[Myth_sx]

karan561, congrats on the purchase.

I remember seeing the ad for this sale on another forum few months ago and the thought of owning an e46 at the asking price was just a huge temptation. Only the distance from my location was what ended further fantasies.

I do wish you all the best in the plans you have made for this car. Please keep us updated. With pics and a lot of details !!

[PrasannaDhana]

Hey Karan, Congrats!

Why dont you share us a pic of both the pairs of old & new siblings? The fortuners and the beemers!

[JozfGT]

Hi Karan ,
This is really a hard to find model you have here. My brother had an E46 318i in the UAE which he sold very recently. I was lucky enough to drive it around.
The car is unbelievably steady, suspensions are excellent and so is the handling.

We really miss that car, but had to sell it because of the same reason most of the people doesn't keep it long ; BMW demands pampering..! There will be some repair pending all the time and being a businessman, he couldn't afford to spent all that time.Still, as my brother says, you cannot find a more sporty and built for driving pleasure car anywhere else.
But consider yourself lucky for having the 318 rather than the 325,328 or M3 since it is the cheapest to maintain even though is not that powerful as the big brothers. Being just a 1.8 engine, it really gives out reasonable power as you know by now.

If you want more power, get a tuning chip and there you go

Anyway, have a great time on your car and be proud to be an owner of an imported car.

Customization options are infinite for the beamers and we look forward for the updates from you on the latest works you are working on the car.

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[Dhruvtalwar]

Beautiful car!
I'm also interested to know more about the engine swap.

Also, does anyone know any good tuners in Delhi who can help restomod a car like this?

I just got my hands on an E34, obviously an older vintage which needs a lot more love than your car. Would love to be connected to the right people who can help.

PM's from anyone with advice solicited

Have fun with the car!

[Skyline_GT]

Congratulations for getting your hands on a timeless beauty like her!
Bimmers of those days (Pre E90) had a charm of their own.
While Mercs and Audis of that era sported a more friendly smiling grill it were the Bimmers that stood apart with a much aggressive grille design as if resembling a man with a sly smile but a serious no nonsense kind of face expression.
And great to see that you chose a car from the pre electronics era where the cars were mechanical and yet superior. And of course came with a Manual Transmission!
She's surely in some safe hands and care under you.
Enjoy the countless miles and memories in that German assassin!

[karan561]

Originally Posted by bhuvan_prasad

Hey Karan,
Congratulations man! Great platform to have as a project car, it has all the basics right - RWD, manual GB, Hydraulic PS, lightweight, plenty of aftermarket parts support.
Really interested in your choice of engine swap, and how you will be sourcing it. In my opinion using locally available blocks, GB shells, heads with imported pistons, valves, springs, and other internal parts is the easiest. Do you plan on importing a whole engine as is ?

Hey bhuvan,

Thanks for your wishes man. Well i do agree the e46 is a perfect car to have as a project to work on.

The preference of choice of engine is a straight 6 petrol BMW engine. But lets see as 2jz & LS swaps are also common in these e46's. Hence all options are open. Also not power hungry to be honest as the target is to achieve ultimate driving pleasure.

Originally Posted by deepcdc

Ah, That E46 is a mean looking Beamer, you don't get that with the new cars. Fantastic choice, will keep an eye on this thread for upgrades.

Indeed, Thanks !

Originally Posted by Myth_sx

karan561, congrats on the purchase.

I remember seeing the ad for this sale on another forum few months ago and the thought of owning an e46 at the asking price was just a huge temptation. Only the distance from my location was what ended further fantasies.

I do wish you all the best in the plans you have made for this car. Please keep us updated. With pics and a lot of details !!

Yes its the same one, thanks for the wishes & will surely keep the thread updated

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Hey Karan, Congrats!

Why dont you share us a pic of both the pairs of old & new siblings? The fortuners and the beemers!

Het Prasanna, thanks & also an interesting request Lets see how soon i can make that possible.

Originally Posted by JozfGT

Hi Karan ,
This is really a hard to find model you have here. My brother had an E46 318i in the UAE which he sold very recently. I was lucky enough to drive it around and we have done a 200km top speed on it. The car is unbelievably steady, suspensions are excellent and so is the handling.

We really miss that car, but had to sell it because of the same reason most of the people doesn't keep it long ; BMW demands pampering..! There will be some repair pending all the time and being a businessman, he couldn't afford to spent all that time.Still, as my brother says, you cannot find a more sporty and built for driving pleasure car anywhere else.
But consider yourself lucky for having the 318 rather than the 325,328 or M3 since it is the cheapest to maintain even though is not that powerful as the big brothers. Being just a 1.8 engine, it really gives out reasonable power as you know by now.

If you want more power, get a tuning chip and there you go

Anyway, have a great time on your car and be proud to be an owner of an imported car.

Customization options are infinite for the beamers and we look forward for the updates from you on the latest works you are working on the car.

Hey thanks for your insightful comments & wishes also thanks for reassuring my buy decision.

Originally Posted by Dhruvtalwar

Beautiful car!
I'm also interested to know more about the engine swap.

Also, does anyone know any good tuners in Delhi who can help restomod a car like this?

I just got my hands on an E34, obviously an older vintage which needs a lot more love than your car. Would love to be connected to the right people who can help.

PM's from anyone with advice solicited

Have fun with the car!

