Joining the fold

Put down a deposit on an '02 330Xi last night. Hope to pick it up Saturday.

I'm an e46 newbie, but have had 10 BMWs, including a '91 iX and an '88 M5.

Its an interesting build, and not what i would have chosen if i could have picked, but
A) the snow is falling in the pass near me, and, having lost my company car, I need an AWD NOW, in order to be able to get to and from Seattle for business.
B) the car is low mileage, in fantastic shape and the price was right

the details:
Ext: Japanrot One small door ding, NO rock chips, really shiny paint
Int: Beige, non sport, vinyl, silver trim, no sunroof , but, also in perfect condition
5 speed
had an inspection II done 2k miles ago at a highly regarded shop in Spokane, and they replaced front boots, repacked joints, but otherwise didnt find anything
Feels VERY tight, smooth, fast
Wheels look like e46 M3, style 67s, but they are 17". Could they be OEM, or are they replicas? From the little bit of searching I have had time for, I can only find references to 18"&19" as OEM.
Tires: Goodyear F1, still a season or so of tread

Really would like to change out the interior, to sport, black, but that will have to wait for $$, unless I find a screamin deal.

2 pics from the ad, (forgot to take more when i saw it ) will post more after I get it.

Michael

Paintless dent repair shops can remove the ding for maybe $125.
My guess is those are replica rims since the 17s that came stock were style 73 (radial spoke) a few others were available too - but not the ones you have.
Congrats on the xi buy!

No sunroof? That's a surprise. Grats.

Read:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/wiki/index.php?title=BMW_E46

Thanks. Yeah, I was surprised too on the sunroof. Didnt even notice at first.

Well, I live in a near dessert, and it's usually either too cold, or hot overhead sun, so I don't find my self using the sunroof much anyway, except for tilt up/air flow. Not the end of the world. One less thing to break.

My Xi doesn't have a sunroof either : /

Looks nice & clean. Enjoy!

Originally Posted by xi_ter

My guess is those are replica rims since the 17s that came stock were style 73 (radial spoke) a few others were available too - but not the ones you have.

I actually really love the look of style 73s, and prefer em to the M3 look. Now that I have pretty much figured out that the wheels on the car are aftermarket (I prefer OEM, unless they are really good aftermarket), I am gonna be on the hunt for a good deal on a set.

Was thinking I would get 16"s for winter, but discovered that's not viable, so I will probably put snows on the current wheels this winter and eventually get some style 17s.

Still trying to decide on winter tires, but leaning towards Michelin X-Ice Xi2, but I need to do something soon. Its already snowed on the pass that I have to travel over to get to Seattle (450" of snow a year!).

Found a clone of my car for sale. Near as I can tell its identical, except for the wheels (and it has more than double the mileage of mine ):
http://nwicars.com/view_vehicle.htm?vehicle_id=325

Picking the car up tomorrow. Very stoked.

Michael

I'm jazzed for you Michael. Fun and very capable car in the snow and a generally great group of guys on this forum. Beware of youngsters who know everything and will tell you all about what to do...although they have never done it themselves. Also good vendors on this site who will give you much info toward any parts or mods you need.

Let us know when you bring her home

TwoDuck

I see you're from Portland. Funny thing, I lived in PDX for from 95 to 07, and in 96, got a 325ix, mostly because I'd always wanted one when I lived in snow country in upstate NY, but couldn't afford them when they were that new, (and drove RWD BMWs most of that time).

I had the iX for a couple of years but rarely got into snow with it.

Now I live in Ellensburg, and had a AWD company car until recently. Now that I really NEED an AWD, I'm stuck with RWD (until tomorrow). Always seems like I have the wrong car

BTW, I dodged a couple of bullets. Almost got an Audi, and was seriously looking at Volvos. Finally came to my senses.

BTW, I hear you on the wisdom of youth (I'm 53).

^^ Yeah the style 73's look nice, but they are definitely not the strongest BMW wheels out there. Plus they are only 7" inches wide, which limits your tire choices.

I'm still in my 20's, but if you want some good advice- skip the Michelin snow tires. Nokian Hakkapeliitas are the snows you want on an xi.

Originally Posted by Kubica

^^ Yeah the style 73's look nice, but they are definitely not the strongest BMW wheels out there. Plus they are only 7" inches wide, which limits your tire choices.

I'm still in my 20's, but if you want some good advice- skip the Michelin snow tires. Nokian Hakkapeliitas are the snows you want on an xi.

Coincidentally, I have a pair of Hakka 10s in my garage that are either in their late teens or their 20s (us old folks lose track of these things).

Got the car, love it. Despite the fact that Hakkas are great, I ordered 16" Sport Edition A7 wheels and Blizzak WS70s from Tire Rack. I live in the boonies and dont have good retail options near me. I needed a quick solution so I am not snowed in for work trips in the next couple of weeks, and didn't want to mess around with getting tires from one place, wheels from another etc.

Wish the car has more options and sport seats but its super tight, super clean, fast, and an amazing car. 28mpg on the 3 hour trip back from Spokane, and (as you can imagine) not always sticking to the 70 MPH speed limit.

My only complaint is that it tramlines, but I will see how we do with the snow tires and then worry about it in the spring when I get new summer tires.