Getting a lot of people asking ‘when is the next one’ and ‘what is the next Geoff car’… well… it’s one you’ll recognise!I bought this 2002 BMW 325i M Sport Manual as a little treat for myself, and i’ve enjoyed knocking around in it. There’s a video on YouTube about this car, but although it gave me great joy to have my name back on the V5 document of a BMW… the Volvo force is strong. I’m desperate to get my 850 TDi sorted out. Mrs Geoff loves the S Class (and so do I), and I do adore my Volvo 850 GLT TDi Wagon.
So the E46 is kinda… surplus to requirements. Also, MrsGeoff actually hates driving the E46, she finds the gearbox and clutch combination with the heavy steering all a bit too much for daily use.It has done 90,000 miles from new, and is 3 owners, but I’m the 3rd owner.
Ordered new by the Italian Economist Fabrizio Pagani (google him), it was kept by him for 10 years before being sold to the 2nd keeper, from who I had the car just a few months ago (via a trader friend).
It was written off Cat C in 2012, however it has clearly been repaired to a high standard, and even with that Cat C bit, where are you going to find another E46 325i M Sport Manual with less than 100k on the clock and 2 owners…?! (well, 3 if you include me).Inside it’s full leather with electric seats, a sunroof and the Harmon Kardon audio package, and it’s a true raw manual.It drives beautifully, like a properly sorted BMW. If you know M Sport BMWs (and BMWs in general) then you will know they are sensitive to tyres, suspension bushes, shocks, springs and brakes… this one just feels RIGHT.
MY GOD THIS IS A NICE CAR TO DRIVE IN ANGER!
This is the first car in a very long time I’ve gone out in, on an evening, just to ‘pick up some ice cream’… you know those evenings when your usual 10 minute trip to the shop takes 3 hours and you use half a tank of petrol and arrive back home with three police cars and a helicopter behind you…?
One of those drives. And I bloomin’ loved it.
I really do like this car a lot, BUT… I’m not really in a position to keep cars around me just because I like them. So, instead of building another race car to put against the Volvo 850 Touring Car, it has now become the RACE CAR VS ROAD CAR Geoff Special.The Volvo 850 Race Car is an awesome thing in it’s own right.But who doesn’t love a manual gearbox E46 six cylinder?!
So, the question is… Race Car (the Volvo) or Road Car (the BMW)?I’ve had some very, very tough Vs decisions.
Is this the toughest one yet? End of November, live on Facebook like usual.