Thanks for the wishes & also congrats to you too. I personally am not too sure about who can handle such stuff around Delhi / NCR but im sure some other BHPians will be able to help you out with this.

Originally Posted by Skyline_GT

Congratulations for getting your hands on a timeless beauty like her!
Bimmers of those days (Pre E90) had a charm of their own.
While Mercs and Audis of that era sported a more friendly smiling grill it were the Bimmers that stood apart with a much aggressive grille design as if resembling a man with a sly smile but a serious no nonsense kind of face expression.
And great to see that you chose a car from the pre electronics era where the cars were mechanical and yet superior. And of course came with a Manual Transmission!

^ Hey very well said !

She's surely in some safe hands and care under you.
Enjoy the countless miles and memories in that German assassin!

^ Thanks for showing that kinda faith & the good wishes.

[mikon]

Hey Karan,
That's a lovely E46. Congratulations!
There are lot of things which can be done like..
1. ZCP/Forged/BBS Wheels
2. LUX Corona Rings
3. Some goodies by DINAN or burgertuning
4. Exhaust
5. CF Front lips
6. CF Rear Spoiler
7. CF ORVM cover
8. LED tail lights
9. Lowering the car
10. Wider rubber

That's a nicely done up E46 at my service center.


ZCP wheels


I'll check more and let you know.
Enjoy the Classic.

[vishy76]

An excellent review of an equally ferocious beast. One of the fewer Germans I have seen where electricals aren't a top priority. Modern cars are just too complex as GTO said.

The E46 is indeed rare. I went looking for one shortly after reading this review and couldn't find anything but your car only! Looks like the owner still hasn't taken the advert down.

BTW, are you looking to swap the engine altogether or try and boost performance by modding the stock engine block?

On a different note, I don't like the paint and the yellow angel eyes. The silver seems to be a borderline colour between bronze and grey in some of the pictures. I would suggest a matt black wrap if respraying is not a top priority for now.

You can also change the angel eyes to blue. I don't have a clue as to whether you will have to change the entire headlamp assembly though. Additonally, looks like the facelift has projector headlamps instead of the halogens on your car. You can swap those on your discretion as well. It all boils down to your taste. That's what a project car is.

This is what I was talking about:


OT, but I can't wait to turn 18 or shall I say start earning and do shenanigans of these kinds.

[#enzowho]

Originally Posted by Maverick5490

S63 engine in an E34!! Wow, would be interesting to see how that massive engine fits into it!

it's not a s63, most likely a s38.

Originally Posted by karan561

Engine Swap (Immediate)

Congrats, You made the dream of many a reality, my friend.

Interested to know what engine you'd be swapping in.
Been thinking of building a LS2 E30 for a while.
Hope it goes just as planned.

[VKumar]

Congrats Karan, that's indeed a beautiful looking beast.

Good old memories, just returned back once I saw the pics of that car:

[mura]

You might be interested in this:

http://collinsadapters.com/index.php...ter-plate.html

[ishankpatel]

Congratulations Karan!

E46 is truly a legend! Cannot tell you how many times I drool over these when they drive past me. The have quite a fan following here in Germany! Nevertheless, they are available in abundance, hence fairly priced.

I wonder how much one has to shell out in India to get this ride?

A friend of mine bought a used 328i Touring with M Packet (only asthetic mods) in Germany, I had the chance to experience it. Apart from the extremely low seat height (may be this was the case only for this particular car), I loved the car!

[rageshgr]

Wow! Karan, when I first started reading the thread, I didn't look at the author. And I was baffled, thought to myself "who is this BMW petrolhead? With enough craze and taste?". Then I saw your handle and it all made sense!

The quintessential BMW! This car looks even meaner and leaner than your F30 328i. Can't wait to see your build as it progresses!

As I said, pls trade lives Karan!

Congrats and enjoy the classic beauty! Do post the driving impressions on the as-is car.

[RohanDheman]

Congratulations on the E46 Karan- the manual is a rare rare find! It's a wonderful project car to have and lots of parts and swap information available online. I am tuned in keenly for the engine swap. May explore that for my E36- right now she is bone stock. Sharing a pic if you don't mind! All the best with the mods!

[nakul0888]

Originally Posted by karan561

The fact that i have termed it as a Project car is that there is good amount of work going to be put in the car to make it a performer & this thread will act as its build journal.

The Aim is to achieve "Driving Pleasure" & not "Speed"

Mods Planned;

1) Engine Swap (Immediate)
2) Interior Revamp (Immediate)
3) Brake Upgrade (Very Soon)
4) Coilovers Or Sport Suspension (Soon)
5) Rear Subframe Reinforcement (With the Suspension/Coilovers)
​6​) Wheels & Tyres (Soon)
​7​) Gearbox Rebuild, Short Throw Shifter (Very Soon)
​8​) Exterior Paint or Wrap ? (Near Future)
​9) ​& Other Small Upgrades (Suggestions Welcome)

The Video in Post #1 gives you a good idea about the car (Interior/Exterior), rest will keep on updating the thread as soon as the car builds

Firstly, congrats on the sweet ride. The e46 3 series looks like its been sculpted from a piece of rock by a sculptor. The proportions are perfect.

I have just one doubt. Instead of going through all this engine swap and upgrade hassle, why dont you just look for an e46 m3. If theres only the SMG model available , just do a manual transmission swap. Should be easy too since SMG is just an automated manual instead of a slushbox. How expensive can a 10 year old plus m3 really be?