new guy looking for info

hey guys. for now im driving around to school and work in my 240sx and fixing it for occasional track use. BUT ill be out of college in about 4 months and am looking into buying an e30 m3. first, however, id like to find a source for some technical info such as differences between the model years in the engine, suspension setups etc. i looked in the FAQ section but it seems more of a search option than anything. do you guys have any links of good informational site i can visit to learn abouth this car before i buy (it wont be for a year maybe)?

also, what are your experiences with the car? from what i hear theyre pretty solid but expensive to maintain.

lastly, how are the prices in aftermarket products? for example i just dropped $1600 into race spec coilovers for my 240sx. what would $1600 buy in suspension for this car?

thanks guys. i know these may be newb questions but hey...you gotta learn sometime. id rather ask now before i have the car, then get flamed later.

First of all...welcome.

Differences between model years? None really. The only real difference is the mid 90 model year change to driver airbag. When that was added the ellipsoids and rear vent window were deleted. Other than that there is no major differences across the 4 model years- for US cars that is.

E30 M3s can be expensive. Do you homework and find a good car, not just the first kind of acceptable car. One word of advice is to run oil analysis to catch be a big potential problem before it gets big. An engine rebuild will cost you $5k MINIMUM. If you can't afford the cost for an engine rebuild, you can't afford an E30 M3.

$1600 will get a real nice Ground Control coilover suspension. However, realize the the rear is not a true coilover due to the inherrent semi trailing arm rear suspension.

HTH,
Bruce
89 M3 2.5
95 M3