Jakester - I don't know who you have been talking to about modding E36 M3s, but they are full of "it". The E36 is one of the most moddable BMWs there is. Aftermarket support for the car is phenomenal with a veritable cornucopia of manufacturers to choose from. For the price of a MCS, you should be able to purchase an M3 and have $1000's of dollars left over for mod money. You can even pick up a sc'd or turbo'd M3 putting out 340hp + for the cost of a MCS.

 

I managed to get a sweet deal on the LSD and am doing the install myself, it will be well under a grand plus a few cuss words, busted knuckles and sweat. Well worth the experience. The actual install of the LSD AFTER YOU GET THE TRANNY OUT is laughably simple. Split the box, lift out the bell housing, lift out the diff, take the gear off, put in on the LSD, (on which you have already installed the PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED BRAND NEW BEARINGS), pry off the seals on both sides of the case, knock out the bearing races, install the new ones (if you are smart, you will have kept the new races in the refrigerator for like 24 hrs so they will be frozen and drop right into their holes or go in with a gentle tap or two) slap that baby back together, install the new seals......and then reinstall the whole bloddy mess.

 

Soooo, pocketrocketowner, howsabout a step-by-step how-to for those of us that can (sometimes) follow directions and turn a wrench or two but can't figure squat out for ourselves? How about some pics too? I got my handy dandy digital camera!

 

Like The Beastmaster said, the E36 M3 is very moddable, as is the S4. While they are heavier than an MCS, they can be easily turned into monsters. And an added bonus is that you are getting luxury interiors with excellent sport seats. These cars have a good foundation for adding power - the suspensions are already beefier than the standard models in the lineup. I say test drive lots of stuff.....