VIN No. WBABN53483PH03931 Carfax Pleeeease?...(m)

[George M]

Guys,
Its been a long time since I have been here. I hope everybody is having a relaxing Easter holiday. Well...as many know I have been Bimmer-less for over a year and have to say of late I have had the itch...springtime...I am not getting any younger...how many years left? ;) and few have been as passionate about cars as myself since I could walk.

Scott H, JR and Bill R know...as I have been car shopping and have been seeking their advice along the way as few know as much about these cars as they do.

I have a short story which is almost legend which some including me have only heard about but it just happened. I called Scott when I was driving home from looking at the car below and leaving a deposit after a thorough test drive. The story is...I was getting ready to purchase an E-36 M3 out of state next week. There were a few things about that car that I knew I would have to change though it was pretty much unmolested...but it had high mileage and I just didn't want to rebuild another BMW...which for those that know me, know would have happened. I have been looking for the "right E-46" which for me at least is hard to find being as picky as I am. Since I was firming up my plans to drive out of town in a rental car to go purchase the E-36 M3...I decided to take just one last look in Autotrader.com for an E-46. Since I didn't have much time, I decided to do a custom search 25 miles from my home, Ti Silver 330Ci w/Step less then 10K miles etc...and to my amazement a single car popped up. I have been looking for a while so I was pretty shocked. I am the last guy to believe in the concept of fate but it gets better. I grab my cell and make the call and a little old lady answers. I know what you are thinking...as I was thinking the same thing. No...it couldn't be...but was. May I speak to the owner of the 2003 BMW 330Ci? Speaking. Hmmmm. Not only could I not believe there was the exact car I was looking for 9 miles from my house, but it was owned by a 73 year old great grandma. I guess with all the cars I have owned over the years, it was only just desserts that this would happen to me. After she became comfortable discussing her car with me I broke the ice a bit by asking her if she was the little old lady from Pasedena? She really laughed. Another page in the chapter of my life around the car hobby...lol. The car has "exactly" the options I was looking for...Ti Silver ext...black leather...Cold Weather and Sport Package Steptronic (I live in rushhour traffic) with M68 17" wheels, HK stereo, memory power seating...glass roof...and...and...even had the aluminum trim interior package versus wood with leather versus wood shift knob which I much prefer to wood trim. I still can't believe it. I drove the car with a male friend of the owner watching out for his elderly friend...and we took the car out on the freeway and brought it up to 110mph after the oil was warm and the car was a virtual rock. Brakes were perfect. No wind noise, clunks, squeaks or rattles The friend told me it was quite possible the car has never been on the expressway...lol. No rock chips in front. I have never driven a more secure car at speed...including my 7. The chassis is so good on the car it feels a bit slow which is the case of all cars with more chassis then engine. The song of the engine was flawless. Trans shifted perfectly. The car has never been smoked in...no pets...only has 6400 miles on it. No license plate bracket in front :)...Hi Scott.
Won't bore you with the rest of the details but put a deposit down and am consummating the deal this Tuesday.
Bill and Scott...thanks for your advice on the 330Ci. You are right, I wouldn't have wanted the 325Ci...as this car has strong but not spectacular acceleration and the 325Ci would have been too slow. Bill, I looked at a Prius and the new Honda Civic Coupe which I like but honestly I had my heart set on a 3-series coupe. I will have to suck up the gas mileage :) This car BTW does not have a lot of room. If you are over 6'1" it would be a tight fit.
JR...thanks for talking me out of the Techno Violet M5 out in CA. Although an amazing car, this is a better car for me.

The little old lady that owns it said it has never even had a scrape in the parking lot...just sits in her garage as it is too fast...she prefers her Cadillac...lol:
If someone would run a Carfax for me I would be grateful:

VIN No. WBABN53483PH03931
My e-mail address is: mann15@msn.com

Thought my BMW enthusiast friends would appreciate a good Easter laugh!
My Best,
George
Only pic of car from the ad:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/biker7/330Ci.jpg

[Bill R.]

love it. And you'll find not too many problems will pop up with it. Talk to Micah if you get the chance and he can let you know about any problems he's had with his too. Just a couple of weeks ago, one of my customers/friends got an m3 convertible in about the same shape as the one that your looking at...He's looking for excuses every day to go and drive it. Something he never has done with any car before... Enjoy yours George:Dhttp://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images2/Arthur18a.jpg



Guys,
Its been a long time since I have been here. I hope everybody is having a relaxing Easter holiday. Well...as many know I have been Bimmer-less for over a year and have to say of late I have had the itch...springtime...I am not getting any younger...how many years left? and few have been as passionate about cars as myself since I could walk.

Scott H, JR and Bill R know...as I have been car shopping and have been seeking their advice along the way as few know as much about these cars as they do.

