Sammo

Sooo... will be in the market for a new car for the wife (and something I'll drive also drive a lot too). A silver lining of our ongoing painful experience with an Audi Lemon has let me talk her into considering something Bavarian in the new year. I've managed to talk her into looking at an E82 135i - has to be a coupe and smallish, otherwise I would be pushing for something like an F20 / F31 / MK7 GTI. She likes a the cute, stumpy looks and they seem to be becoming a bit of a cult car - I like that almost every E82 is a 135i as well. I am aware the N54 carries a bit of a reputation, so I would either be wanting to go for something from a dealer with warranty, unless a private seller had a bunch of the key pain points sorted already. Wastegate rattle / HPFP / Injectors / Water pump? Any tips / advice - is it worth spending a little more and getting one with an N55 & DCT? (it won't be modded an any meaningful way)

Realised the wife had been driving around without a WOF the past few days (was due a service mid lockdown) so gave her the keys to the E46 and took the POS through for a WOF. Failed miserably on the below: 2 x front tyres (was expecting this) / CAB's (was semi expecting this) / 2 x leaking shocks (was not expecting this - it has the trick electronic damper adjustment too...) Anyways, we are really getting over this black sack of crap - was already planning on moving it on at the start of next year and this is just cementing that (will be taking a real hit no doubt). I am going to talk her into a BMW (and probably an unreliable one!)

Manual conversions are getting into not worth it territory these days unless its a special car / you have the bits lying about and the know-how. Recently an E36 G220 kit (with used clutch / flywheel) and unknown kms went for almost $3k. If you want a ZF box would get pretty spendy, plus labour, coding and LVVTA cert gets very expensive very quickly. Partly why E30/E36/E46 manuals command such a premium now.

Use Classic cover for my E46 Excess $250 / $600 a year 41 YO male with a few speeding tickets but no claims (until recently) Insured for $15,000 and all modifications - parked off-street but not garaged. They paid for my new Msport bumper without batting an eyelid, having been with them just a few month- I expect my premium may be slightly higher next year Tower wanted over a grand (despite having house / contents / Audi with them) and thats with a $500 excess and a 'valuation' of $7,000.

$4kish?

I imagine a 30+ year old used tech 2 kit would still take a bit of fiddling and are basically unobtanium anyway. Could be worth a try if you're kitting a non Mtech car and thus are not concerned with maintaining originality.

FCP is super fast via Fed Ex, reasonably priced and no GST. Win-win, I pay lots of tax already.

Slick video and wicked little car

Damn that is cheap, the manual conversion from it would sell for over half the asking price

E46 325i in silver should be low maintenance, easy to find and cheap while still being pleasant to bomb around in.

The E30 CSL is Looking very sharp indeed!

On a similar note, wonder if any Insurers will give us a little token premium rebate again to reflect a presumed significant drop in claims?

Looks good, little finishing required but surprisingly tidy inside and love that colour on an E36. Nice to see good, honest detailed descriptions too.

How much are they brand new? have seen them online (the Classic LX line looks amazing) but couldn’t see pricing anywhere?

Just about anything these days would need reupholstering, some Recaro Fishnets / LX similar could be a period correct option on factory rails reupholstered in BMW fabric if you are not too concerned with originality. Far more readily available in varying levels of condition from $300-$1000.

Even if genuine thought it was a little speculative given the state of the interior.

Went for $18,100. These auctions seem to be going very well for nice cars, think I'll auction my E46 when the time comes.

Damn those reviews on the Hydrophobic snow foam are amazing - might have to give it a hoon - I already have their hydrophobic shampoo which is good stuff.

Another vote for Menzerna Powerlock - its a great product. Lately I've been seduced to the dark side of easy apply spray sealants - currently using CarPro Elixer but will likely get some of their Hydrolite once my bottle of Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic runs out (also a good product - smells nice and can be buffed on or sprayed and hosed off). Ceramic coatings are technically superior, but I tend to wax my car very regularly so maximum longevity is less important to me.

Nice - remember seeing this on Trade Me a few times - this thing must rip!!

We don’t need your stinking SUVs anyway 🤣

Prep is critical, I did a full refinish and it still looks fantastic 18 months later. It it’s just a bit of bolster wear the colour lock products previously recommended are good too but colour match could be an issue with 20 year old leather.

Cracked $16K! looked a lovely car though

It also had chrome 18's and looked like it had been painted purple with housepaint haha