My E46 328i SE

[BorkFactor]

Well I have finally bought a new car - a gorgeous 1998 BMW E46 328i SE! It has 110k, full service history, purchased from a man who had owned it since 2001, long tax and MOT, 5 speed manual gearbox, full leather sports seats, cd changer, sat nav (from 1998), and god knows how many other things!

A couple of small bubbles appearing round the arches but they have been sealed and hopefully won't get any worse.

I love it! So nice to drive both on the motorway and on a twisty B road, really comfortable, very good on fuel (easy do 40+ mpg if you are being sensible) and pulls incredibly well

Anyway, enough from me. Here are some photos








And one of it with my old ST24:



All comments / opinions welcome - it is nice to hear your feedback. My only plans for this car are a nice set of MV1 alloys for the summer (will put winters on the current alloys) and possibly a newer sports steering wheel.

[crocodile tears]

looks well looked after.. Jealous of your B roads though

[BorkFactor]

Thanks! These roads are really good - that is just coming out of Lochinver and heading towards Ullapool

Pictures 2, 3, 4, and 5 were taken this morning using my phone with no editing at all. Amazing the difference a wash, polish, and wax makes!

[mig25_foxbat2003]

Lovely looking old bus, what colour is that? The only improvement I would suggest would be the original M-Aero front bumper - but they are pretty rare! I had one on mine and it really improved the lines at the front. Apologies for the rubbish pic but hopefully you know the one I'm on about.

[bmthnick1981]

Looks good but needs some genuine BMW mats

[liller]

nice! see it has sports leather, much nicer looking than the standard seats.

Hoping to pick up an E46 330ci this week

[BorkFactor]

That bumper looks good - I will keep my eyes open and see if I can find one

No idea what colour it is unfortunately, will try and find out.

Genuine BMW floor mats... I like the sound of that! Hopefully not too expensive

[bmthnick1981]

BorkFactor said:

Genuine BMW floor mats... I like the sound of that! Hopefully not too expensive

It's something I get quite OCD about but they do fit very well and are hard wearing.

[Max M4X WW]

bmthnick1981 said:

BorkFactor said:

Genuine BMW floor mats... I like the sound of that! Hopefully not too expensive

It's something I get quite OCD about but they do fit very well and are hard wearing.

I don't think they are that pricey actually and if the ones in my car are original (10+ years old) then they are mint so you could get some used ones.

Car looks really nice, I'd be tempted to update the lights to clear all round and possibly change the steering wheel.

[bmthnick1981]

I've bought them (mats) second hand from Quarry Motors before. A good scrub with some carpet cleaner and a nail brush and lots of water and they come up very well.

Is the colour not Calypso Red Metallic? Often it's stated on on the front suspension turrets.

[GreatGranny]

Very nice.

Thats a very early E46, my E36 is 1999 on a T plate.

[wackojacko]

It was a longtime coming, enjoy RWD

[BorkFactor]

Thanks guys

RWD is great fun, not been too silly with it yet as I am still getting used to it, but it does handle beautifully.

Apparently that is a private plate, but it is a very early 1998 model. Not fussed about the plate though!

What is the best way to look after the leather? The ST24 had half "leather" seats but they were worn anyway so I didn't bother doing anything to them. Want to keep this nice though

[lazystudent]

That looks smashing- must be a welcome change from the other cars students drive too- 107s and the like!

[Max M4X WW]

BorkFactor said:

What is the best way to look after the leather?

I Vote for Gliptonne products

[james_gt3rs]

I've always preferred the E36, but that is still lovely.

[BorkFactor]

Thanks

Yes it is a bit different to what other students drive, although I would much prefer this to a brand new MINI or 116i etc.

Will look into these products, thanks! Tempted by the AutoGlym stuff too, purely because there is a shop up here that sells their stuff very cheaply.

[philmots]

Like that a lot. +1 on mats.

[bmthnick1981]

+1 on Gliptone for leather. I use the cleaner and conditioner. Lovely 'leathery' smell too!

[BorkFactor]

Is this the stuff you mean?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LIQUID-LEATHER-CONDITIONER...