I have a short story which is almost legend which some including me have only heard about but it just happened. I called Scott when I was driving home from looking at the car below and leaving a deposit after a thorough test drive. The story is...I was getting ready to purchase an E-36 M3 out of state next week. There were a few things about that car that I knew I would have to change though it was pretty much unmolested...but it had high mileage and I just didn't want to rebuild another BMW...which for those that know me, know would have happened. I have been looking for the "right E-46" which for me at least is hard to find being as picky as I am. Since I was firming up my plans to drive out of town in a rental car to go purchase the E-36 M3...I decided to take just one last look in Autotrader.com for an E-46. Since I didn't have much time, I decided to do a custom search 25 miles from my home, Ti Silver 330Ci w/Step less then 10K miles etc...and to my amazement a single car popped up. I have been looking for a while so I was pretty shocked. I am the last guy to believe in the concept of fate but it gets better. I grab my cell and make the call and a little old lady answers. I know what you are thinking...as I was thinking the same thing. No...it couldn't be...but was. May I speak to the owner of the 2003 BMW 330Ci? Speaking. Hmmmm. Not only could I not believe there was the exact car I was looking for 9 miles from my house, but it was owned by a 73 year old great grandma. I guess with all the cars I have owned over the years, it was only just desserts that this would happen to me. After she became comfortable discussing her car with me I broke the ice a bit by asking her if she was the little old lady from Pasedena? She really laughed. Another page in the chapter of my life around the car hobby...lol. The car has "exactly" the options I was looking for...Ti Silver ext...black leather...Cold Weather and Sport Package Steptronic (I live in rushhour traffic) with M68 17" wheels, HK stereo, memory power seating...glass roof...and...and...even had the aluminum trim interior package versus wood with leather versus wood shift knob which I much prefer to wood trim. I still can't believe it. I drove the car with a male friend of the owner watching out for his elderly friend...and we took the car out on the freeway and brought it up to 110mph after the oil was warm and the car was a virtual rock. Brakes were perfect. No wind noise, clunks, squeaks or rattles The friend told me it was quite possible the car has never been on the expressway...lol. No rock chips in front. I have never driven a more secure car at speed...including my 7. The chassis is so good on the car it feels a bit slow which is the case of all cars with more chassis then engine. The song of the engine was flawless. Trans shifted perfectly. The car has never been smoked in...no pets...only has 6400 miles on it. No license plate bracket in front :)...Hi Scott.
Won't bore you with the rest of the details but put a deposit down and am consummating the deal this Tuesday.
Bill and Scott...thanks for your advice on the 330Ci. You are right, I wouldn't have wanted the 325Ci...as this car has strong but not spectacular acceleration and the 325Ci would have been too slow. Bill, I looked at a Prius and the new Honda Civic Coupe which I like but honestly I had my heart set on a 3-series coupe. I will have to suck up the gas mileage :) This car BTW does not have a lot of room. If you are over 6'1" it would be a tight fit.
JR...thanks for talking me out of the Techno Violet M5 out in CA. Although an amazing car, this is a better car for me.

The little old lady that owns it said it has never even had a scrape in the parking lot...just sits in her garage as it is too fast...she prefers her Cadillac...lol:
If someone would run a Carfax for me I would be grateful:

VIN No. WBABN53483PH03931
My e-mail address is: mann15@msn.com

Thought my BMW enthusiast friends would appreciate a good Easter laugh!
My Best,
George
Only pic of car from the ad:

[George M]

Happy Easter Bill and great to hear from you. Man...I thought the sidewalls were short with the 17" sport package wheels. The wheels on that M3 are rubberbands. Know how long those wheels would last in Detroit? ;)
This whole thing is quite amazing...how it came about. This car is really me as I like a measure of utilty with things...though the back seat is virtually unuseable in this car which is OK. When we go out to lunch at work we can take their cars...lol. That M-roadster though an amazing car isn't me so much...a bit flashy for my taste and I have bad hair :D I prefer a coupe with a sunroof and a bit more understated. The E-46 coupe has always been one of my favorite cars and when I sold my 7 I had the thought of getting one in the back of my mind. The 7 though a nice car, had too much of a luxury bias for me. I prefer a car with more sporty nature. This car is a better balance for my personality. Initially I thought about getting a 5 or 6 speed but came to my senses. I have owned equal amounts of slushboxes and sticks and while I like each I prefer the effortless power of a autobox for commuting. The horsepower of that M3-vert would be nice though ;) I prefer the cleaner lines of the std. coupe versus more flamboyant M-car. Not so with previous M-30 and M-36 M3's...I liked them better then their coupe counterparts. I really appreciate your advice Bill. When you talk cars, I listen. Thanks again. Will post some pics after I get some wax on it. The engine in this car is silk...almost electric motor like.
Kind Regards,
George
PS: if anybody on the board has Carfax access...would greatly appreciate it.

[Kalevera]

Holy cow, the man is back!

Good to have you back, George.

best, whit

[Evan]

Welcome Back, George. I asked about you a few weeks ago... no one responded.

The BMW you're looking at is a beauty. I'm working on getting a CarFax for you and I'll email it to you if I'm successful.

Happy Holiday,
Evan

[George M]

Hi Evan,
Good to hear from ya...how have you been?
Thanks so much for running a Carfax. Curious if it proves out.
Best Regards,
George

[George M]

Holy cow, the man is back!

Good to have you back, George.

best, whit
Hi Whit,
Dam...2 time Grand Master...many have passed me by since I lost my Bimmer identity.
Thanks for the note,
George

[Scott H]

As I said to you earlier.....glad to see you back in a car that you were going for all along. You started at silver/black E46 330Ci, went around the block a few times, and ended with a silver/black E46 330Ci. I take it you went to church today after this experience??? :p

Now if you would only return so that we could work together on this board to rid it of useless shitheads (who have overrun and chased away quality) ..... :D It would take a gigantic effort and probably look something like this:

http://www.co.jackson.ms.us/DS/images/CivilDefense/HAZMAT%202.jpg

Take some sweet pics.....

Scott

[Jr ///M5]

Ha, ha, ha,....rotflol....priceless (scotts pic)

Good for you George! Scott called me and told me the news the other day, I can say you've made the right choice. Good things come to those who wait, and the best part, it was right in your own backyard.

With 6 thousand miles on the car, get the vin and go to the nearest BMW dealer and see if it has had it's first oil change yet!

I can see the ad now, "2003 BMW for sale with record"....:)

I love the lines of the E46, and as far as I know the only aggravating problem with them is the window cable plastic ends or gears or something to that nature, nothing more than a nuisance....

Nontheless, it looks like you've found the "diamond in your own backyard" type of deal. It will be good to have you back in BMW, it was painful to imagine you driving Saturns and Hondas...:D

Now you just need to plan a roadtrip to Chicago for the E34 picnic, we've always made exceptions for you and we're not about to stop now. ;)

Congratulations on the beauty!

Jr

[zmuff]

Hope it all works out for you George, looks like a nice one. I'm still in my same car...complete with red valve cover. LOL!

[gale]

Congrat's George & Happy Easter. Long time no hear.

Looks like you've found a keeper! I was quite impressed with the various e46 330's they used to have on the Susan G. Komen fleet. 6400 miles from the proverbial little old lady from Pasadena is like getting a brand new car. I'm impressed with how compliant the ride is on newer 3's with the skinny rubber band tires, put's my 7 to shame.

Glad you're back "in the fold"

BTW, do youv ever hear how the new owner of your former gorgeous 7 is doing?

Cheers,

Don

[Scott H]

I told him the EXACT same thing on Saturday...lol ;)

Under full maint. warranty you get your oil changed at the lesser of 1 year OR when the service lights come on. I would assume our homey G-Mann will be using Mobil 1 on a regular basis and at an average of 3x the factory service interval.....


With 6 thousand miles on the car, get the vin and go to the nearest BMW dealer and see if it has had it's first oil change yet!
Jr

[winfred]

about the only things i am seeing e46s going though is window regulators and front control arms, but those are on cars with a good bit more mileage, but those regulators are the most useless pieces of **** inflicted on bmws i've seen, i don't think we have bought and sold a car that we haven't had to replace most of them on the car, in some cases all 4 before we get the car sold

[Bill R.]

.
about the only things i am seeing e46s going though is window regulators and front control arms, but those are on cars with a good bit more mileage, but those regulators are the most useless pieces of **** inflicted on bmws i've seen, i don't think we have bought and sold a car that we haven't had to replace most of them on the car, in some cases all 4 before we get the car sold

[winfred]

yea the 52s do love a good cam sensor snack, atleast the e46s don't seem to eat air pumps like e36s do (not yet), must be something on the car killing them as 850 volvos run the same pump and as long as they don't go swimming they last forever, i usually take the pumps off volvos and put em on the bimmers, same for the radiator fan too, same as the aux fan on a e36


.

[sKilled]

As I said to you earlier.....glad to see you back in a car that you were going for all along. You started at silver/black E46 330Ci, went around the block a few times, and ended with a silver/black E46 330Ci. I take it you went to church today after this experience??? :p

Now if you would only return so that we could work together on this board to rid it of useless shitheads (who have overrun and chased away quality) ..... :D It would take a gigantic effort and probably look something like this:

http://www.co.jackson.ms.us/DS/images/CivilDefense/HAZMAT%202.jpg

Take some sweet pics.....

Scott

I hope you don't mean me?!? Nice catch that though - very jealous. It is a sweet car - does it have the software for the adaptive brake lights activated? That feature is still dormant on 'for German market' vehicles as legislation legalising that feature is still (5 years on) in the pipeline.
BTW that picture reminds me of our anthrax scare. Total lockdown on the frigate, while our firecrew went about cleaning up and analysing the conspicuous white powder. Of course if they had put 2 and 2 together (large delivery of flour for our baker an hour earlier)...oh well, fun and games.

[Kalevera]

We could instate the weekly Hersted Totally Useless Shithead award, the recipient of which would be chosen by a panel of judges who would spend hours in deliberation to select the most utterly vile, worthless, and idiotic post (or thread!) of the week.

I know I'd be a contender every once in a while :)

best, whit

[Scott H]

it's just the ones that are candidates everyday that need to be wrapped in backwards jackets, muzzled, and sent off to a place w/o internet access..... :D


We could instate the weekly Hersted Totally Useless Shithead award, the recipient of which would be chosen by a panel of judges who would spend hours in deliberation to select the most utterly vile, worthless, and idiotic post (or thread!) of the week.

I know I'd be a contender every once in a while :)

best, whit

[George M]

Its great to hear from my long lost homies. Needless to say I am excited about tomorrow when I pick the car up. Thanks for all the great advice and moral support. I like to get advice from those I respect and that means you guys. There doesn't seem to be much fallout on the E-46...a pretty good car. Input on the E-90 however is it is better in almost every respect...a definite level above so kudos to BMW for uping the ante. I wanted a coupe however and prefer a car 2 model years into production. Since I work in the industry I know how fast and loose design changes are after the first model year...Beta testing done on consumers. The E-46 has evolved sufficiently to design out most of the problems except as mentioned which isn't much to bear. This particular car drives very well and a nice balance between sport and comfort. Could be faster or more comfortable but a high level of each.
I have already made my appointment for an oil change tomorrow. Will drive it straight to the dealer. You guys know I try to avoid the dealer like the plague but can't turn a blind eye to $50 oil change versus doing it myself.
I know this is the E-34 board however the real gearheads seem to congregate here. Seeking learned car advice on other forums is almost like talking to the wall.
Lastly, Thanks to Dmitry for the Carfax...a very nice gesture and I really appreciate it. It was clean so I will be moving forward with the sale. Weather is even supposed to be nice in Detroit for the next couple of days. I thought it always rained the day of buying a car. ;)
My Best,
George

[George M]

Congrat's George & Happy Easter. Long time no hear.

Looks like you've found a keeper! I was quite impressed with the various e46 330's they used to have on the Susan G. Komen fleet. 6400 miles from the proverbial little old lady from Pasadena is like getting a brand new car. I'm impressed with how compliant the ride is on newer 3's with the skinny rubber band tires, put's my 7 to shame.

Glad you're back "in the fold"

BTW, do youv ever hear how the new owner of your former gorgeous 7 is doing?

Cheers,

Don

Hi Don,
All the good guys are coming out :D The ride is surprisingly compliant as you say...with the 17" sport package wheels as well. BMW engineers do a great job of finding ride compliancy and yet maintain roll stiffness even with those rubberband side walls...not an easy balance to strike. A sharp contrast to retrofitting low aspect ratio wheel/tire combo's on earlier BMW's for example no matter what springs and shocks you choose. The other windfall on this particular E-46 is it has a spare tire!...Yea!!...as I am not a fan of run flats due to their stiffish side wall which support the wheel in the event of air loss. A bad combo in my view with a short side wall for ride compliancy in particular. The 330Ci coupe is a virtual rock at high speed...the variable effort steering firms up and the car instills great confidence at speed...even more then my much longer wheelbase E-32 which had recirc ball steering as you know...even with tweaking the servotronic for more effort. As to the fate of my 7...I corresponded a bit with the new owner for a while after he bought it. I was particularly curious how it ran since I did the top end rebuild and he drove it over 1K miles from Michigan back home. He said the car ran flawlessly which I have no doubt it did. The only blemish on his ride home was a speeding ticket at 95mph...lol. Believe he felt it was still worth it :D I presume he still has the car. I really stopped visiting the message boards after I sold my 7. I got heavy into cycling...pedal variety :) and still into it a bit and why I prefer to have more of a turn key fun car versus a car I need to wrench on all the time...another contributing factor to my decision. Fact is however for me it has always been about cars...and I like a lot of them...which makes it harder for me to decide on a particular car. But it always comes down to which car you want the most. And when I see an E-46 coupe with sport package, I feel that car is the sweet spot for me. But would be happy with many different variants. The right E-36 M3 for example is a wonderful bang for buck car. A '99 that has been pampered with low miles for about $20K would be a special car to own including an E-34 M5 etc. There are many great cars out there.

You still have your Alfa? If so, what car is on the horizon for you Don?
Best Regards,
George

[gale]

. . . You still have your Alfa? If so, what car is on the horizon for you . . .?

Yep, still have the Alfa . . .

http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/alfa1.jpg

Been driving it quite alot lately now that it's top-down weather. I replaced all the suspension bushings & new factory springs & shocks all the way around. It's such a toy compared to my 7 & I never consider it as "a real car". I barely feel any safer in it than on my motorcycle. Daughter wants me to get her an upscale grand piano so might sell the Alfa this summer.

As for the horizon, I'm hoping to do some minor clean up & sell the '61 T-Bird & then start in on the 356A. Haven't driven the coupe since 1979 & almost forgot what it's like. There's a cherry '66 912 in town for sale that I've been thinking might be a good starter car for my son, I know those things inside out & backwards. Then again, an e30 318 would be a good car for him to start out in.

I'm torn what I'll replace the 7 with, maybe an e34 M5, an e39 540i, or an 850i 6-speed of course. Then again, if prices come down on 87-89 911's I might go that direction instead. Prolly will keep the 7. I've got the next mods for it down to a very short list. I put a nice set of Hartge headers on it over Christmas break -- sounds sweet & really opened up the topend rpm's, talk about your proverbial dentist's drill, with due credit to Mark's EAT chip!

