I've been a lurker here for quite some time. My first bimmer was a hand-me-down '03 325i with the M56 SULEV engine, which only came in steptronic. That vehicle now belongs to my mother. When I was in the market for another car, I decided that I want another E46 sedan, but with a manual gearbox.
I recently purchased a 2003 Orient Blue 325i 5-speed manual with 145K miles for $3700 ($4000 including the $300 dealer fee) from a shady car dealer :read: . The trunk floor was cut out for a quad exhaust (and a new one was never welded in :tsk: ), which the car already came with when I purchased it, and an aftermarket spoiler was installed by one of the five previous owners :thumbdwn: . A good portion of the lights in the gauge cluster were taped over with electrical tape :censor: (the SES light, passenger airbag occupancy light, ABS light, DSC light, BRAKE light, among others), yet only the SES and passenger airbag light are actually on. The wheels are mismatched (E39 M5 fronts in front and E46 M3 fronts in the rear), the headlights work intermittently (sometimes they do not turn on unless I flick the switch on and off until they do) :hmm: , and there are numerous other things I need to iron out.
So this car definitely needs some TLC. I've changed the oil to Mobile1 0W40 and have purchased a new coolant thermostat (haven't yet installed it), since the old one is presumably stuck open, as I have a low coolant temperature check-engine code. Replacing the valve cover gasket and installing viton VANOS seals are something I will be doing soon as preventative maintenance. All in all though, I am happy with this car as she drives superbly. :D
Planned mods:
-LSD
-SSK
-ZHP-style shift knob
-19" or 18" CSL reps
-New suspension (not sure what exactly yet)
-Replacing myrtle wood trim with aluminum trim or ZHP black cube trim
-Welding up the trunk floor or welding in an M3 one
-M3-style rear bumper for the quad pipes
-Repainting the horribly-painted M-tech II front bumper the car came with
-Ridding the car of the spoiler (might have to replace the trunk lid for that)
-Maybe an M54B30 or S54 swap? Depends on my future budget and whether I eventually replace the car rather than doing an engine swap.
and a lot more. I look forward to being an active member on here. :hi:
I recently purchased a 2003 Orient Blue 325i 5-speed manual with 145K miles for $3700 ($4000 including the $300 dealer fee) from a shady car dealer :read: . The trunk floor was cut out for a quad exhaust (and a new one was never welded in :tsk: ), which the car already came with when I purchased it, and an aftermarket spoiler was installed by one of the five previous owners :thumbdwn: . A good portion of the lights in the gauge cluster were taped over with electrical tape :censor: (the SES light, passenger airbag occupancy light, ABS light, DSC light, BRAKE light, among others), yet only the SES and passenger airbag light are actually on. The wheels are mismatched (E39 M5 fronts in front and E46 M3 fronts in the rear), the headlights work intermittently (sometimes they do not turn on unless I flick the switch on and off until they do) :hmm: , and there are numerous other things I need to iron out.
So this car definitely needs some TLC. I've changed the oil to Mobile1 0W40 and have purchased a new coolant thermostat (haven't yet installed it), since the old one is presumably stuck open, as I have a low coolant temperature check-engine code. Replacing the valve cover gasket and installing viton VANOS seals are something I will be doing soon as preventative maintenance. All in all though, I am happy with this car as she drives superbly. :D
Planned mods:
-LSD
-SSK
-ZHP-style shift knob
-19" or 18" CSL reps
-New suspension (not sure what exactly yet)
-Replacing myrtle wood trim with aluminum trim or ZHP black cube trim
-Welding up the trunk floor or welding in an M3 one
-M3-style rear bumper for the quad pipes
-Repainting the horribly-painted M-tech II front bumper the car came with
-Ridding the car of the spoiler (might have to replace the trunk lid for that)
-Maybe an M54B30 or S54 swap? Depends on my future budget and whether I eventually replace the car rather than doing an engine swap.
and a lot more. I look forward to being an active member on here. :hi:
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