Project-Cars

Alex’s 1999 BMW E39 540i/6 Introduction

There comes a point in time when people decide that they want to make a change in life. For me, that change was owning a BMW. The first I heard of BMW’s was as a kid going to the auto show with my father, and grandfather. It wasn’t until high school that I really became a car guy. The very first time I rode in a E39 was in 2011, with Ryan’s 2000 E39 M5. I immediately fell in love with that car, and knew that I had to have one. It wasn’t until 4 years later that I can finally say that I am a proud owner of a BMW. I purchased this vehicle off of my good friend, Razvan who gave me a fantastic deal on this beautiful machine.

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Alex’s 2000 BMW E46 328i Introduction

If I were to tell you that I’ve always been a fan of BMW, I’d be lying. Two years ago, if you were to tell me my first car would be an E46, I would have called you crazy! Living in Buffalo, NY, I pictured my first car as some sort of all wheel drive vehicle. I really was set on an older WRX, due to the decent performance, and great all wheel drive system. I was also your typical Fast and Furious type kid who drooled over JDM “riced” out cars. It’s bad, I know. Luckily, one trip to visit my brother in San Francisco changed my taste in cars completely.

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Andrew’s 2000 BMW M5 Introduction

M5 ownership is a grand experience, even though it has been riddled with mistakes, hard work, and pure luck. My name is Andrew, and I didn’t start out with my current M5, but rather another BMW: my mother’s 2003 E53 X5. It has the 3.0 liter M54 motor, and a religious service history from the dealer/independent specialists so I would never be let down. It took me until halfway through my senior year in high school and I was using the X5’s utility to the max. I was a three sport athlete, and also a volunteer fire fighter, so I was driving to-and-from practice, my home, and the fire house quite often. A plain soccer-mobile X5 was boring for a trending high school senior, so I started to modify it subtly. However, the interior got hit hard with my crazy hormones, and my style reflected that; I put plaid fabric over the wood trim, and vinyled my center console so all my friends could sign it.

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Andrew’s New Benz!

My past BMW’s were fun cars. I had a great time driving them, and I learned a lot fixing them. However, they got a bit repetitive after having cars so similar: the E53 X5, E36 318ti, and the E36 328i. These all shared so much in common that I could go through the motions to change out a thermostat or replace an oil filter housing gasket with my eyes closed. So, what does a car guy do when they need a new project to tinker on? He moves on and gets a 1995 W124 Mercedes E320!

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BMW’s Bastard Child: My E36 318ti

Let’s keep things short, and get this started. I sold my E39 M5 at a good price, but I still miss it dearly. I’m in college studying engineering and pre-med, so I’m going to be in school for a long time. I don’t have the time anymore for photo shoots, car washes and detailing all the time. I needed something cheap, reliable and plain; and it had to be a good project car for some great E39Source content. I decided to buy a Ti – it’s a big F-U to all the viewer’s that thought I was going to get something flashy, and worst of all, everybody hates how it looks.

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Charlie’s 2002 BMW 520i SE Introduction

Hi everyone, I’m really excited to share my new vehicle with you! I have always wanted a saloon, or sedan as you guys in the states call them. I am a tall guy, 6’7″, so trying to find the right vehicle is a pain! I have to find one first, and ask to sit in the car, which is always an awkward conversation. If I fit in it, then I know what to look for. I originally wanted something classy, like a Mercedes-Benz, but then I realized the costs of repair would be astronomical, and I really didn’t think at my age, 19, it would be very sensible. I then remembered how my step dad always loved his BMW. He had a 1999 3-series, and I loved it. He actually destroyed it by putting on big tires and stupid suspension, meaning that when you went round a bend, you could smell and hear the rubber burning on the wheel arch. That car though was the birth of my strong desire to own a BMW.

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Christian’s 1999 540i Introduction

As far back as I can remember I have been obsessed with cars, and most recently that obsession has been channeled to my 1999 540i. My passion for cars is definitely in my family’s blood. My grandpa had a very strong interest in cars, some of which are some of the most beautiful cars from the 20th century in my opinion. These cars included a 1969 Signal Orange Porsche 911E, 1958 Blue Jaguar XK-140 convertible, 1968 Jaguar E-type convertible in Tan, and a 1966 Lincoln Continental convertible in Black with the suicide doors. Growing up around these cars gave me a solid understanding about cars and how awesome they can be.

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Christian’s 2000 BMW E46 330ci

Christian’s family had tried a BMW before- and it didn’t go well. What was so terrible about that first BMW? What is it about this E46 330ci that changed things? This is the story of Christian’s first car- a 2000 E46 finished in Oxford Green metallic.

I never thought I would say this, but I bought a BMW! Let me give that statement some context. BMW’s don’t have the best reputation in my family. My Dad owned a 2005 BMW E65 735i Sport from 2009-2010. “The most unreliable car I’ve ever owned”, in his words. It was a brilliant machine to drive, and was actually the very first car I drove prior to learning how to drive a manual. Cue the haters, but I am a partial lover of the infamous bangle-butt generation of the BMW 7. Something about it screams unparalleled practicality whilst also having supercomputer power. However, that was also the car’s achilles heel. The E65 was just stupidly complicated. My Father’s example had numerous problems with the iDrive system, engine timing chain components, and a large number of sensors that simply decided to go on strike and stop working for no apparent reason. As you could’ve guessed, this caused the car’s systems to go haywire. All those headaches from an (at the time) 5 year old with only 65,000km. This was supposed to be The Ultimate Driving Machine. What was I in for when I purchased my 16 year old, 110,000km 330ci? One word: bliss.

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Colton’s 2001 BMW 540i Introduction

On Thursday, September 6th, 2012 at 5:08am I turned the key to the first ignition slot on what would turn into one of the biggest decisions of my life thus far. Let me start from the beginning. I’ve always been interested in automobiles, ever since I was a young boy. I was the boy who had a box full of matchbox cars which I would drive around on the floor for hours imagining different scenarios. I had quite the imagination. As I grew older, I started to lean towards Ford trucks, mainly because my father had purchased a 2002 F-150 Super-crew. That truck was all I knew as far as vehicles were concerned, that was until I met a friend of mine: Ryan Schultz.

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Compromise – Updates with Andrew and His 2000 M5

I’ve had my M5 for about seven months now, but I have only driven it 2500 miles. That is plenty of time to get familiar with my vehicle, but not enough to determine it’s reliability. For example, when I went to top off the tank before putting my M5 back into storage, it threw an SES code on the cluster. I plugged in my cheap-o generic OBDII scanner, and it came up with a P1526 and P0022 code, “A” Camshaft Position Actuator Control Open Circuit Bank 2 and “A” Camshaft Position – Timing over-retarded (Bank 2) respectively. I had the same two related codes over the summer when I first got my car, and that was when I opened up my bank 2 VANOS solenoids to check their operation. I have now confirmed that I need an intake CPS (Camshaft Position Sensor), which I plan on doing in late May.

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