I tired of the mundane Boge Automatics & just replaced them with Koni's a few weeks ago. Running staggered Bridgestone 750's on the BBS RK's & finally have the handling pretty tight & neutral, yet retain a civil ride -- absolutely love the Koni's!!! About all that's left is to bore out my spare e-bay throttle body & machine a new butterfly for it, think I'll start out with 3mm overbore. I put a new set of Balo's & ceramic pads & a set of M5 thrust arm bushings when I did the Koni's & got rid of the dreaded brake-induced shimmy, it was definitely the rotors causing it since I didn't do the thrust bushings 'til a couple days later.

Beyond that, it'll just be cosmetics, time to recondition the leather & replace the door weather seals & maybe someday get around to that custom burled walnut console panel. Still running the cheezy naugahide one from the 5-spd donor car -- kinda nice cause I don't have to worry about spills or scratches.

BTW, many thanks for turning me on to drilling your banjo bolts for you a few years back -- I've sold a boatload of those things to all parts of the globe -- I otta cut you in on royalties;)

Take Care,

Don

[athflying79]

I love my E34 and I really enjoy taking the time to restore it to it's original condition, but it's hard to fight off the appeal of a newer Bimmer. I could afford to buy one, but I'm afraid the maintenance would eventually eat me alive (guess that means I can't really afford it). That is one of the appeals of the E34 that it is DIY friendly.

Anyway, looks like you are getting an absolutely beautiful car and hope you get many years of enjoyment out of it. E46 is definitely my favorite 3 series body style.

[George M]

Yep, still have the Alfa . . .

http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/alfa1.jpg

Been driving it quite alot lately now that it's top-down weather. I replaced all the suspension bushings & new factory springs & shocks all the way around. It's such a toy compared to my 7 & I never consider it as "a real car". I barely feel any safer in it than on my motorcycle. Daughter wants me to get her an upscale grand piano so might sell the Alfa this summer.

As for the horizon, I'm hoping to do some minor clean up & sell the '61 T-Bird & then start in on the 356A. Haven't driven the coupe since 1979 & almost forgot what it's like. There's a cherry '66 912 in town for sale that I've been thinking might be a good starter car for my son, I know those things inside out & backwards. Then again, an e30 318 would be a good car for him to start out in.

I'm torn what I'll replace the 7 with, maybe an e34 M5, an e39 540i, or an 850i 6-speed of course. Then again, if prices come down on 87-89 911's I might go that direction instead. Prolly will keep the 7. I've got the next mods for it down to a very short list. I put a nice set of Hartge headers on it over Christmas break -- sounds sweet & really opened up the topend rpm's, talk about your proverbial dentist's drill, with due credit to Mark's EAT chip!

I tired of the mundane Boge Automatics & just replaced them with Koni's a few weeks ago. Running staggered Bridgestone 750's on the BBS RK's & finally have the handling pretty tight & neutral, yet retain a civil ride -- absolutely love the Koni's!!! About all that's left is to bore out my spare e-bay throttle body & machine a new butterfly for it, think I'll start out with 3mm overbore. I put a new set of Balo's & ceramic pads & a set of M5 thrust arm bushings when I did the Koni's & got rid of the dreaded brake-induced shimmy, it was definitely the rotors causing it since I didn't do the thrust bushings 'til a couple days later.

Beyond that, it'll just be cosmetics, time to recondition the leather & replace the door weather seals & maybe someday get around to that custom burled walnut console panel. Still running the cheezy naugahide one from the 5-spd donor car -- kinda nice cause I don't have to worry about spills or scratches.

BTW, many thanks for turning me on to drilling your banjo bolts for you a few years back -- I've sold a boatload of those things to all parts of the globe -- I otta cut you in on royalties;)

Take Care,

Don

Don, you really capture the car hobby...a truly ecclectic car guy who really knows his stuff. Glad you are still here. Man...that Alfa. Are you really thinking about selling it? Sh#t. I have never had one but wouldn't mind having one for a summer or two. How clean is it? You would be the right guy to buy a car from. I would have never sold my 7 if I had a 5 car garage...why I don't own more cars and play musical license plates and insurance...hehe. As it is, I will be keeping my Saturn for daily driving and roll the E-46 out when I need a ride in a real car...lol. Why I am picking up the E-46..have had the itch real bad of late even though I know that all car ownership is love/hate...sometimes with an emphasis on hate :p I know this sounds crazy but I love my little Saturn coupe 5 speed. It runs like a clock...albeit one with a wind up movement. :D Its primitive but never misses a beat and I can make some serious time through traffic in it. Of course I have to keep the revs up to do that but fits my nature...never spoil the rod...lol. My problem is space and I am too poor to afford a house with a 5 car garage. As it is with getting the E-46, my girlfriend will have to park her car outside now...oh well...lol.
I think an E-34 M5 would be the right car to replace your 7 if it comes down to that. If you bought an M5, don't believe you would ever regret selling your 7 as much as you love that car. Scott knows of an amazing Euro Spec Techno-Violet M5 out in CA. Only thing is..it has sun roof delete...which you and I would miss I believe. The car is very special though...an absolute beauty... and if interested, you may want to throw a number out his way.

