phantaz Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 well not only have a sold my ZX to buy a bike... i know i know but it was a good deal.. i have completely fallen to the darkside.. yes i am now the proud owner of a........ BMW actually it turned out to be a damn good deal... now before i get strung up let me splain.... I needed a good low mileage daily driver and wanted to keep my budget around 5k... which pretty much put me in the market for chevy cavalier... ugh. my dad stepped in and said he would help if he had a slight say in waht i bought... so i thought all my sport car aspirations went right down the toilet.."my current daily driver is a unkown mileage (180kplus???) 1994 crown vic which my dad gave me.. which is actually a great highway car.. cops drive em for a reason.. butt ugly but great air conditioners.. we have been looking for about 4 -5 months when i noticed this beemer in the autotrader in Tulsa kept showing up for around 10500 ...we had been looking at just about everything with 4doors and largish for me to go to school and work in... but one afternoon he called and talked to the lady and really thought she was nice and honest about the car and my dad basically talked her down to 8500!!!!!!!!! So we went to look at it.... ok get this.. 1997 328Is coupe. aftermarket BMW wheels, leather winter package, auto with m/a mode and sport mode in 3 ( basically ups the shifts points for some fine spirited driving) absolutly garage kept.. oil changed religiously, records out the wazoo... dark green and ......drum role please... 62,300 miles... even with the slightly higher insurance and possible parts issue.. damn stuff is spendy i could not resist.. after driving it and my dad saying jeez thats a tight car..i had to get it. it has your normal highway scratches and dings but its in GREAT condition considering it age and for the miles and price, nothing and I mean NOTHING we have been looking at came close.... and heres a picture of my new money pit...sorry its cell phone pic. comments???? suggestions??? please keep the flying dog poo to a minimum =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2003z Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 congrats, I think you will enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators RTz Posted May 2, 2007 Administrators Share Posted May 2, 2007 Welcome to the dark side!... I'm there myself ('88 M3) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantaz Posted May 2, 2007 Author Share Posted May 2, 2007 wow.... no flying poop yet. =0) i have to admit from driving it the last week or so why everyone compares their car to the BMW... and boy do i want one of these smooth running sixes in my Z.. but im thinking that would be an electrical nightmare. but sure would be nice =) any good websites you guys might direct me to would be appreciated also =) ill try to get some more pics up of the interior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
het976 Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Welcome to the club. I have an 06 330 ZHP coupe that I love. It is quick (0-60 5.6 sec) and smooth. You are right, the BMW 6 is like feels like silk and loves to rev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naplesZ Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Try bimmerforums com. I love my 05 325ci. They are exspensive to moddify but unless your going to race it there is really no need. Not that has ever stopped anyone from trying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Bimmer.org for forums, or terrysaytherauto.com for good tech write ups, great service, and good deals on parts. In your search, a helpful bit of info to know is that the internal chassis code on that model is E36. Its a great car, be aware that the interiors on those can be troublesome so treat her right and try to keep her covered as much as possible. Check craigslist for good used bimmer parts, especially the Dallas list. Once drove a E36 328is across the country and loved every minute of it (until I almost got a ticket for way fast in a way slow zone ). Anywho, lots of bimmer fans on this board so I wouldnt expect any poop tossing. enjoy your new ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Be sure to measure the engine copartment for a LS swap..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantaz Posted May 3, 2007 Author Share Posted May 3, 2007 Be sure to measure the engine copartment for a LS swap..... How about a flipside to that... turbo Z motor should fit and with a nice rust free body for once Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave240Z Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Nothing to be ashamed about. BMWs are great cars. That's a screaming deal for a low mileage E36 328is. Being a BMW owner myself ('00 M Coupe), I hear ya with regard to part cost, but you’ll also find that these cars are actually quite easy to work on. Oil changes and air filter changes are a breeze. If you can do some work yourself, you can save a bundle. They are also very reliable. My M Coupe hasn’t had any major problems outside of routine maintenance. They do tend to wear through stuff like brake pads/rotors/clutches/tires a bit faster than other ‘more ordinary’ vehicles, but that’s the price you pay. The achillles heel can be some electrical gremlins or the marginal cooling system. The cooling system now has plenty of aftermarket support and when replacing it with these parts (Stewart Water pump to replace the weak BMW unit, Zionsville Aluminum radiators to replace the plastic end-tanked BMW units which leak) go a long way towards making the car nearly bulletproof. They’re actually fairly efficient as well considering the power levels and fun factor. Enjoy the ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantaz Posted May 4, 2007 Author Share Posted May 4, 2007 Nothing to be ashamed about. BMWs are great cars. That's a screaming deal for a low mileage E36 328is. Being a BMW owner myself ('00 M Coupe), I hear ya with regard to part cost, but you’ll also find that these cars are actually quite easy to work on. Oil changes and air filter changes are a breeze. If you can do some work yourself, you can save a bundle. They are also very reliable. My M Coupe hasn’t had any major problems outside of routine maintenance. They do tend to wear through stuff like brake pads/rotors/clutches/tires a bit faster than other ‘more ordinary’ vehicles, but that’s the price you pay. The achillles heel can be some electrical gremlins or the marginal cooling system. The cooling system now has plenty of aftermarket support and when replacing it with these parts (Stewart Water pump to replace the weak BMW unit, Zionsville Aluminum radiators to replace the plastic end-tanked BMW units which leak) go a long way towards making the car nearly bulletproof. They’re actually fairly efficient as well considering the power levels and fun factor. Enjoy the ride! I had read something about the cooling problems on the earlier inline sixes.. guess i need to keep a good look out for that... but have plenty of experience since in a early z car guy =0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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