SOLD!!!
Where to start with this car. Well, I don't really want to sell it, but I don't have a proper garage to store it in and I don't drive it much anymore. These cars are getting harder to find these days and I'd rather it be in the hands of someone who will appreciate and drive it. This car had never left me stranded, always gets a thumbs up from people, and is just a joy to drive. What more could you ask of a car? Every time I've mentioned selling it, people say you're crazy, there's no other car that fits you better. Well, maybe they're right, but I just don't see a future with it at the moment.
Some car history: I'm the 3rd owner. The 1st owner of the car had it up until 2014 (irrc) when the head gasket blew and they no longer wanted to put anymore money into it. The 2nd owner was a BMW Mechanic in Phoenix, AZ who scooped it up not running and swapped out the original motor for a Bavarian Auto Recycling motor with 130,000 miles on it when the car read about 200,000 miles on the ODO. He replaced most of the hard to reach seals, replaced the clutch and flywheel with a new LUK unit, new control arms, brake rotors and pads front and back, radiator and radiator hoses, etc. I purchased the car with 208,000 miles on it and it was ready to go. His particular taste was not for me with 17" Rotiform wheels, blacked out tint with stickers, and a racing seat. I've slowly brought it back to more of an OEM+ feel. The car has always been garage kept between all the owners and myself, and I think that shows in how well the paint is holding up. It's always been in either Arizona or California, and managed to avoid rust very well. The car has never been in any kind of accident at all. No paint or body work has been performed. All panels are VIN matched and original.
VIN: WBAAA1306KEC64557
Current ODO: 239,299 / Miles on the replacement engine roughly 169,000
Recent Larger Maintenance Items Replaced: I've mostly had JMP Autowerkz tend to the larger projects on this car, so I've got some receipts for most of it.
+ Valve adjustment - 4/11/2022
+ Front and rear wheel alignment - 4/11/2022
+ GKN rear axles (both sides) - 2021
+ FAG rear wheel bearings (both sides) - 2021
+ Rogue Engineering Rear Strut Tower Mounts - 2021
+ New Hella brake light switch - 2020
+ OEM Passenger Door Window Seal - 2019
+ OEM E30 M3 Front Control Arm Bushings - 2019
+ OEM Front Strut Tower Mounts - 2019
+ OEM Spark plug wires, rotor, and distributor cap, spark plugs - 2019
+ New Battery - 2019
+ Garagistic Odometer Gears - 2018 (I put about 20 miles on the car before swapping these in)
+ OEM power steering hoses replaced - 2018
+ E36 M3 power steering rack swap - 2018
+ Timing belt, water pump, crank shaft seal, cam shaft seal - 2017
+ OEM fan clutch replaced - 2017
+ Turner Motorsport Rebuild-able Driveshaft, OEM Guibo, Center Support Bearing - 2015
+ Rear diff fluid changed and Garagistic 80a Rear Diff bushing installed - 2015
Engine Mods:
+ Miller GEN III MAF conversion, WAR Chip, and Cold Air Intake
Suspension Mods:
+ Ground Control Coilovers - Installed at 208,000 miles. Fronts struts are starting to get tired it feels, and have started creaking a bit.
+ OEM E30 M3 front control arm bushings
+ Rogue Engineering Rear Strut Tower Mounts
Wheels:
+ AC Schnitzer Type I - 16x7.5 (I have the original center caps too! / They're in need of a refinish, but in solid shape otherwise)
+ BFG G-Force Sport Comp 2 - 205/50 - Only about 10k miles on them will tons of life left
Body Mods:
+ Full OEM Euro Bumper Trim
+ ZKW Clear Front Turn Signals
+ OEM Euro Grilles
+ OEM EURO Smoked Headlights (Included in sale with pigtails to wire in)
+ OEM Fog Light Deletes (Included in sale / unpainted)
+ Thule Roof Rack
+ New OEM B-Pillar Trim (Included in sale / Driver's side has been replaced already)
Body Condition: The only spots of rust are in the sunroof panel, otherwise it's super clean inside and out with no rust in any of the other typical spots. I've pictured the sunroof spot below. As for dents and dings, there are a few very minor things, but overall super clean. There are two small dents in the front passenger side quarter panel near the headlight, but I think it could be pulled out. The only eye sore, which is still hard to spot at first, is on the passenger side rocker panel. There's a bit of a gouge running about 8 inches down the side. I was planning to slap on some IS side skirts to complete the look and cover them up, just never got around to it.
