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Pissingintowind posted:I live in Teaneck, NJ; the car is currently being held in Hillsborough, NJ. Everything in the car besides what got destroyed is minty-mint. The seats are black, heated vaders. The armrest is black, along with the rest of the interior. Ok I'll comb over my car tonight and try to give you a final list of stuff I'd like to buy, thanks. Sanctum posted:Why must BMW do this to the car I love? I agree. The funny thing to me is that I couldn't have hated the Z4 roadster more when it first came out. I thought it looked ridiculous, the back end at an angle looked horrible in pictures, etc. Then I saw one in person and it sorta grew on me, and now I've been trying to find one to buy for about a year. Too bad Alpine white with the Dream Red leather interior is apparently rare, and the one that I have found so far was an automatic 
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May 24, 2009 23:03
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Mr. Onslaught posted:Too bad Alpine white with the Dream Red leather interior is apparently rare, and the one that I have found so far was an automatic I will still never understand why people (if old women are to be considered "people") buy sports cars with automatics, at least in the states. Sure, I can understand some things, like if you really wanted a Mk IV Supra and all you could get your hands on was a '96. But for the most part, it's completely retarded. My part-time job is at a party barn, and I get more than my fair share of people driving sports cars with autos, but I guess they are completely retarded, because these are the people buying Kentucky Deluxe, Skol and Keystone. /rant
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May 25, 2009 01:50
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Sanctum posted:I just have to whine for a moment about how ugly these new Z4's are compared to the original E85's. Apparently BMW didn't like the original sleek and simple design because it was somehow too 'girly' for the BMW image. Now they go with this goofy wide-body look complete with unnecessary side-scoops behind the engine. From what I gather, BMW have decided to target the car at someone looking to buy a Merc SLK, rather the consumer looking to buy a Porsche Boxster. As such, it's gained weight, a power hardtop and a bunch of other things blonde trophy wives demand  And if you think that's bad, just check out the price of the new one compared to the old...
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May 25, 2009 02:04
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So unless someone buys the twin-turbo package the car is actually a downgrade compared to older models. And acceleration aside, extra mass affects all aspects of handling. I can only imagine what 10 ~ 20% more mass means to the responsiveness of the new Z4.
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Well if there's a Z2 in the works, it only makes sense to move the Z4 "upmarket."
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May 25, 2009 02:26
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CornHolio posted:My only thoughts are, "warning: gears!"
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May 25, 2009 20:02
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Mad Dragon posted:Automatic transmission fault. So since I have a manual, don't tow anything, and don't have a convertible, I'm okay leaving all three empty. sweet. thanks!
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May 26, 2009 01:36
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So, I know this is unlikely, but does anyone local to North Jersey have a lovely shift knob for an E36 that I could pick up?
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May 26, 2009 22:21
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Can I use something like this to test my oil pressure? Where the heck does it plug in at? edit: nevermind, looks like yes, and at the oil pressure sender. CornHolio fucked around with this message at 03:52 on May 27, 2009 |
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May 27, 2009 00:30
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I was browsing around craigslist in El Paso for an E30 and I stumbled across these two gems. E34 Wagon, with 5-Speed http://elpaso.en.craigslist.org/cto/1189140454.html It has minimal extra crap on it, but looks pretty clean And for you 2002 guys... http://elpaso.en.craigslist.org/cto/1182650008.html $6000 seems a little steep for a 2002, I don't know if I could see myself in one for that price. But then again this one looks to be in good condition.
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May 27, 2009 17:57
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SeñorMisterioso posted:E34 Wagon, with 5-Speed I had to laugh at this, pulled from his photobucket page: 
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May 27, 2009 18:07
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Well, it looks like the clutch on my e30 325iX is on the way out. Started feeling wierd yesterday, and this morning I tried hammering 5th gear at highway speed while going uphill and the revs climbed like crazy. I find it odd that the clutch feel changed that fast, but I can't really argue with a slipping clutch since it appears to be the original according to the service records. Now comes the fun part, replacing it. Given that I may only have work for another 5-6 weeks, I don't want to spend 700+ for a shop to do it. So I have two main questions: 1) Has anyone here done an e30 clutch (or even better an iX clutch)? I know of the horrible pain in the rear end torx bolts that usually require a retarded amount of extensions and a breaker bar. Mainly I'm wondering if I'll need to have the car on 2 jackstands, or if I'll need to go grab another 2 and jack the entire car. I've also noticed some guides use a 5th jackstand for the engine, is this required? I'm not worried about the overall difficulty of the job, I can leave the car in my dads driveway and pick away on weekends while I use my civic for work. Looking at the bently, pelican parts and misc forums makes me fairly confident I can handle it, just not in a weekend since I'll probably have to go buy extensions/special tools as required and fudge around a lot. 2) I'm thinking of just getting an all-in-one kit, like This one. Seems to contain pretty much everything that can be replaced with the transmission out, and I only want to remove it once. I'll also be throwing in a pilot bearing puller and the clutch alignment tool. I can't think of anything else to get, aside from a flywheel if mine can't be resurfaced, but I hope not to have to spend another 400 bucks for that. I'm also gonna go ahead and replace all the worn shifter parts while I have the transmission out since that job would require removing the transfer case anyway. I figure that is a job I can finish in an afternoon once I have all the replacement parts. Don't think I'll bother with a shorter shift lever though.
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May 28, 2009 00:43
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I've found a '91 e36 320i with about 320,000km's (approx 199,999 miles) on it. Has a bit of rust on the back, some stone chips at the front and the front two door trims have completely come off but are somehow managing to stay on (how does that even happen?!). The dealer assures me that the car is mechanically good despite spending most of his time trying to sell me warranty. The car came with log books and was fully optioned for $6000. I'm somewhat worried about the high mileage on any car but even more so on one that I don't have much knowledge in. Should I be cautious with buying this if at all? He refuses to budge on the price so it's going for that much and has said that he'd 'detail' the car as well as fix the door trims.
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May 28, 2009 10:14
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Have you shopped around at all, checking craigslist or BMW message boards to compare prices? That seems quite a bit high to me. I'm sure someone else will chime in, but please don't buy that until you do some more research. Is there a particular reason you want that model/year? I've seen newer, lower mileage BMW's for sale for less than $6,000. Where do you live? edit: I'm guessing you are not in the US? It looks like we only got the e36 320i for one year, 1994. BossTweed fucked around with this message at 13:43 on May 28, 2009 |
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May 28, 2009 13:40
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Mcqueen posted:My little sister needs a car. Being the great older brother I am, I have decided to hook her up. This car looks decent, probably a respray, interior looks pretty good. Car Fax is clean...for whatever that's worth. I was going to offer 1,800 for it. Bumping this for help.
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May 28, 2009 18:01
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Shiales posted:I've found a '91 e36 320i with about 320,000km's (approx 199,999 miles) on it. Has a bit of rust on the back, some stone chips at the front and the front two door trims have completely come off but are somehow managing to stay on (how does that even happen?!). The dealer assures me that the car is mechanically good despite spending most of his time trying to sell me warranty. The car came with log books and was fully optioned for $6000. Nope, stay away. For that price it should be absolutely pristine and have way way less mileage. Tell him to go suck a lemon.
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May 28, 2009 18:09
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Alright, I'm getting closer and closer to buying my M3, 5 speed, sedan. The current problem is deciding if a stock car for $11,900 (starting asking price, 67k miles, silver w/black interior) is better than a modded car for $15,800 (lowest price he will go after I told him $15k was my max, he says he paid $21k for it 2 years ago starting price was $17,900, 65k miles, hellrot w/black interior). The mods are: code:Will I be saving myself enough money and labor (I would do the labor myself though) to make it worth buying the modded car? I wasn't really planning to spend more than $13k, but I do have the money. Both seem to have been taken care of well (though neither have had the cooling systems replaced) and I would have pre-purchase inspections done in either case. I'm leaning towards the stock car currently, but the hellrot red, sweet stereo and the 240 hp keep calling to me. BossTweed fucked around with this message at 20:16 on May 28, 2009 |
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May 28, 2009 20:12
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I would 100% buy the modded car. Those are top notch mods, and like you said, you're going to do them yourself anyway. Price out how much you'll spend to do those mods on the stock car, it'll probably be more than $16 total. Also, Hellrot >> Silver.
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May 28, 2009 20:24
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BossTweed posted:Alright, I'm getting closer and closer to buying my M3, 5 speed, sedan. The Dinan car is a good value for the Dinan mods if you can get the price down a little more. The stereo is NOT a $4000 system. I had an ACTUAL top-of-the-line stereo in my M3, using DLS speakers and subs all around (much, much better than Boston Acoustics), and it "only" cost $2200 max.
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May 28, 2009 20:32
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Pissingintowind posted:The Dinan car is a good value for the Dinan mods if you can get the price down a little more. Goddamn, I didn't know Dinan mods were valued so well. Our new M3 has a bunch of Dinan stuff (intake, throttle body, chip, sways) but I didn't think it offered any appreciable bump in price. NM, it sold today. Sterndotstern fucked around with this message at 05:19 on May 29, 2009 |
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May 28, 2009 20:39
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I forgot to mention that the mods were all done in 2002. Looking at carfax, the car had 30k miles on it at that point, so there is about 30k miles on the mods. I assume the stereo upgrade was done around the same time, but I'm not sure. Yeah, I don't know if I believe the $4000 stereo bit either. It looks like you could spend that though with 2 amps, if they cost $1000 each and 2 $600 subs (which do exist on crutchfield), plus the rest. I'm not sure how to get him down any lower. I can keep my offer at $15,000 and threaten to walk away and see if he takes it, but I don't know how I could get to go below that. I wasn't sure about buying it even if he went to $15k. I think some of the value of the Dinan stuff is that it doesn't void the warranty (not an issue for cars I'm looking at) and they can also pass California's CARB inspections. It seems like you can resell the mods for about half their original price if you try to sell them on BMW message boards. Of course if I did that I would have to get parts to replace them to get it back to stock (I assume the owner doesn't still have them). BossTweed fucked around with this message at 20:51 on May 28, 2009 |
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May 28, 2009 20:46
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BossTweed posted:I think some of the value of the Dinan stuff is that it doesn't void the warranty (not an issue for cars I'm looking at) and they can also pass California's CARB inspections. It seems like you can resell the mods for about half their original price if you try to sell them on BMW message boards. Of course if I did that I would have to get parts to replace them to get it back to stock (I assume the owner doesn't still have them). Fair enough. I know we got a screaming deal on the car... but we bought a '99 M3, Silver w/ Dove interior, 120k mi with the Dinan stuff on it for $6200. Granted, it needed a lot of love to get it up to snuff, but given that we dropped another $2k into it, we're still only out $8500 for a ridiculously fast, capable, comfortable DD.
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May 29, 2009 04:52
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Got a nice pile of rust the other day. 86 325e (E stands for ER for when you get tetnus) We had to trailer it home because the right rear ebrake had rusted to the inside of the drum causing the wheel not to spin even when we hooked a chain to it and drug it up the trailer with a truck. Also it may be slightly wrecked on that side so the wheel is a bit cockeyed. All this and more for the low price of $350 plus gas to get it.  
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May 29, 2009 05:48
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Poopsocks posted:Ran across this on the e28 forums, that's not paint, it's real rust. Yeah I saw that at SoWo. Looks really neat! 
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May 29, 2009 05:55
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fooquestionmark posted:Yeah I saw that at SoWo. Looks really neat! That must be awesome to own. Every door ding, every additional bit of rust only helps its 'look.'
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May 29, 2009 13:16
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Bleh. gently caress that car and it's loving irritating postwhore owner.
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May 29, 2009 17:09
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Does anybody know where I can find a Mini Cooper non-S used exhaust? I've been keeping a lookout on northamericanmotoring.com since I see them pop up every once in awhile for $50, but so far nothing local to northern Indiana. There was one in Chicago but it was for an S and I don't think it's still for sale. Did all 'S' exhausts come out the middle? I'm replacing it because the car's for sale and my muffler's rusty, and I don't want to take off $500 or so because of that. My hanging brackets have completely rusted through and are broken.
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May 29, 2009 17:37
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Today I test drove a 1999 e46 328i, 4-door 5-speed with 141,000. I've been looking for a 328 with 4 doors and a stick for quite some time now (not in black) and they've been pretty hard to find. This guy is the first owner and has taken immaculate care of it. Since it was off warranty he's taken it to the same mechanic (a BMW specialist) and had anything that even remotely needed fixing done. After I test drove it, where everything felt fine, I went and talked to the mechanic who showed me the service records and talked about the car. He said aside from the radiator which hasn't been replaced, he can't think of anything it would need for a while, and that it should go for a while more. I think if I offer $6300 he'll take it. The book value is between $5900-$6500 depending on condition, and the condition seems really good. Is this a bad idea? Is this going to start falling apart on me soon or can I count on it lasting a while longer? Here's a picture of the pretty thing:  Thanks for any advice!
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May 29, 2009 23:16
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If it has service records all the way back, and you think you can trust that particular mechanic, I don't see why it shouldn't be a good car. That being said, I'd probably still get it independently inspected and would seriously consider changing out that radiator.
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May 30, 2009 04:02
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Carbon Deity posted:FFFUUUCCCKKKK Apparently my insurer wants to total the car based on the word of the body shop it's currently at. Is it just me or does this seem excessive for the damage shown here? I'm thinking I should take it elsewhere.
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May 30, 2009 06:42
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Carbon Deity posted:Apparently my insurer wants to total the car based on the word of the body shop it's currently at. Is it just me or does this seem excessive for the damage shown here? I'm thinking I should take it elsewhere. I can see why they would total it if they use all new OEM parts, then pile paint and labor on top of that and it far exceeds the value of the car. That said, it can be fixed on the cheap with used parts. Let them total it, buy it back, use the money they give you to fix the car up using used parts and have money left over. Granted, this can have titling implications down the line that will affect resale value.
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May 30, 2009 06:51
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I am seriously considering buying a 300 seris, but I am worried about cost of maintence, I am in a more remote part of Canada. Any Albertan goons help me?
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May 30, 2009 08:19
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Evilpiggie posted:I am seriously considering buying a 300 seris, but I am worried about cost of maintence, I am in a more remote part of Canada. Any Albertan goons help me? If you mean an E30/E36/E46 then you will be fine. They are fairly reliable cars, and the easiest to work on generally and there is tons of info online. Make sure you budget for repairs. Assuming you are working yourself, afford yourself $500 for any future repairs for the next 3 months or so. Worst case kind of thing is figuring the clutch seizes up on a perfectly fine clutch (Oh yeah this happened to me!) just a month after buying it which means learning how to do a clutch job RIGHT NOW. As for parts, you'll want to check a website like RMEuropean and watch out for shipping/customs. RMEuro is the cheapest I've managed to find (at least for E39 parts) and they're good with shipping/customs into Canada.
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May 30, 2009 11:59
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Deceptor101 posted:Today I test drove a 1999 e46 328i, 4-door 5-speed with 141,000. I've been looking for a 328 with 4 doors and a stick for quite some time now (not in black) and they've been pretty hard to find. This guy is the first owner and has taken immaculate care of it. Since it was off warranty he's taken it to the same mechanic (a BMW specialist) and had anything that even remotely needed fixing done. After I test drove it, where everything felt fine, I went and talked to the mechanic who showed me the service records and talked about the car. He said aside from the radiator which hasn't been replaced, he can't think of anything it would need for a while, and that it should go for a while more. I think if I offer $6300 he'll take it. The book value is between $5900-$6500 depending on condition, and the condition seems really good. Is this a bad idea? Is this going to start falling apart on me soon or can I count on it lasting a while longer? Ooohh does anyone know what kind of wheels those are?
