Estorile Blue - M3 Evolution Convertible From Portsmouth Uk.

[shiney]

Car: 1996 E36 Estoril Blue BMW M3 Evolution Convertible
Owner: Paul Martin
Forum Name: Shiney
Age: 34
Occupation: Air traffic Control Systems Support Engineer
Location: Portsmouth (Waterlooville), Hampshire, United Kingdom

Date of Purchase: 2nd December 2003
Purchase Price: £16,000
Mileage (At Time Of Purchase): 36271 Miles
Mileage (Now): 52479 Miles

How She Looks Right Now


Brief Background On The Car:
Firstly, I always wanted an Estoril Blue M3 Evolution Convertible after I saw one a few years back (1996) in an NCP car park. At the time, I'd just bought a brand new N reg. Rover 220 Coupe Turbo and loved it to bits. I decided that I'd drive the Rover for 3 years and then look towards getting the M3. Sadly, I suffered a double blow-out in the Rover on the motorway after slicing my tyres with some of that steel banding that goes around bricks etc, I lost my no claims bonus and with that, the dream of owning an M3. My insurance renewal came through and they wanted nearly £2500 to insure the Rover, so I sold it and banked the money. 5 years went by driving a Nissan Bluebird 2.0L SLX, building my no claims bonus back up. Then, when I could again get sensible insurance, my quest began for the M3. Many cars were studiously looked over but all had something that wasn't quite right. I religiously bought Autotrader on its day of issue and would scan through all the adverts. One week, there it was, almost everything I wanted in the car. In my haste, I'd totally forgotten about the fact that it was now 6:30am, I gave the guy a call. I woke the man from his sleep but surprisingly enough, he was fairly bouyant about it and due to my work commitments, the seller even agreed to bring the car to my work to view it. I have to admit that I was very apprehensive about it all as the guy seemed pretty keen to help out....dare I say it too keen. Anyway, at lunchtime, the seller arrived at my work. It was a beautiful unmolested example of a car. He came with all the paperwork for me to view and i realised right then that I'd found a pearl in this particular oyster. The owner was itallian and he owned an Itallian restaurant in Christchurch near to Bournemouth. His father was seriously ill in Itally and between running the restaurant and flying to see his father, he had no time to drive the M3. I took it out on a drive and it was both smooth and comfortable and I knew it was the car for me. Bizzarrely enough, I then found myself being interviewed about the car. He was clearly in love with it and wanted it to go to a 'proper' home. I told him my story and once he learnt of this, the deal was done. I took out an HPI check and all was clear, so a week later, the car was mine.

The car came with a hardtop and stand and protective case, passenger airbag, heated seats, tracker, BMW alarm, electric seats, digital dual climate control, wind deflector, centre arm rest, electric hood (not total closure), full BMW service history (something that I've also kept going), all its receipts and bills, old MOT certificates and tax discs, the original purchase receipt, a warranty receipt to show the Vanos unit had been changed and even the colour and leather sample packs.

For about 4 or 5 months, I simply enjoyed the car for what it was....MINE!!!

I then discovered my first forum (www.e36coupe.com) in the late part of April 2004 through a forum member DoubleT. I signed up and read a few posts and learnt a few things but didn't get too heavily into the site to be honest. I learnt how to replace my bowden cable on my seat that broke whilst operating it one day and discovered that I also knew one of the forum members, Gblades through another friend. I then went quiet once more and continued to enjoy my pride and joy.

In the September of 2004, I went to my first meet in Chichester (South Coast Of England, UK). A few cars turned up but not too many. It was here that I first met fellow forum members. All the cars there were M3 clones and I wasn't quite sure if any of them were the real or just M3 copies. I was new to the BMW scene and I couldn't tell one car from another (I still can't in a lot of cases ). One thing that I did notice was that just about every person was really friendly and that kind of drew me in deeper into the whole forum philosphy. I started to look further into modifying the car and considered all sorts of thoughts. In the December of 2004, some rather nice person decided it would be a good idea to drive into my car and then drive off, this cost me about £500.00 to fix and my initial mods took a back seat for a while. After getting the car back from the bodyshop, I was really pleased with how it was looking, so I begun modifying the cars appearance to match the lovely bodywork:

Please Note All Thumbnail Images Posted Below Are Clickable

1st Step:
Angel Eyes - I went for The Umnitza E39 type supplied by Ben @ Chromeline Design - Price £110.00


2nd Step:
HID Install into the Low beam / Main Beam and Fog Lights - Again Supplied By Ben @ Chromeline Design - Total Cost Approx. £600.00


3rd Step:
Evo Lip Spoiler - Bought From BMW Dealership - Price £45.00


4th Step:
Gruppe M Replica Air Induction Kit - Supplied By Joe @ Hyper Turismo Racing. Price £200.00


5th Step:
Clarion DVD Head Unit Install - Supplied By Car Audio Centre. Price £1100.00


