There are some cars that will forever be a smart buy owing to a blend of features, rarity, and fun-to-drive characteristics. In my opinion, having driven one of these cars for several years, the E36 M3 should be high on your list of vehicles to experience at least once. As it stands, I suspect values will hold steady over the next few years as it can still be used like a daily and isn’t likely to suffer from the plight of some older vehicles that are losing a step or two owing to changing demographics. This rare E36 M3 four door ends today, so check it out here on eBay where the reserve is unmet.

The E36 M3 combines a few things that make it entirely usable as a daily driver. First, it’s comfortable for four passengers, even in coupe form. Second, it has plenty of usable power, making it more than capable of keeping up with traffic. Third, it offers decent cargo volume, so you can use it on a weekend trip or for a run to the hardware store. Finally, there is excellent parts supply and plenty of people still willing to work on them. And, if you want a cherry on top, they’re not expensive to own. Just service the cooling system and avoid cars with visible rust and you’ve skipped over two common failure points.

For my money, the sedan variant is the way to go. A hot rod four-door will always be cool, especially when equipped with a stick. Now, I get that many of you don’t like sedans, and I understand reasoning behind it. But the sedan version of the M3 was produced in far more limited quantities, and it exudes the sleeper vibe so many of us love. Plus, with a healthy aftermarket, you can always resort to turbocharging or supercharging to really catch some folks by surprise at the stoplight grand prix. This car looks quite tidy inside and avoids some of the pitfalls of the E36 chassis with regards to low quality materials.

Now, anyone who knows BMW knows that the U.S. got the short end of the stick as it relates to powerplants. The European market cars got a much more powerful version of the familiar inline-six, but this car being a 1998 model at least has the more powerful S52 engine. However, the 1995s with the S50 did reach a few ticks higher on the tach. Overall, this is a clean, stock version of a car that is often found modified, and that alone makes it worthy of a look. The Buy-It-Now of $19,500 is reaching a bit, but $16,000 feels like an excellent value.