19 cars and counting - Calibra/200SX/E46 BMW x 8!
Discussion
Been lurking and half heartedly contributing on the site many years and always enjoyed the readers cars section, especially when people post up a dubious car history. So thought I’d share my car history from 2000 to date. I’m an early 80s child so grew up in the Max Power & jap car era’s.
Anyway onto my car history complete with pics from the time (the Citroen BX & Cally T are the only pics where i’ve had to use google image closest matches)
First Car (2000)
A D reg 1.4 Citroen BX, this was my first car and actually gifted to me by the old man.
Not the coolest car in the world but it was wheels/freedom and thats all that mattered. Engine was actually quite responsive for what it was. In hindsight I should have run this in the lowest suspension setting for the “epic lows” but left it in the standard position. The constant topping up of hydraulic fluid (due to leaks and to avoid brake failure – the suspension & braking systems shared the same fluid IIRC) and the weekly replacement of suspension components including the infamous “green spheres” proved expensive. It lasted me a year until the scrap man took it away (I don’t recall the reason but I’m guessing an expensive MOT failure)
The Vauxhall/Migweb Years
Time to get myself some POWAH in a sleek coupe body I thought. I found a silver Calibra 16v (150bhp) for sale locally for £1100 (circa 2001-2).
My brother and I still laugh just how seriously I took this purchase, insisting on a £25 HPI check (the proper one where you got a HPI cert in the post). For 3 weeks this car felt like an absolute rocket ship after the Citroen. I also gained my first and only points on my license in this car, averaging 96mph on the A38 showing off to my younger brother. I was still a kid.
The car came fitted with the ubiquitous TSW Venoms but these had already gone out of fashion so I blew 2/3rd of the cars value on some new 17” flat 5 spokes (Boss XTR). I also took this car to Santa Pod running a 15.5 which was quick for an XE powered Calibra. Lots of fun in this car attending Mig meets/rolling rd days etc. The days where you’re still living with your parents, and driving for driving sake. I was going Uni in these days (all 6hrs a week of it) but had elected to study in my hometown so my student loans/earnings/overdraft was all spent on cars and in my local nightclubs.
EDIT - found a pic!
Alas rust took hold (especially on the sills) so I thought what better to replace it with than another Calibra.
In this case a red Calibra Turbo with the very tuneable LET engine. Copied Regal Phase 2 eprom chips from a Mig forum member and a scrapyard intercooler saw it around 260bhp/280lbft. The student loans didn’t extend to paying garage labour rates so I tackled most jobs myself on these cars, learning on the way from internet guides and the Haynes manual. The Turbo car tested my abilities by cracking the head (non Coscast!), unfortunately it took me two attempts to diagnose this, changing the head gasket only on the 1st stripdown. On start back up the symptoms persisted (huge billowing white smoke clouds), so reluctantly off came the head again and this time I elected to have the head pressure tested at a local machine shop. A second hand head was sourced from Migweb and we were back in business. I became quite adept at changing heads on 2litre Vauxhalls of this era by this point.
Overall, the car was a shed to be honest but it was very cheap to buy (£995), I kept it for around 18months before breaking it for parts (on my parents brand new block paved drive) for over 2k. I was happy, Mum & Dad weren’t.
First foray into RWD
After making the Calibra quick in a straight line I fancied a more rounded car this time. Jap cars were all the rage so I purchased a 1995 200SX (S14), a lovely standard red manual example for £2200 in 2005. The steering was a revelation after the boat like handling in the Calibra’s. (The real pictures start from here)
Alas the modifying bug had bitten and I did my best to ruin this car.
I made it faster sure (FMIC, larger injectors, Stage 2 ECU, tubular manifold, cat back exhaust, 1.2 bar) yielding about 320bhp in a sub 1300kg car. But I turned it into a dogs dinner with rattle canned white wheels and matt black bonnet. I also fitted expensive (for me) Apex coilovers which stiffened the rear end noticeably making it more prone to spin up under WOT.
It was 2006-7 now and after having recently graduated with about 20k debt and deciding to move into a small flat with the new girlfriend it was time to “get more sensible” so I sold the car for £2950. Looking at 200SX prices nowadays it’s probably still worth that if not more. However, I did hear the engine went pop within a year of selling it and the DVLA vehicle information check shows it hasn’t been on the road since 2011 so I probably had a lucky escape.
