Still got it, silver '98 sedan with 130k miles, track project and daily beater. It's my fourth E36 and second E36 M3/4... I had the first for about 5 years/60k miles and missed it so much I had to have another :laugh:
Despite having similar whp/tq and acceleration, to me it is much more of a real performance car than a GTI... more fun to drive at or near the limits - better steering, more grip, and near perfect balance/handling particularly.
However, my M3 is a worse street car (stiffer suspension, stickier tires, worse stereo, a/c not as cold, clutch is pretty worn, etc) so when I go on the road I prefer to take the GTI... which of course also hauls way more stuff and gets way better gas mileage. And would be way better in storms or snow.
Funny story, I discovered just how much more stuff a few weeks ago while trying to haul four deck chairs home from Target. They wouldn't fit in the E36 whatsoever, so I left the GF sitting in them in the Target parking lot while I made the 15min round trip to get the GTI, which fit all four chairs with plenty of room to spare :lol:
Anyway, this particular pair of cars, they complement each other nicely and I enjoy owning both, with no plans to sell either one anytime soon. The plan right now is to keep the GTI nearly stock so I'll have more $ to spend on further M3 upgrades :w00t: