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BraveUlysses posted:DEPO is a well-known, but not top-notch headlight company...production is taiwan or china. The lenses on my DEPO e30 lights are made of glass with the approximate impact resistance of a sugar cube. One lens cover was smashed to poo poo within a week of mounting - just needs one pebble and it's game over. The remaining bits just crumbled when I pulled them out of the housing. Nothing like the OEM lights, which have proper hardened glass and can be used as an anti-tank weapon. On the plus side, the light hasn't leaked yet despite the cover being smashed! I like the black kidney on mine (came with the car). Mine is a late touring in diamond black metallic however, with black trim, so it sort of goes. For an early 2/4 door I guess it might look crap. Saga fucked around with this message at 12:29 on Feb 1, 2011 |
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Feb 1, 2011 12:26
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8ender posted:If you do this could you post about it? I'm interested in doing the same on my E34 but it looks tricky. I'd love to see how it looks on another BMW from the same era. Will do, the hard way involves satin black paint, a shitload of newspaper, and painters tape. The easy way, which I'll probably go with, just uses this stuff called "trim blackout tape." It looks just as good as paint as long as you're good with a razor so whatever. The last thing I need is black overspray to claybar off my car in my unheated garage during a loving Wisconsin winter. If you google "shadowline," though, you'll find plenty of threads on BMW forums about both processes.
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Feb 2, 2011 05:45
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Hi BMW thread. I wrecked my E36 (barely) in the snow. Total damage: slightly crinkled front bumper (lower part), steering shimmy above 35mph. Is this a Z3 15 spoke? The guy I bought it from said they were replacement rims, but not knockoffs (I know, right). Awful comparison shot  I think it's bent, taking it into the shop tomorrow to confirm. I hope to hell it isn't the frame or steering rack. Into a ditch at 15mph, hitting front right and spinning my butt around to end up looking the direction I came from. I don't think anything's too trashed out but that wheel had a slight wobble before the crash (only on the balancer; I never noticed it while driving), I'm wondering if it kind of made it worse. Will know tomorrow. Jonny 290 fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Feb 3, 2011 |
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Feb 3, 2011 23:26
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I got the itch to do something to my car, so I finally installed the license plate delete strip that I bought a long time ago. I don't know if I like it more before or after...maybe I'm just a big baby who can't deal with change though.
Mr. Onslaught fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Feb 4, 2011 |
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Feb 4, 2011 02:42
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Might have been discussed but.... What is the recommended oil for my 2003 540i? I hear conflicting stories, AI seems to be a little more knowledgeable than the rest of the internet. Edit: Sorry, I should have asked the brand name people prefer. I have the correct wieght. BrokenKnucklez fucked around with this message at 03:50 on Feb 4, 2011 |
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Feb 4, 2011 03:14
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Might have been discussed but.... I'd imagine the manual calls for 5W-30 synthetic and you could safely run a 0W-30.
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Feb 4, 2011 03:43
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Mr. Onslaught posted:I got the itch to do something to my car, so I finally installed the license plate delete strip that I bought a long time ago. I don't know if I like it more before or after...maybe I'm just a big baby who can't deal with change though. Definitely better. I did the same to my E36 a couple months back.
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Feb 4, 2011 04:11
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Mr. Onslaught posted:I got the itch to do something to my car, so I finally installed the license plate delete strip that I bought a long time ago. I don't know if I like it more before or after...maybe I'm just a big baby who can't deal with change though. I thought you needed front plates in CA? Or are you just not worried about it?
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Feb 4, 2011 13:35
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All my gauges quit in the E34 today while I was waiting for a car wash. First they got all twitchy, then the fuel and coolant died, then the OBC and finally nothing. Checked the fuses and they're fine. Looks like its a capacitor issue. This car is so very European some times.
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Feb 4, 2011 15:34
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8ender posted:All my gauges quit in the E34 today while I was waiting for a car wash. First they got all twitchy, then the fuel and coolant died, then the OBC and finally nothing. Checked the fuses and they're fine. Looks like its a capacitor issue. Which year? The early (88-90) gauges are known to fail, and were revised later on. If it's newer, I'd check the 4 plugs on the back for corrosion. There are two tiny screws at the top of the cluster (in the "cave" in the dash that the cluster sits in) that you remove, then you can slide it out (with the steering wheel removed).
