My Emotional/heart felt story

Alright guys this is it I've got an 2002 325CI
No engine mods.
I bought it used last year with 113k miles on it
had I known I wold have NEVER considered purchasing this thing.
I was young & distracted by the IFORGED daytona rims kenwood
kvt pop out, seat monitors & a 12 inch jl audio w3 sub.
man his thing LOOKED goregous. but little did I know ITD Be A NIGHTMARE ON WHEELS.
AnywhoI'm going back & fourth if I want a new one or not. I've spent so much time & money into this thing it kills me inside to let it go. after all it is my first car. Mind you the day after I bought it its just cut off on me while driving. I had a problem with the mass airflow sensor. got that replace. at about 118k miles I had to change the clutch & flywheel. About 128k miles coolant tank leak. PLUS I had to replace the head gasket! then about 135k miles I just replace the alternator. I pretty much almost spent as much money as I bought the car for into fixing it. which is a very bad investment. Mind you the leathers in good condition te drivers seat had a ripin it. the upholstery needs to be redone. someone hit me (crazy so cal drivers) so theres a dent on the rear pasenger side & rear bumpers scaped with paint chip. Last week sme clowns wake board flew off his dtruck & I hit it doing about 70mph. (which i couldnt avoid at ALL) the f*cked up my front bumper my fog lights just broken off chillin inside. its just an all bad situation nothing but headaches

HOWEVER I want to get everything fixed up & replaced im just going to trade it in & get whatever i can for it Im looking at redoing the upholstery, new bumpers, getting filers & sensors replaced all the hoses replaced also. by that time thatd be over what I paid for the thing so maybe I should just keep it?

Also I want to thank all you e46 fanatics out there for helping me. because of you guys I know so much more & feel like ive grown up & matured alot with my car. I now what to look out for now. Ive seen previous post of mine from awhile back & im like what the hell was i thinking. so just thank you guys for everything

there is a reason why smart high school kids pick Honda

That's crazy. What did the pre-purchase inspection say when you had it done?

which have it done are you talking about?

Originally Posted by mtnbound

That's crazy. What did the pre-purchase inspection say when you had it done?

I dont think he had a pre-purchase inspection done. What was ment by the pre-purchase inspection was did you pick your local bmw dealer to inspect the car before you bought it. After the inspection a list of things that need to be fixed or wrong with the car would be given to you.

Pop out screen and headrest monitors should have been an indication.

Well that was my BIGGEST MISAKE
I only test drove it. then looked at the carfax.
carfax was fine nothing stoodout on it. so i figured hey lets
talk numbers here.

@choxor elaborate what you mean by that.

Originally Posted by FastCHAZ

@choxor elaborate what you mean by that.

He is implying that pop out screens and headrest monitors usually come with a side of "no maintenance".

That being said, these cars require upkeep and it isn't cheap.

Spents $2000 on car DVD + stereo -> Running 25000 mile oil changes and 87 gas with blown shocks

My stomach hurts after reading this thread.

Originally Posted by illestminimike

My stomach hurts after reading this thread.

Fast Chaz must really be tugging on your heart strongs.

I will one up you.. I was on vacation and my little brother was looking for a car.. he ended up buying a 330cic... just as he was coming home so was i and we met an hour away from home... The car he bought 30 min ago dies... then starts.. then dies when traveling uphill... being an e46 owner for years i figured out it was a fuel pump topped of the tank and got it home..
The next morning.... It was a Washed title when i ran a carfax... the car sustained light front damage at some point... and best of all the idiots that sold it to him blacked out most of the lights on the gauge cluster... he was dissapointed.. so i bought it off him for what he paid for it..
I had to redo the top... new wiring/fabric..
FCAB
RCAB
New fluids
New abs sensors in the front..
Steering angle sensor
new pads/discs all around/sensors
all new shocks/tophats..
swaybar endlinks
cooling system overhaul with a metal impeler
DISA
VCG
CPS
Tires
Trunk wiring
Oil pan gasket
spark plugs


Took me all summer... and almost $6000 paid $4000 for the car... and today I finally finished it... now i just need to convince my gf that its better then her SC Scion TC so she ends up driving it and I don't have to sell it.
So yes you are not the only one... there are many ppl like us, but at the end of the day you took in a messed up car and you turned it into something nice.. and thats should be worth the trouble if you are an e46 Fanatic...


