Sammo

@qube cheaper too, I may get there on the LEDs eventually

Added LCI taillight inners for a different look. I'm not convinced I like the led 'bubble-look' lights on the full LCI Led taillights (or at least the aftermarket ones) so tried this as an in between step.

That silver one with 87km for $17,500 has been for sale at least 2.5 years - I looked at it in late 2017 before buying a GTI in January 2018 and owning it over 18 months then buying my E46 which I've had for a year now. So yes, overpriced Manuals come up reasonably regularly in the $9k to $12k range and are good buying at that money IMO. Theres a blue one on TM for $11k with 147km - from what I've heard the N52 is a very solid motor so should handle the miles just fine. If you like your car and it is low miles, I believe Hell BM can convert it to manual for you for a similar price to selling it and buying a manual...

@E30 325i Rag-Top That pollen is taking over the whole city! Easy to get rid of with a quick rinseless wash though

Indeed, hard to know but does not appear to have fallen into the hands of too many slidey bois either...

Looks like a lot of car for the money indeed - bit of maintenance, factory manual, BBS wheels, LSD... https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/listing/2743690663?bof=PqDPPFDP Interior tidy up and you could be in business. Paint looks good in pics. Really like this green (Boston?) on an E36, would be my colour pick after Estoril Blue.

@Cement fair enough - for that kind of power bump, probably worth doing it all while you're in there. VQ swap! Is there a lot of support for that? Certainly different

What motor swap? That sounds pretty comprehensive, but potentially unnecessary?? What ailments / symptoms are you getting with the suspension / driveline? Or more looking to future proof for power? Other things to explore would be guibo / tranny and engine mounts. I would invest $50-100 or so on a proper hoist check with an expert to get a clearer view rather than throwing parts at it. FCP euro are great value for OEM quality parts, especially if you're doing a decent order. Not sure if the do a lot of aftermarket / poly stuff though - more OEM.

Beautiful car and a great colour for it ?

Cheers Dave! Timeless is definately the look I'm going for ? Getting there cosmetically but still a fair bit to do to get it driving exactly how I want it.

Gave the car a quick groom today as weather looks good for next few days - another rinseless wash, must say quite enjoying washing without a hose! Therapeutic. Glamour shots from a perfect Auckland evening with the car on its new suspension (needs moar low) and newish euro plates and corner lights.

Goddamnit, already had to cancel a trip to Italy scheduled during the previous lockdown and have booked a 10 day South Island Road trip first week of September... First world problems huh

What a special treat

Yeah, for rear only though...I have 5mm and 10mm ones, so could do a switch in the rear.

Slight lean plus drivers side shot makes it look lower ?

Soooo.... Installed my new suspension - AP Suspension shocks and lowering springs, Lemforder shock and strut mounts / Meyle HD CABs / new bump stops. An educational experience with a more skilled friend. After initially being worried I got the install wrong (front didn't really lower and a few noises) car seems fine. I just had everything suspension / bushing wise checked out at Bellars Motorworks today to be safe and they changed the transmission fluid (I couldn't get the fill plug off!!). Disappointingly the new springs appear to have lowered the rear but barely lowered the front - 10mm max? I was expecting 20-25mm in the front and barely anything in rear. It also still has a typical(?) BMW lean with the drivers side being a bit lower than passenger side. Car rides well though and handles a little sharper - not as much of an improvement as I expected but meh, its better... New transmission fluid made a positive difference though, noticeably smoother, less notchy shifts - apparently had wrong fluid in it. And car got a pretty good report from Bellars (who I was super impressed with) - does not need new RTABs (which I already bought) and they only noted slight play in the rear upper outer joints and a slight crack in rear diff mount - didn't seem to be a concern, so will likely hold off on that for when / if I eventually reinforce the rear subframe and bushings. Will drive it a few weeks but have a feeling coilovers may be in my near future....

@zero Thanks mate - its actually at Bellars right now getting a full suspension / bushing check up so can forge a proper plan of attack for next wave of maintenance

I bought a throttle controller for my E46. I mean it works, and makes the throttle position far more sensitive through a bunch of different settings, but I don't feel it actually decreased the lag. Being a manual with a closer ratio diff, It actually made it a real pain to commute in so turned it off. May work better in an auto.

Euro plates IMO

Very nice - I have a feeling that is the same car I had on my watchlist for ages - was it in Hamilton or something? Great look with the uprated 18's and in black

I don't know anything about E53's but I would be looking at Scmeidman / FCP Euro / ECS Tuning and OEM parts before Trade Me. A lot of those TM listings look like sellers importing unknown ebay type parts and marking them up to OEM prices. FCP Euro in particular has very fast, well priced shipping and good pricing on OEM components.

Great to see this car being sorted - great colour!

Not the ball joint, but I did my CABs on saturday and bought a pickle fork for it - didn't work, not with the limited room of being under jackstands anyway. Used a gear puller thing that did great though.

Update on this - gave it a a bit of a shake out last night with some heavy braking etc and seems less noisy now. Regardless, I've booked the car in at Bellars Motorworks next Monday for a good going over of the suspension and driveline bushings etc. Was planning this anyways so I have a better plan around maintenance / improvements than just winging it / throwing parts at it.