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Feb 4, 2011 16:14
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Pilsner posted:Which year? The early (88-90) gauges are known to fail, and were revised later on. Its a 93, so its not necessarily the ones that are prone to failure but apparently it can happen to any year. I found this great Youtube video on taking the cluster out without removing the steering wheel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL-NkaF-mtw Its worth it for the super serious music as a bearded man births a cluster through the steering wheel.
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Feb 4, 2011 16:25
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Fermunky posted:I thought you needed front plates in CA? Or are you just not worried about it? You do, but I figure a cop has to be really bored to pull you over for it. I've had other cars without a front plate and it seems at worst they just add on a fix-it ticket if you were pulled over for something else.
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Feb 4, 2011 21:50
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So, tell me about the e60 M5. Is buying a non-CPO car that is almost out of warranty as dumb as I think it is?
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Feb 4, 2011 23:49
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wallaka posted:So, tell me about the e60 M5. Is buying a non-CPO car that is almost out of warranty as dumb as I think it is? Yes, yes it is. Save yourself a boat-load of money, and go for a well-maintained E39 M5. A nice bonus is that it won't have the front-end of Dame Edna like the E60.
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Feb 5, 2011 08:04
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8ender posted:Its a 93, so its not necessarily the ones that are prone to failure but apparently it can happen to any year. I found this great Youtube video on taking the cluster out without removing the steering wheel: Pretty sure the cluster doesn't fit through that hole on the e34 steering wheel with airbag like yours should have stock. You can slip it out to the left but it's a pain in the rear end and risks scraping up the dash and the face of the cluster. It's pretty easy to get the steering wheel off, you don't need a puller or anything. Just 4 T25 torx screws and I think it was a 22mm bolt in the middle. Make sure you disconnect the battery so you don't set off the SRS light, even if you don't take the wheel off.
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Feb 5, 2011 10:37
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Lowclock posted:Pretty sure the cluster doesn't fit through that hole on the e34 steering wheel with airbag like yours should have stock. You can slip it out to the left but it's a pain in the rear end and risks scraping up the dash and the face of the cluster. It's pretty easy to get the steering wheel off, you don't need a puller or anything. Just 4 T25 torx screws and I think it was a 22mm bolt in the middle. Make sure you disconnect the battery so you don't set off the SRS light, even if you don't take the wheel off. drat I think you're right. Didn't even think about the fact that it was a non-airbag wheel. Interestingly it seems the 89's in particular were gifted with some sort of giant ugly truck looking wheel. However this guide gives me hope that maybe I just have to remove the airbag and not the wheel itself. At least in the pictures with the airbag removed it looks like theres a lot of room there. http://www.lehrmangroup.com/rickard/airBagAndBulbs.html
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Feb 8, 2011 01:33
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wallaka posted:So, tell me about the e60 M5. Is buying a non-CPO car that is almost out of warranty as dumb as I think it is? Buy an E39, you'll never regret it.
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Feb 8, 2011 13:56
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8ender posted:drat I think you're right. Didn't even think about the fact that it was a non-airbag wheel. Interestingly it seems the 89's in particular were gifted with some sort of giant ugly truck looking wheel. If you're already removing the airbag, it's a piece of cake to remove the steering wheel itself. It takes no time. It's the airbag removal that's a hassle. Just one thing though - make a notch or two with a marking pen across the toothed part of the steering column and on the wheel. That way you won't be putting it on wrong. Nothing more annoying than a mis-aligned steering wheel.
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Feb 8, 2011 14:34
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Pilsner posted:If you're already removing the airbag, it's a piece of cake to remove the steering wheel itself. It takes no time. It's the airbag removal that's a hassle. Right again. Got it all off last night. Piece of cake. Speedo is out and I've separated the board from the backing plate. Nothing looks outwardly destroyed but reading around on the internet some people had dead speedos with perfectly good looking caps on them that came back to life with new ones.
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Feb 8, 2011 15:02
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KaiserBen posted:Buy an E39, you'll never regret it. I want something with less miles than my M3, and it better have more than 400 hp if the mileage is that terrible. So that's a negative on E39's, because I'm also not paying $30k+ that the well-maintained/low mileage ones command. I'm not sure if I want a smaller sports car or a car as large as a 5-series. I'll have around $25k saved up at the end of this month, and will willingly finance up to $20k, though I wouldn't necessarily want to pay that much. It would be my daily driver, I have a huge car if I need to carry something large. I test drove a Cayman S and an Audi S5 this weekend, and they were damned nice in different ways. I can't think of much else in this price range besides the M coupe, M5/M6 and RS4, and there aren't any RS4's or M coupes within 300 miles of me. I do not like the new M3's, and I'll be damned if I settle for a Mustang. Any thoughts?