Let me know if you put the for sale sign on your Alfa even though I really have no place for it.
Thanks for the update!
George

[George M]

I love my E34 and I really enjoy taking the time to restore it to it's original condition, but it's hard to fight off the appeal of a newer Bimmer. I could afford to buy one, but I'm afraid the maintenance would eventually eat me alive (guess that means I can't really afford it). That is one of the appeals of the E34 that it is DIY friendly.

Anyway, looks like you are getting an absolutely beautiful car and hope you get many years of enjoyment out of it. E46 is definitely my favorite 3 series body style.
Thanks. Yeah...that's the tradeoff. Cost runs either way...initial outlay versus over time. If you have the time and know how, older Bimmers are great cars. They do take time however which is a fleeting commodity for most of us with other commitments. Older BMW's require a bit of TLC to make them right. Many that own new BMW's know nothing about them...would say they are in the vast majority. A shame really that these great cars are wasted on fat cats that don't even know how to change a spark plug. But necessity is the mother of invention. When I was young and a dirt poor engineering student who loved cars...if I didn't build one, I would end up driving a 4-door Ford sedan, so I would build something more fun. The E-46 is becoming a good value if you can find the right car. The E-39 is a great car if you want four doors and carry family members. The E-46 coupe has a virtually unuseable back seat...but I like coupes. No car is all things....everyone being a tradeoff. Before I found the E-46, I tried to pry JR's M5 from his tightly clenched hands. He wasn't ready ;)
Cheers,
George

[Paul in NZ]

I thought it always rained the day of buying a car.
Well if it does(did) rain we will know for sure wont we?
Welcome back George!I look forward to your knowledgeable posts again.
I think the only "new" bimmer i can contemplate would be another e 34(m5 or 540) or an e 46.The 328 or 330 appeal.I sometimes think of an E36 M3 but I dont know if they could be a daily driver
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/kiwi535/M-30DrSdResize.jpg
I cant look at this pic without thinking of you George

[athflying79]

Well if it does(did) rain we will know for sure wont we?
Welcome back George!I look forward to your knowledgeable posts again.
I think the only "new" bimmer i can contemplate would be another e 34(m5 or 540) or an e 46.The 328 or 330 appeal.I sometimes think of an E36 M3 but I dont know if they could be a daily driver
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/kiwi535/M-30DrSdResize.jpg
I cant look at this pic without thinking of you George


I guess I haven't been around long enough to have seen that, but how does one get there engine that clean. I am guessing a partial disassemble for bead blasting??? Some days I wish for a blown HG just so I have an excuse to pull it apart and do just that (I'm knocking on wood now because I don't have the time to deal with that at the moment). I have done my valve cover already and the difference is amazing. I didn't treat it with anything before putting it back on though, so it will look like crap within a year I'm sure. Sorry to partially hijack the thread.

Looks like you had a great e34 and the new 330 is beautiful to.

[George M]

That's actually a bad picture...lol...before I changed the coolant reservoir out and re-shot the valve cover in more correct aluminum color with clear coat...including color sand, polish and brushing out the logo and bars :D
Also repainted black plastic pieces with matte black for just the right look.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/biker7/M30FullView.jpg

[Bimmer Nut Ed]

Congrats George. I've PM'd you a little info on your car btw. Looks like nothings really been done to it except a recall. Change it's oil fast!

Yeah I love the e46 (in the m variant and the regular as well). I plan to replace wifeys z3 with an M3 e46 vertible stick. Waiting for higher mileage m3's to come through. Maybe with the new m3 coming out next year, they'll start to show up at the dealer. We'll see.

I hope you enjoy many years of motoring in your new e46. Maybe post some in the Bimmer.info 3-Series board too, when you come across something that needs to be shared over time:
http://www.bimmer.info/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=34

[George M]

Hi Ed,
Thanks for the PM and the kind words. I have spent the afternoon with the car and aside from some of the paint issues I missed...bad eyes...oh well...there will be more...the car is very nice and straight. Performance couldn't be better. I drove it right to the dealer to get the oil changed, brake flush, and recall for the ignition coils.
I never thought I would think this but because I expected the 3 series to be a bit choppier but it is smoooooth even with the sport package...especially with the Step. I love the look of the car with Staggered M68 wheels...225's in front and 245's in back...looks athletic. The car is really a cruiser more then a sports car...at least feels that way. Believe double vanos has something to do with it as well as the engine is not peaky at all...has a pretty linear torque curve or at least feels that way. Also the car is much faster then it feels. 80 feels like 50 in it so I have to watch my speed :)
A beautiful day in Detroit, so had the windows down, roof open and was enjoying the nice HK radio. This car has exactly the options I wanted. I love the interior with the aluminum trim which looks perfect with the Ti Silver exterior. No Japanese car can touch the overall aesthetics of these cars IMO...especially the minimalist interior. I will take some pics and post later.
Cheers,
George
PS...speaking of paint...there was a nice black E-90 4 door in the showroom.
The car is very nice up close. But...the black paint is horrible...I mean GM orange peel. Looks like it was painted by an amateur. I know that Ti Silver Metallic is easier to paint then black but my car has far superior paint and it is 2 years old. I don't know if the black E-90 could be color sanded. I presume so. The question is...after sanding off the orange peel, how much clearcoat would be left. OK to color sand a show car with 10 coats of clear but not sure a good idea with a production car. I was astounded at how bad the paint was on the E-90...fit and finish were pretty good but gaps weren't perfect.
George

