[Trojan4evr]

hey man welcome. get yoself a BMW PE and a BMS powerbox. you'll be set.

[dmw16]

Originally Posted by thomas_fla_pcb

I am pulling in 72k a year... I could buy it now if I wanted lol... I just want to save up for a condo.... But, you are right maybe I should save for a M3 starting now.

I wanted to comment on this because it's a lesson that way too many people seem to miss or not realize when they are young.

$72k a year is not enough to afford a $50-$60k car. Sure you could swing the payments, but odds are you'll be house-poor and/or unable to save, contribute to your 401k, etc. I make over twice that and once the mortgage is paid, retirements funded, student loans, etc I am only now feeling like I could afford an M3.

With that said it does somewhat depend on where you live. I live in a high cost of living area, but even still you shouldn't be focusing on getting a car that could be over $60k at this point.

You've got years to buy cars, but now is the time to set a strong foundation.

/LECTURE

With regards to modding which I totally understand wanting to do. Here are my thoughts:

I'd skip the engine internals, it just isn't worth it and when you are ready to sell the car it will make it harder to sell. You'll want to get some of your initial investment back out and your list of buyer willing to pay extra for your mods will be very small. Most buyers want cars with untouched motors.

I do think an intake and a tasteful (no ricey, JDM stuff ) exhaust is cool. Maybe a tune.

I think you'll get the most satisfaction from appearance and suspension mods. There are lots to pick from and a lot of them are very nice. Cruise the photo section on here and I'm sure you'll see things you like. Same goes for suspension.

Wheels are another thing I think really make a car, but I'd skip the VMR wheels. There are so many options for the E9X 3series and I think your best bet is to look in the classifieds for some nicely used BBS or other well-regarded brand of wheels. I'm not saying VMR doesn't make good wheels, but after buying a set of used BBS wheels for my old GTI and all the props I got I'm a big believer in going that route.

Finally, please don't take my lecture above the wrong way. I made some missteps when I was younger regarding cars and thinking I could afford more than I really could. Since then I've had to make big sacrifices to get back on the financial footing I would have been on had I just not been to eager to buy stuff I could barely afford to keep up with the Jones-es (note that most of the time they can't afford it either and are just "borrowing" it from the bank or credit card companies).

Good luck!

[thomas_fla_pcb]

Originally Posted by dmw16

I wanted to comment on this because it's a lesson that way too many people seem to miss or not realize when they are young.

$72k a year is not enough to afford a $50-$60k car. Sure you could swing the payments, but odds are you'll be house-poor and/or unable to save, contribute to your 401k, etc. I make over twice that and once the mortgage is paid, retirements funded, student loans, etc I am only now feeling like I could afford an M3.

With that said it does somewhat depend on where you live. I live in a high cost of living area, but even still you shouldn't be focusing on getting a car that could be over $60k at this point.

You've got years to buy cars, but now is the time to set a strong foundation.

/LECTURE

With regards to modding which I totally understand wanting to do. Here are my thoughts:

I'd skip the engine internals, it just isn't worth it and when you are ready to sell the car it will make it harder to sell. You'll want to get some of your initial investment back out and your list of buyer willing to pay extra for your mods will be very small. Most buyers want cars with untouched motors.

I do think an intake and a tasteful (no ricey, JDM stuff ) exhaust is cool. Maybe a tune.

I think you'll get the most satisfaction from appearance and suspension mods. There are lots to pick from and a lot of them are very nice. Cruise the photo section on here and I'm sure you'll see things you like. Same goes for suspension.

Wheels are another thing I think really make a car, but I'd skip the VMR wheels. There are so many options for the E9X 3series and I think your best bet is to look in the classifieds for some nicely used BBS or other well-regarded brand of wheels. I'm not saying VMR doesn't make good wheels, but after buying a set of used BBS wheels for my old GTI and all the props I got I'm a big believer in going that route.

Finally, please don't take my lecture above the wrong way. I made some missteps when I was younger regarding cars and thinking I could afford more than I really could. Since then I've had to make big sacrifices to get back on the financial footing I would have been on had I just not been to eager to buy stuff I could barely afford to keep up with the Jones-es (note that most of the time they can't afford it either and are just "borrowing" it from the bank or credit card companies).

Good luck!

