[Barty]

While I've always enjoyed a quick estate, I've not yet had the pleasure of owning a BMW in that vein. I've had 3 Alfa's, including a lovely Rosso Competizione 159SW Ti with just about every option box ticked and the torquey 1750TBi up front. 240bhp, 400nm, plenty quick! A slightly melancholic pic...



Over the last few years, my E86 coupe served as a daily for me while taking the small Twingo as a city-car and dogvan. With 3 dogs, we -my GF and I- decided it was high time for a bit more comfort and space. The hunt for a 325i or 330i LCI E91 was on!

After a few weeks of browsing, I came across a German specimen that ticked most of the boxes: M-sport seats, Monaco-blue over saddle brown, sunroof, iDrive, NA straight six (N53B30) and a solid maintenance history. The previous owner was a mechanic who, after 4 years of ownership, decided it was time for a bit more space and thus bought himself a 5-series. Maintenance done over the last 2 years:

- 6 New index 11 injectors
- New HPFP
- Noxem129i fitted
- 6 month oil service interval
- New shocks (Sachs) and springs (Eibach Sport)
- New wishbones and various suspension bushings
- Fully reupholstered interior in 2021 (his brother owns an upholstery business, apparently!)

So, all the classic N53 items had been ticked, the ride is very good courtesy of the overhauled suspension, the interior feels brand new because... well it is!

Last week Monday I headed off to Germany to collect the car with a friend. We trailered it back behind his TD5 Defender; such a brilliant car that

I got lucky when it came to the import assessment: a slot came up 15 minutes away on Tuesday afternoon. Duly paid the import duties that afternoon, so all I had to do was wait for the ownership papers and have some plates made. That happened yesterday, so last night I picked up this:





Big thanks to Max and his Maldives Blue E85 for dropping me off to where we stored the car pending papers.



Plans? Tackle a few small interior items, swap out the high roofrails for a set of lower silver ones, give the exterior some love (this thing has never seen a handwash or a polish, but fortunately that's something I can do myself), find some proper summer wheels, and enjoy!

More soon

[eljay]

OK, OK, hang on... that's like the 5th new E91 owner thread here in the past month! That's awesome!!

And IMO, you have THE perfect spec E91. Manual N53 and Monaco with Saddle Brown! Very very nice.

I look forward to the updates.

[eljay]

BTW, I love that 159!

[E93Seattle (Racerbruce)]

Originally Posted by eljay

OK, OK, hang on... that's like the 5th new E91 owner thread here in the past month! That's awesome!!

And IMO, you have THE perfect spec E91. Manual N53 and Monaco with Saddle Brown! Very very nice.

I look forward to the updates.

indeed,
the E91 "long roof" as stradaredlands calls it and xlr88r and many others are big-time fans of this variant and have done great things to keep the E91 alive.

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by E93Seattle (Racerbruce)

indeed,
the E91 "long roof" as stradaredlands calls it and xlr88r and many others are big-time fans of this variant and have done great things to keep the E91 alive.

I feel left out

But it's fair enough, my thread is seldom updated, and pretty dry at the best of times...
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1709412

[M-technik-3]

Originally Posted by eljay

OK, OK, hang on... that's like the 5th new E91 owner thread here in the past month! That's awesome!!

And IMO, you have THE perfect spec E91. Manual N53 and Monaco with Saddle Brown! Very very nice.

I look forward to the updates.

It's becoming a e91 only site lol.

[eljay]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

It's becoming a e91 only site lol.

E91post.com 😀

[jacob_carmelo]

Originally Posted by eljay

And IMO, you have THE perfect spec E91. Manual N53 and Monaco with Saddle Brown! Very very nice.

Agreed. I am very jealous

[Barty]

Thanks for the kind words all! I really fell for the colour combo myself too, and when I learned of the history it only got better. First long drive today (about 200km total) with my GF and our dogs. She enjoyed the car, both as a driver and passenger, and the dogs seemed happy too! Spent most of the trip snoozing in the back, so I think that's dog for "happy!".

The N53 is smooth and very linear. Similar in nature to my N52B30 Z4, except it sounds a bit -ehh- agricultural on tick-over. It's not the silky smooth deep purr of the N52, but maybe that's just me not being used to a direct injection engine? Wouldn't call it a diesel, but it's a bit unrefined. On the go it runs silky smooth and it pulls cleanly, so for now just a matter of getting to know the car a bit better.



