Before I get to the topic, I'd like to introduce myself since I'm brand new to this fine community. I ordered my Alpine White 335i coupe 3 weeks ago, and it should arrive in late July from what the dealer tells me. I have a build #, but I haven't checked it out on BMW's site yet. I'm 21 years old, and have had just a few cars in my time. My first car was a 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4, which I loved to death, despite its seemingly horrible reputation amongst the import community (and virtually everyone else) as a slow land yacht. I did the basic mods, then decided to put larger turbos and a bigger fuel system on it. It held its own against C5 vettes, BPU Supras, and about everything else in the high 12s-low 13s range. I never took it to the track after I put the turbos on, but when it was BPU the best I could manage was a 13.5 @ 105mph. It had its share of problems though, and I was rapidly running out of money to keep dealing with it, so I sold it for a substantial loss (taking into account all the work and modifications I put into it over the years).
My next car was a race-ready turn-key VR4 from Dynamic Racing, a company well-known in the 3000GT community. It passed through one owner who bought it from Dynamic and owned it for ~2 years before I grabbed it. While the car went like a rocket (the previous owner clicked off an 11.4 @ 124 shortly after buying it), it had some problems that to this day I'm not sure are a result of the shipping company messing with it in transit (there was various evidence to account for this) or the previous owner not fully disclosing the condition of the car. I knew the car was a time bomb at this point, so I got rid of it quickly, under 2 months later, for the exact price I paid for it.
My current car, if you can call it that--I prefer to call it a mode of transportation marginally preferable to walking--is a 1990 Ford Mustang LX 5.0. The power of the GT, the looks of the 4 cylinder version. It's reasonably quick for what it is, dynoed 215whp with just a cold air intake. However, the car is literally falling apart, The trunk won't close, the passenger door won't open, the driver side window doesn't work, the rear differential sounds like a world war II firefight above 70mph, the horn doesn't work, it rips through oil and power steering fluid (odd, I know) like an alcoholic just let out of county, and the list just grows every day.
So that is my less than stellar vehicle history in a nutshell.
Now on to greener...much greener...pastures.
I'm hunting for mods for the 335, but I must admit, I am new to the European import scene. I'm looking for anyone reputable, really, who deals with body modifications, interior bits, power mods, brakes, suspension, etc. Pretty much anything available, heh
The only ones I'm familiar with right now is Active Autowerke and, of course Dinan. The latter has absolutely nothing available for our cars, as I'm sure you all are aware. So, can you guys post a few links to various vendors and retailers who are well known in the community?
Thanks,
Nick
BTW, I live in Sacramento California. Are there any regular meets or get-togethers in this area? PM me!