Alfa Romeo and some interesting BMWs
Discussion
Hi there,
I've been lurking on PH for a few years now and since I had some free time tonight I thought it was about time I posted.
What better way to introduce myself than with my (small) car history.
Anyway, without further ado, here it is.
I drove a dire, gutless 1.2 Corsa for a couple of years after passing my test, and while it was perfectly reliable and functional, it very nearly suffocated my lifelong enthusiasm for cars.
Luckily while I owned the Corsa, I saved up some money and was soon able to buy my first "proper" car, an Alfa Brera 2.2 Speciale:
This really kindled my interest. It was a beautiful car and lived wholeheartedly up to the Italian stereotype; it was genuinely charismatic, sounded great for a four cylinder (petrol of course), but was a little temperamental - you could never guarantee which way the window would respond to the switch, and turning on the stereo would sometimes light up the hazards. Fundamentally reliable though. Only time it went wrong was when my brother borrowed it, filled it up and didn't tighten the filler cap. I then washed it and filled the tank with water, which was then run through the whole fuel system until it got stuck in the cylinders. Complete pain in the arse.
Apart from that, the only expense was annual servicing. And a remap by Angel Tuning to sort the terrible behaviour of the engine at low revs.
Anyway, being one of 500 UK-only Prodrive special editions, it handled and steered really well.
Sadly, however, it lacked power and was thoroughly front wheel drive, so six months later (while keeping the Alfa) I found myself buying this from a particularly dodgy dealer:
A BMW E46 330CI Clubsport.
I was won over by the lovely paint (wrongly took that to be indicative of the wider condition), and moreover it seemed okay in the test drive, engine and gearbox were smooth.
Had the route been less urban and actually involved speed, I would have discovered the suspension was completed knackered. Ended up replacing almost every expendable part - springs, dampers, bushes, control arms etc. Plus proper tyres, clutch, flywheel, refurbished wheels, brake discs and pads and much more. I spent far too much money perfecting this car.
None-the-less, a great car and superb value for the money (ignoring the huge amount of money I spent restoring it - man maths at its best). I added a lovely exhaust and revelled in the noise of the straight six. Don't listen to anyone who tells you cat-back aftermarket exhausts don't sound good on these cars, it's a lie.
That satisfied my appetite for almost a year and convinced me of the absolute goodness of old-ish, naturally-aspirated BMWs. But I soon found myself buying this (on behalf of my brother), from an even dodgier, private seller:
It's a 1999 740i, with the 4.4L V8. I went on a test drive and everything seemed great. The seller unreservedly swore on his cherished Christian faith that it was a perfect car.
Second time I drove it, ABS, airbag and traction control lights lit up and stayed lit. Wipers and headlights failed intermittently.
This problem went away when the car was restarted, but would soon come back. The seller got very lucky, in so far as this intermittent problem didn't appear on our long test drive.
My brother spent hundreds of pounds at garages chasing the problem. They replaced the brake switch and fixed the wiring loom under the right hand side wheel arch, without any luck. Finally, when no one could find the problem, I tried replacing the ignition switch (a common problem on these cars). Part cost about £40 and took about an hour. And hallelujah, problem fixed.
My brother also had to do the following:
-Replace budget tyres
-Rocker cover gaskets (despite only being done two years earlier)
-Rear bushes (I forget which)
-Cracked brake hoses
-Throttle body gasket (unstable idle)
-Upper radiator hoses
-Climate control panel
And more I forget. But he's ended up with a pretty solid car. The engine and gearbox are really strong. It's pretty extensively modified (I think his insurer had to contact IT to lengthen the allowed list of modifications), and while I wouldn't have done most of that stuff myself, I actually quite like the overall look and drive.
Anyway, back to me. After two years of ownership in December, and with deep regret, I sold the Alfa to free up some funds. First time I've sold a car on PH, and although it was a lot slower than Autotrader, the buyer was a lovely guy and I was very happy with how it went.
Finally, a few months after selling the Alfa, a few weeks ago now, I purchased my first dream car:
Lovely colour combination of midnight blue with champagne leather.
Apologies for the poor quality images, I ripped them from the seller's ad.
Anyway, it's a Z4M. With 48,000 miles. And the E46 M3's S54 3.2L straight six. And the brakes from the CSL. And a carbon fibre air intake.
I am in love.
It's not perfect - handling is a little unsettled by an overly stiff ride, but I still love it.
The noise, the performance, the sense of occasion every time I get in it. Superb.
This particular car is in tremendous condition as well. Mechanically like new.
