Hello all, me again. 

The fiesta was great; it really was. However, I was never proud to own it. It was really fast, faster than it should have been, but beyond that, it wasn't something that I looked back at whenever I parked and walked away. FWD is fine, but without an LSD, it's kind of annoying with high horsepower. I could go on and on about that car, but I won't. The gist of it is, I fully recommend a Fiesta ST to anyone looking for something fun, practical, reliable, and cheap. It just isn't the car for me anymore and I want good speakers and heated leather.

I owed way too much money on the Fiesta, and with my lack of commute and my E21 being well sorted, I was looking to dump that payment and get something even cheaper, but a bit more "me". I've spent the last few months looking at car listings; browsing the usual ones like E36 325i/328i models and E46s. I was looking for something cheapish, but in good condition that would be a fun and semi-reliable car to take on road trips or run to get groceries. The truck is great, but it's completely impractical to take to the grocery store or drive 4 hours by myself to visit my mom. The E21 is a load of fun to drive, but it's not something I want to be in for 4 hours and the lack of airbags or crash protection makes it less than ideal for road trips with my gf and dog. The more I thought about it, the more that these stipulations seemed to apply to E36s. They simply aren't a modern car. E46s are much nicer, but even then, they are 15 years old at best and 22 years old at worst. You're not buying one in good condition for less than 7-8k anyway and then it'll still need some work. Enter the E82. The 1 series was sold in America from 08 to 13 and they are much more upscale than an E46, but they also are arguably a downgrade in reliability and build quality. They do have a redeeming quality in the fact that they have the same power as an E36 M3, weigh the same as an E36 M3, and have a normally aspirated 3 liter straight six like an E36 M3, all while having a much nicer interior and door panels that haven't fallen off (yet). I thought long and hard about it, and came to the conclusion that I am ready to take the risk on reliability and buy a 128i.

I searched for a while and soon found that there just aren't that many manual one series for sale anymore, let alone with the sport and lighting package like I wanted.  It turns out that there were less than 300 manual 1 series cars sold per year in the US. Even then, if you find one, people are asking 15k+ for them. It would be a tough search. I put the word out that I was looking. I spoke to a few dealers and few wanted to budge on price, so I kept looking. Jake's friend Tyler who also sold a Fiesta ST to buy a manual N52 BMW reached out to me and sent me a link to one he found in North Carolina for $5500. It was an 08, 6MT, sport package, lighting package, comfort access package, grey 128i with 144,000 miles on it. I immediately reached out and set up a PPI at Carr Industries about 45 minutes north of where the seller lived. The PPI showed a 100% rust free, straight, and relatively clean car, and I sent a deposit. 12 hours of driving later, and the car was mine. The only blemishes noted to me before I drove down was some clear coat failure on the roof, a missing tow hook cover, and a scar on the rear bumper. The Fiesta was sold to a dealer near my house the next day. When I did take a closer look at the car, I noticed a few more things. The driver door seal had shruken (a la E30s), but didn't seem to cause any leaks. The vents in the dash were discolored, the sill plates were cracked on both sides of the car, there is a little carpet damage in the back, but the paint on the roof was not anywhere near as bad as it seemed in the photos. A body shop quoted me $700 to repair it and blend it properly. Everything else on the car functions without issue. 

Maintenance:
Oil pan replaced
Valve cover gasket replace
Tensioners and belts replaced
???? The rest is mystery! How fun! 

I'm not aware of a water pump replacement, but the folks at Carr told me there is literally 0% chance it hasn't been replaced. That doesn't give me much confidence though, as the mileage is high enough on the car to warrant the water pump being replaced for a second time already if the 60k service interval is to be trusted. I'll keep an eye on it. Overall the car is way cleaner than it should be for the price. I'm excited to drive it, but I fully expect this to be a huge headache. Stay tuned!

2005 LR3 w/ ZF transmission; need to throw a new torque converter on it. 

Sell or DIY fix? Would anyone be able to help with this/have any idea how to drop the transmission? Could provide food/lodging/beer.

