GSK89
New member
So! An introduction is in order.... My name is Graham, and I am a self proclaimed petrol head, just like I imagine every single one of you reading this is.
So lets start at the beginning... The year is 2006, I was in grade 11 and every single day I walked to school, I would see my science teacher's 1998 BMW E36 323i in Avus Blue, and every day I would dream about owning it one day. The car was one of the last ones to be sold here, so it had every option imaginable, automatic aircon, sunroom, had the M3 body kit with 17" rims, she was a beauty. Owing to me inheriting some money from an overseas grandparent, and managing to secure a bursary for university, I was given permission to make an offer on the car. R50 000 later (I paid way too much, but i was 17 and stupid), I had the car in my driveway. She had something like 240 000km on the clock, she did have a full service history, but there was a lot to be done. The syncro in the gearbox was shot to hell, it was like stirring a bowl of lard when you changed gears, the entire front suspension needed an overhaul, CV joints, bushes, the lot. But you know you what, I loved that car! She could still do a very illegal speed, not that i'm admitting to anything, and my mechanic said she was one the smoothest running engines he'd heard in a long time.
One night, when I was 18, I decided that drifting can't really be THAT hard, and with a slightly wet road and a very large traffic circle at midnight, I decided I would give it go….. Warning to anyone who hasn't attempted this in a controlled environment - DON'T! End of the story, I ended up spinning the car, facing the opposite way with the rear right wheel slamming into the pavement and sheering the wheel clean off the axle. Oops. Not my finest hour, but a very big lesson learnt, which I remember very well to this day! That cost was R55k, which got me an entire new rear suspension and axle. Decided the car needed to go, as it was needing more and more maintenance, and the petrol was not student friendly. And so she went for R35 000, and to be honest, I still miss her! I'll post some pics of her later.
Fast forward to about a month ago, and many cars later, as you can see in my signature below, and I kinda felt I needed something special again. I loved my Subaru with it's 6 cylinder boxer engine, I mean, she was beautiful, and in a condition I cannot even explain to you (pics on request), but still, something more special was needed. I'm a regular gumtree troller, I'm always on the look out for a bargain… and somehow I stumbled upon this BMW in Cape Town. Now I've always been a fan of the E34, there used to be a beautiful white one around Durban North when I was a kid, and I fell in love with the sound, the angular looks, the sheer size, and that aggressive look it has. So I saw this BMW, a 1994, 530i V8 auto, with 139 000km on the clock. But for a not very large amount of money, maybe I was missing something? So I left it, by which I mean I looked at the advert every single night to see if it had been taken down. At one point it was, but then I noticed it was only to be reposted. I thought, OK, let me do some research. So for about a solid week, week and half, I researched 4-6 hours every night, everything about the E34 and the V8 engines. Weak points, problems, issues, things to look for, etc etc etc. Then I checked insurance, and my finances. Decided, yea, I could maybe do this… buy her as a weekend/project car. Contacted the buyer, who was THE MOST incredible seller I have ever dealt with. It was the fathers car, and he had used it for business trips to Knysna and back, and that was it. Father had replaced the vehicle with an early 2000's Merc S320, and it was time to let the BMW go. I found out that the following had recently been done to the car: all new control arms and ball joints, throttle body gasket, pcv valve, stabilising links and the full normal service. A good R10k worth of work.
So I decided, screw it, lets do it. Booked the flight for myself and my mother dearest (she's a car lover too, and hadn't been to Cape Town in 25 years, so I invited her along), booked the hire car, the accommodation, and off we went. This was last Friday (14/08/2015). Flight went well, picked up the Nissan Micra rental (worst plastic interior ever, but actually drove really well), did a little sight seeing and met up with the owner and the family in Rondebosch East. Best experience ever. Invited us into the house, let me look around the whole car, drive her, showed me everything that worked, that had been replaced, showed me everything that didn't work, which turned out to be one light bulb in the engine bay, and the passenger seat electric seat knob just needed to be put back on, still had it for me in the ash tray, and that was it, so I was really happy. A hand shake and a bank transfer later, and she was mine. And as a bonus, the family graciously invited us for lunch. Really was a smooth and lovely experience. Car went to glasfit for an insurance inspection, back to the hotel for a good sleep, and then the 2 day trip back to Durban.
