BMW 1M decal set

[Glassoman55]

Does anyone have a set of these decals they’re willing to part with ?
Does anyone know where I can get a set?

Please pm me....

bmw part # - 51 14 2 219 959

[ConnerLawson]

Hi! I have been offered a trade. A duder has an '04 325i 6-speed with 105k miles on it, and I was curious if I am falling in for more than it is worth. Never owned a BMW, and want to cover all my bases. Questions- what should I ask this guy about maintenance? Is there anything specifically that should have been done at the 100k as get as maintenance? What issues should I expect (budget for) over the next 40k miles? Assuming maintenance was mediocre, I imagine i'll be ok.

TL;DR- is an '04 325i @ 105kmiles a worthwhile investment?appvalley tutuapp tweakbox

[nachob]

Hi, before getting started, I wanted to let you know that you are in the wrong section. This is the BMW 1M Coupe forum. E46fanatics.com is great forum for E46 which is what the 04 325i you mentioned is.

I have owned an 04 325i and it was also my first BMW. No they are not good investments. Most cars are not good investments. Maybe a manual 330i ZHP might be a decent "investment" but not a 325i. They are beautiful cars and in my opinion the peak of BMWs 3 series with normally aspirated I6 engines.

At 104K miles There should be a at least a spark plug change, fuel filter change, the coolant should have been replaced/flushed about 4 times by now. If the radiator, upper and lower radiator hoses, water pump, thermostat, water pump and expansion tank have not been replaced by now, you are days away from being stranded on the side of the freeway with coolant runnning down the road.

The front control arm bushing are probably mushy by now if they haven't been replaced. If the window regulators and switches have not been replaced, a few of them will have to be soon. The fuel pump is probably about 15K miles from needing replacement. Check the headlights if they are HID, not regular halogen bulbs. If they say AL (Automotive Lighting) on top, they are great. If they say ZKW, they are probably garbage now. They will fire up, but you still won't be able to see anything at night as the plastic reflectors get burnt out. Another danger with these cars is that BMW started to say "lifetime fill" on these cars and people bought it so they never changed transmission or diff fluids. A few of us didn't buy it and still maintained the cars. There were a lot of automatic transmission issues probably caused by lifetime fills. The headliners and pillar trip will sag or fall off. The airbag sensor pad on passenger seat will fail by now so it should've been replaced by now or some people disable it. The clutch on manuals develops a mild shudder, this is sadly somewhat normal but can be a little annoying. Make sure the brake fluid was flushed every two years.

So no, the 325i is a terrible investment, however the manual transmission version with sport package is the one to get and one of the best sports sedans ever made. If you drive it and can't tell the difference on the steering feel, feedback, linear braking, suspension and super smooth power delivery then don't waste money on it. If you CAN feel the difference and are willing to put a bit of sweat and money into it, you will be rewarded by one of the best driving experiences around. So it is only worth it, if you CAN feel and appreciate the driving dynamics. If not, then get something japanese.

By the sheer fact that you said investment, I feel that this is not for you. If you want to experience it for yourself, then a manual 325i with sport package is best of the breed. It is lighter than the automatic, has shorter rear end gearing so it's .5 seconds faster 0-60 than the automatic and is more rewarding because it gives you the full classic sports sedan feel.

Finally, there was a subframe recall on these cars. Since they are lower power it was not as common to see failures on the 325i, more common on M3s or higher power 330s but you should still get the subframe checked.

good luck, I hope that helps.