Paint Condition: I would say it's a solid 8.5 out of 10, and just needs a real detailer to work their magic. There's no fading anywhere to be seen except very subtle fading on the side mirrors. The front IS splitter and rear IS wing have been sprayed in Plastidip and could use a respray. The windshield cowls are a little faded as are the windshield wipers
Interior Condition: Crack free dash, yahoo! It's in decent shape for a 30 year old car. but I'll let the pictures do the talking there. The houndstooth interior was swapped in a few years ago. I still have the entire original tan leather interior that came with the car aside from the drivers seat, and it will be included in the sale. The OG interior is in really solid shape, especially the door cards. All the electronics are in solid working condition, and this car was optioned with some fun stuff like the map light mirrors and the 13 button OBC. Heating works great, but sadly the AC quit a couple years back. Apparently there's a leak in the system, otherwise it would work fine. Never cared as it's SoCal and the windows were always down when I drove it.
Engine Bay Condition: Well, it's a bit old and in need of some love, but not bad overall. One thing to note, the previous owner removed the windshield wiper fluid tank. I had hopes of slapping a turbo the car at some point and never cared to replace it. The previous owner did a half-way decent job on cleaning up the intake manifold and valve cover, but it could use a refresh for sure.
Overall: The car drives amazing, sounds amazing, and loves cruising at all speeds. With the stiff suspension, you feel every pebble in the road, but that's what makes it fun to drive. The car feels like it's on rails, and the E36 M3 steering creates a super nimble, go-kart feel. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it across country as it sits. Pop open the sunroof, the pop-out rear windows!, and just cruise. It just got a nice tuneup last week with a solid bill of health. The car was last registered in FL, but is currently expired. I think it would pass smog no problem as it's still on the stock exhaust and cat, and just passed a vacuum leak down test with flying colors.
So, with prices going crazy all of a sudden I have no idea where this thing sits. R3V community, if you think it's over-valued please let me know. If it's under-valued, buy it, hahaha! Anyway, I'm just gonna throw it out there and see what happens. The car is located in LA and I'm happy to drive and meet up with any serious buyers to check out the car. I have a box full of parts for it too. Pretty sure there's a Garagistic DSSR in there too. Connect through private messages and we'll go from there 👍
Price: $14,500 OBO
Cheers!
20220416_102833 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_102843 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_102851 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_102909 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_102927 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_102953 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_103151 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_103155 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_103158 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_103220 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_115619 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_115644 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_115657 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_115719 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_115723 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_115813 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_115825 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_115834 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_115918 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_115931 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_120038 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_120112 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_120150 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_120214 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_120253 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_120403 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_120419 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
20220416_120502 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
Where to start with this car. Well, I don't really want to sell it, but I don't have a proper garage to store it in and I don't drive it much anymore. These cars are getting harder to find these days and I'd rather it be in the hands of someone who will appreciate and drive it. This car had never left me stranded, always gets a thumbs up from people, and is just a joy to drive. What more could you ask of a car? Every time I've mentioned selling it, people say you're crazy, there's no other car that fits you better. Well, maybe they're right, but I just don't see a future with it at the moment.
Some car history: I'm the 3rd owner. The 1st owner of the car had it up until 2014 (irrc) when the head gasket blew and they no longer wanted to put anymore money into it. The 2nd owner was a BMW Mechanic in Phoenix, AZ who scooped it up not running and swapped out the original motor for a Bavarian Auto Recycling motor with 130,000 miles on it when the car read about 200,000 miles on the ODO. He replaced most of the hard to reach seals, replaced the clutch and flywheel with a new LUK unit, new control arms, brake rotors and pads front and back, radiator and radiator hoses, etc. I purchased the car with 208,000 miles on it and it was ready to go. His particular taste was not for me with 17" Rotiform wheels, blacked out tint with stickers, and a racing seat. I've slowly brought it back to more of an OEM+ feel. The car has always been garage kept between all the owners and myself, and I think that shows in how well the paint is holding up. It's always been in either Arizona or California, and managed to avoid rust very well. The car has never been in any kind of accident at all. No paint or body work has been performed. All panels are VIN matched and original.
VIN: WBAAA1306KEC64557
Current ODO: 239,299 / Miles on the replacement engine roughly 169,000
Recent Larger Maintenance Items Replaced: I've mostly had JMP Autowerkz tend to the larger projects on this car, so I've got some receipts for most of it.