After a quick wimpy meal in the morning, we left Cape Town at about 8:30am, took the road to Worcester through the Huguenot tunnel, then on to Robertson and down to Swellendam, and then the N2 garden route all the way up to PE. Such a lovely trip, car did it in one tank with petrol to spare, and an average consumption of 8.5l per 100km. I really don't think that is bad for a 21 year old car, AND a V8 at that. She drove incredibly, not a squeak or rattle to be heard, cruise control worked, she over takes like a machine, goodness that V8 pulls like a train. Transmission was good too, with almost no hunting between 4th and 5th. Once again, a good nights rest, and we left at 7am from PE, stopped off in Grahamstown for a Wimpy bfast and a look around. I studied there for 4 years getting my degree and honors in accounting. So I had to have a look around. That place gets under your skin, I just feel at home there!
On the road again, we chose to do the inland route rather than the Transkei, so that took us through Queenstown, up and around to Matatiele, then Kokstad, and back to Durban. Made it back here safe and sound, 1800km later, average fuel of 8.7l per 100km, and not one issue the entire trip.
Mechanic has given her a look over, and couldn't find one mechanical thing wrong with her. Oil looks as clean as if it came out the bottle, no gunk or buildup under the oil cap, radiator fluid is the same story, no corrosion, just beautiful green coolant.
She needs a really good detail, more than likely needs a good clay bar treatment, and a nice set of new tires, and she'll be ready to tackle anything. My intention is to use her only on long trips, holidays, weekends. Keep the mileage down, and really restore her to absolute brilliance. I can believe how original she is, there literally isn't anything that isn't either original from the factory or at the least OEM. Every single interior light still works. All electronics. She still has the tool kit and every single window is original BMW fitment with the VIN number stamped on them. The CD shuttle still works for goodness sakes! Need I say anymore?
Anyway, I'm really REALLY excited to have her, and she brings a smile to my face every time I start her up and feel that V8 burble. Cannot wait for my 'first' road trip in her with friends or family.
Love this forum, and I'm definitely going to try participate as best I can on here! Looking forward to being a part of the family!
Interior pics to follow!
So lets start at the beginning... The year is 2006, I was in grade 11 and every single day I walked to school, I would see my science teacher's 1998 BMW E36 323i in Avus Blue, and every day I would dream about owning it one day. The car was one of the last ones to be sold here, so it had every option imaginable, automatic aircon, sunroom, had the M3 body kit with 17" rims, she was a beauty. Owing to me inheriting some money from an overseas grandparent, and managing to secure a bursary for university, I was given permission to make an offer on the car. R50 000 later (I paid way too much, but i was 17 and stupid), I had the car in my driveway. She had something like 240 000km on the clock, she did have a full service history, but there was a lot to be done. The syncro in the gearbox was shot to hell, it was like stirring a bowl of lard when you changed gears, the entire front suspension needed an overhaul, CV joints, bushes, the lot. But you know you what, I loved that car! She could still do a very illegal speed, not that i'm admitting to anything, and my mechanic said she was one the smoothest running engines he'd heard in a long time.
One night, when I was 18, I decided that drifting can't really be THAT hard, and with a slightly wet road and a very large traffic circle at midnight, I decided I would give it go….. Warning to anyone who hasn't attempted this in a controlled environment - DON'T! End of the story, I ended up spinning the car, facing the opposite way with the rear right wheel slamming into the pavement and sheering the wheel clean off the axle. Oops. Not my finest hour, but a very big lesson learnt, which I remember very well to this day! That cost was R55k, which got me an entire new rear suspension and axle. Decided the car needed to go, as it was needing more and more maintenance, and the petrol was not student friendly. And so she went for R35 000, and to be honest, I still miss her! I'll post some pics of her later.
