BMW M3 Forum (E90 E92) - View Single Post

BenFenner · 04-17-2026, 08:18 AM

Introduction:

2011 BMW M3 (E90 chassis code)

Original listing: 20011 BMW M3 Sedan 4D (Facebook Marketplace)
VIN: WBSPM9C58BE203022

Behold our V8 Camry.

Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?
This is not a normal car purchase for me. This is not a normal car I'd be looking for, and I did not go about obtaining this car in any way I would normally.

Let me explain.

This will add a 4th manual BMW to our fleet, and as I hope you'd know by now that fleet centers around my beloved clownshoe. And we of course also own a splendid "unicorn" 6MT/RWD E91. And I've had the idea for a long while now to do a 6-speed swap for the clownshoe, and a body swap for the E91, all using a single donor. Then COVID-19 started making car prices go insane, and before the idea got away from me (possibly forever) I finally began casually looking for a 6MT E9x M3. At the time I did not really know I needed an E90 (sedan) to make this all work, but I lucked out there. I also was hoping for Alpine White to make things easier (since our wagon is white).

So if you're paying attention, by now you should be realizing that I plan to swap most/all of the pertinent body work from the E90 M3 to our E91. The main idea is to get the hood swapped over for the hood-bulge, since it visually balances out the wagon so well. I have since learned the 2-door M3s (E92 and E93) have hoods that are narrower by about an inch than the 4-door cars (E90 and E91) with the fenders making up the difference. So I am VERY glad I ended up with an E90 car to keep things simple. Now to carry over the hood, the headlights and front bumper cover also need to be swapped, and that also means the fenders need to be swapped. So the entire front clip bodywork from the E90 M3 needs to move over to our E91 just to get the hood bulge. (Grafting the hood bulge to the E91 hood isn't really an option either since the E91 hood is steel and the M3 hoods are aluminum).
Moving down the side of the car, the M3 mirrors and side skirts are different, but I prefer the svelte non-M stuff there so the wagon will keep those stock.
Moving to the rear, the M3 sedan had wider rear wheel arches than the 2-door M cars (don't ask me why!) and I think they are wider than what our E91 has. Then of course the M3 has a distinct rear bumper cover, with quad tailpipes. I'd like to get this stuff swapped over as well, but it's complicated body work to graft the rear arches and such, so this is low on the priority list. I know there are also replica bumper covers supplied by ECS Tuning and possibly other that look nearly identical to the M3 rear bumper cover but fit the narrower non-M cars. That is also a possibility. I will think about it more if/when that time comes.

So that is the idea behind using this car as a bodywork donor for our E91. Which leaves us with the other donor idea...

The more important donor recipient in all of this is the M Coupe. I'm told 6-speed swaps on these things are all the rage now, so I want to do that. As luck would have it, the 6MT in the E90 M3 is bolted to BMW's S65 V8 engine which does not share a bellhousing bolt pattern with the I6 engines that came in the shoes. This means the V8 needs to come for the ride, too.

So look forward to the 6-speed swap saga chronicled in excruciating detail (as usual) in the build thread for that car.

By now it should be obvious I'm not really looking for a car in amazing condition. As long as the engine/transmission/front-clip-bodywork are in good order I'm not picky.
So after passively looking for a bit, I finally put up a WTB thread here: WTB your clapped-out E9x M3 with 6MT.
I consider it my best WTB thread to date, so I encourage you to read it.

That thread did not bear fruit though, and my passive search produced results eventually on Facebook Marketplace.

Expect this vehicle ownership and "build thread" to be quite different from my others. This is not a car I care about or plan to own for a long time. I don't plan to fix every little thing on it as I would with my others. I'll likely only be making posts here about things I do to and for the engine/transmission as I get things ready to swap over. I tend to work VERY slowly though, so be warned.

The good:

6-speed manual transmission in good working order
Engine currently working
4-door body style
Front-clip in passable shape
White exterior
A/C blows cold for the drive home

The neutral:

Purchase price of $15,500
Salvage title

The bad:

All of the known problems with BMW's S65, 6MT, and E9x offerings.
Double-hump (navigation/iDrive nonsense)
Tacky polished wheels
Tacky dark tint
Tacky front splitter
Tacky black painted roof
Comfort Access System (CAS) module failure
The wrong hood intake was blocked off
Previous owner drenched the entire interior in Axe body spray (or similar)
Seat belt chime defeat device left in center console by previous owner (IYKYK)
Appears to have been repainted (from factory Space Grey) Alpine White by a blind wombat with Parkinson's
Weather stripping poorly re-installed (after repaint?)
Disintegrating upper windshield trim
I mean this list is endless so I'll stop here...

The ugly:

Aluminum oil pan damaged in apparent collision (repaired via welding)
Texas flood victim
Copart/Poctra victim

Driving impressions:
This really is a 9.5/10 engine (ignoring all of the reliability issues) and 7.5/10 transmission (ignoring the pressure plate reliability issues) wrapped in a 5/10 car (E93 is 4/10 and E92 is 0/10).

Don't get me wrong, the E9x chassis (and especially in M3 guise) is an incredibly capable sports sedan. It is probably one of the best performance sedan chassis out there and with the way things are going it may never be eclipsed. However, it is not a sports car. No matter how many doors it has, it is still a sports sedan. And with an engine like it has, I really just want it to be a sports car or smaller GT car and when I'm comparing it to those, it falls woefully short. Then you have to consider that with an N52 and in wagon form, this chassis makes so much more sense. When compared to that driving experience, this car falls short again. I can see why people like this thing (especially if it is their only car, or only "fun" car), but it is not for me. Like, at all. I'd either want it to be more of a highway missile (BMW M5) or much lighter and more responsive (think Honda S2000 or even just an E30 if we're still talking sedans).

Speaking of the S2000, that F20C is what this engine reminds me of. Just gutless for its power output, but lovely to rev and joyous to experience. I wouldn't really change a thing about the way the engine behaves (I am not a fan of early horsepower). I can only imagine the E93 folks must feel like they are driving an S2000 turned up to 11 in all the good ways.

The seating position is great, the primary controls are generally good except the active steering/dynamic steering effort is awful. The visibility is great, the seats are decent, the manual transmission operation is decent except the shift lever has way more rubbery play than it should. The factory induction sound is too muted, and the cross-plane crank makes for an unforgivable exhaust cadence with no affordable solution.

The last thing I will say is that I really enjoy my E36/8 and the way it handles, including all of its many flaws. It is not the most planted vehicle, and has "personality" for days when it comes to vehicle dynamics. The E90 M3 is WAY TOO planted and civil in comparison, and that is maybe my biggest complaint. It is too "good", dynamically. And there is my cop-out if you wanted one.

Future plans:
Steal the good bits for better cars and toss the rest off a cliff.

