Whats better?

[hitman75]

I am in the market for a 325, I am looking at two 02 325i's and one is a manual and the other is a automatic with the auto-stick. the auto has 62,xxx miles and the 5 speed has 124,xxx. what do you guys think?

[Undrstm8ed]

My line of thinking has always been "Whats the intention of the cars use?"

If its a daily driver and less of a toy I'd consider the Slush O Matic. There are still upgrades for the Auto and it does have it practicality. I prefer a manual but i'm at that age now where I know i'll regret having it but the simplicity it offers is worth more.

Plus, Living in a target rich environment, I date more than I race so the Auto has other advantages...

[hitman75]

ya it is going to be a daily driver, I can get a way better deal on the "slush O Matic" and it has way lower miles. Why did you call it the slush o matic? jw

[Undrstm8ed]

ya it is going to be a daily driver, I can get a way better deal on the "slush O Matic" and it has way lower miles. Why did you call it the slush o matic? jw

For the daily grind I prefer the Auto now myself. Low miles by almost half as it seems is a big plus. Plus not everyone drives a manual like a car. Its why I get a sinking feeling when I looked at Honda's and the first thing the guy says is "oh yea, I dun babied it cause its a stick" Which to me is red flag for i ragged on my car, but you cant tell how much.

And i called it a "slush o matic" cause in days of old before there were computer control devices inside there was little you could do to get what you wanted out of an Auto. They generally couldn't hold much power and although consistent.. predictable to the opposition.

I just picked up a very clean 00' 328i, i picked it in a coupe with an auto for a couple reasons. Besides the Company car i used to have, its my first Auto ever. However i'm confident i didnt make a poor decision...

besides ther is a couple Dinan dealers nearby

[hitman75]

Ya the miles are a huge bonus. plus my friend owns a used car dealership so he can get me a great deal. im getting it for 11000 and that includes a bumper to bumper warranty for three years. is that a good deal? i see the people come in and say that they take car of there car but i know that every night they are racing every joe blow they can find. Plus i live in south dakota so i think the auto might do better in the snow. If its not to much to ask what is some good brands for bmw? all my friends ether drive dsm's or Subaru's. and i really dont know what is acceptable in the bmw world.

[Manolito]

I personally drive only 5-speed sticks, but the wife transitioned to automatics about 10 years ago, so now we have two sticks and two automatics in the household. One daughter got my old e36 stick and the other got Mom's old e36 automatic.

You are correct that an automatic is easier to drive on snow and ice. It is also slightly less likely to have been abused, all other things being equal. I would avoid any 3-series that shows evidence of modification (cold air intake, coilovers, etc.) The stick shift would get you 2-3 more mpg on the open road. If you don't have a strong preference for a stick, it sounds like the automatic is the better choice.

I did not understand your question about brands.

By DSM and Subaru I presume you mean that they drive EVOs and MRX STI's right? Don't try to keep up with them on snow and ice, dirt, or a tight track, or anywhere else for that matter. They will leave a 325 like you were standing still. On the other hand, your car will cost less in the long run, rides much better, and looks a lot classier on a date.

If the car does not have nice wheels on it, that is the only modification I would make on an '02 325. The 'base' wheels on those cars were not very attractive. With the right wheels, it can be a beautiful car.

With regard to problems, I think that the '02 may have been one of the years that had the weak clutch pack retainer in the automatic transmission. You should do a web search to see. If it has not been replaced, it is just about to let go at 60k miles. That warranty might come in really handy in that case. The replacement part is much stronger so you don't have to worry about it failing again. The only other weak spots I know of in this car are the sunroof and window regulators. You will learn how to fix those yourself if you keep the car very long. Otherwise, these are very trouble-free cars.

Oh yes, and the tail light grounds. You will need to add secondary ground wires when the original grounds corrode, if that has not already been done. Cleaning the original grounds is only a temporary fix.

[Undrstm8ed]

Originally Posted by hitman75

Ya the miles are a huge bonus. plus my friend owns a used car dealership so he can get me a great deal. im getting it for 11000 and that includes a bumper to bumper warranty for three years. is that a good deal? i see the people come in and say that they take car of there car but i know that every night they are racing every joe blow they can find. Plus i live in south dakota so i think the auto might do better in the snow. If its not to much to ask what is some good brands for bmw? all my friends ether drive dsm's or Subaru's. and i really dont know what is acceptable in the bmw world.

