19 cars and counting - Calibra/200SX/E46 BMW x 8!
Discussion
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.
Time for an update.
So, the CLS55 went to a nice chap on the M3 forum. Sold for the same price i paid which i cant complain about given the small market for cars like that. Shame to see it go but needed to release some funds to pay the bloody stamp duty on the new gaff.
The 335i above turned out to be a bad buy. Never running right and sold at a small loss with a declared underboost issue. My suspicion from a lot of internet research was the classic N54 wastegate issue but the buyer was prepared to take a punt.
So, what now. We've been in the new place a month or two now and i had a rare week off work to myself. This always spells trouble as my ebay watchlists fill up with local cars at sensible money and i can never resist...
So, the CLS55 went to a nice chap on the M3 forum. Sold for the same price i paid which i cant complain about given the small market for cars like that. Shame to see it go but needed to release some funds to pay the bloody stamp duty on the new gaff.
The 335i above turned out to be a bad buy. Never running right and sold at a small loss with a declared underboost issue. My suspicion from a lot of internet research was the classic N54 wastegate issue but the buyer was prepared to take a punt.
So, what now. We've been in the new place a month or two now and i had a rare week off work to myself. This always spells trouble as my ebay watchlists fill up with local cars at sensible money and i can never resist...
Car #1 - an old favourite
So, introducing my 5th E46 M3 in two years. 2003 Carbon black manual with good spec. Slowly but surely bringing it up to standard.
I want to try to keep the miles off this one to a degree. Values are increasing so i figure if i look after it, keep the miles up, it might just allow me to jump up the car ladder a tad on resale. We'll see.
So, there was a requirement for a cheap daily..
So, introducing my 5th E46 M3 in two years. 2003 Carbon black manual with good spec. Slowly but surely bringing it up to standard.
I want to try to keep the miles off this one to a degree. Values are increasing so i figure if i look after it, keep the miles up, it might just allow me to jump up the car ladder a tad on resale. We'll see.
So, there was a requirement for a cheap daily..
Car #2 - the daily
A 66k miles Clio 172 bought on an absolute whim after spotting it with 30 minutes remaining on an ebay auction. Never had a hot hatch before and gotta say its a lot of fun on the road. Far more usable performance than a number of previous cars ive owned.
Its noisy and unrefined at motorway speeds but that was expected really. Fun car for no money at all. We'll see how it goes.
Crap photo for now.
A 66k miles Clio 172 bought on an absolute whim after spotting it with 30 minutes remaining on an ebay auction. Never had a hot hatch before and gotta say its a lot of fun on the road. Far more usable performance than a number of previous cars ive owned.
Its noisy and unrefined at motorway speeds but that was expected really. Fun car for no money at all. We'll see how it goes.
Crap photo for now.
ScottJB said:
Sometimes, i miss the sheer grunt of the AMG and the feeling of quality. I dont think the CLS is a looker from all angles though.
Short update on the latest M3. Alcantara steering wheel, cupholders and the ever popular CSL wheels...
That looks fantastic. Much nicer car than the CLS looks wise and quality wise IMO. Will also appreciate whereas the CLS will do nothing but continue to devalue as the maintenance bills get silly.Short update on the latest M3. Alcantara steering wheel, cupholders and the ever popular CSL wheels...
Thanks. In the right colours they are still fantastic looking cars. Chuffed with how the CSLs look fitted.
Next up is paintwork to rectify keying that occured in the previous owners tenure. Planning on both sides atleast. New number plates (dont like the GB plate - too fussy), centre console (usual marks on the plastics), and an early oil service.
I'll get some interior pics up at some point soon.
Next up is paintwork to rectify keying that occured in the previous owners tenure. Planning on both sides atleast. New number plates (dont like the GB plate - too fussy), centre console (usual marks on the plastics), and an early oil service.
I'll get some interior pics up at some point soon.
New Year - lets bring this up to date.
First Diesel dog
Back down the car ladder we go. Having bought the house in Summer 16, we thought it was perfectly liveable and we’d “just chip away at it over the next 10 years”. Well opinions change and sacrifices had to be made….
Probably the best E46 M3 i owned, interior really made the car and being silver grey it leant itself to the CSL wheels.
Sold to a guy from Gloucester for a tidy profit after all costs (rising market and & certain cars will make more money based on colour combos/work done).
Funds were wholly diverted to the house renovation (still ongoing now!) and I was back in basement territory and needed a tip run specialist.
Enter a 2003 Audi A4 1.9tdi estate bought in Feb 17. 170k on the clock and £825. Local, limited history and a dent or gouge on most panels. Must have then completed 30-40 tip runs in this during 2017/2018. Fantastic MPG that was handy for clocking up work mileage at 45p a mile and the PD engine was a decent drive for what it was i thought.
And it served its purpose well…
[url]
By June 18 we had re-roofed & re-glazed the house, reconfigured the majority of downstairs and broke the back of the majority of the messy work. So i started looking for a small step back up as the interior showed every one of it's tip run miles.
First Diesel dog
Back down the car ladder we go. Having bought the house in Summer 16, we thought it was perfectly liveable and we’d “just chip away at it over the next 10 years”. Well opinions change and sacrifices had to be made….
Probably the best E46 M3 i owned, interior really made the car and being silver grey it leant itself to the CSL wheels. Sold to a guy from Gloucester for a tidy profit after all costs (rising market and & certain cars will make more money based on colour combos/work done).
Funds were wholly diverted to the house renovation (still ongoing now!) and I was back in basement territory and needed a tip run specialist.
