After owning 9 A32's I decided it's time to move on. I still have it but it's parked until the new owner picks it up later this month. So, moving on...






99 BMW 528i Msport, Alpine Silver, grey leather interior, and auto. (Dont care. I'm getting old and was tired of shifting all the time.)
Got it for a steal. Its got some miles on it but it has been meticulously cared for.

Things I've already got for it...
Red/clear tails
Clear sidemarkers
DDM DJ Auto headlights with retro'd FX-R projectors and Orion V2 AE's
AC Schnitzer replica front lip
New OEM floor mats
New cupholders front and rear
NNR coilovers (not on car. still in box. BC's on the way.)
CNT staggered Style 5 reps 18x8.5F 18x9.5R +15 all around
Black/white BMW roundel emblems
CF vinyl-wrapped interior trim
Msport pedals
Msport shift ****
Boston Acoustic components front and rear
New armrest
....and more stuff soon to be ordered.

The car was in limp mode when I bought it. All it needed was a throttle body/throttle position sensor. $30 at the pick n pull and it was all good. Got it registered, passed inspection and been driving it for the past couple of months.

Basically I got it as something to fix up and flip and then move up to more power, ie 540i (E39 M5's are still high.) But so far I love it. Even stock it handles way better than the i30 with everything done to it.

I still have the 99 i30t. My fiance drives it. But she's ready for something else as well, perhaps a Bimmer too.

 

Classy!

 

Nice pick up! And nice thread title... I wonder who inspired you to make it

 

Just don't turn into a douchebag..

 

Thanks, Moncef. Found a replacement for the GS yet?

Gee, I wonder... Thank you.

Oh man, I'm gonna go full douchebag in this thing. Even though its auto Ive noticed (and Farrah too) that I drive more aggressive now.

 

Whattt why? Even though my car is acting up right now, I switched to a manual. I can never go back to an automatic!

 

My left leg is strong enough from driving the i30. Gotta let my right leg catch up. Plus with all the road construction around town these days theres so much traffic it just sucks to drive a stick. I'll eventually get another manual car though.

 

Sweet looking 5 series.

 

Nope I'm feverishly working on it though.

 

Real pr0's don't notice the difference

Car looks aiiight

 

next car should be a M5

 

I just did the reversal of you, sold my e39 Touring to pick up an 07 SE. I have an M5 bumper still new in the box if you want to buy it. The NNR coilovers are good for the lows, but that's about it, you'll be replacing them in 2 years so good going with the BCs coilovers. Join up on bimmerforums.com if you already haven't.

Pic of my touring in it's "best" form. I spent about a month rebuilding my style 5s, polishing, color matching and reassembling them.

 

Nice pickup...one of my younger brothers has a '99 540i with a few aesthetic and power mods. More than adequately quick and a great looking car. I've been tempted more than a few times to grab one!

 

That's clean. I was looking at a wagon when I found this one. The seller was asking 4k for it. Called him up and he dropped the price to 1500...because he just blew the head gasket.
I'm thinking you downgraded, at least as far as handling goes, but I understand wanting to get into something newer.
I'll have to pass on the front bumper. A couple other local guys swapped theirs for the M5 so I'd like to not copy them. The facelift one that I have is nice.
And I did join the bimmerforums. Been spending a lot of time on there. Reading, researching, and reading some more.

 

You should definitely grab one. It's been a long time since I've had this much fun with a car.

 

Went from this...


To this...


All woodgrain trim pieces wrapped in black brushed aluminum vinyl. Idea came from zero2sixtyZ's Bimmer.
Also installed my Pioneer double din. I wanted it in too fast and didnt bother running and RCA's to the trunk for the amps or anything for the Sirius. Im going to have to pull it all out again.

And finally, I had my roof wrapped gloss black.



It kinda makes those faded roof rails stick out like a sore thumb now. Guess I'll have to paint those along with the front lip I still havent put on soon.

Havent had much time to do anything else. Been dealing with other issues on the car, like the throttle body and TPS needing replaced again. Got that replaced today only to find I have a CCV(PCV) issue now.

Overall Im still happy with the car. Its used, has high miles, and this crap is to be expected. It still gets up and hauls ***.

 

Interior looks much better. You did great work with the I30's interior as well, I like your taste

 

Ah, spy, spy...

