DEPOSIT NOW TAKEN
*See Page 6 for a 'review' by a potential (newbie) buyer who has seen and driven the car*
*New pics of bolster repair and ding removal below - 17/04/14*
Link to PistonHeads ad here : http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... 06/2235744
Link to AutoTrader ad here : http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... 4143329151
Loved to (pretty much) within an inch of its life and only now for sale because I'm upgrading. Get yourself a cup of tea, as this isn’t a short post... But it’s worth the read because this is what you’re potentially buying :
This is my pride and joy – I’ve owned it since September 2011 and shortly after purchase I joined this forum, on which it is very well known and documented. I always wanted a 3.0 roadster after test driving a coupe in 2007 - the coupe was lovely, but I haven't got enough wavy hair to look good in it and I'd always wanted a convertible of some kind. It had to be auto because the wife’s licence is auto only (though she’s driven it exactly once, on the day I brought it home lol), it had to be black or silver, and it had to have a red interior. It also had to be as high a spec as possible. I only saw a couple of cars and paid a deposit on this one on the day I visited it.
It’s an awesome driving machine – it has pretty much all the toys ; it has a 265bhp straight six naturally aspirated masterpiece mated to a sublime auto box that literally pulls like a train when you floor it, or cruises with ease on a long motorway journey ; the roof-down experience is one that everyone should enjoy at least once in their lives, even Adamski loved it before going off the rails ; I get mid to high 20s mpg commuting in and out of London, 30-ish on motorway commutes, and 33 mpg on long runs to Scotland, even with serious hoonage enjoyed in the middle - so it’s frugal for the amount of car you get ; the noise (even at low speed ) as you accelerate through 1.5k revs up to 3k is aurally orgasmic, and it gets positively pornographic once you reach the red line at 7.5k.
Back on that auto box – many dislike autos, and I understand their view. My previous car was a Ford Focus ST3 that loved nothing more than being taken by the scruff of the neck and wrung out through the gears. However the box in this car is hugely flexible – in full auto you can barely feel the changes it’s so smooth, even flooring it ; push the gear stick over into Manual and you can use the stick or the paddles to change gear, the shift is quicker than in a manual, and once you get some practice you can drive it *almost* like a manual box ; press the sport button and the throttle response sharpens up, the steering becomes more weighty and the gear ratios are adjusted to be slightly more aggressive… it’s a LOT of fun.
The car has been looked after pretty much as befits a forum car – two bucket washing, m/f cloth drying, regularly polished and waxed (Poorboys Black Hole & Dodo Juice Purple Haze Pro), ‘deep cleaned’ over the summer last year (documented on here in the detailing section), garaged since March 2012, roof treated with Autoglym wash & protectant, winter wheels on through the mucky months to minimise damage / corrosion to my summer 108s… though of course it’s now riding on mint 224s…
The car has been used as my daily driver - so my only car - and as such has never been tracked by me. My sig pic is a shot from Silverstone Classic in 2012 with 300+ other Zs on a parade lap, the one and only time the car has been anywhere near a race track.
So, the detail :
Factory Spec :
3.0 Si Sport Roadster
Automatic transmission
Black Sapphire
Dream Red Oregon leather interior
Multifunction M Sport steering wheel with paddles
Chrome Line interior trim, Cirrus Aluminium dash & centre console (quite rare)
M Sport seats - heated, electric, drivers memory
Bluetooth phone prep
Professional navigation system with v.32 firmware & 2012 maps
MP3 capable CD player in head unit ; 6 CD changer in centre cubby
Auto-dimming rear view and wing mirrors ; heated electric folding wing mirrors
Auto headlights (halogen) ; auto windscreen wipers with rain sensor ; headlight cleaning system
Auto climate control
OEM clip-in wind deflector with inserts in roll-bars
M Sport suspension (upgraded – see below)
Hardtop-preparation
Warning triangle in boot and first aid kit under passenger seat
Rear Park Distance Control
Hill start assist – in the auto, on a steep enough hill, once you come to rest you can take your foot off the brake and it will hold the car for as long as you need.