In my next post, i’ll briefly cover the dross I replaced the 200SX with, revisits to the past and my first BMW
Anyway onto my car history complete with pics from the time (the Citroen BX & Cally T are the only pics where i’ve had to use google image closest matches)
First Car (2000)
A D reg 1.4 Citroen BX, this was my first car and actually gifted to me by the old man.
Not the coolest car in the world but it was wheels/freedom and thats all that mattered. Engine was actually quite responsive for what it was. In hindsight I should have run this in the lowest suspension setting for the “epic lows” but left it in the standard position. The constant topping up of hydraulic fluid (due to leaks and to avoid brake failure – the suspension & braking systems shared the same fluid IIRC) and the weekly replacement of suspension components including the infamous “green spheres” proved expensive. It lasted me a year until the scrap man took it away (I don’t recall the reason but I’m guessing an expensive MOT failure)
The Vauxhall/Migweb Years
Time to get myself some POWAH in a sleek coupe body I thought. I found a silver Calibra 16v (150bhp) for sale locally for £1100 (circa 2001-2).
My brother and I still laugh just how seriously I took this purchase, insisting on a £25 HPI check (the proper one where you got a HPI cert in the post). For 3 weeks this car felt like an absolute rocket ship after the Citroen. I also gained my first and only points on my license in this car, averaging 96mph on the A38 showing off to my younger brother. I was still a kid.
The car came fitted with the ubiquitous TSW Venoms but these had already gone out of fashion so I blew 2/3rd of the cars value on some new 17” flat 5 spokes (Boss XTR). I also took this car to Santa Pod running a 15.5 which was quick for an XE powered Calibra. Lots of fun in this car attending Mig meets/rolling rd days etc. The days where you’re still living with your parents, and driving for driving sake. I was going Uni in these days (all 6hrs a week of it) but had elected to study in my hometown so my student loans/earnings/overdraft was all spent on cars and in my local nightclubs.
EDIT - found a pic!
Alas rust took hold (especially on the sills) so I thought what better to replace it with than another Calibra.
In this case a red Calibra Turbo with the very tuneable LET engine. Copied Regal Phase 2 eprom chips from a Mig forum member and a scrapyard intercooler saw it around 260bhp/280lbft. The student loans didn’t extend to paying garage labour rates so I tackled most jobs myself on these cars, learning on the way from internet guides and the Haynes manual. The Turbo car tested my abilities by cracking the head (non Coscast!), unfortunately it took me two attempts to diagnose this, changing the head gasket only on the 1st stripdown. On start back up the symptoms persisted (huge billowing white smoke clouds), so reluctantly off came the head again and this time I elected to have the head pressure tested at a local machine shop. A second hand head was sourced from Migweb and we were back in business. I became quite adept at changing heads on 2litre Vauxhalls of this era by this point.
Overall, the car was a shed to be honest but it was very cheap to buy (£995), I kept it for around 18months before breaking it for parts (on my parents brand new block paved drive) for over 2k. I was happy, Mum & Dad weren’t.
First foray into RWD
After making the Calibra quick in a straight line I fancied a more rounded car this time. Jap cars were all the rage so I purchased a 1995 200SX (S14), a lovely standard red manual example for £2200 in 2005. The steering was a revelation after the boat like handling in the Calibra’s. (The real pictures start from here)
Alas the modifying bug had bitten and I did my best to ruin this car.
I made it faster sure (FMIC, larger injectors, Stage 2 ECU, tubular manifold, cat back exhaust, 1.2 bar) yielding about 320bhp in a sub 1300kg car. But I turned it into a dogs dinner with rattle canned white wheels and matt black bonnet. I also fitted expensive (for me) Apex coilovers which stiffened the rear end noticeably making it more prone to spin up under WOT.
It was 2006-7 now and after having recently graduated with about 20k debt and deciding to move into a small flat with the new girlfriend it was time to “get more sensible” so I sold the car for £2950. Looking at 200SX prices nowadays it’s probably still worth that if not more. However, I did hear the engine went pop within a year of selling it and the DVLA vehicle information check shows it hasn’t been on the road since 2011 so I probably had a lucky escape.
In my next post, i’ll briefly cover the dross I replaced the 200SX with, revisits to the past and my first BMW
Edited by ScottJB on Wednesday 2nd January 18:42
Edited by ScottJB on Friday 8th February 11:42
Edited by ScottJB on Saturday 3rd December 23:17
Ok, as I forewarned, not a very PH start. After electing to sell the 200SX and move out, I thought I’d clear 2k of my debt and get something cheaper.
Enter a MK2 2.0 Ford Mondeo bought from an independent dealer for £500.
The dealer wrote spares or repairs on the receipt and it stank of dog, the end result was already on the cards. It had about 7 months test and that is exactly how long it lasted failing dismally on the first MOT in my ownership. Onto ebay it went and £180 later the Mondeo was off to enter banger racing.
Never go back
I think I might have lost my mind at this stage, electing to buy a 3rd Calibra (rose tinted glasses must have been firmly on). I must have sub-consciously wanted to complete the engine trinity as I bought a purple N plate V6 engined variant for about £700 in 2008.
This gem came with rear lexus lights, horrendous aftermarket wheels, and an odd blue gearknob. The V6 actually made a lovely noise but there was a bit of a graunch changing into 3rd and the image wasn’t the greatest. I began looking at S14 200SX’s again so it was sold (again via Ebay) for about £550 after about 5 months ownership. DVLA check shows the MOT ran out in 2010 but it’s actually still declared SORN as of 2015 so maybe someone still loves it.
So, history repeated itself again and I replaced the Calibra with another 200SX. Another N plate manual, this time in Burgundy.
I took the train to Coventry for this one paying £1200 which was pretty cheap. It had a £2300 receipt for a replacement engine but I’m not sure the replacement was great to be honest. I fitted a set of 17” Enkei wheels and it looked ok.
This one wasn’t as good as the previous red S14, and I managed to gouge the rear quarter panel on a gate post in the 8 or so months I had the car. It was around early 2009 now and I remember seeing an E46 coupe at my local petrol station and thinking I could just about upgrade to one of them next.
First BMW
I got lucky here as I managed to pull off a swap deal, which with the relative condition/value of the cars I think favoured me. Swapping my ropey, dented, N reg S14 + £1100 for a X reg 330i saloon in orient blue. The guy was dead keen driving from Norwich to me in Plymouth to do the deal (I was going to suggest a midway point).
In terms of quality, this car felt a big step up and I must have been happy with it as I ended up owning it almost 3 years (2009 to 2012). Other than the usual wishbone/rtab bushes/window regulator issues it never gave me too much trouble and I must have grown up a bit (or it was just a result of me and mrs saving to buy a house) as I didn’t modify it at all. Very smooth power delivery, reasonably quick and
a decent engine note (that you only realised when outside the car – cabin too insulated otherwise). I ended up selling it to a mate for £1400
Next update, an Italian number and 3 more E46 BMWs…
Enter a MK2 2.0 Ford Mondeo bought from an independent dealer for £500.
The dealer wrote spares or repairs on the receipt and it stank of dog, the end result was already on the cards. It had about 7 months test and that is exactly how long it lasted failing dismally on the first MOT in my ownership. Onto ebay it went and £180 later the Mondeo was off to enter banger racing.
Never go back
I think I might have lost my mind at this stage, electing to buy a 3rd Calibra (rose tinted glasses must have been firmly on). I must have sub-consciously wanted to complete the engine trinity as I bought a purple N plate V6 engined variant for about £700 in 2008.
This gem came with rear lexus lights, horrendous aftermarket wheels, and an odd blue gearknob. The V6 actually made a lovely noise but there was a bit of a graunch changing into 3rd and the image wasn’t the greatest. I began looking at S14 200SX’s again so it was sold (again via Ebay) for about £550 after about 5 months ownership. DVLA check shows the MOT ran out in 2010 but it’s actually still declared SORN as of 2015 so maybe someone still loves it.
So, history repeated itself again and I replaced the Calibra with another 200SX. Another N plate manual, this time in Burgundy.
I took the train to Coventry for this one paying £1200 which was pretty cheap. It had a £2300 receipt for a replacement engine but I’m not sure the replacement was great to be honest. I fitted a set of 17” Enkei wheels and it looked ok.
This one wasn’t as good as the previous red S14, and I managed to gouge the rear quarter panel on a gate post in the 8 or so months I had the car. It was around early 2009 now and I remember seeing an E46 coupe at my local petrol station and thinking I could just about upgrade to one of them next.
First BMW
I got lucky here as I managed to pull off a swap deal, which with the relative condition/value of the cars I think favoured me. Swapping my ropey, dented, N reg S14 + £1100 for a X reg 330i saloon in orient blue. The guy was dead keen driving from Norwich to me in Plymouth to do the deal (I was going to suggest a midway point).
In terms of quality, this car felt a big step up and I must have been happy with it as I ended up owning it almost 3 years (2009 to 2012). Other than the usual wishbone/rtab bushes/window regulator issues it never gave me too much trouble and I must have grown up a bit (or it was just a result of me and mrs saving to buy a house) as I didn’t modify it at all. Very smooth power delivery, reasonably quick and
a decent engine note (that you only realised when outside the car – cabin too insulated otherwise). I ended up selling it to a mate for £1400
Next update, an Italian number and 3 more E46 BMWs…
It was early 2012 now and I guess I fancied some cheap power. I don’t know what drew me to this option but I ended up buying a Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo from ebay (a common theme). It had a FMIC, exhaust, ECU tweak and more boost yielding about 280bhp. I took the train down to Cornwall on a Saturday morning. The seller was a lovely bloke but I could only conclude he was also a nutter as he revelled in showing how quickly it accelerated to 130+ mph on two occasions on the test drive. That was me sold I guess as I handed over £1200 and made my way back to Plymouth.
In terms of sound, this was one of the best sounding cars I’ve owned. The 5 cylinder turbo sounded immense (80s rally car esque) under throttle and coming off you’d get the compressor stall sound back through the open air filter.
I was commuting between Plymouth and Exeter at this point as part of a car share and having 4 people in the car wasn’t really the best. Me and the long standing girlfriend had saved up our house deposit by now and bought & moved into our new house in Nov 2012. Around Christmas I decided I wanted to change cars again. I still didn’t have much of a budget at this stage as had put all my disposable income into the house pot over the previous two years and there was still some leftover debt from the legacy of the student days I wanted to address first.
Given the commute I also wanted something a bit more economical than the Fiat. I did consider a diesel but I figured at my 2k budget, any savings could have been wiped out by a turbo/injector/pump issue quite quickly. I flipped the Fiat on for £1500 and thought I’d do a quick search on ebay for a LPG converted car…
LPG is cheap!
Stumbled upon a local-ish 51 plate facelift 325i Sport Saloon. Having owned an SE before, it was a nice looking car with all the sport bits. And would average me 50mpg in monetary terms. The auction was sniped last second and I picked it up for £1800.
The 65p a litre fill-ups served their purpose but the body wasn’t great to be honest with rust starting to take hold on the rear arches. I exacerbated this problem by carrying out my most non PH mods to date. First rolling and when the wheels still didn’t fit, cutting the rear arch lips away, refurbing & fitting a set of M parallel wheels in very aggressive offsets/widths for the car and fitting budget coilovers. Yes, just when I thought I had grown up, I “stanced” my car….
This of course meant my car was no longer great at carrying passengers for the commute but fortunately this coincided with my negotiating a move back to the Plymouth office and no longer needing to car share etc. I kept the car for 12month and it actually ended up costing me quite a bit (steering angle sensor) but in the meantime I was hammering away at clearing my old debts with a view to finally increasing the budget for the next car. The 325i was sold on for £1550.
First M3
Early 2014 now and things were looking up. House had been bought, baby on the way, all non mortgage debts cleared, no commute. And a 5k budget to play with.
Turns out 5k just about gets you into bottom end E46 M3 territory. So of course that’s what I bought. 136k, manual coupe, 10 prev owners, almost no history, mismash tyres but all working, just serviced and under 5k. My rationale was these cars are always worth 5k no matter what so took the trip to Crediton and came home with this…
I addressed a few issues (leaking CPV, valve clearances), had the car aligned, sourced 95k worth of history from BMW customer information and refitted standard lights. I also had the steering wheel retrimmed by Jack @ Royal Steering Wheels. At this point I contemplated either (a) spending more on this car or (b) buying a better example to begin with.
Which will lead me into present day on my next update.