[Bimmer Nut Ed]

It's funny (or maybe not so funny), but as I walk around the showroom all the black cars have substantial orange peel except the 7 series. Of course it's so much more visible on the black, but the 7 Series has less than the other models. Even the 6ers got the orange peel look! And yeah, I'd just live with the peel as opposed to going through all that work and possibly sanding off all the clearcoat.





PS...speaking of paint...there was a nice black E-90 4 door in the showroom.
The car is very nice up close. But...the black paint is horrible...I mean GM orange peel. Looks like it was painted by an amateur. I know that Ti Silver Metallic is easier to paint then black but my car has far superior paint and it is 2 years old. I don't know if the black E-90 could be color sanded. I presume so. The question is...after sanding off the orange peel, how much clearcoat would be left. OK to color sand a show car with 10 coats of clear but not sure a good idea with a production car. I was astounded at how bad the paint was on the E-90...fit and finish were pretty good but gaps weren't perfect.
George

[632 Regal]

You always have the option of having it sanded, then a couple thin coats of clear sprayed on top (with enough reducer) and it should shine without orange peel, but even then you could lightly sand and buff for that incredible shine we all desire.


It's funny (or maybe not so funny), but as I walk around the showroom all the black cars have substantial orange peel except the 7 series. Of course it's so much more visible on the black, but the 7 Series has less than the other models. Even the 6ers got the orange peel look! And yeah, I'd just live with the peel as opposed to going through all that work and possibly sanding off all the clearcoat.

[Robin-535im]

Good to hear from you again George... knew you couldn't stay away for too long.

BTW - educate me on the "Ti" designation, not a touring obviously...

[Bill R.]

.
Good to hear from you again George... knew you couldn't stay away for too long.

BTW - educate me on the "Ti" designation, not a touring obviously...

[George M]

Ti as Bill says is short for Titanium. Has to be my favorite silver though I like other variants as well. My E-32 was Sterling Silver which was darker. Ti Silver really pops especially with the slightly darker silver wheels. As mentioned, I will post some pics of the aluminum interior trim package which looks beautiful with the Ti exterior. I drove the car some more later this evening and let my girlfriend drive it. The more I drive it, the better I like it. Engine pulls to redline effortessly. I am getting the hang of Step mode. Sport mode without shifting is a nice balance as the trans always stays in the power band. Cruising around in standard Drive is nice and leasurely. I thought the 3 series may feel a bit small but not at all. The car has good size. I sat in a Z4 at the dealership and would never own one. I can't stretch out enough.
George

[Bill R.]

first couple of weeks and now don't use it much in town but on curvy roads and up in the mountains its still alot of fun. Don't forget the cool ipod adapters that are available for that car George...and Scott H. sent me a bunch of links for the valentine adapters for them also.



Ti as Bill says is short for Titanium. Has to be my favorite silver though I like other variants as well. My E-32 was Sterling Silver which was darker. Ti Silver really pops especially with the slightly darker silver wheels. As mentioned, I will post some pics of the aluminum interior trim package which looks beautiful with the Ti exterior. I drove the car some more later this evening and let my girlfriend drive it. The more I drive it, the better I like it. Engine pulls to redline effortessly. I am getting the hang of Step mode. Sport mode without shifting is a nice balance as the trans always stays in the power band. Cruising around in standard Drive is nice and leasurely. I thought the 3 series may feel a bit small but not at all. The car has good size. I sat in a Z4 at the dealership and would never own one. I can't stretch out enough.
George

[SharkmanBMW]

Guys,
Its been a long time since I have been here. I hope everybody is having a relaxing Easter holiday. Well...as many know I have been Bimmer-less for over a year and have to say of late I have had the itch...springtime...I am not getting any younger...how many years left? ;) and few have been as passionate about cars as myself since I could walk.

Scott H, JR and Bill R know...as I have been car shopping and have been seeking their advice along the way as few know as much about these cars as they do.

