Faults:

Small oil leak!! Now fixed.

Clutch hose (updated with steel braided hose)!

General Comments:

OK, lets get the facts and figures out the way:

321BHP, 0-60 in 5.3 seconds, top speed electronically limited 155mph, derestricted, capable of touching 174mph!! Average mpg 19-20 around town, 35mpg on a run.

Outstandingly fast in a straight line!! Makes 200hp cars seem slow in comparison (Type R's, Cupra's, 182's etc), however can be more than a handful on a wet/damp B-road. If you're too enthusiastic in these conditions, you'll end up sideways (you've been warned).

Ride is a bit on the harsh side, but needs to be given its performance.

Interior build quality is what you would expect of a car costing £38,000 new in 1996. The leather seats wear well, mine still like new!

Mine is also fitted with full Schnitzer kit and 18" Schnitzer split rim alloys, although my wife thinks it's a bit of a pimp mobile!

Heating system's a bit awkward to use (simple fan switches would have been sufficient), but the dual climate control works great!

The car pretty much drives like most BMW's I've had - smooth, quiet, refined. It's only when you floor it, that the Vanos opens up, giving you instant, pinned to the back of your seat acceleration. Not only that, it gives it you in all 6 gears!! 155mph comes up in no time, and is achieved effortlessly, showing how the car is capable of much more if unrestricted!

The Ultimate Driving Machine? You bet it is!!!

Faults:

Things gone wrong: sticking hood on occasions, slight water leaks between hood & top of the A-pillars, air conditioning not working (not yet fixed, but who cares when the hood is down?)

General Comments:

I've owned my 1996MY E36 Evo convertible for a year & I'm still enjoying it!

Having previously owned E36 M3 coupes (3.0 then 3.2), the most noticeable difference is the inferior ride & handling. It's still good, but the reduced body stiffness is very noticeable. The performance is still great, albeit 9/10ths of the coupe. The dynamic trade off is more than worth it when the hood is down on a hot sunny day! I'm averaging 27MPG, which is good considering it's performance potential. I keeping hold of it until E46 M3 prices drop to my level. Overall a great car!

Faults:

Very infrequent (4 times in 1 year) stalls when sat in traffic for long periods of time.

General Comments:

Amazing performance just sullied by a slight lack of torque below 3000rpm. Awesome brakes and grip. On the limit handling is fairly easy to control. Seats can be a little on the hard side for very long journeys.

Expensive to insure (group 20+20% loading) but very reasonable servicing costs and reasonable fuel economy. Had to have a replacement passenger door fitted after someone reversed into it and found out that the specialist M parts can take some time to be delivered.

On the whole I'd recommend it to anyone who's an enthusiastic driver and without a doubt its the best car I've owned.