Hello everyone!

I have full build threads for both of the cars mentioned in this post; the M3 is here and the Wagon project is here.

For brief history, 4 out of the 5 cars that I’ve owned have been BMWs. My first car was an automatic 1998 BMW 328i sedan. It was a great little car with some pep in its step. When that was totaled, I bought a manual 2001 330Ci with 151k miles on the clock. That one was a bit of a project and I wasn’t much of a car guy at the time. At first it was $1k for a shop to install wheel bearings and brakes (both of which I provided) and change my oil. Then it was another $1k when my water pump exploded on my way home from work. I eventually sold that and put the proceeds plus some other gathered funds to finding something else. In December of 2015, I finally found the one: a 6-speed manual 2002 M3 convertible. It met my criteria of being a manual, and surpassed my expectations with only 98k miles, an interior in great condition, steel gray exterior paint, and a convertible top that worked like a charm. $10,300 later, the keys were mine.

It did have its issues though. Because it was on the lower end of the price range, basic maintenance was to be performed and more extreme fixes (for me, at the time) followed shortly after.

Special shoutout to AP Sykes for always being there to lend a helping hand and encouraging me to continue on even in the face of defeat.

Over the course of the next 3 years, I slowly turned my treasured convertible that the “Catherine” type bought new into a toy; something that I could dedicate purely to driving experience. I swapped out every rubber bushing for polyurethane, stiffened up the suspension with coilovers and sway bars, installed a DINAN intake with a tune, bulletproofed the VANOS and rear subframe area, and even removed my rear seats. Remember, every ounce counts.

It took a lot of thought before I finally decided that I would pursue an S54 touring build. The M3 was fun, don’t get me wrong, it just wasn’t all that.

• – The M3 was a convertible, weighing in at around 3,600lbs due to the convertible top. This meant the chassis was a little sloppy and removing weight would be much harder. A wagon, at just 3,200lbs, will weigh as much as the e46 M3 coupe. The chassis may be on the same level of stiffness as well; that being stiffer than the convertible.
• – Since I practiced welding by welding the reinforcement plates to the underside, the welds weren’t all that great. They held (surprisingly) but since I added structural foam in the chassis, I can’t re-weld the plates for risk of a fire.
• – The strut towers split from the fenders due to years of the previous owner driving without a strut brace. When the car was in its second accident, I asked the body shop to spread them apart and weld the cracks up so I can have a proper alignment again. Well, they didn’t listen and just welded the crack – so a proper alignment is now impossible.
• – The M3 on paper was just plain expensive. Registration and insurance were pricey due to what the VIN number said. The wagon would be infinitely cheaper on registration and insurance, as well as being a nice little sleeper until the body conversion is done.
• – A wagon can haul so much to the track, it’s not even funny. I couldn’t even bring a spare set of tires with me in the convertible.
• – It’ll look cool as hell.

In December of 2018, I finally found the one next one. A 2002 BMW 325i Touring; 209k miles, factory 5-speed, black interior, Topaz Blue exterior, sport seats, style 68 wheels, and it was $1,800! Leadpaw and I did a day trip down to Solvang, CA to pick up what would soon bear the S54.

Much like the M3, it had its issues as well. The M54 engine DRINKS oil, there’s a minor coolant leak, the brakes needed replacing, the steering wheel was raggedy, the climate control unit was broken, the front window regulators didn’t work, and the sunroof shade fell off its track. The exterior was riddled with dings, the paint was peeling and chipping all over, and the rear hatch had a pretty sizable dent. Though what’s great is that all this would have been fixed in the swap plans anyway!

Took the climate control unit, headunit, and AGM battery from the M3:

Window regulators were promptly fixed:

Found a set of new OEM pads in the junkyard for $16, along with a homelink unit:

While I was skeptical that the wagon would last until the M3 was taken apart, it did and I’m very proud of it. So far it made it about 6k miles of ownership with a few gallons of distilled water and some cheap oil. Since the engine is on its last legs, I had to work fast to get the M3 taken apart for the swap.