[PigPen]

I am not a smart person. I am mechanically inclined, but I don't have a garage, access to a lift, and I only possess basic hand tools. I even read Jazzbass's excellent "new e46" thread. Like him, my kid (son) just got his driver's license, and I wanted to get him a manual. I also wanted a fun option for the wife and I to cruise around in when the mood strikes. Thanks to a friend (read enabler), I found a bit of a gem on Craigslist and snapped it up. The previous owner kept it in fantastic cosmetic shape (no swirl marks on metallic black paint), but only performed very basic mechanical maintenance (oil, tires, brakes, typical wear items). Several thousands of dollars in catch-up and preventative maintenance later, we have a car that drives as new. So here it is: 2005 330Ci convertible, sport package, HK audio, fancy headlights and more with 60K miles.

[Jazzbass]

Nice pickup. Easy car to learn manual on. Mine is still going strong @ 250k miles.

Those are still my favorite e46 wheels.

[Kk1340]

Nice ride. Love e46 and earlier bmws

[Patrick3000]

Pig, nice ride and one of my favorites, enjoy.

[86911TLCAB]

Very nice.

[cmartin]

Nice get

[John Clay]

Originally Posted by cmartin

Nice get

I still praise the day you relieved me of my E36 way back when. I'm no Jazz when it comes to figuring out these things.

I always say when it comes to the four T's

Time
Tools
Talent, and
Treasure

My fourth T may not be huge, but its bigger than the first three T's. Although my first has grown since the youngest is now in college.

[cmartin]

fark, dont remind me. I wish I still had it. your first item is my issue. well, really all but the 2nd.

[PigPen]

The M2 and the E46 are both so fun to drive. It's hard to decide which one to take, but the E46 keeps winning with the nice weather we have been having. Work on the E46 included new tires, alignment, new control arms, new bushings, new Bilstein struts/shocks, all new fluids, new hoses to fix a vacuum leak, spark plugs, brake pads and rotors, A/C recharge and fuel filters and some other stuff like headlight leveling pieces that were brittle and broke when working near them. VANOS, the head gasket, the rear subframe and the coolant expansion tank look okay for now. We did figure out how to adjust the door handles, since the driver side was being finicky.

[86911TLCAB]

Like a new car. Enjoy.