In terms of sound, this was one of the best sounding cars I’ve owned. The 5 cylinder turbo sounded immense (80s rally car esque) under throttle and coming off you’d get the compressor stall sound back through the open air filter.
I was commuting between Plymouth and Exeter at this point as part of a car share and having 4 people in the car wasn’t really the best. Me and the long standing girlfriend had saved up our house deposit by now and bought & moved into our new house in Nov 2012. Around Christmas I decided I wanted to change cars again. I still didn’t have much of a budget at this stage as had put all my disposable income into the house pot over the previous two years and there was still some leftover debt from the legacy of the student days I wanted to address first.
Given the commute I also wanted something a bit more economical than the Fiat. I did consider a diesel but I figured at my 2k budget, any savings could have been wiped out by a turbo/injector/pump issue quite quickly. I flipped the Fiat on for £1500 and thought I’d do a quick search on ebay for a LPG converted car…
LPG is cheap!
Stumbled upon a local-ish 51 plate facelift 325i Sport Saloon. Having owned an SE before, it was a nice looking car with all the sport bits. And would average me 50mpg in monetary terms. The auction was sniped last second and I picked it up for £1800.
The 65p a litre fill-ups served their purpose but the body wasn’t great to be honest with rust starting to take hold on the rear arches. I exacerbated this problem by carrying out my most non PH mods to date. First rolling and when the wheels still didn’t fit, cutting the rear arch lips away, refurbing & fitting a set of M parallel wheels in very aggressive offsets/widths for the car and fitting budget coilovers. Yes, just when I thought I had grown up, I “stanced” my car….
This of course meant my car was no longer great at carrying passengers for the commute but fortunately this coincided with my negotiating a move back to the Plymouth office and no longer needing to car share etc. I kept the car for 12month and it actually ended up costing me quite a bit (steering angle sensor) but in the meantime I was hammering away at clearing my old debts with a view to finally increasing the budget for the next car. The 325i was sold on for £1550.
First M3
Early 2014 now and things were looking up. House had been bought, baby on the way, all non mortgage debts cleared, no commute. And a 5k budget to play with.
Turns out 5k just about gets you into bottom end E46 M3 territory. So of course that’s what I bought. 136k, manual coupe, 10 prev owners, almost no history, mismash tyres but all working, just serviced and under 5k. My rationale was these cars are always worth 5k no matter what so took the trip to Crediton and came home with this…
I addressed a few issues (leaking CPV, valve clearances), had the car aligned, sourced 95k worth of history from BMW customer information and refitted standard lights. I also had the steering wheel retrimmed by Jack @ Royal Steering Wheels. At this point I contemplated either (a) spending more on this car or (b) buying a better example to begin with.
Which will lead me into present day on my next update.
Edited by ScottJB on Sunday 1st February 13:04
Edited by ScottJB on Friday 8th February 11:37
Thanks for the comments so far guys - glad somebody was reading. Makes it feel worthwhile writing it up
Paraicj said:
If this was the "average" car history, the roads would look a lot more interesting.
Haha i'll take that as a compliment. Maybe "cheap power" would have been more appropriate for most of mine?!Ok, so as hintend in the previous post. I was beginning to come to the conclusion that i might as well buy a better E46 M3 example to begin with.
So this happened...
Rather than the 140k, 10 owners like the CB car, the steel grey car read only 79k and 3 prev owners.
A week later the black car was sold at a small profit and my attentions turned to getting the new car up to spec. Main item i wanted to address was the wheels (they had been sprayed silver rather than the proper diamond cut finish). I also had an Inspection II completed at a local bmw specialist.
Genuine LED tails and cupholders brought things up to date and the CSL DME SMG shift software vastly improved the SMG shift (blips on downchange are pretty cool too!).
What's next? I could really do with a 4 door now, so the latest car is now up for sale.
So this happened...
Rather than the 140k, 10 owners like the CB car, the steel grey car read only 79k and 3 prev owners.
A week later the black car was sold at a small profit and my attentions turned to getting the new car up to spec. Main item i wanted to address was the wheels (they had been sprayed silver rather than the proper diamond cut finish). I also had an Inspection II completed at a local bmw specialist.
Genuine LED tails and cupholders brought things up to date and the CSL DME SMG shift software vastly improved the SMG shift (blips on downchange are pretty cool too!).
What's next? I could really do with a 4 door now, so the latest car is now up for sale.
