Eagle

Cap is usually correct

Yeah i agree that E46 certainly ain't boring and is far more well rounded for sure, but the semi trailing arm is just more lively, the car weights 200-300kg less, better weighted steering, mechanical throttle etc. The stock E30 and E36 racks just feel rubbish compared to purple tag when you drive them back to back. Its just how they are id say rather than wear so long as there is no play in it.

It is but honestly i find my 318ti auto is still more enjoyable to drive with the same purple tag rack, classic case of newer=better but less enjoyable. Something im sure you can understand when you 'downgraded' from your E46 to the E30. 4 cylinders having lighter front just adds to E30\Ti experience. I dont think its much slower if at all in the tighter corners despite being mostly stock.

Im sure its had a bit work done unlike most of the other CSL garage queeens\investment vehicles

Picked up a single Recaro SP-JC seat on fb for fairly cheap to replace the SR3. The SR3 is clearly superior for sprinted driving, but with the solid subframe mounts the body roll is much reduced so something a bit more livable makes sense more of the time. Its certainly a nicer and well featured seat compared to the average Recaro whilst still being light. The bolstering\support isn't very aggressive, slightly improved over stock sport seats i reckon with added shoulder support but slightly flatter base bolstering, basically a SR7-F. Feels so much nicer to sit in though, definitely got VW\Audi style Recaro vibe to it. Fits in the E46 better with good clearance for bolsters and airbag tensioner. Unfortunately like the SR3 it still sits about 1 inch to low for me, but its a small issue. Features include - electric recline, cooling and heating function on the remote and a manually inflatable lumber bladder with thigh support on bottom. Manually folds forward too which is a must for me in a coupe and you dont have to hold it forward like the SR3. Also matches the passenger seat better than i expected despite the Recaro branding and red stitiching

Sounds like a small amount of money well spent

NZ is great for getting less popular and rarer cars cheap, just as well because you have to spent a small fortune importing parts.

225/45 are correct for the 7.5 fronts

Finally got it back together and driving. I had an assistant helping me put the subframe in and it got it caught on one of the front studs and bent it slightly. I had undo it from the body to release the threads were caught inside the mount (These aftermarket alloy parts seem much softer than BMW bits). Ordered some brand new studs. lock nuts and bolts and did it by myself the second time with more patience, it went it fairly easy with some raw hide hammer persuasion. Solid bushings. These have certainly modernized the car as claimed. Rear end wag\disconnect between front and rear is reduced and car is more composed with more grip in all driving, will be even better with the alignment redone. Driveline slop is reduced also when shifting and accel\decel. Id imagine with a high end dampers and springs would really do it justice with all the other supporting mods. Only downside (for me at least) is the added NVH\knocking from diff backlash etc. Its much more pronounced due to no rubber isolation and i can also hear more rumble and a whine from the diff at certain speeds\frequencies, especially around 110-120kph (bearings arent the best). I will have to look into putting my helical into my old diff to try and reduce it as i dont think i could live with it long term. ZF detents. Decided to do these while the box was out. Special thanks to @Vass for the tool loan. Mine weren't bad as such but doing all the detents has improved the shift quality more than i expected. I can see how these boxes get blamed for vague shifting. With all new bushings, detents and E60 shifter its the best stock'ish config BMW manual box ive driven. E36 M3 flywheel\clutch. Wanted to try the last M5X BMW to use a dual mass flywheel with conventional clutch. The M54 etc SAC pressure plate isn't the worse but has a stiff travel with little feel. The E36 M3 pedal effort is noticeable reduced and you can feel the engagement point off the floor far better. Makes it easier to drive in general combine with all the other related things. At this point i think its already at the OE+ type build (give or take). I drove a guys typical E46 the other day and this feels like a different car, for better or for worse.

Haha yeah classic bogan Ford\Holden driver

Damn, im paranoid about public parking because of situations like this. At least it doesn't look too bad compared to some of the ones ive seen.

If you can do the work yourself and know where to buy parts they arent bad. Preventative replacement is the key to make them last. E46's aren't as simple as easy to work on compared to older BMW stuff, but they aren't difficult especially so much information\guides on everything. Buying on condition and service history is all i go by, same as any brand really. All my best cars were all 300,000km+ and been reasonably well looked after. Still needed money spent on them of course and paint wasn't the best but engines etc were clean and solid. M54 have a rep for burning oil due to crappy rings which to me is their worse flaw along with subframe floor. Yeah the M are the more likely to fail first but plenty of examples of non M's with damage. Seen a number of pre-2000 models here in NZ with cracked receiver mounts which are the worse examples. Personally i dont think theres a shortage of E46's driving around with the beginnings of failure ie failed spot welds. They could driving like that for ages before anything happens if it even does progress to any noticeable floor cracking. Older these cars get the more likely its going to happen though and just to inspect the car fully requires alot of work. Out of sight out of mind or not even knowing has its benefits. All the 4\6 cylinders before M5X were way more simple easier to work on. Anyone could work on those without much guidance.

Probably the best bet. I doubt there's many E46's non M's around with subframe floor done properly. K's dont matter much at this point in time as all parts likely need to be refreshed anyway due to age.

I think you need a break from them anyway haha

Probably plenty if you prepared to throw some money at refreshing that usual areas

Tire pressure sensors should just swap over to new wheels. Don't believe anything has to be reprogrammed. Imo no disadvantages in going to 18s. 19s are for looks.

Offer him 30-35k, if he declines he doesn't actually want to sell or is too greedy.

Im assuming just a random part failure\quality control issue given how quickly it failed. Hopefully all the other bits hold up. I havent had any issues with their parts, but you dont know if are declining in quality over the years. I think Rein are ok for the price point but the genuine stuff its more trustworthy.

Weird issue indeed. Did that bleed screw come with hose? I know you gave me an extra OE one, can't remember if it used it there or not.

Except the part where the each generation basically became more un-reliable\more complex\more expensive to fix. In saying that if it they weren't you wouldn't be able to pick them for cheap.

I was thinking more sensor\electrical related issues eg Valvetronic, but suppose that more drivability issues than flat out breaking down.

You have to preventatively replace parts if you want to greatly reduce of chance of breaking down, otherwise its just luck on cars this old. The average owner (like the one you have linked above) doesn't want to do that because it cost a lot of money initially to do it properly..

Is your car a ticked up Japanese import or are 318i coupes without sunroof hard to find?

I probably skip the repair kit or just get new bolt and locknut for the strut if you are concerned. I dont think the rest is really worth it (front mounts come with locknuts?) and washer are very re-usable. Shipping is usually priced fairly well but never ordered that once at once. Im guessing its the combination of struts\shocks and springs. Try splitting those up and see. Sometimes certain parts add a lot of shipping for no real reason, not just on this site. The springs were nearly 100 euro shipped with a couple of other small things when i got mine. Still ended up way cheaper than anywhere else. So i know where the other 200 euro is coming from?

Certainly be the most reliable spec. The M62\5HP24 combo is the least reliable spec in my book, mostly saved because they probably arent used very much.