Hey all,

I finally decided to say goodbye to my beloved 1989 BMW 325i...it was definitely too much of a money pit for me to handle.

I took delivery of a brand new 2002.5 Protege5 at the beginning of this month and I must say that I am very happy with the car. I love having the extra room, the extra doors, and the exceptional gas mileage...not to mention the great handling and the zoom-zoom...haha

The Pro5 is surprisingly much more of a head-turner than my 325i was, probably because there are like three Pro5's in Southern California (exaggeration obviously...) but thousands of BMW's. I get plenty of compliments with my stock Pro5 for the three weeks that I've owned it over the few compliments I got for the BMW that I owned for over one year.

Things I miss about the BMW:

-acceleration and broad powerband: I had chipped the BMW and I was able to accelerate smoothly from 3K to 7K...in any gear.
-the silky smooth Getrag 5-speed
-my Nakamichi sound system.
-my MOMO steering wheel.
-the exceptional BMW E30 community online
-the Los Angeles BMWCCA...a great car club

Things I don't miss about the BMW:

-the oil leaks (Mobil1 finds holes easily in an older car)
-the high-priced mechanic - I was accustomed to plopping down $1000 or more for every service I had performed
-the thirst for 91 octane fuel and the so-so gas mileage associated with my lead foot
-the small problems that always popped up every two weeks
-the big problems that always popped up every two months (rear subframe bushings, leaky gaskets...)

I am definitely keeping my Pro5 stock...eventually, I'll get a new sound system (I love the 6-disc changer though). With the car's tuned suspension, I should be able to take it as it is to a performance driving school...and a CAI/exhaust combo won't do much for my driving style. I will get a drop-in K&N filter soon though.


some pictures of my Pro5:
http://home.earthlink.net/~flipmack/pro5/pro5.htm

the ad that sold my 325i:
http://home.earthlink.net/~flipmack/sale/index.htm

pics of the 325i:
http://home.earthlink.net/~flipmack/pics/index.htm

why I got the 325i in the first place:
http://home.earthlink.net/~flipmack/sale/accident.htm



Gerard

 

hey congrats on your purchase! that was a really nice and well kept bmw you had im sure you will love your protege! welcome to the board

 

i've owned my pr5 for 3 weeks now and love it...i suggest getting a ractive intake (it's not a cold air version so you don't have to worry about water)...the intake makes a huge difference in power and does not make the car loud...you can only hear the engine when flooring it...the intake is only $70 and with easy installation it is a worthwhile investment...my car feels much faster now and it helped get rid of a hesitation that i would get around 5k rpms

 

Traded a Lincoln LS8 for the P5. It's sad that the build quality is VASTLY superior in the P5. Lincoln has a WAY to go. Miss the V8 though. Sound system was great too but I can fix that!! Almost there in fact.