6th Step:
Carbon Fibre Centre Console - Supplied By Joe @ Hyper Turismo Racing - Price £200.00


7th Step:
Carbon Fibre Glove Box Trim - Supplied By MKMotorsport - Price Approx £35.00


8th Step:
AC Schnitzer Carbon Fibre Steering Wheel - Supplied By E36coupe forum Member Skeggy - Price £300.00


9th Step:
M Stripe Style Handbrake & Gear Stick Gaiters - Supplied By Motorforce - Total Price £70.00


10th Step:
Supersprint Exhaust - Supplied By Ben @ Chromeline Design - Price £400.00


11th Step:
A 40mm Front End and 20mm Rear End Drop - Supplued & Fitted By Ben @ Chromeline Design With Help From E36coupe Forum Members Enda320 & Jeepster - Price £220.00


12th Step:
In Car Entertainment Install - Supplied & Fitted By Audioscape - Price Approx £2000.00


Full Specification: Focal Access 27cm Polyglass Free Air Subwoofer, 2 x Genesis Profile 2 Ultra Amplifiers, Audioscape BMW Footwell Speaker Pods, Focal 16.5 cm V Slim Polyglass Component Speakers (fitted inside Audioscape footwell pods and colour matched), Focal 10cm Polyglass Co-Axial Speakers (rears), dynamat throughout, Stinger wiring kits.

13th Step:
New Convertible Hood - Supplied By Ragtops - Price £650.00


14th Step:
Colour Coding - Supplied By A&B Motors - Price (includes some rust and dent repairs, wheel arch modifications & parts fitting) £800.00




15th Step:
AC Shcnitzer Genuine Type 3 Wheels - Supplied By E36coupe Forum member **Melbeam** - Price £840.00




16th Step:
Sundry Items:
AC Schnitzer Pedal Set - Supplied By Ben @ Chromeline Design - Price Approx £50.00


Glove Box Cup Holder - Supplied By BMW (Part no. 51168184470) - Price £20.00


Glove Box CD Holder - Supplied By BMW (Part No. 65141387760 & 65141379400) - Price £60.00


Carbon Fibre Radiator Cover - Bought Off Ebay - Price Approx. £75.00


New Headlight Lenses - Supplied By Ben @ Chromeline Design - Price £115


Colour Coded GT Corner Spliters - Supplied By Ben @ Chromeline Design - Price £80.00


Carbon Fibre Strut Brace - Supplied By Ben @ Chromeline Design - Price £260.00


Park Distance Control - Supplied By BMW (Part No. 66209415406) - Price £265.00


Uprated Nosecone & Colour Coded Kidney Grilles - Supplied By BMW (Part No. 41338225982, 51138195152 & 51138195151) - Price £180.00


Headlight Washer Kit - Supplied By BMW (Part No. 82199404447) - Price £145.00


Parking Ticket Retention Clip Mod - Manufactured By Me - Price £0


17th Step - Tuesday 23rd August
Pioneer AVIC X1R Head Unit - Supplied By Ben @ Chromeline Design - Price £1300
(Pictures To Follow)

18th Step - Friday 21st October 2005
Big Brake Kit - Supplied By Ben @ Chromeline Design - Price £2100
Fronts:


Rears:


My username wouldn't be complete without some shiny parts - new calipers:


I also had a few clearance issues that had to be sorted prior to getting my wheels back on, but as you can see, they have just about been sorted (really tight though :wink: ):


19th Step - Saturday 22nd October 2005
New Interior Fitted - Supplied & Fitted By Forum Member Sleeper - Price TBC









Other things that have been added to the car without pictures so far:
Full interior Xenon bulb upgrade, including number plate lights and hardtop - Supplied by Ben @ Chromeline Design - Price £30.00
Engine remap - Carried Out By Chipper Price £185.00
Under bonnet engine bay light (works when bonnet is open at night) - Supplied by BMW (Part No. 63319401943 & 61129401873) - Price £30.00

Upgrades / Replaced parts:
Anti roll bar bushes replaced
Rear top mounts replaced
Bump stops replaced
Bump stop protector tubes replaced
Rear towing eye cover replaced
Air conditioning recently serviced and re-gassed
Car mats replaced
Battery upgraded to a Bosch Silver Line
M3 bumper security nuts fitted

Proposed work for the next few months:
Suprise Mod - Supplied by forum member Sleeper - Price £500
Underdriven Pullies (Awaiting delivery) - Supplied By Ben @ Chromeline Design - Price £165
Short Shift (Bought but needs fitting - Possible help required on this) - Supplied By Joe @ Hyper Turismo Racing - Price £235
A few dressing up points like - New Undertray, Wheel Arch Liners, Aquaplane Guards etc. - Supplied by BMW
Grounding kit - Supplied by Grounding kits - Price £50.00
Crome dial surrounds - Supplied By Ben @ Chromeline Design - Price £30
Clutch stop - Supplied By Ben @ Chromeline Design - Price £15
Replacement clutch - Looking into this
Clifford alarm with remote start feature - Looking into this