04-17-2026, 08:18 AM	#2
BenFenner Second Lieutenant 284 Rep 292 Posts Drives: E36/8 \| E53 \| E91 \| E90 M3 Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Columbia, SC iTrader: (0)	Introduction: 2011 BMW M3 (E90 chassis code) Original listing: 20011 BMW M3 Sedan 4D (Facebook Marketplace) VIN: WBSPM9C58BE203022 Behold our V8 Camry. Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into? This is not a normal car purchase for me. This is not a normal car I'd be looking for, and I did not go about obtaining this car in any way I would normally. Let me explain. This will add a 4th manual BMW to our fleet, and as I hope you'd know by now that fleet centers around my beloved clownshoe. And we of course also own a splendid "unicorn" 6MT/RWD E91. And I've had the idea for a long while now to do a 6-speed swap for the clownshoe, and a body swap for the E91, all using a single donor. Then COVID-19 started making car prices go insane, and before the idea got away from me (possibly forever) I finally began casually looking for a 6MT E9x M3. At the time I did not really know I needed an E90 (sedan) to make this all work, but I lucked out there. I also was hoping for Alpine White to make things easier (since our wagon is white). So if you're paying attention, by now you should be realizing that I plan to swap most/all of the pertinent body work from the E90 M3 to our E91. The main idea is to get the hood swapped over for the hood-bulge, since it visually balances out the wagon so well. I have since learned the 2-door M3s (E92 and E93) have hoods that are narrower by about an inch than the 4-door cars (E90 and E91) with the fenders making up the difference. So I am VERY glad I ended up with an E90 car to keep things simple. Now to carry over the hood, the headlights and front bumper cover also need to be swapped, and that also means the fenders need to be swapped. So the entire front clip bodywork from the E90 M3 needs to move over to our E91 just to get the hood bulge. (Grafting the hood bulge to the E91 hood isn't really an option either since the E91 hood is steel and the M3 hoods are aluminum). Moving down the side of the car, the M3 mirrors and side skirts are different, but I prefer the svelte non-M stuff there so the wagon will keep those stock. Moving to the rear, the M3 sedan had wider rear wheel arches than the 2-door M cars (don't ask me why!) and I think they are wider than what our E91 has. Then of course the M3 has a distinct rear bumper cover, with quad tailpipes. I'd like to get this stuff swapped over as well, but it's complicated body work to graft the rear arches and such, so this is low on the priority list. I know there are also replica bumper covers supplied by ECS Tuning and possibly other that look nearly identical to the M3 rear bumper cover but fit the narrower non-M cars. That is also a possibility. I will think about it more if/when that time comes. So that is the idea behind using this car as a bodywork donor for our E91. Which leaves us with the other donor idea... The more important donor recipient in all of this is the M Coupe. I'm told 6-speed swaps on these things are all the rage now, so I want to do that. As luck would have it, the 6MT in the E90 M3 is bolted to BMW's S65 V8 engine which does not share a bellhousing bolt pattern with the I6 engines that came in the shoes. This means the V8 needs to come for the ride, too. So look forward to the 6-speed swap saga chronicled in excruciating detail (as usual) in the build thread for that car. By now it should be obvious I'm not really looking for a car in amazing condition. As long as the engine/transmission/front-clip-bodywork are in good order I'm not picky. So after passively looking for a bit, I finally put up a WTB thread here: WTB your clapped-out E9x M3 with 6MT. I consider it my best WTB thread to date, so I encourage you to read it. That thread did not bear fruit though, and my passive search produced results eventually on Facebook Marketplace. Expect this vehicle ownership and "build thread" to be quite different from my others. This is not a car I care about or plan to own for a long time. I don't plan to fix every little thing on it as I would with my others. I'll likely only be making posts here about things I do to and for the engine/transmission as I get things ready to swap over. I tend to work VERY slowly though, so be warned. The good: 6-speed manual transmission in good working order Engine currently working 4-door body style Front-clip in passable shape White exterior A/C blows cold for the drive home The neutral: Purchase price of $15,500 Salvage title The bad: All of the known problems with BMW's S65, 6MT, and E9x offerings. Double-hump (navigation/iDrive nonsense) Tacky polished wheels Tacky dark tint Tacky front splitter Tacky black painted roof Comfort Access System (CAS) module failure The wrong hood intake was blocked off Previous owner drenched the entire interior in Axe body spray (or similar) Seat belt chime defeat device left in center console by previous owner (IYKYK) Appears to have been repainted (from factory Space Grey) Alpine White by a blind wombat with Parkinson's Weather stripping poorly re-installed (after repaint?) Disintegrating upper windshield trim I mean this list is endless so I'll stop here... The ugly: Aluminum oil pan damaged in apparent collision (repaired via welding) Texas flood victim Copart/Poctra victim Driving impressions: This really is a 9.5/10 engine (ignoring all of the reliability issues) and 7.5/10 transmission (ignoring the pressure plate reliability issues) wrapped in a 5/10 car (E93 is 4/10 and E92 is 0/10). Don't get me wrong, the E9x chassis (and especially in M3 guise) is an incredibly capable sports sedan. It is probably one of the best performance sedan chassis out there and with the way things are going it may never be eclipsed. However, it is not a sports car. No matter how many doors it has, it is still a sports sedan. And with an engine like it has, I really just want it to be a sports car or smaller GT car and when I'm comparing it to those, it falls woefully short. Then you have to consider that with an N52 and in wagon form, this chassis makes so much more sense. When compared to that driving experience, this car falls short again. I can see why people like this thing (especially if it is their only car, or only "fun" car), but it is not for me. Like, at all. I'd either want it to be more of a highway missile (BMW M5) or much lighter and more responsive (think Honda S2000 or even just an E30 if we're still talking sedans). Speaking of the S2000, that F20C is what this engine reminds me of. Just gutless for its power output, but lovely to rev and joyous to experience. I wouldn't really change a thing about the way the engine behaves (I am not a fan of early horsepower). I can only imagine the E93 folks must feel like they are driving an S2000 turned up to 11 in all the good ways. The seating position is great, the primary controls are generally good except the active steering/dynamic steering effort is awful. The visibility is great, the seats are decent, the manual transmission operation is decent except the shift lever has way more rubbery play than it should. The factory induction sound is too muted, and the cross-plane crank makes for an unforgivable exhaust cadence with no affordable solution. The last thing I will say is that I really enjoy my E36/8 and the way it handles, including all of its many flaws. It is not the most planted vehicle, and has "personality" for days when it comes to vehicle dynamics. The E90 M3 is WAY TOO planted and civil in comparison, and that is maybe my biggest complaint. It is too "good", dynamically. And there is my cop-out if you wanted one. Future plans: Steal the good bits for better cars and toss the rest off a cliff. __________________ BenFenner's 1994 Black SE-R (given away) BenFenner's 2000 Black M-Coupe BenFenner's 2004 Silver SUV BenFenner's 2008 White Wagon BenFenner's 2011 White M3 (donor)
	Appreciate 0 Quote