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+--- Thread: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 (/showthread.php?tid=11604)
Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - Steve85 - 01-08-2018
OK, I got carried away telling the story so here is the BLUF
TL/DR – I bought a car when I wasn’t really looking to buy because the right one came up. It’s a 2014 Estoril Blue II 328i xDrive Sports Wagon with M Sport Appearance, Brake and Suspension options. The previous owner is the GM at a Lamborghini dealership and took me and my son for rides in a Huracan. I am ruined.
The story:
Why – I was getting tired of the SUV life, it has its advantages and my wife has a CX-5 so it was time for me to go a new direction. The SUV isn’t fun to drive, the one I have isn’t particularly great to look at, and for those warts I still don’t get P/U truck utility. It is however, roomy and comfy. I was going to go pick’em up truck thinking of the comfort, space and great utility but realized I don’t need that much utility often enough to continue sacrificing daily enjoyment. Having growing boys (12 and 14) that are very active in sports plus our family stuff I still wanted utility on demand in something good looking and fun to drive. I was never a big wagon fan, but the Germans are good at them.
What I was looking for – I really thought if I was going to own a wagon, it had to be manual. Unfortunately that would take me back to older Audis, previous gen BMW or Subaru. I wanted something current, not Japanese, and prefer the F31 looks inside and out to the previous gen BMW. The focus was narrowed. I still have a 6 speed car at my disposal and quite frankly I’ve been driving stick long enough that commuter shifting is as mindless and thrilling as breathing at this point. So now it just had to be M Sport for the better look, seats, brakes, and suspension. Or not so fast…turns out those brakes and suspension are additional options. And not many people ordered them all and those who did are not turning the cars over frequently. It had to be blue or red with white a very close second if it had everything else and ideally the deep brown leather. The scope was pretty narrow which played a part in accelerating the purchase.
I really wasn’t looking seriously but this thing popped up listed only on F30 Post with a link to sellers dealership, Lamborghini Carolinas. It did not show up on Autotrader, Cars.com, etc. He "sold it" to the dealership to get in a Golf R, his 15th Golf of various GTi levels. It had everything but the interior color and was priced well for all the comparison shopping I did.
The deal - I call the guy (Chase) and we had a great conversation about how he found it, why he was selling and some enthusiast talk. I told him about my son’s obsession with Lamborghini, our trips to VIR for the IMSA and Super Trofeo race and he told me they run three cars there! The XBOX sponsored IMSA GTD and two Super Trofeo cars.
One of my boy’s favorites from the weekend:
![[Image: i-hTn2JRJ-M.jpg]](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-hTn2JRJ/0/530394c9/M/i-hTn2JRJ-M.jpg)
![[Image: i-vc62RkX-M.jpg]](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-vc62RkX/0/6a92e336/M/i-vc62RkX-M.jpg)
We got to numbers and he agreed to remove any dealer fees, it was a fair price so I was happy. We talked about the other cars on the market and he knew he didn’t have to budge. Then I went in for the kill – if I bring my son to pick up the BMW, can he get a ride in a Lambo? Without hesitation, he said, “Absolutely, always looking for a reason to take one out”. And then he volunteered Super Trofeo VIP tickets that include food and beverage all weekend in the tent for the 2018 VIR race. I was pleased.
The buy – The dealership is closed on weekends but he was more than happy to come in and do the delivery on a Saturday so we picked Jan 6. I rented a car and he agreed to pick us up at the Enterprise drop off. Bonus: We got a free upgrade and they removed the $100 drop fee so that was nice!
Chase picked us up in this:
![[Image: IMG_3446-M.jpg]](https://photos.smugmug.com/2014-328i-MSport-Wagon/i-9ND3MR5/0/25bf759c/M/IMG_3446-M.jpg)
So fricking nice!! Things were off to a good start.