Niggles / Complaints With My Car:
My glove box door mechanism is broken and needs a fix
Scuff damage to the top of the passenger door card

Problems experienced With The Car Since Ownership:
Power steering leak from a hose £73.00 to fix at BMW
Oil leak from engine (seal had gone between the two parts of the engine block) £916.00 to fix at BMW

Typical Running Costs: (For those of you who might think about buying an M3)
A full tank of fuel costs around £60.00 - The car runs at around the 26 mpg mark (general driving) and 32 mpg (motorway driving)
A set of tyres (Michelin Pilot) for standard wheels will cost around £520.00

Service Costs:(Main Dealer - Scotthall BMW, Southampton)
Oil Service - £185.00
Inspection 1 - £580.00
Inspection 2 - £750.00

Service Costs: (Independent BMW Specialist)
Oil Service - £75.00
Inspection 1 - £250.00
Inspection 2 - £350.00
(All prices include parts and VAT)

Insurance:
Cost Per Year - £606.42 (Liverpool Victoria Insurance)
I have full no claims discount and I went for the option of guaranteed protected no claims discount. This differs from protected no claims discount as I'm allowed to have more than the normal 3 claims in 5 years, its basically unlimited. I have a fairly high excess of £350.00 on all claims but I do receive a discount being a civil servant through their motoring organisation (CSMA). All my modifications have been declared to the insurers and I'm a little bit older than a lot of you guys, but hopefully it will give you some idea of a comparisson.

Tips:
If you have room in your garage or loft etc, always try to keep the stock parts that you remove from your car. All of my parts have been neatly stored away so that if I ever wish to sell the car, I can revert it back to stock condition. Most people would prefer to buy a stock car and modify it themselves. You also would probably be able to sell your additional modification parts on to others and thus get a better total price for your car.

Please PM me with your comments, suggestions or questions as they will be gratefully received.

Thanks for taking the time out to read my journal,

Paul


Moderators:
I hope it's ok referring to a forum that I belong to in the United Kingdom (www.e36coupe.com). If this is a problem, please let me know and I will edit my post accordingly.

Please note, all the costs and prices listed are correct to the best of my knowledge. You may get quoted a better or inferrior rate when speaking to the suppliers I listed, especially if its dealership parts as these vary significantly from dealership to dealership.

[adonis_bimmer]

oi oi shiny, cars looking awesome

[DVS318]

Holy shit dude, thats gotta be the neatest fricken layout ive ever seen for a writeup. Awesome car man, id love to own an Estoral Blue M3 Evo you are my envy. Awesome car man, hot as, nice write up too. good luck with it

[shiney]

Originally Posted by DVS318

Holy shit dude, thats gotta be the neatest fricken layout ive ever seen for a writeup. Awesome car man, id love to own an Estoral Blue M3 Evo you are my envy. Awesome car man, hot as, nice write up too. good luck with it

Thanks mate.

[ridr4lif]

Nice car man. The write up is very extensive and i like it!!!!!

tedd

[Impulsed7]

The most beautiful topless thing I have ever seen...
well most beautiful topless car I have ever seen.

My dream car, and very cleanly modified at that. If I had a choice between an Enzo Ferrari and your car I would take yours.

[shiney]

Originally Posted by ridr4lif

Nice car man. The write up is very extensive and i like it!!!!!

tedd

Thank you. I often feel that the real reason behind a car isn't always expressed. I tried to tell everyone that this is the car for me because I've had a long burning desire to own one.

[shiney]

Originally Posted by Impulsed7

The most beautiful topless thing I have ever seen...
well most beautiful topless car I have ever seen.

My dream car, and very cleanly modified at that. If I had a choice between an Enzo Ferrari and your car I would take yours.

Thanks, I've tried to keep it subtle without it being too over the top. I'm glad you guys approve as I think its very different from a lot of the approaches you take over there in the states.

[VenomRS4]

That car is f'n sweet! Awsome car!

[shiney]

Originally Posted by VenomRS4

That car is f'n sweet! Awsome car!

Thanks very much. I've tried to take my time and get it just the way I want it.

[Dj_Stylz]

Very Nice car looks real good!

[shiney]

Originally Posted by Dj_Stylz

Very Nice car looks real good!

Thanks once more. You guys are all so very appreciative.

I really like this site.

[Goon]

It's definatley has it's own touch, looks classy and tasteful, and is unique in some aspects. Well done, it must be a pleasure to drive.

[E36kid]

Extremely nice car... I know e36coupe.com, I used to spend allot of time there (never owned an e36 so I’m not sure what I was doing there??)

[e36'er]

very nice indeed....and oh im loving the parking ticket clip lol