Enter a 2003 Audi A4 1.9tdi estate bought in Feb 17. 170k on the clock and £825. Local, limited history and a dent or gouge on most panels. Must have then completed 30-40 tip runs in this during 2017/2018. Fantastic MPG that was handy for clocking up work mileage at 45p a mile and the PD engine was a decent drive for what it was i thought.
And it served its purpose well…
[url]By June 18 we had re-roofed & re-glazed the house, reconfigured the majority of downstairs and broke the back of the majority of the messy work. So i started looking for a small step back up as the interior showed every one of it's tip run miles.
Edited by ScottJB on Friday 8th February 11:27
A marginally improved Diesel Dog
So the A4 got sold for £700 and I found an E91 320d locally that looked like reasonably modern wheels for not much money (£2700).
Steers significantly better than the A4 but the M47 engine is not as nice as the PD130 IMO. Either that or I have a dud. The speedo suggests it’s ok for what it is but it is sluggish in 1st and 2nd I think.
Shocks have all been changed recently and tyres branded with loads of life so I’m not changing these for the sake of it despite being rft’s. Economy isn’t as good as I expected so after some fiddling with the secret OBC settings – it showed the coolant temp wasn’t getting much beyond 70 degrees. Have bought a replacement main stat but it’s sat on the garage shelf for the last 4 months (must get around to this).
One more to follow
So the A4 got sold for £700 and I found an E91 320d locally that looked like reasonably modern wheels for not much money (£2700).
Steers significantly better than the A4 but the M47 engine is not as nice as the PD130 IMO. Either that or I have a dud. The speedo suggests it’s ok for what it is but it is sluggish in 1st and 2nd I think.
Shocks have all been changed recently and tyres branded with loads of life so I’m not changing these for the sake of it despite being rft’s. Economy isn’t as good as I expected so after some fiddling with the secret OBC settings – it showed the coolant temp wasn’t getting much beyond 70 degrees. Have bought a replacement main stat but it’s sat on the garage shelf for the last 4 months (must get around to this).
One more to follow
Edited by ScottJB on Wednesday 2nd January 18:35
Edited by ScottJB on Friday 8th February 11:29
Faster than your average
Oct 2018 - So I liked the E91 for all it’s practicality purposes but the 320d engine is dull as dishwater IMO.
Back onto Ebay, PH, AT, Gumtree we go and I stumbled upon an E91 335i Manual. On a train to Bristol the next evening and car back on the drive within 24hrs of spotting it.
Subsequently learned it’s a rare car indeed, only around 50 manual 335i tourers exist, less again with the iDrive which mine has. Less again in red i imagine
.
New clutch and turbos in the last 10k receipted which was a significant factor.
First impressions, well this one boosts! My first E92 335i never worked during my ownership, 3psi max and the only thing that would have resolved it was turbo replacement/rebuild. So, after two years driving around in the A4 & 320d this thing feels properly quick. In gear, even stock (I’ll come to that in a sec) and in lardy E91 guise it seems quicker than all my E46 M3’s were in a straight line. Comparable power but tonnes more torque.
Speaking of torque, the very latest update is it now has more following some simple mods. Despite being a decade or two older I can’t escape being that same person who stripped interiors for Pod, or fitted scrapyard intercoolers to their Cally Turbo or tubular manifolds to their 200sx. Part of the reason that first attracted me to the 335i coupe a couple years ago was the tuning capability of the N54 engine.
So, no less than 1m after buying my car, there I am with extension leads running out to the car, battery charger connected and the MHD app on my phone. Approx 30 mins later I have mapped the car and have subsequently bought a FMIC & DCI kit too that I need to get around to fitting. I’m even toying with the idea of getting the catless downpipes and running Stage 2+ (circa 420bhp & 450+lbft). For now, I guess it should be around 360-370bhp and perhaps 400-420lbft, a very quick car in the real world and fairly discreet except to those who will notice the badge/twin standard exhaust.
The blue E91 320d i managed to persuade the mrs to have so running with these two for now.
Oct 2018 - So I liked the E91 for all it’s practicality purposes but the 320d engine is dull as dishwater IMO.
Back onto Ebay, PH, AT, Gumtree we go and I stumbled upon an E91 335i Manual. On a train to Bristol the next evening and car back on the drive within 24hrs of spotting it.
Subsequently learned it’s a rare car indeed, only around 50 manual 335i tourers exist, less again with the iDrive which mine has. Less again in red i imagine
. New clutch and turbos in the last 10k receipted which was a significant factor.
First impressions, well this one boosts! My first E92 335i never worked during my ownership, 3psi max and the only thing that would have resolved it was turbo replacement/rebuild. So, after two years driving around in the A4 & 320d this thing feels properly quick. In gear, even stock (I’ll come to that in a sec) and in lardy E91 guise it seems quicker than all my E46 M3’s were in a straight line. Comparable power but tonnes more torque.
Speaking of torque, the very latest update is it now has more following some simple mods. Despite being a decade or two older I can’t escape being that same person who stripped interiors for Pod, or fitted scrapyard intercoolers to their Cally Turbo or tubular manifolds to their 200sx. Part of the reason that first attracted me to the 335i coupe a couple years ago was the tuning capability of the N54 engine.
So, no less than 1m after buying my car, there I am with extension leads running out to the car, battery charger connected and the MHD app on my phone. Approx 30 mins later I have mapped the car and have subsequently bought a FMIC & DCI kit too that I need to get around to fitting. I’m even toying with the idea of getting the catless downpipes and running Stage 2+ (circa 420bhp & 450+lbft). For now, I guess it should be around 360-370bhp and perhaps 400-420lbft, a very quick car in the real world and fairly discreet except to those who will notice the badge/twin standard exhaust.
The blue E91 320d i managed to persuade the mrs to have so running with these two for now.
Edited by ScottJB on Thursday 24th December 18:41
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