+ Valve adjustment - 4/11/2022
+ Front and rear wheel alignment - 4/11/2022
+ GKN rear axles (both sides) - 2021
+ FAG rear wheel bearings (both sides) - 2021
+ Rogue Engineering Rear Strut Tower Mounts - 2021
+ New Hella brake light switch - 2020
+ OEM Passenger Door Window Seal - 2019
+ OEM E30 M3 Front Control Arm Bushings - 2019
+ OEM Front Strut Tower Mounts - 2019
+ OEM Spark plug wires, rotor, and distributor cap, spark plugs - 2019
+ New Battery - 2019
+ Garagistic Odometer Gears - 2018 (I put about 20 miles on the car before swapping these in)
+ OEM power steering hoses replaced - 2018
+ E36 M3 power steering rack swap - 2018
+ Timing belt, water pump, crank shaft seal, cam shaft seal - 2017
+ OEM fan clutch replaced - 2017
+ Turner Motorsport Rebuild-able Driveshaft, OEM Guibo, Center Support Bearing - 2015
+ Rear diff fluid changed and Garagistic 80a Rear Diff bushing installed - 2015
Engine Mods:
+ Miller GEN III MAF conversion, WAR Chip, and Cold Air Intake
Suspension Mods:
+ Ground Control Coilovers - Installed at 208,000 miles. Fronts struts are starting to get tired it feels, and have started creaking a bit.
+ OEM E30 M3 front control arm bushings
+ Rogue Engineering Rear Strut Tower Mounts
Wheels:
+ AC Schnitzer Type I - 16x7.5 (I have the original center caps too! / They're in need of a refinish, but in solid shape otherwise)
+ BFG G-Force Sport Comp 2 - 205/50 - Only about 10k miles on them will tons of life left
Body Mods:
+ Full OEM Euro Bumper Trim
+ ZKW Clear Front Turn Signals
+ OEM Euro Grilles
+ OEM EURO Smoked Headlights (Included in sale with pigtails to wire in)
+ OEM Fog Light Deletes (Included in sale / unpainted)
+ Thule Roof Rack
+ New OEM B-Pillar Trim (Included in sale / Driver's side has been replaced already)
Body Condition: The only spots of rust are in the sunroof panel, otherwise it's super clean inside and out with no rust in any of the other typical spots. I've pictured the sunroof spot below. As for dents and dings, there are a few very minor things, but overall super clean. There are two small dents in the front passenger side quarter panel near the headlight, but I think it could be pulled out. The only eye sore, which is still hard to spot at first, is on the passenger side rocker panel. There's a bit of a gouge running about 8 inches down the side. I was planning to slap on some IS side skirts to complete the look and cover them up, just never got around to it.
Paint Condition: I would say it's a solid 8.5 out of 10, and just needs a real detailer to work their magic. There's no fading anywhere to be seen except very subtle fading on the side mirrors. The front IS splitter and rear IS wing have been sprayed in Plastidip and could use a respray. The windshield cowls are a little faded as are the windshield wipers
Interior Condition: Crack free dash, yahoo! It's in decent shape for a 30 year old car. but I'll let the pictures do the talking there. The houndstooth interior was swapped in a few years ago. I still have the entire original tan leather interior that came with the car aside from the drivers seat, and it will be included in the sale. The OG interior is in really solid shape, especially the door cards. All the electronics are in solid working condition, and this car was optioned with some fun stuff like the map light mirrors and the 13 button OBC. Heating works great, but sadly the AC quit a couple years back. Apparently there's a leak in the system, otherwise it would work fine. Never cared as it's SoCal and the windows were always down when I drove it.
Engine Bay Condition: Well, it's a bit old and in need of some love, but not bad overall. One thing to note, the previous owner removed the windshield wiper fluid tank. I had hopes of slapping a turbo the car at some point and never cared to replace it. The previous owner did a half-way decent job on cleaning up the intake manifold and valve cover, but it could use a refresh for sure.
Overall: The car drives amazing, sounds amazing, and loves cruising at all speeds. With the stiff suspension, you feel every pebble in the road, but that's what makes it fun to drive. The car feels like it's on rails, and the E36 M3 steering creates a super nimble, go-kart feel. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it across country as it sits. Pop open the sunroof, the pop-out rear windows!, and just cruise. It just got a nice tuneup last week with a solid bill of health. The car was last registered in FL, but is currently expired. I think it would pass smog no problem as it's still on the stock exhaust and cat, and just passed a vacuum leak down test with flying colors.
So, with prices going crazy all of a sudden I have no idea where this thing sits. R3V community, if you think it's over-valued please let me know. If it's under-valued, buy it, hahaha! Anyway, I'm just gonna throw it out there and see what happens. The car is located in LA and I'm happy to drive and meet up with any serious buyers to check out the car. I have a box full of parts for it too. Pretty sure there's a Garagistic DSSR in there too. Connect through private messages and we'll go from there 👍
Price: $14,500 OBO
Cheers!
20220416_102833 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_102843 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_102851 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_102909 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_102927 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_102953 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_103151 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_103155 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_103158 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_103220 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_115619 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_115644 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_115657 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_115719 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_115723 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_115813 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_115825 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_115834 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_115918 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_115931 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_120038 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_120112 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_120150 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_120214 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_120253 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_120403 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_120419 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr20220416_120502 by Marc Nespoli, on Flickr
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