Project 'Modern E36' - My 2009 BMW 128i

[Jake]

i really like underdog/overlooked good cars and this was a good one IMO. i think it had a pretty awesome stay with you and let's hope the new guy keeps the shiny side up for a long time.

Agreed. The 135i is also quite good and a ton of fun (because more HP is more better, duh) but there is a charm to the 128i that a lot of people don't quiiiite "get."

The new owner said he's been autocrossing a Civic already and this will be the replacement. So, at least it'll continue to be beaten on when the keys change hands :thumbup:

[ScottyB]

The 135i is also quite good and a ton of fun (because more HP is more better, duh) but there is a charm to the 128i that a lot of people don't quiiiite "get."

yeah i honestly knew nothing about the 1 series apart from the 135, and after you brought up how the 128 is basically a modern, better built E36M3 it made a huge amount of sense, especially for a DD. looked at it from that angle, it seems like a relatively great kept secret.

[dhaval]

Alright, so I am late to this party, but what’s important is that I am here.

For those of you who don’t know me, which is everyone but Jake, I am the new owner of Jake’s old DD, the 128i.

A little bit about myself:
My name is Dhaval, I go to school at Montana State University and am graduating in a couple months! Yay! I have always considered myself to be a car guy, and surely in the midst of non-car people, I definitely hold that title.

As Jake mentioned previously, I owned a Civic before the 128i, and she was a faithful companion. However, after 2 years of owning it, and a season of Autocrossing it, I REALLY wanted to get into a RWD car. I had driven many, but never owned one. So, I started looking for cars last December. I was on the verge of buying a ZHP and the only thing left to do was to find one that wasn't beaten on. EAG was an option if I really wanted an amazing one but something about spending that much money on such an old car discouraged me. Then, a buddy of mine introduced me to the 128i w/ Sport Pack, and after a bit of research I realized that that was the car for me. Sure, I could have purchased a powerful RWD car and tried to imitate Chis Harris around every corner, but I learned from Autocross that balance is everything. Also, I like taking incremental steps with cars so I am not overwhelmed by the power, and most importantly, I don't kill myself. Anyways, long story short, I contacted Jake, and a couple weeks later the car was in Montana!

Now, the car:
I LOVE it! It might not be a performance car in any petrolhead's eyes, but that doesn't stop me from drooling over it. I have always wanted to own a BMW and my dream finally came true with this car. I was a little nervous because I had purchased it based on a single FaceTime call and trust, but it was everything that I had hoped it would be. Small, great steering, awesome seats, sufficient power, and decent handling (I have yet to confirm this on the Autocross track). In terms of issues, I have only had one so far, the OFH gasket and the water hose. After a few drives, the water hose mounting sheared off and it was leaking coolant profusely. Thankfully, it only took a 12-pack of beer, a new hose, and 3 guys to fix it within an hour. Since then, I have had no issues with the car (knock on wood).

I finally got my custom plate a week ago, and I am pleased to report that I kept Jake's registration plate, TURBN0. I had purchased the car for what it was in the BMW community, and I think Jake did an excellent job capturing that in the license plate so I had to carry that forward. Thanks Jake!

As far as future plans for the car, I ordered Turner Motorsports' Section 1 pipe that eliminates the secondary cats and (hopefully) makes a better sound. A couple weeks before looking for exhausts for my car, I found myself under the driver side rear of the car staring at a zip tie that looked like it was pinching a hose. My friends and I could not figure our what it was, but after looking for exhaust solutions on forums, I came across the infamous Golf-Tee Mod and instantly knew what that innocent little zip tie was doing.

Anyways, I should have mentioned it in the beginning that I am a noob when it comes to forums, so I apologize if I said anything that was uncouth. As far as future posts go, I realize that this is not a dedicated 1er forum but if any of you found this worthwhile, please leave a thumbs up and I promise to keep this thread alive for your entertainment.

Greetings from Montana,

Dhaval

[Jake]

Woo, welcome! Glad you made it on here. I think that zip-tie was pink... or yellow. The big pack of colored zip-ties is cheaper than the black and white pack at Home Depot, which is why it's some bright color.

I did always think the car would sound better with some sort of exhaust modification... curious how that will work out for ya. The zip-tie/golf tee method didn't really do much for the sound.

Make sure to post some photos... upload to Imgur.com and use the [img] wrapper that it provides.

Looking forward to seeing what you do with the car and how you improve your driving with autocross and maybe some HPDE in the future!

[SlimKlim]

Exhaust Cut Outs!!

It's like the mullet of the automotive world. All business Monday-Friday, and obnoxious raspy goodness at the Saturday autocross.

(Just don't dump it straight from the headers, I've seen people get uninvited to the next autocross because their car is over a certain decibel level.)

Enjoy the car, glad it went to an enthusiastic owner.

[dhaval]

Woo, welcome! Glad you made it on here. I think that zip-tie was pink... or yellow. The big pack of colored zip-ties is cheaper than the black and white pack at Home Depot, which is why it's some bright color.

I did always think the car would sound better with some sort of exhaust modification... curious how that will work out for ya. The zip-tie/golf tee method didn't really do much for the sound.

Make sure to post some photos... upload to Imgur.com and use the [img] wrapper that it provides.

Looking forward to seeing what you do with the car and how you improve your driving with autocross and maybe some HPDE in the future!

Thanks Jake! I look forward to doing HPDE someday too! 'Til then I will add updates of the Autocross events. Next one is in two weeks! Woohoo!

[dhaval]

Exhaust Cut Outs!!

It's like the mullet of the automotive world. All business Monday-Friday, and obnoxious raspy goodness at the Saturday autocross.

(Just don't dump it straight from the headers, I've seen people get uninvited to the next autocross because their car is over a certain decibel level.)

Enjoy the car, glad it went to an enthusiastic owner.

I understand you concern but I do live in Montana, the Wild West. People turn up with open headers and no one cares.

Anyways, I was looking at this thread before purchasing the Section 1 pipe. If it sounds half as good as the 328i in the video, I'll be content.

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Cheers!

[dhaval]

Quick Update:

This weekend I Autocross the car for the first time. Waiting at the starting grid, I was nervous because I did not know what to expect. The candid drives over the past 2 months led me to believe that I would have a fair deal of body roll, and I was also expecting it to be underpowered. However, as soon as I dumped the clutch at 2500rpm, I felt the balance and power. It's fascinating how narrow, small, spaces amplify the sensation of speed. As I went through the first slalom, I instantly realized how poised this car was as compared to my Civic. Yes, there was a little body roll but at no point did it detract from the overall driving experience.

After a couple runs, I got a hang of the whole RWD thing and even felt confident enough to kick the tail out on purpose to negotiate corners. Out of a total 38 registered drivers, I placed 12th in raw time and 7th in PAX time. Considering I was on 320 treadwear Conti DW's, I was satisfied with my time. Some of the cars that I beat were, 350Z, Mustangs, S2000, STI, Civic Si, etc.

A side note here: Considering the car is stock, I expected to compete in the FS class. However, after reading over the SCCA sule book, over a few beers the night before, I realized that those beautiful 17x8.5 BBS' bumped me up to STX, which I was a little bummed about.

Anyways, it was a fantastic weekend out in middle-of-nowhere Montana. The 1er might not be the most sought after track car but the car's performance on the Autocross course truly impressed me, and I look forward to upcoming Solo events in it.

Future additions: Front and rear rotors and pads, and the Turner Motorsports' Section 1 pipe.

Ciao

[Jake]

:thumbup:

I autocrossed it a few times and thought it was pretty composed. Nicely done with where you placed!