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May 30, 2009 13:40
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Deceptor101 posted:
If you like the color and can turn a wrench or two to change out the cooling system, that thing is superb. Also, at this age, you'll be wanting new suspension bushings too. I'd recommend budgeting ~$8k to get the car 100% solid for the next few years. E46's are superb cars, and the price is RIGHT.
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May 31, 2009 00:37
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Thanks for the advice. I got the guy to agree on $6200 and we'll do the transaction Monday. I'm not too worried about changing the cooling system, although I'm curious when I should do it. I assume when I start seeing temperature rises or leaks it'll be too late?
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May 31, 2009 01:26
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can you get a list of everything that BMW and the mechanic has replaced? EVERY single rubber and plastic part will be failing soon, if not already. This includes all the engine rubber and plastic poo poo: DISA, CCV, air intake elbows, expansion tank, water temp sensors, hoses as well as the cv boots, rear trailing arm bushings, front control arm bushings, transmission (shift) bushings, the tray under the windshield, rubber moldings and seals. DON'T WAIT to replace the expansion tank/radiator. Do poo poo pro-actively and you will never grenade your engine. Bimmerfest.com has great forums specialized for all this poo poo and realoem.com has all the parts and schematics for part # searching. This is all stuff that you can DIY FTMP, cept the RTAB's.....which are a bitch to get off and you need an alignment afterwards. It would be nice if he had a record of replacing this stuff, if not.....start loading up on the parts. Good luck! Deceptor101 posted:Today I test drove a 1999 e46 328i, 4-door 5-speed with 141,000. I've been looking for a 328 with 4 doors and a stick for quite some time now (not in black) and they've been pretty hard to find. This guy is the first owner and has taken immaculate care of it. Since it was off warranty he's taken it to the same mechanic (a BMW specialist) and had anything that even remotely needed fixing done. Keyser_Soze fucked around with this message at 02:05 on May 31, 2009 |
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May 31, 2009 02:02
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So this was a pretty 'welp' day. I drove the 95' M3 to an event 180'ish miles from my house, since I'm running in a street tire class and didn't want to deal with trailering. Last weekend I replaced the water pump, thermostat, thermostat housing, fan, and clutch with all new parts. I also dumped all the coolant and switched to distilled water + water wetter. This was all in response to a heating problem on the track a few weekends ago. The radiator is already new (less than 3k miles on it). So at about 10:30 this morning, the brand loving new fan failed. Catastrophically. All 11 blades went their separate ways, busily destroying various other parts of the cooling system on their way to freedom from the confines of the engine compartment. So now I'll be spending my day tomorrow, driving back to the site with the truck and trailer to retrieve the car, which now needs a new fan, hoses, radiator (punched a hole right through the center near the bottom), shroud, and miscellaneous plastic attachment doohickeys. I think this go-around the standard fun/clutch are going in the garbage, and an electric is going in. I'll also be calling Pelican Parts Monday to let them know how pleased I am with their brand new OEM replacement fan and clutch.
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May 31, 2009 02:03
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The Locator posted:So this was a pretty 'welp' day. What condition are your motor mounts? Fans catastrophically failing like that is usually indicative of shot engine mounts and possibly transmission mounts.
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May 31, 2009 05:25
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Have you considered just doing a fan delete? http://www.understeer.com/fanclutchmod.shtml
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May 31, 2009 06:21
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:What condition are your motor mounts? Fans catastrophically failing like that is usually indicative of shot engine mounts and possibly transmission mounts. I'll be double checking all the motor and transmission mounts, but they were all replaced just over 3k miles ago. Carbon Diety posted:Have you considered just doing a fan delete? I live in Phoenix, AZ. So no, I don't think I can really just run without a fan. I'll do the fan-delete, but add a good electric.
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May 31, 2009 12:32
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