First tiny mod today too! Really didn't like the fake M-esque aftermarket gearknob, so swapped it out for the old one out of my coupe. Not brilliant either, but then I had it kicking about so why not eh. Also, there's a ZHP on the way from a friend so that'll fix it soon enough.

First up: fitting a Combox. Now, my Professional-spec system has zero phone or BT prep, so quite how that works I'm not sure yet. Anyone who can enlighten me, please feel free to educate an iDrive novice

Also: the seats are currently manually adjustable. Would it be possible to swap the whole lot over onto electrically adjustable memory seat bases (so move the heated cushions and new upholstery over)? My GF and I are very different heights so it’d be convenient haha!

[Tambohamilton]

I guess @ctuna is the man to ask about the combox... Not sure why I can't tag people, so you might want to do it.

[Barty]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

I guess @ctuna is the man to ask about the combox... Not sure why I can't tag people, so you might want to do it.

Thanks! ctuna your knowledge is requested

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by eljay

E91post.com ��

Hot new spot on the internet!

Barty I LOVE the color combo and sport package on your car... never mind the clutch pedal... Perfection!!!

For shift knobs, consider the ZHP one. Great feel with the leather top, and about 10-15mm lower, so great movement as well!

[Greyfox]

I bought my E91 way back in 2011 because the BMW dealership had it on the lot for over 3 months because no one wanted a wagon. They had dropped it $5k over that period. I had a POS 2007 Audi A4 that loved synthetic oil way too much ( 1L = 1k ) and they actually gave me a decent trade in on it. Drove 5 hours to Asheville, NC, stayed the night, and picked it up and headed home that day.

It tripped 328,000 miles today while I had it out resetting the transfer case fluid wear sensor and a few other things.

Clear coat is starting to have some issues but it still gets out and stretches it's legs and purrs at 75mph.

[eljay]

Originally Posted by Barty

Thanks for the kind words all! I really fell for the colour combo myself too, and when I learned of the history it only got better. First long drive today (about 200km total) with my GF and our dogs. She enjoyed the car, both as a driver and passenger, and the dogs seemed happy too! Spent most of the trip snoozing in the back, so I think that's dog for "happy!".

The N53 is smooth and very linear. Similar in nature to my N52B30 Z4, except it sounds a bit -ehh- agricultural on tick-over. It's not the silky smooth deep purr of the N52, but maybe that's just me not being used to a direct injection engine? Wouldn't call it a diesel, but it's a bit unrefined. On the go it runs silky smooth and it pulls cleanly, so for now just a matter of getting to know the car a bit better.

Attachment 3365126

First tiny mod today too! Really didn't like the fake M-esque aftermarket gearknob, so swapped it out for the old one out of my coupe. Not brilliant either, but then I had it kicking about so why not eh. Also, there's a ZHP on the way from a friend so that'll fix it soon enough.

First up: fitting a Combox. Now, my Professional-spec system has zero phone or BT prep, so quite how that works I'm not sure yet. Anyone who can enlighten me, please feel free to educate an iDrive novice

Also: the seats are currently manually adjustable. Would it be possible to swap the whole lot over onto electrically adjustable memory seat bases (so move the heated cushions and new upholstery over)? My GF and I are very different heights so it’d be convenient haha!

Yes, all DI engines sound like "diesel lite". 😀

And yes, you should be able to swap over your seat cushions and heating pads over to electric/memory equipped seat frames. Make sure to get Sport seat frames.

[Barty]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Hot new spot on the internet!

Barty I LOVE the color combo and sport package on your car... never mind the clutch pedal... Perfection!!!

For shift knobs, consider the ZHP one. Great feel with the leather top, and about 10-15mm lower, so great movement as well!

Appreciate it, thanks! The ZHP is definitely a favourite; it was between that and the Storm Motorwerks V2 titanium plated one for my Z4, so the 325 will be getting a ZHP. Should be able to collect this friday.

eljay thanks for confirming my suspicions Re. the seats, will look for a set sometime. Do all electric seats have memory function, or is that something I need to pay attention to separately? Thanks also for the reassurance on the engine note; "diesel lite" is an apt way of putting it.