I have a short story which is almost legend which some including me have only heard about but it just happened. I called Scott when I was driving home from looking at the car below and leaving a deposit after a thorough test drive. The story is...I was getting ready to purchase an E-36 M3 out of state next week. There were a few things about that car that I knew I would have to change though it was pretty much unmolested...but it had high mileage and I just didn't want to rebuild another BMW...which for those that know me, know would have happened. I have been looking for the "right E-46" which for me at least is hard to find being as picky as I am. Since I was firming up my plans to drive out of town in a rental car to go purchase the E-36 M3...I decided to take just one last look in Autotrader.com for an E-46. Since I didn't have much time, I decided to do a custom search 25 miles from my home, Ti Silver 330Ci w/Step less then 10K miles etc...and to my amazement a single car popped up. I have been looking for a while so I was pretty shocked. I am the last guy to believe in the concept of fate but it gets better. I grab my cell and make the call and a little old lady answers. I know what you are thinking...as I was thinking the same thing. No...it couldn't be...but was. May I speak to the owner of the 2003 BMW 330Ci? Speaking. Hmmmm. Not only could I not believe there was the exact car I was looking for 9 miles from my house, but it was owned by a 73 year old great grandma. I guess with all the cars I have owned over the years, it was only just desserts that this would happen to me. After she became comfortable discussing her car with me I broke the ice a bit by asking her if she was the little old lady from Pasedena? She really laughed. Another page in the chapter of my life around the car hobby...lol. The car has "exactly" the options I was looking for...Ti Silver ext...black leather...Cold Weather and Sport Package Steptronic (I live in rushhour traffic) with M68 17" wheels, HK stereo, memory power seating...glass roof...and...and...even had the aluminum trim interior package versus wood with leather versus wood shift knob which I much prefer to wood trim. I still can't believe it. I drove the car with a male friend of the owner watching out for his elderly friend...and we took the car out on the freeway and brought it up to 110mph after the oil was warm and the car was a virtual rock. Brakes were perfect. No wind noise, clunks, squeaks or rattles The friend told me it was quite possible the car has never been on the expressway...lol. No rock chips in front. I have never driven a more secure car at speed...including my 7. The chassis is so good on the car it feels a bit slow which is the case of all cars with more chassis then engine. The song of the engine was flawless. Trans shifted perfectly. The car has never been smoked in...no pets...only has 6400 miles on it. No license plate bracket in front :)...Hi Scott.
Won't bore you with the rest of the details but put a deposit down and am consummating the deal this Tuesday.
Bill and Scott...thanks for your advice on the 330Ci. You are right, I wouldn't have wanted the 325Ci...as this car has strong but not spectacular acceleration and the 325Ci would have been too slow. Bill, I looked at a Prius and the new Honda Civic Coupe which I like but honestly I had my heart set on a 3-series coupe. I will have to suck up the gas mileage :) This car BTW does not have a lot of room. If you are over 6'1" it would be a tight fit.
JR...thanks for talking me out of the Techno Violet M5 out in CA. Although an amazing car, this is a better car for me.

The little old lady that owns it said it has never even had a scrape in the parking lot...just sits in her garage as it is too fast...she prefers her Cadillac...lol:
If someone would run a Carfax for me I would be grateful:

VIN No. WBABN53483PH03931
My e-mail address is: mann15@msn.com

Thought my BMW enthusiast friends would appreciate a good Easter laugh!
My Best,
George
Only pic of car from the ad:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/biker7/330Ci.jpg


I drove the steptronic 330 and loved it, but decided I wanted a stick for myself.
So far the only problem with mine was the ignition coils which were changed under warranty before I got the car, that was a very common issue.
The e46 suspension is really good too, just right.
My 540 is luxu cruiser, and the 330 is sporty.
You mentioned it feeling like a rock, secure... I totally agree, plus all the airbags, you are safe!

[George M]

No question a stick is sportier and the step is clearly a tradeoff unacceptable to some. For me I prefer it for cruising as I don't always feel like a clutch with this car. If the car were a Porsche, I wouldn't have a slushbox. Wonder if the ignition timing map is changed when you shift into Sport Mode? The car seems to come alive...even without in M or full step mode. I know this is partially due to holding on to shifts longer...but the car feels stronger in Sport. What I like step for is...when I take off from a light and walk the car out....I can stay in first gear long enough to see if the guy next to me is gonna run ;). The exhaust note is interesting in the car. Would rate is almost too loud at initial low throttle and almost too quiet at cruise. My g/f says it sounds like a muscle car out of the hole and it does. I love the way the motor sounds when firing it up. On balance...very little to complain about. The car runs as good as it looks. I am happy I didn't settle for something else. If you can find a clean couple year old E-46 with someone else eating the intial 10 grand depreciation...a hard car to pass up.
George

[George M]

first couple of weeks and now don't use it much in town but on curvy roads and up in the mountains its still alot of fun. Don't forget the cool ipod adapters that are available for that car George...and Scott H. sent me a bunch of links for the valentine adapters for them also.
Bill you know how retro-tech I am...another word for old. :) I still don't own an IPOD...but have about 8 GiG of music loaded on my laptop hard drive at work and about the same at home so when I get one...I will definitely plug it in. My car doesn't have the trunk changer which to me is no big deal...would be nice but no biggie with me. Also the car doesn't have the Premium package...with wood, rain sensing wipers and auto-on headlights. Car does have the Bi-Xenons though...yeah baby :D I am very pleased it doesn't as I don't like any of that stuff. It has every other option however...the HK radio rocks...the cold package...glass roof...love the leather heated memory sport seats. The only option the car has I don't like is a smokers package...I don't smoke...and the car hasn't been smoked in at all...PO didn't smoke...not one cigarette has been lit with the lighter.
Cheers,
George