We get to the dealership and yup, lambos everywhere, a white Porsche GT3, Cayman GT4, R8 and so on. We sat down at the table and he fired up the big screen and grabbed what was basically a tablet configurator linked to a big screen and told my son to build his dream car on it. We hit a snag adding the car to my insurance so while I was on the phone, he walked over and asked Michael if he wanted to see the “secret stash”. He showed Mikey upstairs and told him to just come down when he was ready. They have a mix of inventory and dealer owner private cars upstairs:
![[Image: upstairs%20lambo%20dealer-M.jpg]](https://photos.smugmug.com/2014-328i-MSport-Wagon/i-DHhdL5J/0/34081c1d/M/upstairs%20lambo%20dealer-M.jpg)
![[Image: upstairs%20lambo%20dealer%20gt40-M.jpg]](https://photos.smugmug.com/2014-328i-MSport-Wagon/i-vd8jK4L/0/ecb788c7/M/upstairs%20lambo%20dealer%20gt40-M.jpg)
![[Image: IMG_3458-M.jpg]](https://photos.smugmug.com/2014-328i-MSport-Wagon/i-j9bq4tc/0/c8b61cbd/M/IMG_3458-M.jpg)
We saw the red Countach at VIR last year, the owner drove it to the track Friday to get some pics of it with the race cars. It’s from a time when seeing a Lamborghini was a moment - pre-C&C, pre Google images. They made something like 2100 from 74-90, contrast that with like 1500 Gallardos per year from 03-13.
I finished with insurance and we were good to go. Since he hadn’t mentioned anything, I wasn’t sure we were still on for a joyride, I mean, there are signs on all the cars not to touch, there is salt on the roads and it was about 17 degrees out. (Which I would have understood and never told Michael there was a possibility so all would have been good)
Chase grabbed the BMW keys and looked at Michael and said “I’ll bring it around, then you want to go for test drive?” He said “Sure” with a little shoulder shrug, thinking it’s no big deal since we are about the drive the car 6.5 hours the next two days.
We got outside, Chase parked the BMW then opened up the big folding glass wall, and Michael was like “What’s he doing?”. Chase turned to Michael, pointed to a gray Huracan on the floor and said, “I thought we’d test drive that instead”. The boy lost it! It was incredibly satisfying to watch him just in disbelief and pure excitement as the car was started and pulled out of the building. Off they go: (PS – these cars have an exploding exhaust note on start-up, that accurately foreshadows the upcoming experience)
When they got back, Michael got out and was beside himself. If I overpaid for the car, I just got my value.
Chase came over to me and asked if there was anything he could do for me, I thanked him and said no, I think we’re good. He told me get in the car…umm...OK!
I hopped in, the interiors are really nice and just look cool. He pulled out not very aggressive, but you could already tell this was special and the sound was just unreal. We had to go through a neighborhood, so he hit the steering wheel switch to the comfort mode which also quiets the exhaust.
We did a few miles on a divided two lane highway. He jumped on it at about 40-50MPH and it was sick, just sick. We made a U-turn and he did it again, much to my amazement, it seems he was not foot to the floor first time. The acceleration is other worldly. We went through two gears (from about 50mph) and there was no drop-off, I slid up in the seat, my stomach felt like cresting the hill in a roller coaster. It was only a few seconds, but holy shit balls, it’s hard to explain, there’s just not much to compare it to. The feel, the sound…it’s intoxicating. (quite literally actually as your brain tries to catch up)
We shook hands, he handed Michael a new t-shirt and Lamborghini book, and told me to look him before the IMSA race next year. Michael and I headed out to my brother’s house about 90 minutes away just outside Raleigh. The bar for a car buying experience in the future is set high…realllllly high J.
And my brother apparently had just sold his orange 200x Mach 1 for this Rousch 427R. Supercharged and sounds ridiculous!
![[Image: IMG_3448-M.jpg]](https://photos.smugmug.com/2014-328i-MSport-Wagon/i-nSPxg8R/0/b0a44166/M/IMG_3448-M.jpg)
Oh yeah, I bought a car or something while I was down there....
The car – Love it. It is an absolute pleasure to drive. I did get on it leaving a stop sign and we just kind of laughed at how nothing is going to feel fast for a while. Highway ramps are fun and kidding aside, it does pretty good to get around slow pokes and get up to speed. It’s roomy enough but I will have to adjust as there really isn’t excess space like in the Edge. So little things like having a good place for my phone, drink, reading glasses, sunglasses will have to be figured out. I think the best way to describe how I feel is the only reason I want to stop driving it is to get out and look at it.