Thanks guys, nice to know somebody is reading.
Mr Tidy said:
Suppose an M5 would also suit your needs quite well, or an AMG of some sort if you don't mind Stuttgart metal......RS Audi could also be an option, or an R model Jag. Decisions, decisions.....
Anyway I am looking forward to seeing what you go for next.
Spot on! You've pretty much captured all my likely candidates right there. I've got my eye on the replacement car and the M3 is hopefully going next week. Watch this spaceAnyway I am looking forward to seeing what you go for next.
Ok, so as hinted in the previous post i've now changed cars again. Was getting fed up putting the baby seat in and out of the E46, and using the Mrs' Honda Jazz for family days out, so wanted a fast 4 door. The steel grey E46 above was listed on Cutters and before long it went to a good bloke from Southampton. All in all i made a very slight profit after 8 months ownership so couldn't complain at that. With the cash burning a hole in my pocket i jumped on a train this bank holiday weekend and returned with the following.
Introducing the sensible "family" car. CLS55 AMG...
First impression was just how quick the thing is, a few seconds of full throttle and you're in license losing territory. Second impression is just what a massive step up all round the car feels. I've been driving E46's for the last 6 years so was getting a bit bored looking at the same interior. The E46 M3 was a 40k car new, the CLS55 a 70-80k car new, and you can see/feel that difference. Completely different type of car of course.
Immediate plans are some new rear tyres (285 or 295 (!) i can't recall off the top of my head) and taking out shares in a petrol company! I averaged 13mpg yesterday just bumbling around the city. In the medium term i might stick a smaller SC pulley on it and get it tuned (560bhp/620lbft or thereabouts) just for the hell of it.
Eagle eyed amongst you might have noticed a blue E46 M3 behind the CLS. I actually bought it a few months ago as a cheap fixer upper and planned to sell the lower mileage grey car, use the blue car, and pocket the difference. Well the CLS put paid to that idea so have now listed the blue car on cutters aswell (£5000)?
Introducing the sensible "family" car. CLS55 AMG...
First impression was just how quick the thing is, a few seconds of full throttle and you're in license losing territory. Second impression is just what a massive step up all round the car feels. I've been driving E46's for the last 6 years so was getting a bit bored looking at the same interior. The E46 M3 was a 40k car new, the CLS55 a 70-80k car new, and you can see/feel that difference. Completely different type of car of course.
Immediate plans are some new rear tyres (285 or 295 (!) i can't recall off the top of my head) and taking out shares in a petrol company! I averaged 13mpg yesterday just bumbling around the city. In the medium term i might stick a smaller SC pulley on it and get it tuned (560bhp/620lbft or thereabouts) just for the hell of it.
Eagle eyed amongst you might have noticed a blue E46 M3 behind the CLS. I actually bought it a few months ago as a cheap fixer upper and planned to sell the lower mileage grey car, use the blue car, and pocket the difference. Well the CLS put paid to that idea so have now listed the blue car on cutters aswell (£5000)?
Edited by ScottJB on Tuesday 1st September 13:32
Edited by ScottJB on Tuesday 1st September 14:27
Admittedly in the honeymoon period, and coming from cheaper metal, but i love it. Effortless pace, can just waft around the rest of the time, and the interior is a nice place to be.
Engine & gearbox are by all accounts bulletproof. Being forced induction, they respond very well to tuning. A smaller supercharger pulley(83mm) & remap will yield 550+bhp & 600+lbft for less than £1k. Beyond this headers and a smaller pulley again will yield figures in the realm of 600/700 but cooling mods will be needed. Charge cooler pumps are prone to going resulting in intake temps rising and the ECU pulling timing/disengaging the SC pulley to protect the engine. Upgraded pumps are cheap though £100
Suspension is airmatic. This is probably the biggest gotcha on these cars. I think youre probably looking at £1000+ a corner at MB to sort. Arnott do their own air shocks at about half that price as an alternative and seem to have a decent rep.
Brakes are 8 pot calipers at the front with 360mm discs IIRC. They are not mega money like the later 63 engined cars. These cars use a SBC braking system, not sure on the ins and outs of this system tbh, but understand the pump is the best part of £1500 if it goes.