Now you can do the Dirty-Fih

 

Talk to Nels about it. Its his girlfriends company, Kryptonite Designs. Theyve been doing wraps all over.

 

French toast. Nels? GF?!

DA ****?!

Where have I been?

Anywho, I'll text him, I need to send in all of wood grain to get that black aluminum chit done, or maybe piano brackouuuuu!

 

Piano black will look funny on your green i35.

 

I see what you did there

 

your car was progressive very well and i personally was really liking how it was coming along. like you said, there comes a time where we need to move on to other things. me personally am not a fan of the 5 series BMW due to the quality but all in all its a nice car. keep us posted with any updates/progress/mods.

 

Thanks. I really liked my i30, it just seemed there wasn't much left to do to it short of boost or a 3.5 swap and I really didn't like the thought of the down time. I was originally looking for a Q45 but couldn't find anything in decent shape for the cost. Plus, moving onto a BMW gets me out of my Nissan comfort zone and let's me learn more about other car makes.
On another note, I've been thinking of doing a whole vehicle wrap. That matte almond color you had keeps coming back in my head. Lol.

 

Nice ride! That's a lot of a32s you have owned, that's wild. I'm eyeing a 3 series xi myself and already started looking for mods.

Here's an interesting thread:M3 awd build

 

I checked out a couple 3series'. Hated the seats. They were way too hard for daily driving. Sporty, but no cushioning. I like the idea of AWD but seems like there would just be more to fix when something breaks. Sounds like something our parents would say about today's cars compared to cars of their generation. LOL

 

UPDATE

Had some time and the weather got nicer so I got the chance to do a few things.

COB type angel eyes...



Now dropped on BC coils...




Smoked tails...



And just installed some side skirts today.



Starting to get some camber wear so tires will be replaced this week. And I'll also be doing some work on the wheels. Changing the color of the faces and replacing the hardware.

 

Wow this has progressed nicely from when I last saw it

 

Yeah, finally. I spent some time doing maintenance like replacing the whole cooling system. The next day my alternator went out. Replaced all the wheel bearings, brakes, and a rear cv axle. Still need to finish the audio. Wiring diagram I found seems wrong, so I've put off installing the amp for the interior components. This summer I'm planning to swap it to a manual, and then start it's turbo setup.

 

Oh hey. Just saw this.

Your E39 looks amazing. Well done, sir.

 

i didnt know you had a E39. **** yo couch, i still got my I30 doe b1tch....even though it dont run I was get ready to flex on you.



I do want a E39 530i M sport in MT as a DD. I will say after driving a BMW V8 and dealing with its issues......You dont want. Unless it has an M badge, stay away. The thing about BMWs is they are unbelievably quick on top end I didnt get it until I ran a 6th gen and it was all good until we hit 3rd gear, I just walked away.

 

Thanks. Getting yours out of winter mode yet?

I do find myself missing my i30, mainly for the manual and being able to just bang gears and go. Its gone to a good home though...local guy and org member. I purposely avoided looking for a 540i because of the timing chain guide problems. That 530i would make a good daily if you find one. Such a comfortable ride.

 

Yeah, she's getting her bikini body ready for summer. Spring cleaning and maintenance in progress.

 

Nice Beamer. Me likey.

Any rear skirt in the works to compliment the front and sides?

 

Very nice. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your updates.

Yes, I've toyed around with the idea of modifying and using the Paradox Systems rear quarter skirts that didn't fit my i30. Anything I use will have to be completely custom made since there aren't any out there, aside from full rear bumpers which are all hideous.

 

Played around with some paint this weekend.


Tiffany Blue. Played around with the gold rivets but they're not quite what I want, so going back with chrome ones.

On the car...



Friend came in from out of town with his on Hartge 19's.



And then we met up with his brother...

 

Looks good, though I'm not a fan of that color on the wheels, I liked it the other way round, none the less it is still a clean looking car. That color Grey on Euro cars is just divine.

 

After seeing it on the car I'm starting to have my doubts. I'll probably run these until I can find some AC Schnitzer's. I'm really hating cleaning mesh wheels.
As for the color of the car...it's nice, its clean, but its basically Sterling Mist. My second most hated color aside from Pebble Beige/Sunlit Sand.

 

Not a fan of the color, but the wheel is nice

 

I can't believe how much wrapping that wood grain on the interior modernized the look of the whole car...

Good looking car, man.