[Tambohamilton]

Not all electric have memory, I believe

[eljay]

Originally Posted by Barty

Appreciate it, thanks! The ZHP is definitely a favourite; it was between that and the Storm Motorwerks V2 titanium plated one for my Z4, so the 325 will be getting a ZHP. Should be able to collect this friday.

eljay thanks for confirming my suspicions Re. the seats, will look for a set sometime. Do all electric seats have memory function, or is that something I need to pay attention to separately? Thanks also for the reassurance on the engine note; "diesel lite" is an apt way of putting it.

Memory was a separate option. But easily spotted by the buttons on the side of the seats. I am not sure what is involved in the retrofit, but there are several threads on the topic, I believe.

And, I have to take back my perfect spec comment and add M Sport body kit to your list. At least, those are easy to come by in Europe.

[Barty]

Originally Posted by eljay

Memory was a separate option. But easily spotted by the buttons on the side of the seats. I am not sure what is involved in the retrofit, but there are several threads on the topic, I believe.

And, I have to take back my perfect spec comment and add M Sport body kit to your list. At least, those are easy to come by in Europe.

Awesome, thanks! I've started a search for them, but they're not high up on the list. More of a nice to have than a must.

Agreed on the M-sport body, although I'm seriously considering the performance bumper and skirts... M-sport rear bumper with diffuser to complete the look, maybe to a twin-port exhaust like the 335i/d. Decisions decisions. In any case, it's a necessary one since the clear coat on the front bumper has started to fail, so when going in for a respray I may as well upgrade the front end! Add the skirts since the paint is mixed up anyway, and lets go

Originally Posted by Greyfox

I bought my E91 way back in 2011 because the BMW dealership had it on the lot for over 3 months because no one wanted a wagon. They had dropped it $5k over that period. I had a POS 2007 Audi A4 that loved synthetic oil way too much ( 1L = 1k ) and they actually gave me a decent trade in on it. Drove 5 hours to Asheville, NC, stayed the night, and picked it up and headed home that day.

It tripped 328,000 miles today while I had it out resetting the transfer case fluid wear sensor and a few other things.

Clear coat is starting to have some issues but it still gets out and stretches it's legs and purrs at 75mph.

Hang on- 328.000 miles?! On an N53 or N52? My E86 N52 is purring like a happy cat but then that's only approaching 200.000km. The 325 has done 235.000km, so both are only just getting started I guess. BMW NA straight sixes really are mile munchers! Max's Z4 (a good friend of mine) has done almost 200.000 miles and drives like a new car now that the chassis has been refreshed (full suspension rebuild). Good to know my new car can have a long, bright future ahead of it!

[Barty]

Had the two E’s side by side today. Fun to see the family resemblance, but also interesting to spot the progress the LCI made in the E9X compared to the LCI E85/6. The coupe really bridges two generations of BMW’s, which also becomes apparent as you work on it since it uses both E46 and E9X components. Also: a splash of colour never hurts!

[Barty]

Wheels!

Not a big fan of the 16” piano-wheels (although they’re very comfortable!), so I was very happy to hear that I could snatch up a set of 19” MV3’s. Will need tyres though, and that brings me to:

I can cheaply acquire a set of winter tyres, but will they fit…

245/40/19 front
275/35/19 rear

The MV3’s are 19” 8.5J and 9.5J, so width-wise it should be fine. A tad chunky, but I prefer that look anyway

Ideally I’d source a set of 245/35/19 and 275/30/19, but there’s a quick opportunity for the sizes above. Love to hear your feedback!

[eljay]

Originally Posted by Barty

Wheels!

Not a big fan of the 16” piano-wheels (although they’re very comfortable!), so I was very happy to hear that I could snatch up a set of 19” MV3’s. Will need tyres though, and that brings me to:

I can cheaply acquire a set of winter tyres, but will they fit…

245/40/19 front
275/35/19 rear

The MV3’s are 19” 8.5J and 9.5J, so width-wise it should be fine. A tad chunky, but I prefer that look anyway

Ideally I’d source a set of 245/35/19 and 275/30/19, but there’s a quick opportunity for the sizes above. Love to hear your feedback!

Well, those sure are chunky!
You won't have much room left for snow. 😄
Compared to stock 18" wheel with 225/40 tire, the gap to fender will be reduced by 21mm and your ride height will go up by the same amount.

[Tambohamilton]

That's a lot of rubber... Might have some rubbing at full lock/full compression, but no experience really. Personally I'd be looking at much narrower tyres if possible, especially in the rear. On my car I have 235/40/18 front, 245/40/18 rear (summer tyres).