Weirdly attracted to this

[balancerider 757]

Having watched a LOT of M539 restorations on youtube lately I'm finding myself unexplainably drawn to this - downsides are the fact that its' ass is dragging on the ground (presume cheap lowering springs), it's cosmetically pretty rough and most of all it's powered by the shitty N46. But it's a well specced manual 3 series touring so possibly worth saving despite that. Reckon you could probably triple / quadruple your purchase price to get it going well though. WOF history suggests it hasn't had much love for a while

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/320i/listing/3958250879

[Vass 830]

Don't think M539 would touch something like this with a 10 foot pole 😄

Personally, I would avoid due to the shoddy state of the paint (on the rear bumper at minimum) and the electrical troubles - two types of issues I least enjoy dealing with. Could be a good project if you're that way inclined, although at the end of the day, you'd still be left with a 4-pot nightmare driving it. Would be a keen subscriber to your build thread if you do take it on though.

[balancerider 757]

Fair points @Vass. The power delivery is actually not unpleasant on the N46 if you can get the engine oilproof and it's quite a light engine...those are probably the only two positives. I thought a rear bumper in this colour shouldn't be too hard to source. The light error will be a problem with the footwell module, relatively easily fixed. Sunroof might be more of a challenge.

[Eagle 1662]

Yeah it looks like a dog. Anything with the N42\46 isn't worth saving in my book, the majority of them seem to be in poor running states due to understandable neglect. Such a massive degrade compared to the M44, probably cheaper to swap one those in.

[gjm 3258]

It'll sell for well into 4 figures.

One day they won't and then this becomes the way forward.

 

 

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2956]

Provided you can get it cheap enough (sub $1.5k) it could be a good contender for a project car.

I would be ripping the 4-pot out and looking into putting either a 335i or 335d motor in there with a few goodies on, with a decent set for rims and some paint would be awesome.

love a Bimmer touring me, and a manual touring is a good place to start.

[Vass 830]

6 minutes ago, E30 325i Rag-Top said:

Provided you can get it cheap enough (sub $1.5k) it could be a good contender for a project car.

I would be ripping the 4-pot out and looking into putting either a 335i or 335d motor in there with a few goodies on, with a decent set for rims and some paint would be awesome.

love a Bimmer touring me, and a manual touring is a good place to start.

Do these have the same gearbox as the 6-cylinders?

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2956]

Good point! I don’t know is honest answer. If it doesn’t bolt up, sell this set up to buy The 6-cyl one..?

[balancerider 757]

43 minutes ago, Vass said:

Do these have the same gearbox as the 6-cylinders?

They both use Getrag GS6 but the 335 gearboxes are rated for higher torque. Different length driveshafts also

[KwS 2425]

Lol yeah you'd have to bank on a different engine, you KNOW its at turners for a reason and its probably to do with the N46.

Turners is the dumping ground for cars you cant sell anywhere else. Its also clever, because i believe being sold at auction like it is means its not subject to certain CGA clauses.

[gjm 3258]

On 1/22/2023 at 7:04 PM, E30 325i Rag-Top said:

Provided you can get it cheap enough (sub $1.5k) it could be a good contender for a project car.

I would be ripping the 4-pot out and looking into putting either a 335i or 335d motor in there with a few goodies on, with a decent set for rims and some paint would be awesome.

love a Bimmer touring me, and a manual touring is a good place to start.

Sold for $2770. I'd not have been surprised to see $3k, but at least a modicum of sense prevailed.
Even if the auction was extended 40-odd times.

"Sorry vehicle is stored off site so unable to confirm if Sunroof" kinda sums up just how much effort and interest Turners have in the cars they sell.

[Eagle 1662]

Their fees aren't cheap so that's surely factored in. I dont expect much from them given they selling mostly average cars in large volumes. If the person documenting the car doesn't say anything then the person at the keyboard can't do too much.