Upgrades & enhancements under my ownership :
- Mangowalk stubby aerial – the gentleman’s choice
- Gaptech One Touch & Remote Hood module
- Intravee & Alpine units for iPod / iPhone integration, uses CD changer loom (note – Brodit mount for iPhone will be removed). USB cable accessible in boot for updating
- V.32 Nav firmware update & 2012 maps
- Wheels – mint, genuine BMW Style 224s from srhutch’s ///M, 2,800 miles since refurb
- Non-Runflat tyres – Michelin PS3 on the front, 3.5-4.9mm inside to outside across the tyres ; brand new Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas on the rear with only 800 miles on them - so just scrubbed in
- Eibach Pro Springs
- Sound generator foam mostly removed (still have removed pieces)
- Clear rear 3rd brake light
- ///M dash needles
- Cruise control
- Black grilles
- Real black/silver carbon fibre roundels and wheel caps
- LED interior lights, LED sidelights (sidelights as DRLs through intravee functionality) ; Osram Nightbreaker dipped headlight bulbs
- Matte black painted steering wheel inserts – stripped, primed & painted because of wear on original finish
- Silver painted brake calipers
- De-badged on the sides (still have original 3.0Si badges)
- Cup holders
If you're not a fan of the carbon badges, black grilles and lowering springs then I have all the OEM parts in very good condition to put them back to standard. The badges and springs I'll include in the sale as there is time & effort required to change, the grilles we can just swap over.
I'll also include my winter wheels (17" daisies, style 103) - no cracks or buckles, 4-5mm of tread across the tyres but they do need a refurb. They're taking up space and I wouldn't use them on my new car, so you can have them for free included in the asking price.
On 108s after painting calipers silver :
Red ///M needles (standard are plain silver) :
Nav Menu & Intravee Menu :
History & Servicing
- Production date – 01/02/06
- First registered – 28/04/06
- Pre-Delivery Check – 23/03/2006 – Cooper BMW, Croydon
- Oil Service & brake fluid change – 16,230 miles – 23/05/08 – Vines BMW, Guildford
- Inspection 1 – 35,382 miles – 21/11/08 – Wood BMW, Bournemouth
- Inspection 2 & brake fluid change – 54,417 miles – 10/09/10 – Kwik Fit, Streatham (I know, hence the next service…)
- Inspection 1 – 68360 miles – 17/04/12 – H&C Motors BMW Specialist, Maidstone
- Brake fluid change – 73,988 miles – 14/08/12 - H&C Motors BMW Specialist, Maidstone
- Oil Service – 83,183 miles – 25/03/13 - H&C Motors BMW Specialist, Maidstone
- Inspection 2 - 96,681 miles - 14/04/14 - H&C Motors BMW Specialist, Maidstone
Next service will be an Oil Service, due on 14/04/16 or in 15,550 miles according to the service indicator.
4 owners prior to my purchase on 24/09/11 from Alexander David Motor Company in Sunninghill, Berks with 58,806 miles on the clock. Current mileage is approximately 96,700 miles, will change as in daily use – approx. 150 to 250 miles a week.
Two keys, no plastic wallet key.
All the service receipts are present, and just about everything I have had done, replaced, or repaired is accounted for with receipts.
All manuals and documentation are present except the Telephone Prep instructions.
MOT to 09/09/14 – one advisory on last MOT, ‘no kick-up on offside headlight’ resolved by flicking the continental headlight adjuster back to its correct position…
Taxed to 28/03/15
Work Performed Since Sept 2011
- Engine under-tray not present, passenger air duct broken – both replaced with OEM BMW parts bought from Arden Maidstone shortly after purchase
- Headlight rear covers replaced to prevent misting – 15/02/12
- As part of service the on 17/04/12 – front wishbone bushes replaced, front discs and pads replaced
- Michelin PS3s to replace Bridgestone runflats – 29/06/12
- Windscreen replaced - 17/07/12
- Eibach springs fitted & 4 wheel alignment - 13/08/12 by H&C Motors BMW Specialist, Maidstone. Springs were second hand, purchased from a forum member.