On a whole different note I work for a Toyota dealership and your car books for around $4000, however you will probably get 2-3k depending on the condition of the car because old high millage bmws are a pain in the @$$ and dealers know it... unless they are making $$$ on the car that you are buying then they might over-allow on the trade to make a deal with you

My advice is that you should sell it in the condition that it is in now on CL or here... you should be able to get more money this way...

not gonna lie, nothing you said was that bad. maybe the head gasket.
i literally just got done replacing everything steering related in my car.
i'm honestly happy i did it, and i essentially have an entirely new front end. i can't think of one thing in the front that is not new now
anyway, i've had a few project things like this. they're expensive and take time, but that's just how a car is.
it doesn't make you money, it consumes it.

i had to replace that crap because i hit something on the interstate just like you did.

Most everything on your list of things that you have done are about right with any car and that mileage. Time/wear/tear on any vehicle is going to take a toll and things are going to malfunction. One thing that I have come to realize, especially after spending time in these forums, is everyone always talks about maintenance here because they care about their cars lasting and not just flip outs and headrest monitors. (nothing against you)

If I had to make a suggestion, if you are going to trade it in, dont do anymore work. It is pointless to invest money into cosmetics if you are going to trade it in. You will not get the value added out of the trade. So your at a turning point, and the one thing I have realized is that I will never again not have a BMW in my garage. I have been through 13 vehicles and not a single one wrecked. There is something that comes along with those expensive parts and repairs that make the BMW so worth it. Hence, "The Ultimate Driving Machine" Good luck and best wishes.

Junk it for a couple hundred dollars.

Originally Posted by illestminimike

My stomach hurts after reading this thread.

Lol Imagine writing this dude.

Originally Posted by dreyo27

I will one up you.. I was on vacation and my little brother was looking for a car.. he ended up buying a 330cic... just as he was coming home so was i and we met an hour away from home... The car he bought 30 min ago dies... then starts.. then dies when traveling uphill... being an e46 owner for years i figured out it was a fuel pump topped of the tank and got it home..
The next morning.... It was a Washed title when i ran a carfax... the car sustained light front damage at some point... and best of all the idiots that sold it to him blacked out most of the lights on the gauge cluster... he was dissapointed.. so i bought it off him for what he paid for it..
I had to redo the top... new wiring/fabric..
FCAB
RCAB
New fluids
New abs sensors in the front..
Steering angle sensor
new pads/discs all around/sensors
all new shocks/tophats..
swaybar endlinks
cooling system overhaul with a metal impeler
DISA
VCG
CPS
Tires
Trunk wiring
Oil pan gasket
spark plugs


Took me all summer... and almost $6000 paid $4000 for the car... and today I finally finished it... now i just need to convince my gf that its better then her SC Scion TC so she ends up driving it and I don't have to sell it.
So yes you are not the only one... there are many ppl like us, but at the end of the day you took in a messed up car and you turned it into something nice.. and thats should be worth the trouble if you are an e46 Fanatic...


On a whole different note I work for a Toyota dealership and your car books for around $4000, however you will probably get 2-3k depending on the condition of the car because old high millage bmws are a pain in the @$$ and dealers know it... unless they are making $$$ on the car that you are buying then they might over-allow on the trade to make a deal with you

My advice is that you should sell it in the condition that it is in now on CL or here... you should be able to get more money this way...

WOW! My situation is nothing compared to yours. I wish I had someone to pay me what I paid for mine. I won't even name the price so lets say above 7k under 10k in that area. Congrads on getting it back to great condition. On the other hand I actually just drove the new scion fr-s its so clean!!! BUT I just for some reason can't leave my e46 family. Id take a 330ci or the cic.

Washed titles are scary. I'm told it's pretty easy to do.

Originally Posted by invictus

He is implying that pop out screens and headrest monitors usually come with a side of "no maintenance".

That being said, these cars require upkeep and it isn't cheap.

ok. Yeah I understand that. I know now. If I do decide to stay with another e46 ill have my indiyhop look at it. first.