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Feb 9, 2011 06:51
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wallaka posted:Any thoughts? A few. If I had $25k and wanted something of style and class, I'd cast my eye towards older BMWs first. Ever driven an S52-powered E30? Scan bimmerforums.com classifieds and see if you can get a testdrive in your area. They're already at the bottom of their depreciation curve, are lightweight and entertaining to drive, and a really well-done example (with all accessories, swapped steering rack, etc) will clock in at about $10k. On the other end of the spectrum, you can get into a used 335i for drat near what you have in the bank. Take it to a reputable mechanic or dealership for a PPI and assurance that the recalls/warranty work has been done on the high-pressure fuel pump, then have a chip installed that takes you up to ~400hp with no other sacrifice in driveability or mileage. Lastly, test drive a Corvette -- 01+ Z06 Corvettes are the second-best performance car bargain on the market right now, and can be found all day for under $25k. 30mpg highway and 400+ horsepower with perfect weight distribution is a tough combination to beat.
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Feb 9, 2011 08:18
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wallaka posted:I want something with less miles than my M3, and it better have more than 400 hp if the mileage is that terrible. So that's a negative on E39's, because I'm also not paying $30k+ that the well-maintained/low mileage ones command. Low-mileage E39 M5's command ~$21k at the high end, and I'd still take one over an E60 any day. You're dead set against the 5-series, but already have an M3 and still want a sports car, so I gotta ask, what's the M3 lacking?
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Feb 9, 2011 08:31
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tesko.pk posted:Low-mileage E39 M5's command ~$21k at the high end, and I'd still take one over an E60 any day. You're dead set against the 5-series, but already have an M3 and still want a sports car, so I gotta ask, what's the M3 lacking? If it has to be a sports car, less miles than your M3, lighter than and a BMW, you're not going to have a lot of options. I personally would rather have an E30 swap over any later car, with the possible exception of an Alpina D3 or B3S touring (with maximum stripe!), but pretty much the only thing that would seem to tick the above boxes is a Z4. I don't know that they're actually going to be much sportier than the M3 though - the Z4 is a heavy old barge.
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Feb 9, 2011 11:19
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I don't know much about the 6-series, but I remember it being mentioned a bunch recently in the thread and happened to see this on Craig's list in my area. http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/cto/2199565148.html It looks pretty sweet and I would like to get it myself, but I don't have the time or space to deal with a project car unfortunately, so I thought I would throw it out there for someone. It doesn't sound like there is a lot wrong with it, and it is a 5 speed, so I'm sure that would gather interest.
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Feb 9, 2011 14:54
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tesko.pk posted:Low-mileage E39 M5's command ~$21k at the high end, and I'd still take one over an E60 any day. You're dead set against the 5-series, but already have an M3 and still want a sports car, so I gotta ask, what's the M3 lacking? Honestly, I'm just spooked by this particular car. It's getting to that 100,000 mile mark and things are starting to go wrong that typically go wrong at this mileage. Everybody says that I'm looking forward to replacing shocks, O2 sensors, coils, the waterpump and radiator, and the suspension bushings very soon. On top of that, M3's have a history of VANOS issues that cost an arm and a leg to fix if you're lucky, and if you're unlucky you will be replacing the engine. I replaced an 02 sensor, alternator, and battery this month, and in December had an explosive total oil loss due to timing chain tensioner failure that stranded me in the freezing rain. It's gotten me a bit leery of the car and e46 M3's in general. And this was a CPO car--all maintenance to 100,000 miles was done on time and on schedule because it was free. Even with me doing the labor, parts were over $600 this month, and I've spent $800+ in the past 3 months on parts and spent hours and hours of my time working on it. I love driving it, but it's time to move on. The new M3's/335 just didn't quite do it for me. They are a possibility, but I'm not all that enthusiastic about them. I don't like the dash and they are definitely less attractive than the e46 is. Honestly, the main thing that attracts me about the e60 is the V10 and fahv hunnert horsepowers. The Bangleiciousness is meh and the bulk is...unfortunate. I'm located in Montgomery, Alabama and there's exactly one E39 M5 for sale within 300 miles of me. It has 115,000 miles and unknown maintenance history. That's the most important issue I have with them: I don't want a 100,000 mile M-car unless there are records that typical preventative maintenance has been done. I do see many of them for a good bit more than $20k. I don't particularly want an E30; I already have a '93 240SX with SR20DET swap that fits the bill for a light, loud, mechanically simple, tinny raw-feeling car. I like just a touch more luxury for a daily driver. I had forgotten about the Z06's. That could be a possibility, but I hate hate hate the interiors.
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Feb 9, 2011 17:41
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I put a Zender air dam on my 2002 this weekend..JPG) Next up: bottlecaps, fender flares (riveted, of course), and a 2" drop.
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Feb 9, 2011 18:08
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slidebite posted:Saw the E31. Pics
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Feb 9, 2011 23:50
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Funny you ask. I just got a reply from the lady selling her 850 (original owner, dealer maintained)quote:Hi Slidebite, I had a line on a beautiful 968 w/under 60K KMs.. but it's a little more than I want to spend and the owner made it clear he won't budge a dime. I had another line on a different 968 but it turned out to be not so nice. I really don't know what I'm going to do. slidebite fucked around with this message at 02:15 on Feb 10, 2011 |
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Feb 10, 2011 02:02
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Welp. 1997 328i, manual, 195,646 miles. I was turning around at the end of my babysitter's street when my car sputtered, died, and wouldn't start back up. I get out to this:  My oil decided it belonged on the road. It's not the filter or drain plug. I'm thinking head gasket. I've been losing coolant for some time (every winter since I bought the car actually), but the oil looks fine. The underside of the oil filler cap looks like a milkshake but it's done that all three winters I've had the car and I've been told by multiple people that it's normal. Again, the oil itself has always looked fine and as you can see in the picture continues to look fine. I'm really hoping it's not a cracked block or something. It was 5°F when this happened (and I had to wait an hour for a tow truck  ) but the car was fully warmed up since I'd driven ten miles before I got to the babysitter (coming from a Kia dealership, ha!). I couldn't determine where the oil came from. There was splatter on both sides of the engine, above the exhaust manifold on the left and under the airbox on the right. I'm going to let the mechanic look at it in the morning to see what it might be and I'll have to go from there. Thoughts? Here is a picture of the oil above the exhaust manifold. I couldn't tell where it came from.  It could be worse, while I was waiting for the tow truck a man was hit and killed a quarter mile away. Actually right across the street from where I had my car towed to. It was a bit sobering watching them cover a body up in the street while I waited for a ride. CornHolio fucked around with this message at 02:51 on Feb 10, 2011 |
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Feb 10, 2011 02:48
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wallaka posted:I'm located in Montgomery, Alabama and there's exactly one E39 M5 for sale within 300 miles of me. It has 115,000 miles and unknown maintenance history. That's the most important issue I have with them: I don't want a 100,000 mile M-car unless there are records that typical preventative maintenance has been done. I do see many of them for a good bit more than $20k. My purchase of a 5 series over the 3 series was mostly based on the fact that if the original owners could afford the thing in the first place, they probably took at least average, if not above average care of their cars. If you can find a one owner 5 series you're still taking a bit of a gamble, but the quality of the vehicle is very much more in your favor than if you bought a 3 series that was bought new by a 28 year old guy, tore it to shreds and then sold it to two more owners who proceeded to redline the engine within minutes of a cold start every morning. CornHolio posted:Welp. The underside of the oil filler cap looks like a milkshake but it's done that all three winters I've had the car and I've been told by multiple people that it's normal. That's normal if you have coolant in your oil  Where did you hear this about that being normal? My first car was a Neon which has the coolant pump cast into the block and I have many many memories of seeing pictures of other people's cars with milkshake oil due to a ruptured coolant pump. Maybe it is normal, but that's the first I've ever heard of it.
Hadlock fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Feb 10, 2011 |
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Feb 10, 2011 03:14
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Hadlock posted:That's normal if you have coolant in your oil It's not a lot and it is fairly common, especially in winter. Mostly applies to x52 motors moreso than x50s.