- New front bumper side clips fitted – 16/08/12, whilst replacing the lower grille and side reflectors with high quality second hand parts
- Roof motor replaced - 05/10/12 – motor & housing bought from Soper’s Lincoln, replaced by H&C Motors BMW Specialist, Maidstone
- Front & rear brake pads replaced with Textar e-Pads in June 2013
- Original battery replaced with new – 12/08/13
- Windscreen replaced 06/03/14 – genuine BMW screen and seals
- Chip repaired in windscreen 11/03/14
- Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas (£320) fitted to 224s (£450) – 20/03/14
- 224s fitted 22/03/14
As you can see, the car has been correctly maintained and has had some pretty major issues dealt with in a non-stingy manner (front discs, all pads, roof motor, springs etc.). It is completely mechanically sound and in need of no major repairs or other work. Its mileage should not be a concern – the N52 engine is the same as that used in the 330s of the same era and widely acknowledged to be excellent units, capable of carrying on for 100s of thousands of miles.
Condition
The car does have 96.5k miles on it, 37.5k of which have been with me, driving it as a daily. The paintwork is good but not perfect – as you’d expect there are stone chips on the bonnet, bumper & tops of the wings. The issues across the car as a whole are primarily very light scratches and swirls, normal for a car of this age. There are also some minor scrapes to the bottom of the side skirts – one was there when I bought it, and I have picked up a couple from disappointingly manufactured car park security flaps… I find that a couple of coats of Poorboys and Dodo Juice wax do a great job of ensuring the car stands up in the face of the 5 foot look test
There were a couple of minor dings – one just near the filler cap on the o/s rear arch, and another on the n/s rear arch that I hadn't even spotted but my eagle-eyed dent guy pointed out. The dings were fixed on 17/04/14, photo of the one I knew about below :
Before :
After :
The internal driver’s door handle has some marks and there are also a few on the centre console around the hand brake, but that’s it. The driver’s bolster is in decent condition (you'll find wear on any bolster of any car with average to high mileage) and I've just re-dyed it - you can also have the repair kit/dye that I have.
Before :
After :
I’ve tried to be very open and honest about the car and it’s condition because I want it to stay on the forum, and for someone to get a really good deal - you don’t dick your mates right ? I love this car, and it’s been really difficult to decide to sell it… Even considering the car I might be getting into next. If you’ve any questions and want to speak I’ll happily share my phone number and email address by PM. The car is located in Maidstone, Kent, and can be viewed (with some notice) at weekends, possibly week days / evenings if I am working from home or can arrange to be doing so. If you would like to drive it then you’ll need to prove you are specifically insured to drive this car - no have-a-go test pilots please
Price
Taking into account the spec, condition & history, the current available market, and a nod to (but not a high valuation of) all the mods, I’m looking for £7,950 to a forum member. This is one of the cheapest facelift 3.0 Si Sports on the market right now - it would be the cheapest on AT at this price - as has been recently noted there are not many about, and after my attentions it has the very best spec barring a couple of factory options. You will also find that autos are also pretty rare. Even with the age related wear this is keenly priced, well looked after and its history under me is extremely well detailed on the forum.
Photos
UPDATED - NEW PHOTOS NOW ADDED BELOW - 09/04/14
Some of these were taken at about 6.15 this morning, so I took some more in the evening in full light. The car was not perfectly cleaned first thing as it had done 30 miles into London, but it has been washed, polished and waxed twice in the last 4 days
. Enjoy, and as you look through the photos, keep one thought in your head – you could be in this car within days, at a great price, on the cusp of summer…
Finally, please respect this thread & its intent and stay on topic – of course if you have a substantiated opinion that you feel would help me sell the car or inform a buyer then please comment.