Well -- it really does depend on the specifics of someones situation. As for me -- I pull in 72k with no bills. I paid off 25k in credit card debt last year (I went crazy when I was 18). I do not have a mortgage nor do I pay rent... I paid for schooling without loans - I worked three jobs and went to school. As of now - I pull in 72k because I work 84 hours a week. Yes - I am young. But, I really do not need to be lectured about money, thank you for your concern. I have my own roth IRA's (two) and I have a high-yields savings accounts with American Express and State Farm Bank. Also, I do not live in the States right now - where I am at now is very, very expensive - very similar to Dubai. But, because of who I work for I cannot get specifics aloud. But, if you or someone you know is an admin on here - you could quickly find out...

Anyhow -- thank you again for the advice and what-not. Do not take what I said above, wrong either. I am just telling my story and situation.

[thomas_fla_pcb]

Originally Posted by thomas_fla_pcb

Well -- it really does depend on the specifics of someones situation. As for me -- I pull in 72k with no bills. I paid off 25k in credit card debt last year (I went crazy when I was 18). I do not have a mortgage nor do I pay rent... I paid for schooling without loans - I worked three jobs and went to school. As of now - I pull in 72k because I work 84 hours a week. Yes - I am young. But, I really do not need to be lectured about money, thank you for your concern. I have my own roth IRA's (two) and I have a high-yields savings accounts with American Express and State Farm Bank. Also, I do not live in the States right now - where I am at now is very, very expensive - very similar to Dubai. But, because of who I work for I cannot get specifics aloud. But, if you or someone you know is an admin on here - you could quickly find out...

Anyhow -- thank you again for the advice and what-not. Do not take what I said above, wrong either. I am just telling my story and situation.

And... I am in Love with the VMR 718's... BBS is a great wheel - I will have to look into them.

[thomas_fla_pcb]

Originally Posted by Trojan4evr

hey man welcome. get yoself a BMW PE and a BMS powerbox. you'll be set.

Thanks. Yes, I am thinking BMW PE, Powerbox, Intake -- the rest all exterior.

DEPO E90 Projector HID Kit
Blackline LED tail-lights
Blisten Adjustable Coil-Overs
Wheels (VMR, BBS, or perhaps Breytons - spelling?) :/

Maybe the suggested Mtech lip... Not sure yet.

[thomas_fla_pcb]

Originally Posted by thomas_fla_pcb

Thanks. Yes, I am thinking BMW PE, Powerbox, Intake -- the rest all exterior.

DEPO E90 Projector HID Kit
Blackline LED tail-lights
Bilstein Adjustable Coil-Overs
Wheels (VMR, BBS, or perhaps Breytons - spelling?) :/

Maybe the suggested Mtech lip... Not sure yet.

I keep spelling Bilstein incorrectly... =/

[dryicerx]

I'll have to agree with the general consensus of the rest of the thread here as well.

Don't do any engine modifications... you said you were looking for reliability and doing any of the heavy internal modifications and you'll be throwing the NA reliability out the window, and the power gains per dollar is really bad as well on this engine.

Modifications like exhausts, rims and other cosmetic stuff would make sense.

Specially since you mentioned you're looking in to a M3 in the near future, keeping the heavy modifications low will also make your car more easy to sell, as well as save quite a bit of money and pain.

[e92bmw]

Bro save your money, If you decide to get all those things you will have spent enough money to have gotten the 335i.
If your looking for more driving pleasure, get an intake, exhaust, bms powerbox(or any tune but the bms is cheap) and a suspension. You will have extra power + better handling= Fun car to drive, Dont bother with camshafts and headers and all that shit its not worth the money for an extra couple of horses.

[thomas_fla_pcb]

Originally Posted by dryicerx

I'll have to agree with the general consensus of the rest of the thread here as well.

Don't do any engine modifications... you said you were looking for reliability and doing any of the heavy internal modifications and you'll be throwing the NA reliability out the window, and the power gains per dollar is really bad as well on this engine.

Modifications like exhausts, rims and other cosmetic stuff would make sense.

Specially since you mentioned you're looking in to a M3 in the near future, keeping the heavy modifications low will also make your car more easy to sell, as well as save quite a bit of money and pain.

yeah.. I think just exhaust and intake maybe the power box; but I think I could do the same thing the power box is doing by changing some wiring in the ecu/harness?? Basically that is what the powerbox is doing right??? I really like the vmr 718's though and the bilstein coil overs... Hate typing on this iPhone lol... Autocorrect-a-licious...