The mystery - In the owners manual, there are receipts of the car getting paint protection (CilaJet?) at a dealership called Pentagon Motors just outside if Rammstein Air Force base and a receipt from Hilton Head BMW for changing all the nav and radio "US States".
The plan –
First order of business is heavy duty mats, WeatherTech style.
Second, it came with BMW roof cross bars so I’ll be looking for a box that is good for skis and general luggage. Something like this: (lalalaladontlookatthewheelslalalal)
![[Image: 14846355966_c3d180c22f_o.jpg]](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5572/14846355966_c3d180c22f_o.jpg)
Then hopefully a remote start – partly for convenience but I also think it helps longevity by allowing things to warm-up in low stress conditions.
In the looks department, I’ll pick up a splitter which I think ties the front end together better. Wheels will be more long term because the factory are actually pretty nice. Those up there are 20s I would probably not go bigger than an 18.
For lowering Dinan has .75 drop as compared to the others with 1.5+. That up there is also too low for my taste.
It could use a little bump in power and there are a couple options from Dinan (thanks RJ) and BMS that are plug and play to give a nice conservative bump. IIRC, they also allow you to run with the more aggressive tune or not pretty much on demand.
Better pics to come soon so I'll throw this one in here too for now.
![[Image: 53695944475__1ECC1166-97AF-42D7-B3E6-5C6012B0B180-M.jpg]](https://photos.smugmug.com/2014-328i-MSport-Wagon/i-pcTXVGD/0/4e3a3ca7/M/53695944475__1ECC1166-97AF-42D7-B3E6-5C6012B0B180-M.jpg)
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - Apoc - 01-08-2018
(01-08-2018, 09:03 PM)Steve85 Wrote: What I was looking for – I really thought if I was going to own a wagon, it had to be manual. Unfortunately that would take me back to older Audis, previous gen BMW or Subaru. I wanted something current, not Japanese, and prefer the F31 looks inside and out to the previous gen BMW. The focus was narrowed. I still have a 6 speed car at my disposal and quite frankly I’ve been driving stick long enough that commuter shifting is as mindless and thrilling as breathing at this point.
Quoted for RJ.
I'll be interested to see how the Dinan/tune stuff goes. I actually went like three weeks without driving ours and realized I missed it when I got back in this weekend. I doubt I'll spend any real dough on it, but I'm not opposed to a few upgrades.
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - WRXtranceformed - 01-08-2018
I like my job, but I am clearly in the wrong business
What an awesome experience for dad and son. And you get VIP access to the race! That is freaking sweet.
Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - JPolen01 - 01-08-2018
Sounds like an awesome buying experience and a great car to go home with! These are seriously good looking wagons.
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - Jake - 01-08-2018
Well now I want to go buy a car from Chase, sounds like a really great experience! Very cool all that he did for you and Michael with the rides and VIP tickets.
Oh yeah, and I like the wagon too
I'd honestly keep the stock wheels, I think they look like an evolution of the revered M-Parallel from the early 2000s. Excited to see how this treats you!
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - Steve85 - 01-09-2018
(01-08-2018, 09:52 PM)WRXtranceformed Wrote: I like my job, but I am clearly in the wrong business
What an awesome experience for dad and son. And you get VIP access to the race! That is freaking sweet.
My cousin is GM at a Toyota dealer in MA and I asked him what it takes to get a dealership. Now maybe it wasn't always this way, but for a long time now, dealership owners were rich already and these are just another part of the portfolio. I remember the same thing about the Chevy dealership I worked at. The owner was never there because it was a small part of everything he had going on. IOW, you're probably closer to his real business than you think!
It really was. Not to mention the hours in the car with a captive kid just shooting the shit.
(01-08-2018, 09:31 PM)Apoc Wrote: I'll be interested to see how the Dinan/tune stuff goes. I actually went like three weeks without driving ours and realized I missed it when I got back in this weekend. I doubt I'll spend any real dough on it, but I'm not opposed to a few upgrades.