I've been accumulating a lot of stuff. Please by my stuff

Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback sim wheel - Free to any MMer

LG 32" Television - $50

16:9 20 inch monitor - free

16:10 1050 p 22 ish inch monitor - free

SunJoe Pressure washer - free (from Joey) 

Microsoft ergnomic keyboard https://www.bestbuy.com/site/microsoft-e...lsrc=aw.ds - $20

Tv stand - free to a good home

Everything is pickup in Falls Church. Package deals welcome and appreciated. Anyone who buys something gets first pick of free shit

$60 OBO:  Porter Cable 7424 random orbital buffer with backing plate


$50 Craftsman aluminum racing jack.   EDIT: I found the handle extension


Free:  3" silicone hose for brake ducts.


$20 OBO electric impact wrench


Large space heater.  Great in the garage


$20 OBO Racheting Air hose reel



Free:   Mobil 1 and other random fluids.  (anything on this shelf)


Free:  Air hose with fittings

FS:  2006 Nissan Titan.   Low Miles!  One Owner!  Body Beat to Shit!


So over the years my Titan has collected its share of dings and dents.
I was in midst of buying parts to make it more presentable when it got backed into by a high schooler while parked,  which pushed it over my personal "beat to shit" threshold limit. Im moving out of the area in 3 weeks and dont have time to get it fixed,  so Im thinking of selling it as-is.   Which sucks because I love having a beater truck.

Since I know some of you keep an eye on the truck market (though probably not the beat-ass truck market),  Im looking for opinions on what it may bring on the market.

2006 Nissan Titan SE  (mid model) 2wd
Tow Package,  bed rails and spray in bed liner (that has a few bubbles)
Miles 44,000.  Engine and trans are very strong.  Trans flush a few thousand miles ago.
Plenty of tread on tires,   plenty of meat on the brakes, and a fresh alignment this week.
Mechanically in good shape except for a bad brake fluid sensor that happens on all these trucks but I didnt fix because I have eyes.  $170 part if you cant handle the light in the dash
The batteries in the tire pressure sensors ran out so that light is on.   I didnt fix because I can read a tire pressure gauge.

https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/702261/10002/-1

SOLD

I have a set of these, brand new. $200 for the pair pickup in Troutville only. 

set of pegs, mirrors, stock front springs, brake pads, master cyl and a generic fairing. Free to good home, I can ship it if need be ($)

SOLD

I bought this thinking I'd turn it into a track car but got remarried and had more babies instead while it's been sitting in my garage for 4 years. Top, seats, stereo, window regulators gone, the rest is still here. 158k miles. Runs and drives just fine, I've let it warm up once or twice a year. Right front framerail, fender, hood, bumper, condenser damaged, but I got the wheels reasonably aligned. Other stuff removed but still present, headlights, door glass, door panels, glovebox, center console and the rest of the interior. Pick up in Troutville, VA, I even have the title!

Also included LRBspeed aluminum door panels and rear finish panel, brand new, worth $300. 

$900 for all of it!





Short terrible quality video of letting it warm up today, cannot figure out how to embed anymore
https://i.imgur.com/ZJlxOqu.mp4

Here's what I ordered hoping to wire this up to a Miata, but never did. You can have it all for $300 (+shipping):

https://www.diyautotune.com/product/micr...g-harness/

USB to Serial Adapter - Works with TunerStudio! 1 $22.50 $22.50
MicroSquirt Engine Management System with 30" Wiring Harness 1 $339.00 $339.00
MAP - GM 3 Bar MAP Sensor 6" Pigtail 1 $11.50 $11.50
MAP - GM 3 Bar MAP Sensor 1 $64.00 $64.00
GM Open Element IAT Sensor with Pigtail 1 $22.25 $22.25

Hey all! We have neat alums, so I figured I'd start doing little articles on some of them. I'm happy to do one for any of y'all, and I need some volunteers for the first few so I can get a backlog of these to post.

You can fill out the Google Form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQ...sp=sf_link\\


or reach out directly to me if that Form isn't working or you don't want to use it.

Thanks!


Our first one features Jake!

https://mmsports.org/alummni-spotlight-jake-thiewes/