Why not get the better balanced, more practical and cheaper M3 you ask? Having owned (and continuing to own) an E46 for almost two years, I just find the design of the E46 (while excellent) too familiar and too mundane. The Z4M is stunning in my eyes, especially with CSL wheels. The other issue is that it's nearly impossible to find an E46 that hasn't been neglected by one of its many previous owners. I got bored of seeing M3s in dodgy colour combinations with worn leather, poor service histories and budget tyres. The more expensive examples generally have fewer miles but all the same problems.
My car on the other hand had a great, mature previous owner, who only used the car on the weekends, and only then in the dry. And you can tell - the underside is so clean. He was on the ball with servicing as well.
Only mod I've done so far is a BMW stubby aerial.
Anyway, that's my car history so far. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it. I will update soon, plus more images.
I also have serious respect for those of you who write these threads after this, it really takes time.
Regards,
Ben
I've been lurking on PH for a few years now and since I had some free time tonight I thought it was about time I posted.
What better way to introduce myself than with my (small) car history.
Anyway, without further ado, here it is.
I drove a dire, gutless 1.2 Corsa for a couple of years after passing my test, and while it was perfectly reliable and functional, it very nearly suffocated my lifelong enthusiasm for cars.
Luckily while I owned the Corsa, I saved up some money and was soon able to buy my first "proper" car, an Alfa Brera 2.2 Speciale:
This really kindled my interest. It was a beautiful car and lived wholeheartedly up to the Italian stereotype; it was genuinely charismatic, sounded great for a four cylinder (petrol of course), but was a little temperamental - you could never guarantee which way the window would respond to the switch, and turning on the stereo would sometimes light up the hazards. Fundamentally reliable though. Only time it went wrong was when my brother borrowed it, filled it up and didn't tighten the filler cap. I then washed it and filled the tank with water, which was then run through the whole fuel system until it got stuck in the cylinders. Complete pain in the arse.
Apart from that, the only expense was annual servicing. And a remap by Angel Tuning to sort the terrible behaviour of the engine at low revs.
Anyway, being one of 500 UK-only Prodrive special editions, it handled and steered really well.
Sadly, however, it lacked power and was thoroughly front wheel drive, so six months later (while keeping the Alfa) I found myself buying this from a particularly dodgy dealer:
A BMW E46 330CI Clubsport.
I was won over by the lovely paint (wrongly took that to be indicative of the wider condition), and moreover it seemed okay in the test drive, engine and gearbox were smooth.
Had the route been less urban and actually involved speed, I would have discovered the suspension was completed knackered. Ended up replacing almost every expendable part - springs, dampers, bushes, control arms etc. Plus proper tyres, clutch, flywheel, refurbished wheels, brake discs and pads and much more. I spent far too much money perfecting this car.
None-the-less, a great car and superb value for the money (ignoring the huge amount of money I spent restoring it - man maths at its best). I added a lovely exhaust and revelled in the noise of the straight six. Don't listen to anyone who tells you cat-back aftermarket exhausts don't sound good on these cars, it's a lie.
That satisfied my appetite for almost a year and convinced me of the absolute goodness of old-ish, naturally-aspirated BMWs. But I soon found myself buying this (on behalf of my brother), from an even dodgier, private seller:
It's a 1999 740i, with the 4.4L V8. I went on a test drive and everything seemed great. The seller unreservedly swore on his cherished Christian faith that it was a perfect car.
Second time I drove it, ABS, airbag and traction control lights lit up and stayed lit. Wipers and headlights failed intermittently.
This problem went away when the car was restarted, but would soon come back. The seller got very lucky, in so far as this intermittent problem didn't appear on our long test drive.
My brother spent hundreds of pounds at garages chasing the problem. They replaced the brake switch and fixed the wiring loom under the right hand side wheel arch, without any luck. Finally, when no one could find the problem, I tried replacing the ignition switch (a common problem on these cars). Part cost about £40 and took about an hour. And hallelujah, problem fixed.
My brother also had to do the following:
-Replace budget tyres
-Rocker cover gaskets (despite only being done two years earlier)
-Rear bushes (I forget which)
-Cracked brake hoses
-Throttle body gasket (unstable idle)
-Upper radiator hoses
-Climate control panel
And more I forget. But he's ended up with a pretty solid car. The engine and gearbox are really strong. It's pretty extensively modified (I think his insurer had to contact IT to lengthen the allowed list of modifications), and while I wouldn't have done most of that stuff myself, I actually quite like the overall look and drive.
Anyway, back to me. After two years of ownership in December, and with deep regret, I sold the Alfa to free up some funds. First time I've sold a car on PH, and although it was a lot slower than Autotrader, the buyer was a lovely guy and I was very happy with how it went.
Finally, a few months after selling the Alfa, a few weeks ago now, I purchased my first dream car:
Lovely colour combination of midnight blue with champagne leather.