Man above has good advice to follow...

Living most of my life in the Detroit , MI. area (or Detoilet as i call it now lol). One thing ive always done with my cars toys or not. Dedicated Winter tire like a Blizzak, and my Yokohama or Falcon Summer tires. Ground clearance is needed for more rural areas but in the city areas a dedicated snow tire will get you through a lot. remember its not about being able to accelerate.. its about stopping. AWD or 4x4 wont help you in that matter whatsoever either. ESC, TC, and ABS will.

As far as brands, be perfectly honest I'm sorta in the know in the European world but I've spent the last 20 years or so almost exclusively in the Asian after market. But AC Shnitzer, Hamman, Dinan are some of your I believe high line products. there are some spurs off from HKS, Agency power and others. Just to a lot of research, and remember there are three ways to shop; Price, quality, and service.....Pick 2

I'll shop by quality and service before price any day. Keep it simple, clean, and functional... Post a few pics so you can keep track of your progress. I think i saw a project thread in a post on here.

[hitman75]

I really do appricate all the help you guys are giving me. And dont worry i am not trying to keep up with the evo's or sti with speed but more if looks. The other problem i had with the 5 speed was when i was on the intersate in 5th gear it was still reving at 3 grand, i dont think that is normal mabye it is for bmws but for the other manual cars i have drivin it reves just about 2 grand. I am thinkiing about puting on bbs rs 3 peice rims with the gold center if i can find them. This car is going to be a nice daily driver. i am building up a 75 pontiac right now and thats going to be my really fast car. im building the motor up to 500hp on strait motor. can you turbo an auto? or should i even consider a turbo or a super charger? what are your guys thoughts?

[Manolito]

Was the turbo/supercharger question for the BMW or the Pontiac?

Yes you can put a turbo on an automatic, but I would never suggest an aftermarket forced induction mod of any kind on a daily driver BMW. If nothing else, you trash the resale value of the car the minute you put it on. Cranking up the HP would shorten the life of the automatic, but not so much as to be a deal killer.

[hitman75]

what preformance modifcations do you sugjest becuse i like having custom cars. I dont want to be one of those guys who just put on rims and act like there fast. so i do plan on driving this car for a while so would like an k&n ram air be ok? mabye new camshafts or exaust. what do you sugjest?

[Manolito]

There is a guy here in Sacramento who has an e46 with modified front and rear bumpers (not riceburner-style ground effects, very tasteful, similar to M3) and a great paint job. If I get the chance, I will flag him down and see where he got the body parts.

There used to be a gal with a beautifully done e46 325 who posted pics either here or on the Pelican forum. I think she may have called herself Miss325 (?) Something close to that name. Try searching for that.

I saw an e46 with a wing on the back last week. Pretty oldschool, but surprisingly good looking.

In general, I would not suggest performance mods on a 325. If you want speed, then you should consider starting with a faster model.

If you want to mod it, you will find that changing just one or two things (e.g. cam and intake manifold, or cam and chip) will rarely do much good and produce a drivable car. I would start at the websites of the vendors suggested by undresm8ed above and follow their suggestions for a package of mods that are designed to work together. Turner is another well-known name but I have not dealt with them so I cannot say how good they are.

[hitman75]

ok that makes sence. i was and am worryed becuse we have a lot of ricers in my town and i dont want to labled as one of them. Im just used to the jappanse market when it comes to preformace. I hope i didnt offend you. thats just always my biggest fear is being labeled a ricer. but i think i am going to put on eather an m3 body kit or one that does look close? do you think an exaust would be ok. not a fart can but something from brola?

[Manolito]

I have seen a number of U-Tube videos of people with various types of exhausts on 6 cyl BMWs, and I have not heard any that I thought sounded particularly good. However, others on this forum know far more about available exhausts than I do.

When it comes to sound, there is a guy here in Elk Grove with a Mustang Cobra. I don't know what kind of exhaust he has, but it sounds fantastic - an automotive symphony.