916ian

Hi Steve I'm in Salisbury (picking up my 330ci M Sport next week!) and I can recommend Emtec in Salisbury. Ex-Wood BMW mechanics gone independent - a mate of mine has run BMWs for years and swears by them. They've been really helpful to me in the run-up to me buying mine - even though I'm technically yet to be a customer. Ask for Andy. You can find them online - not sure if I'm allowed to post their details?!? Let me know how you get on. Ian

Finally, the wait is nearly over... I get to ditch the Skoda Fabia 1.4 auto for my new E46 330ci M Sport manual! Been waiting for over a year for this - going to pick it up next Sunday, then a 160-mile drive back home... Woo-hoo! I've attached some photos. Anyone here know the car? You can make out the reg plate in one of the photos... A couple of years of motoring hell will be over (Focus, Fabia). I enjoyed the years before that (Jag XJS, WRX STi RA555) but had to take a bit of a break for various reasons. But the thrill of driving is back! Thanks for everyone who answered my first post a couple of weeks ago about mods. I'm booking it in for a few bits and pieces soon... I'll keep you updated!

LOL Didn't mean to start a rumble! I'm no fan of over-modding and don't want to look like a chav. I am, after all, 37 years old! But I've been told that doing the mods I mentioned would improve mpg as well as the delicious performance gains. Anyone done a proper rolling road before and after similar mods? I won't have the cash to do that too - but I reckon on around £5-600 to do the lot at my local BMW specialist (I also live about a mile away from Janspeed). It would take me about 3 months to go through that in petrol alone if I bought that M5! :D Thanks everyone for your welcoming comments. Interested to know if anyone can help me with some hard(ish) facts and figures - or at least some pseudo-science or mechanical engineering jargon to explain why I'm massively wrong! Ian

Hi all Hopefully, I'm just weeks away from the end of over a year of Skoda Fabia automatic hell, and I'm looking at getting an E46 330Ci Sport/M-Sport. My top budget will be around 4K. I've spent months poring over Autotrader, eBay and Pistonheads searching for the right car... Some have come and gone as I haven't had the readies - but looks like I'll be shifting the comedy Skoda soon and joining the BMWOC for real! I was going to get an E39 M5, and had done masses of research on those, but insane fuel costs and ropey job situation (I'm self-employed) make me think this is a bit more 'sensible' (really though?!?!). Anyone with an appropriate car for sale/Px, anyone with 330Ci Sport buying tips/hints, ownership tips, or general welcome/comments very welcome! BTW, I'm looking to do a combination of ECU upgrade, sports exhaust or straight pipes conversion, sports cat and performance air filter on the basis that I don't give a sh*t about resale values, but I do like torque, power, and (to a lesser extent) noise. Any comments on fuel economy following this lot? Thanks everybody Ian