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Feb 10, 2011 03:32
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Hadlock posted:That's normal if you have coolant in your oil Both in this thread and on bimmerforums. I posted about it every year I think, because it always unnerved me. I figured maybe something was at least wrong with the PCV system. But every time I was told that it was normal and to ignore it. Here is a thread nearly three years old that I started.
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Feb 10, 2011 03:46
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Depends on if it's a chocolate or vanilla milkshake. Chocolate = normal, vanilla = disaster in progress from what I understand   Click here for the full 800x600 image.
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Feb 10, 2011 05:06
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wallaka posted:etc It doesn't sound like there's a ton of "BMW" options left for you except maybe the 8-series, or say a Z4M or M Coupe. Or go a bit bonkers and find a really nice E46 330ci and give it some FI?
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Feb 10, 2011 09:39
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Crustashio posted:Just as an example of the garbage you have to deal with for e30s up north: The prices on the e30 318is are rising fast as good ones become harder to find and everyone wants them for track cars. I sold my '91 with 118k miles for KBB which was $2,000 back in 2005. I see really good ones being listed for between $4000 and $6,000 pretty often these days. I'd imagine it is the same for choice 325is as well. Bulky Bartokomous fucked around with this message at 15:52 on Feb 10, 2011 |
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Feb 10, 2011 15:37
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Dantu posted:The prices on the e30 318is are rising fast as good ones become harder to find and everyone wants them for track cars. I sold my '91 with 118k miles for KBB which was $2,000 back in 2005. I see really good ones being listed for between $4000 and $6,000 pretty often these days. I'd imagine it is the same for choice 325is as well. Yeah, the best deals over here seem to be non-MTEC/sport 325s. Traders have started trying to charge stupid amounts for any 316/318 with good paint, and a 325 sport or a cosmetically good 318is commands a huge premium. The sad thing is the prices are probably worth it to avoid dealing with the more complicated, lard-assed and at least equally failure-prone later generations. I could buy a 328i touring for £700, but would I want to unless it came with a trunk full of gold bullion? I'd be better off trading down to an Alfa 75 and spending the balance on Fiat stock than paying the going rate for a 325 sport. I've just seen a 90k "75" V6 in lovely condition advertised for £3k. 
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Feb 10, 2011 17:35
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wallaka posted:It would be my daily driver, I have a huge car if I need to carry something large. I test drove a Cayman S and an Audi S5 this weekend, and they were damned nice in different ways. I can't think of much else in this price range besides the M coupe, M5/M6 and RS4, and there aren't any RS4's or M coupes within 300 miles of me. I do not like the new M3's, and I'll be damned if I settle for a Mustang. late model 2003-2004 996 911?
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Feb 10, 2011 17:43
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Just got a 328i (E46) 1999 last week and I'm absolutely loving it. Scrapped my old Clio and I'm not looking back. Only slight issue is I appear to be suffering the famous central locking problem. It's under warranty so the garage will fix it, although they're saying it's a motor/actuator in the door rather than the GM5. I'll let them fit it and see. I'd like to be wrong but all the symptoms are consistent with the GM5 problems
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Feb 10, 2011 21:26
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Update! Well, it looks like I got kind of lucky. Though it's still going to be expensive. Apparently what happened was the PCV system got clogged up. It's deep under the intake manifold and it's something often overlooked. I replaced the whole thing on the Volvo right when I bought it; my car, well, I've scoured the internet in the past, and have never been able to find a bit of information on the system. So it's not something I've ever serviced on my car. Anyway, it got clogged due to the cold weather and moisture freezing in the system. Pressure built up and eventually blew out of my exhaust gasket and (it sounds like) my valve cover gasket. The guy at the independent shop told me he thought some of my connecting rods were bent, because he sees it all the time on Japanese and American cars. However, BMW connecting rods are stronger and mine are apparently fine. Score one for owning an old BMW I guess. Means I won't need a new engine. Anyway, the independent shop I took it to doesn't want to work on it, so they're sending it down the road to the dealer, who is going to do it for $300 cheaper than what the independant shop would have done it for. I'm going to be out about a grand. Lesson here: Make sure your PCV system is in good shape! Especially if you have a Japanese of American car!
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Feb 10, 2011 22:37
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Keyser S0ze posted:late model 2003-2004 996 911? Nah, not as good of a car as the Cayman from all accounts.
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Feb 10, 2011 22:43
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