 Series cars since 1975, making it one of the most successful luxury car lines ever.