Yeah, I'll wait for my warranty to expire, but I'm looking forward to turning up the wick a bit. Oh, and you're right, that heated steering wheel is soo nice when it's 1 degree.
(01-08-2018, 10:19 PM)JPolen01 Wrote: Sounds like an awesome buying experience and a great car to go home with! These are seriously good looking wagons.
I really wanted to like a 5 series for the extra room but they, and the Mercs, just get very wagony at that size. The proportions here are more...long hatchback and I think that helps a lot.
(01-08-2018, 11:02 PM)Jake Wrote: Well now I want to go buy a car from Chase, sounds like a really great experience! Very cool all that he did for you and Michael with the rides and VIP tickets.
Oh yeah, and I like the wagon too
A genuinely good guy, pretty much the exact opposite experience from someone who is getting rid of a car he doesn't own anymore and is used to selling much much higher end cars.
I wasn't sure about the wheels but they look better in person than I expected, I'm glad I can be patient there.
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - Nis01 - 01-09-2018
Quote:
Great pickup, I'm glad the buying experience was so smooth. Can't say I've ever heard a similar story. I do very much like these wagons, I agree a little more power would make it a much more enjoyable daily. That color and those wheels are a must... eye candy.
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - .RJ - 01-09-2018
(01-08-2018, 09:31 PM)Apoc Wrote:(01-08-2018, 09:03 PM)Steve85 Wrote: What I was looking for – I really thought if I was going to own a wagon, it had to be manual. Unfortunately that would take me back to older Audis, previous gen BMW or Subaru. I wanted something current, not Japanese, and prefer the F31 looks inside and out to the previous gen BMW. The focus was narrowed. I still have a 6 speed car at my disposal and quite frankly I’ve been driving stick long enough that commuter shifting is as mindless and thrilling as breathing at this point.
Quoted for RJ.
I'll be interested to see how the Dinan/tune stuff goes. I actually went like three weeks without driving ours and realized I missed it when I got back in this weekend. I doubt I'll spend any real dough on it, but I'm not opposed to a few upgrades.
Yes, please report on the Dinan stuff. I demand we swap cars for a drive at some point too.
The blue m-sport looks fucking sweet. Really sharp, nice purchase. Sometimes I wonder if I should have bought one over the E91, too. I have perpetual buyer's remorse. I suspect one of these will be next down the road after the E91, clutch pedals will be extinct by then.
This is sofa king hot
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - Steve85 - 01-09-2018
(01-09-2018, 09:56 AM).RJ Wrote: Yes, please report on the Dinan stuff. I demand we swap cars for a drive at some point too.
The blue m-sport looks fucking sweet. Really sharp, nice purchase. Sometimes I wonder if I should have bought one over the E91, too. I have perpetual buyer's remorse. I suspect one of these will be next down the road after the E91, clutch pedals will be extinct by then.
This is sofa king hot
Definitely - I'll let you know next time I'm going to be in the Chantilly office or hitting up a C&C or something down there.
Honestly, I think shifting an 8 speed would become cumbersome around town and the car would be pretty doggy with only a six speed and bigger RPM drops (and lost boost) between shifts. Ideally we could get the 335 touring with 6 speed but I guess just be happy it's not all CVTs now??
That damn car has a lot to do with what I ended up with. It doesn't help that he is pretty good with the camera too.
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=961918&page=12
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - .RJ - 01-09-2018
(01-09-2018, 11:50 AM)Steve85 Wrote:(01-09-2018, 09:56 AM).RJ Wrote: Yes, please report on the Dinan stuff. I demand we swap cars for a drive at some point too.
The blue m-sport looks fucking sweet. Really sharp, nice purchase. Sometimes I wonder if I should have bought one over the E91, too. I have perpetual buyer's remorse. I suspect one of these will be next down the road after the E91, clutch pedals will be extinct by then.
This is sofa king hot
Definitely - I'll let you know next time I'm going to be in the Chantilly office or hitting up a C&C or something down there.
Honestly, I think shifting an 8 speed would become cumbersome around town and the car would be pretty doggy with only a six speed and bigger RPM drops (and lost boost) between shifts. Ideally we could get the 335 touring with 6 speed but I guess just be happy it's not all CVTs now??
I was impressed with the 8-speed auto in the one that I drove. It wasnt quite DSG/PDK good, but it was good, and this is coming from a grumpy cat that hates automatics. Its far better than the old 6-speed auto gearboxes.
With the turbo-4 and boost I can see how the auto is just easier, on my A4, the 1-2 shift was never great and even worse when cold - the car was also geared too short, it was geared to run to ~60mph in 2nd gear but the party was over on the disco potato turbo by 5500 rpm... but I would regularly get dusted by fucking camrys off the line. Aint going to happen in your car.
I still have grand plans of a 335xi drivetrain swap....
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - davej - 01-09-2018
She's a beaut Clark! That is such a great looking color/car, and somehow looks even better with that roof box. A roadtrip with the boy and an amazing dealer experience, I don't see how this could have been better. Ya did real well!
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - Goodspeed - 01-09-2018
This was such a good read, congrats on the purchase and excellent dealer experience!
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - WRXtranceformed - 01-09-2018
(01-09-2018, 12:44 PM).RJ Wrote: I still have grand plans of a 335xi drivetrain swap....
![[Image: Jackie-Chan-WTF.jpg]](https://imgflip.com/s/meme/Jackie-Chan-WTF.jpg)
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - ScottyB - 01-10-2018
doesn't get better than that. great read, and it sounds like you're going to have your hands full with a total speed addict as your son gets older. a lambo ride will ruin anyone at any age!
love that color, seriously. such a win all around, i think you paid for one of the best examples of that car you're ever going to find.
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - Senor_Taylor - 01-10-2018
Finally got around to reading this. What a great experience!
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - Steve85 - 01-11-2018
(01-10-2018, 10:14 AM)ScottyB Wrote: doesn't get better than that. great read, and it sounds like you're going to have your hands full with a total speed addict as your son gets older. a lambo ride will ruin anyone at any age!
love that color, seriously. such a win all around, i think you paid for one of the best examples of that car you're ever going to find.
haha, yeah going to have be careful with that one!
I love your blue too, I've had an itch for a blue car for a long time and this blue gets a lot of compliments!
I am spending way too much time and energy trying to find a roof box. Mostly because you can't get this one in the US, Packline NX215:
![[Image: 91_875630527.jpg]](https://images.finncdn.no/dynamic/480x360c/2016/11/vertical-5/21/1/865/053/91_875630527.jpg)
I sent an email to distributor in Vancouver and I'll see if I get a response.
Mostly my hang up is I don't want something too tall but would like to fit skis and boot bags. That Inno one on that other car is way too small and the Hyper XL is a bit out of my $$ range. I want one that is 85 x 36 x 14, and Yakima I think has the closest so might end up with the Showcase 15.
Inspected this morning at a local second hand dealer that mostly does higher end cars, BMWs, they have an F sport, etc. and come highly recommended for service. I asked the service writer (not the sales guy) about the aftermarket warranty they use/sell so I'm going to look into that. They have a good relationship with them and he didn't express any consternation.
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - .RJ - 01-11-2018
That roofbox looks nice. How is it different from say, the Yakima sky box?
The E46 & E90 wagons have aged pretty well but those F31's look damn sharp.
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - davej - 01-11-2018
just take the logo off, or let the haters hate.
https://parts.flowaudicharlottesville.com/p/Audi__/Cargo-Carrier---Ski-and-Luggage--capacity-405L/63616067/8K0071200.html
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - Steve85 - 01-11-2018
(01-11-2018, 11:44 AM).RJ Wrote: That roofbox looks nice. How is it different from say, the Yakima sky box?
The E46 & E90 wagons have aged pretty well but those F31's look damn sharp.
Honestly, mainly looks. I want to be able to keep it on most of the winter without hating it.
That Audi one does look good, but I can't bring myself to spend $1K on a roof box!
There is a BMW branded one on the CL (BMW 460) right now and includes the roof rails. Could get it and flip the roof rails. It's pretty long though at 91". I'm pretty sure it's a rebranded Thule Motion 900 (discontinued model).
RE: Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31 - .RJ - 01-11-2018
Steve, are the roof rails flush mount? If so I'd be interested in those for my E91.