Interior is a nice place to be with perforated AMG leather & alcantara everywhere. Doesnt feel as big inside as it looks outside. The Command system is probably quite dated to those used to modern machinery. Sound system is very good IMO. Massive boot, only 4 seats. Nice V8 burble from inside (probably significantly louder outside) but not as loud as you might hope/expect - the secondary cats and centre resonator can be removed which will help on that front.
What else. Short, stop start journeys around town expect 12-15mpg. On a run i've heard low 20s is realistic but havent had chance to test this yet. But if youre considering one of these youre probably not too bothered about that! I know i wasnt.
Engine & gearbox are by all accounts bulletproof. Being forced induction, they respond very well to tuning. A smaller supercharger pulley(83mm) & remap will yield 550+bhp & 600+lbft for less than £1k. Beyond this headers and a smaller pulley again will yield figures in the realm of 600/700 but cooling mods will be needed. Charge cooler pumps are prone to going resulting in intake temps rising and the ECU pulling timing/disengaging the SC pulley to protect the engine. Upgraded pumps are cheap though £100
Suspension is airmatic. This is probably the biggest gotcha on these cars. I think youre probably looking at £1000+ a corner at MB to sort. Arnott do their own air shocks at about half that price as an alternative and seem to have a decent rep.
Brakes are 8 pot calipers at the front with 360mm discs IIRC. They are not mega money like the later 63 engined cars. These cars use a SBC braking system, not sure on the ins and outs of this system tbh, but understand the pump is the best part of £1500 if it goes.
Interior is a nice place to be with perforated AMG leather & alcantara everywhere. Doesnt feel as big inside as it looks outside. The Command system is probably quite dated to those used to modern machinery. Sound system is very good IMO. Massive boot, only 4 seats. Nice V8 burble from inside (probably significantly louder outside) but not as loud as you might hope/expect - the secondary cats and centre resonator can be removed which will help on that front.
What else. Short, stop start journeys around town expect 12-15mpg. On a run i've heard low 20s is realistic but havent had chance to test this yet. But if youre considering one of these youre probably not too bothered about that! I know i wasnt.
The honeymoon continues. I love the CLS. After living with M3's the last year or so the instant torque at naff all revs from the 55k motor makes me laugh. The car is a genuine license loser though, so easy to pile on speed without even really trying.
Not too much to report. Ive picked up some new rear tyres (Conti 5p 285/30/19) in anticipation of a change in the near future (rears on 3.5mm). Been working out some of the gadgetry on the car. Got a new GPS antenna coming (£6) which should solve an issue i was having with the nav and realised i need a bluetooth adapter to pair my phone with the Command unit.
For those interested in MPG. As i said 11-15 around town is realistic. On a run, turned out to be a tad better than i thought it would be...
Not too much to report. Ive picked up some new rear tyres (Conti 5p 285/30/19) in anticipation of a change in the near future (rears on 3.5mm). Been working out some of the gadgetry on the car. Got a new GPS antenna coming (£6) which should solve an issue i was having with the nav and realised i need a bluetooth adapter to pair my phone with the Command unit.
For those interested in MPG. As i said 11-15 around town is realistic. On a run, turned out to be a tad better than i thought it would be...
Is it a petrolhead thing to constantly be looking in the classifieds for the next car?! Tempted by a B7 RS4 currently.
The CLS55. Doing everything asked of it with a wall of torque from any revs. Did have a front SAM issue that ended up costing £700 for a new unit from Merc fitted at a good specialist. But comes with the territory i guess when you buy cars that were originally 70k.
Averaging 14mpg - 75% round town
The CLS55. Doing everything asked of it with a wall of torque from any revs. Did have a front SAM issue that ended up costing £700 for a new unit from Merc fitted at a good specialist. But comes with the territory i guess when you buy cars that were originally 70k.
Averaging 14mpg - 75% round town
Unfortunately my car collection is now being temporarily curtailed as we are moving house and i need to free up some funds.
The silver E46 M3 went within 3 days of listing. The CLS is going to be sacrificed too i think but i suspect it'll be a much harder sell.
Not all doom and gloom though as the new house has a double garage so i'll be back with something interesting soon enough.
The silver E46 M3 went within 3 days of listing. The CLS is going to be sacrificed too i think but i suspect it'll be a much harder sell.
Not all doom and gloom though as the new house has a double garage so i'll be back with something interesting soon enough.
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