My daily is a '96 M3. I bought it for $3250 and it needed a lot of love, so I replaced the whole suspension. Nothing off the shelf works for the E36 M3, damper-wise, so I'm probably going to redo the suspension next year with custom-valved Bilsteins and a slightly higher spring rate.
They don't like being low. Being low makes them handle poorly and ride like a buckboard wagon. Potential buyers on this website are probably coming from an S13/S14, so they're used to both.
Stock steering rack is ludicrously slow- replace with Z3 and be a winner.
E36 M3s are geared low. It makes them seem like they have more power than they actually do, but also makes them lousy highway cruisers. My god do they pull well from about 85, though.
My BMW before this one was an E36 325iS with S50 cams, lightweight flywheel and what I'd suspect was some head work. When it came on VANOS, it was awesome. Could get 33mpg driving sedately. Was on Bilstein Sport/H&R Race, what a crap setup that was.
My first BMW was a one-owner 325i 2-door 5-speed. So clean. I rolled it. Replaced the windshield with no bodywork required, installed the quarter window with no bodywork required, only the passenger door needed a little love to get to close. Best build quality of the bunch, but semi-trailing-arm rear suspension was being done by Son of Dat... in '68.
I kinda want a 2002. Or a Bavaria. Or a euro'd E28. I really want an E39 M5- I drove a 3k mile example in '12 and thought I had scored the holy grail; that car sold for ridiculous money.