Apologies for the poor quality images, I ripped them from the seller's ad.
Anyway, it's a Z4M. With 48,000 miles. And the E46 M3's S54 3.2L straight six. And the brakes from the CSL. And a carbon fibre air intake.
I am in love.
It's not perfect - handling is a little unsettled by an overly stiff ride, but I still love it.
The noise, the performance, the sense of occasion every time I get in it. Superb.
This particular car is in tremendous condition as well. Mechanically like new.
Why not get the better balanced, more practical and cheaper M3 you ask? Having owned (and continuing to own) an E46 for almost two years, I just find the design of the E46 (while excellent) too familiar and too mundane. The Z4M is stunning in my eyes, especially with CSL wheels. The other issue is that it's nearly impossible to find an E46 that hasn't been neglected by one of its many previous owners. I got bored of seeing M3s in dodgy colour combinations with worn leather, poor service histories and budget tyres. The more expensive examples generally have fewer miles but all the same problems.
My car on the other hand had a great, mature previous owner, who only used the car on the weekends, and only then in the dry. And you can tell - the underside is so clean. He was on the ball with servicing as well.
Only mod I've done so far is a BMW stubby aerial.
Anyway, that's my car history so far. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it. I will update soon, plus more images.
I also have serious respect for those of you who write these threads after this, it really takes time.
Regards,
Ben
Edited by DeathbeforeDiesel on Thursday 21st April 01:56
Edited by DeathbeforeDiesel on Thursday 21st April 01:58
Thanks guys.
The quality of the metalwork was decent (although fitting was a pain - it came in three parts, none of which even vaguely fitted together or the car), but the sound was really no different to stock. So I had the middle silencer (of three) removed. On the stock exhaust the middle silencer is the resonator and removal is a no-no, but on the Scorpion I believe it is purely a silencer - either way, I'm happy with the result. It's by no means boy racer loud, but it's purposeful and aggressive. Nice growl on start-up, sounds great at high revs and crackles and pops (quietly) on overrun. Single most enjoyable mod I did.
Sorry about the slightly lengthy reply.
coopedup said:
Nice cars, can I ask what exhaust you put on the E46 330 as I am thinking about this myself
Initially I purchased a cat-back Scorpion exhaust, since they had a good reputation on the E36.The quality of the metalwork was decent (although fitting was a pain - it came in three parts, none of which even vaguely fitted together or the car), but the sound was really no different to stock. So I had the middle silencer (of three) removed. On the stock exhaust the middle silencer is the resonator and removal is a no-no, but on the Scorpion I believe it is purely a silencer - either way, I'm happy with the result. It's by no means boy racer loud, but it's purposeful and aggressive. Nice growl on start-up, sounds great at high revs and crackles and pops (quietly) on overrun. Single most enjoyable mod I did.
Sorry about the slightly lengthy reply.
LeoZwalf said:
Champagne interior. Winner 
Couldn't agree more 
roadie said:
Fantastic thread and your Z4M is just beautiful.
What's the current status of the Clubsport?
Thanks mate.What's the current status of the Clubsport?
I was keen to avoid mentioning this, since I didn't want this thread to become an extension of the advert, but for now the Clubsport is on the Classifieds. Given how impractical the Z4 is, I may end up keeping it for everyday duty though. Currently undecided.
DeathbeforeDiesel said:
Thanks guys.
The quality of the metalwork was decent (although fitting was a pain - it came in three parts, none of which even vaguely fitted together or the car), but the sound was really no different to stock. So I had the middle silencer (of three) removed. On the stock exhaust the middle silencer is the resonator and removal is a no-no, but on the Scorpion I believe it is purely a silencer - either way, I'm happy with the result. It's by no means boy racer loud, but it's purposeful and aggressive. Nice growl on start-up, sounds great at high revs and crackles and pops (quietly) on overrun. Single most enjoyable mod I did.
Sorry about the slightly lengthy reply.
No probs, thanks for taking the time to reply coopedup said:
Nice cars, can I ask what exhaust you put on the E46 330 as I am thinking about this myself
Initially I purchased a cat-back Scorpion exhaust, since they had a good reputation on the E36.The quality of the metalwork was decent (although fitting was a pain - it came in three parts, none of which even vaguely fitted together or the car), but the sound was really no different to stock. So I had the middle silencer (of three) removed. On the stock exhaust the middle silencer is the resonator and removal is a no-no, but on the Scorpion I believe it is purely a silencer - either way, I'm happy with the result. It's by no means boy racer loud, but it's purposeful and aggressive. Nice growl on start-up, sounds great at high revs and crackles and pops (quietly) on overrun. Single most enjoyable mod I did.
Sorry about the slightly lengthy reply.
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