Fast forward to about a month ago, and many cars later, as you can see in my signature below, and I kinda felt I needed something special again. I loved my Subaru with it's 6 cylinder boxer engine, I mean, she was beautiful, and in a condition I cannot even explain to you (pics on request), but still, something more special was needed. I'm a regular gumtree troller, I'm always on the look out for a bargain… and somehow I stumbled upon this BMW in Cape Town. Now I've always been a fan of the E34, there used to be a beautiful white one around Durban North when I was a kid, and I fell in love with the sound, the angular looks, the sheer size, and that aggressive look it has. So I saw this BMW, a 1994, 530i V8 auto, with 139 000km on the clock. But for a not very large amount of money, maybe I was missing something? So I left it, by which I mean I looked at the advert every single night to see if it had been taken down. At one point it was, but then I noticed it was only to be reposted. I thought, OK, let me do some research. So for about a solid week, week and half, I researched 4-6 hours every night, everything about the E34 and the V8 engines. Weak points, problems, issues, things to look for, etc etc etc. Then I checked insurance, and my finances. Decided, yea, I could maybe do this… buy her as a weekend/project car. Contacted the buyer, who was THE MOST incredible seller I have ever dealt with. It was the fathers car, and he had used it for business trips to Knysna and back, and that was it. Father had replaced the vehicle with an early 2000's Merc S320, and it was time to let the BMW go. I found out that the following had recently been done to the car: all new control arms and ball joints, throttle body gasket, pcv valve, stabilising links and the full normal service. A good R10k worth of work.
So I decided, screw it, lets do it. Booked the flight for myself and my mother dearest (she's a car lover too, and hadn't been to Cape Town in 25 years, so I invited her along), booked the hire car, the accommodation, and off we went. This was last Friday (14/08/2015). Flight went well, picked up the Nissan Micra rental (worst plastic interior ever, but actually drove really well), did a little sight seeing and met up with the owner and the family in Rondebosch East. Best experience ever. Invited us into the house, let me look around the whole car, drive her, showed me everything that worked, that had been replaced, showed me everything that didn't work, which turned out to be one light bulb in the engine bay, and the passenger seat electric seat knob just needed to be put back on, still had it for me in the ash tray, and that was it, so I was really happy. A hand shake and a bank transfer later, and she was mine. And as a bonus, the family graciously invited us for lunch. Really was a smooth and lovely experience. Car went to glasfit for an insurance inspection, back to the hotel for a good sleep, and then the 2 day trip back to Durban.
After a quick wimpy meal in the morning, we left Cape Town at about 8:30am, took the road to Worcester through the Huguenot tunnel, then on to Robertson and down to Swellendam, and then the N2 garden route all the way up to PE. Such a lovely trip, car did it in one tank with petrol to spare, and an average consumption of 8.5l per 100km. I really don't think that is bad for a 21 year old car, AND a V8 at that. She drove incredibly, not a squeak or rattle to be heard, cruise control worked, she over takes like a machine, goodness that V8 pulls like a train. Transmission was good too, with almost no hunting between 4th and 5th. Once again, a good nights rest, and we left at 7am from PE, stopped off in Grahamstown for a Wimpy bfast and a look around. I studied there for 4 years getting my degree and honors in accounting. So I had to have a look around. That place gets under your skin, I just feel at home there!
On the road again, we chose to do the inland route rather than the Transkei, so that took us through Queenstown, up and around to Matatiele, then Kokstad, and back to Durban. Made it back here safe and sound, 1800km later, average fuel of 8.7l per 100km, and not one issue the entire trip.
Mechanic has given her a look over, and couldn't find one mechanical thing wrong with her. Oil looks as clean as if it came out the bottle, no gunk or buildup under the oil cap, radiator fluid is the same story, no corrosion, just beautiful green coolant.
She needs a really good detail, more than likely needs a good clay bar treatment, and a nice set of new tires, and she'll be ready to tackle anything. My intention is to use her only on long trips, holidays, weekends. Keep the mileage down, and really restore her to absolute brilliance. I can believe how original she is, there literally isn't anything that isn't either original from the factory or at the least OEM. Every single interior light still works. All electronics. She still has the tool kit and every single window is original BMW fitment with the VIN number stamped on them. The CD shuttle still works for goodness sakes! Need I say anymore?
Anyway, I'm really REALLY excited to have her, and she brings a smile to my face every time I start her up and feel that V8 burble. Cannot wait for my 'first' road trip in her with friends or family.
Love this forum, and I'm definitely going to try participate as best I can on here! Looking forward to being a part of the family!
Interior pics to follow!
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