Brilliant 1997 328i Manual (Lots of Pictures and Information)

Ahheck01 · #1 (**permalink**) 05-09-2007, 01:04 AM

Well guys (and gals), I have found the car that will take the place of my 328i. As such, I need to sell this sooner, rather than later. I have a few interested parties at the moment, and I'm in the process of giving them the details I'm posting here.

If you have any questions about the car, it's likely you're not the only one with that question, so just post in this thread, and I'll reply here and update the information as necessary.

If you're seriously interested in the 328i, you can contact me through any of the following, simply eliminating all of the "/"s within the addresses/screen names/etc.

Email: eh///ackart///@gmail.com
AIM: Drowning/////Adio//867
MSN: Ahheck0//////3@hotmail.com
Gmail/Google Talk: eh///ackart///@gmail.com

First off I'll give you the specs on the car, followed by:
-About me
-About the car
-A short but comprehensive list of issues
-High-Resolution Photos
. -Exterior
. -Engine Bay
. -Interior (Front)
. -Interior (Back)
. -Trunk
-Videos I've uploaded to YouTube
-A Personal Review as if I were test driving the car for the first time.

Specs:

Model: 1997 328i
Exterior: Arctic Silver
Interior: Black Leather
Factory Options: Sports Package
Heated Driver and Passenger Seats
Power Sports Seats
Dual Zone Digital Climate Control
Remote Entry/Antitheft/Alarm
Theater Lighting
Split Fold-down Rear Seats

Cosmetic:
OE European Corners
OE European Sidemarkers
OE European Taillights
OE M3 Sedan Mouldings
M5 Rear Trunk Lip Spoiler
VIN number etched into the glass of all windows (reduces insurance costs)

Suspension:
Ground Control Track/School Kit (375F/450R springs)
///Motorsport Offset Control Arms
Rogue Engineering Adjustable Rear Control Arms
///Motorsport Swaybars
///Motorsport X-Brace

Drivetrain:
ECIS Intake
///Motorsport Exhaust
Rogue Engineering Octane SSK
ECIS Clutch Stop
Rogue Engineering Transmission Mounts
///Motorsport Limited Slip Differential (3.23)

Wheels/Tires:
Mille Miglia MMII-2 (17x8)
Michelin Pilot Sport 2

Sound:
Alpine 9835 Headunit
Boston Rally Components
Audiobahn 75x2 Amplifier
Two JL 10"w3 Subwoofers
JL 250/1 Amplifier

The Story:

About Me:
As many of you know, my name is Evan. I've been on the boards for nearly 3 years now, and this is actually the 6th BMW I will have sold on bimmerforums. I have found four out of the five BMW's I've owned here as well. I can offer serious buyers several references of people who have bought or sold cars from/to me, as well as parts.

Anyway, I'm a college student, and in moving out of the house I have discovered that the car payment that was previous no-big-deal was suddenly a huge chunk of change. Now that I am also taking over my insurance payment, it no longer makes sense for me to own such a nice car.

Secondly, because of the apartment lifestyle, I no longer have the time or the resources to pamper the beast as much as I feel she deserves.

About the Car:
This 328i has been in the possession of three spare-no-expense owners, including myself. The gentleman from whom I purchased the car (also a bimmerforums member), even had the entire cooling system replaced shortly before selling it to me. When I asked why, he replied that he had already done everything else, and it hadn't needed work for a while. So, he took it in to his mechanic (who is also a well respected member here who can vouch for the car), and asked him to "make it perfect." When the mechanic found nothing to do, Matt (the owner) asked him to replace the cooling system as preventative maintenance.

That's the sort of TLC this solid automobile has received in its lifetime. I bought the car just over 5 months ago, and have driven it 10k miles since then, totalling just over 154k. Since most of you have either owned an M50-based motor, or have been on the boards long enough to know, I don't feel like it's necessary to explain how insignificant that number of miles is.

The amount of attention this car has asked for reflects that, too. I haven't needed to do much other than replace a wheel bearing, change fluids, and remove the clutch stop (not necessary, but my preference, and a highly recommended free modification from board members).

So, now that the car is available for the next owner, it sits with a couple very minor issues:

-Squeaky steering wheel (common on e36's, cheap to fix)
-A few pixels out on OBC (again, common on e36's)
-Secondary Air Pump throws a CEL (unnecessary item, but you can buy a sim if you insist on getting rid of the code permanently)
-Driver's side side-view-mirror has... an issue. You'll see it in the pictures.
-To be thorough, I still have clear bulbs in the clear corners, so when I use the turn signals, they light up white rather than amber

High-Resolution Pictures:

Exterior: