BUDGET CHOICE
BMW E36 3 SERIES COMPACT (1993-2000)
Misunderstood by many and traditionally derided by purists, the E36 Compact was BMW’s answer to early movements at the posher end of the hatchback market. Aimed squarely at the Volkswagen Golf and later its Audi A3 cousin, the Compact was something of a half-way house between 3 Series generations in mechanical terms; today, it’s still an underappreciated bargain when compared to its full-size E30 and E36 counterparts.
Contrary to popular belief, the car’s wheelbase is no shorter than that of a standard E36, with the difference in overall length attributable to the Compact’s docked tail. There are mechanical differences at the rear, however, as the Compact uses the E30’s semi-trailing arm suspension rather than E36’s multi-link set-up. Received enthusiast wisdom says this a downgrade, but really it’s a bit of a non-issue for most drivers, and keeps repairs and maintenance cheap. It’s particularly hard to step beyond the limits of the Compact’s chassis given
