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i wasnt aware the police would phone the insurance and get mod details!, i thought they where more interested in if its legal, i.e tax, insured, mot;d etc..

If the mods aren't declared it might aswell be uninsured anyway in an insurers eyes.

Bit of a crap rant really. What did you do after he said your full beam was on? Nothing so he assumed you'd left your full beam on still? But still let you carry on down the road?

Bit confusing.

I think I can see tears where his eyes used to be.

Only problem with SRP is the shitty dust off it

SRP has recently had its formula revised which now means that it produces less dust and works even better than before. I have been reading nothing but good things about the new one and it's looking to be pretty impressive.

Great post and must say ive used SRP alot and i found the longer i left it on the car the better the result was, i mean i left it on at least 1-2 hours once and it was amazing, seemed to help it settle into the swirls better BUT do not use it in the evening when temp changes (IMO) as gets colder and doesnt work as good (Just my opinion )

You can also layer SRP, I saw a thread where someone did 5 layers and the car looked stunning. These kind of products will definitely work better when left for a while, means they'll be harder to buff off and cause more dust usually but it's normally quite rewarding!

Not just your opinion, very few detailing products actually work well in low temperatures.

Not generally a fan of Autoglym myself, but if I want something cheap to apply quickly via DA/hand with good results, I'll always opt for the SRP, it's a great product.

Impressive! Is it Starlet related only? I'm intending to get a Yaris T-Sport soon as a daily, might be interested in a few bits in the future.

I couldn't really be scraping the bottom of barrel to be honest. I don't want something that barely moves either as I will sometimes be making motorway journeys and I don't want to be planning an overtake for 20 minutes!

I will definitely start having a look around, you've opened my eyes a bit that petrol probably isn't bad as I was making out. Still edging towards diesel though mainly as they just chomp miles and I've not had great reliability from the petrols I've had in the past and they're normally high milers that are cheap and I just don't find they like pushing over 100k quite like the diesels do if you get me?

Just want something that will be nippy when needed and cost me sod all to maintain really!

Don't really cover the miles, no, but I won't miss my frequent visits to the Shell garage put it that way!

When you say "these days" are you talking about the really recent ones? If so I'd imagine they'd be well out of budget, I want to achieve 40-60mpg realistically.

I know you're going to lean more towards VAG, but have a look at the Rover diesels, the Rover 400/45 is probably the ideal sort of size for what you want.

They might not be as refined or attractive as a modern diesel but they're still very good, and you can get a good R400 for well under a grand.

Forget what you've heard about reliability. The diesel engine in them is bomb proof. And the car itself is based on a Honda Civic. Build quality is fine, the seats are comfy and they drive really well. Upwards of 50+ mpg and they can be tuned for pennies. They come with all the usual electrics and air con too.

The VAG 1.9 diesel engine is a good choice, and you've got a variety of makes and models to choose from, but if you want a good alternative then I wouldn't over look the Rovers, as most people wouldn't even think about them.

Interesting, may look into that buddy thanks.

Vag for sure. Take a look at a Leon TDI, you should get a decent one for £2k. You might pick up a decent Mk4 Golf for that if you're lucky, but as you said they do hold their value better than the Bora.

I think Bora's are better looking than Leon's in standard form, they're ugly as sin but I may consider it mate thanks. Just know I'll end up changing the bumpers and all sorts which is something I don't want to be doing!

Have been looking at Golf's as they haven't been beaten with the ugly stick quite as badly as the Bora but they do seem to hold their value a lot better than the Bora's do. Passat is also another option, again it is much cheaper than the Golf and although a bit of a "grown up car" could end up being practical.

I think realistically bang for buck it's got to be a VAG diesel after looking around. Would like a something AWD for all year round practicality but to be honest anything will be better in the snow than the M3!

Since I've spent the last week spending hour upon hour detailing my M3, it's looking absolutely stunning and I've fallen more in love with it than I have since I purchased it.

After taking my current daily driver Seat Leon Cupra R (which is soon to be sold) out tonight and seeing how bad the weather/roads are it'd kill me to take the M3 out at the moment and I'd prefer to keep it looking nice and avoid racking up the miles on it!

I would keep the LCR as I do like it, but I'd rather have something cheaper to run and preferably diesel. I don't really care what it looks like, just want something that will cost me as little to maintain as possible. Ideally has to be a normal sized car so not really after a 306 or anything.

Budget realistically is £2k but I'd rather it was lower, the best car to fall into the category at the moment is the VW Bora TDI which aren't the best looking cars but a decent one can be had for around £1-2k.

Any other/better ideas?

That looks stunning mate, enjoy it when its on the road!

Loving the wheels as well :-)

They're really growing on me, look stunning when they're clean at night and a light shines on them, polished finish is awesome and I think I'd miss it with the CSL's.

BMW perfection right there!

CSL wheels are nice, however I'd be inclined to stick with the originals especially as they are in such good condition. They usually suffer badly from lacquer peel, looks like someone did a very good job on refurbing them.

Thanks buddy, glad you like it! Yep, I'm definitely swaying towards it. At first I'd intended to remove some weight from it as some parts of these may aswell be made of lead. However, after going for a couple of serious drives I'm pretty sure I'd kill myself if it lost any weight so I think I'll be keeping it as BMW intended! In sport mode the car is an absolute beast, drives nothing like any of my previous cars and I'm absolutely amazed how perfect the car is to drive. The noise is.. Oh.. My.. God.. The noise.

That's a fkin amazing example mate I bet your well chuffed , me and the wife used to own an e36 m3 evo and we loved it....

Absolutely delighted mate, nothing better than seeing 50 year old men in their 320's looking at you with envy haha. Bet the E36's are a hoot to drive, styling isn't to my taste personally but I'd settle for any M car having driven this I think!

After a fantastic journey back and being very lucky with the weather I've managed to give it a clean so thought I'd give you all an update!

Rough idea of the spec:

2004 SMG Silver/Grey with 52,000 on the clock, (52,500 since the journey back!)

SMG Gearbox

Sat Nav

Electric Sunroof

Heated Seats

Centre Armrest

Electric Folding Mirrors

19" Alloy Wheels (Refurbished Last Year)

Harmon Kardon Audio

Bluetooth Phone Prep

Full Service History

After a long overnight 8 hour drive though some slightly dodgy weather (I was bloody lucky it wasn't a lot worse) it arrived home. Obviously this time of year you get all sorts of stuff on the roads that you don't want on your car, including salt! I had to make sure this was all removed immediately so I went ahead and used APC on all my wheelarches and the lower half of the car to ensure it was removed as best as possible.

The car will be taken off the road over winter and I will be spending several days detailing it to the best of my ability to make it look as close to spotless I can!

In the meantime, after a clean with the 2 bucket method and some Optimum Detailer and Gloss Enhancer. Sadly straight after cleaning it I had to go out before I could get pictures so it's a tiny bit dirty (note tyres etc) but anyway, here are some pictures for you all!

Wear to the leather is really minimal and great for it's age:

My initial plans were to get CSL rims as soon as I could afford them, however after giving them a good clean I am starting to wonder if it's really that much of an urgency. These were refurbed to a high standard last year and look fantastic once cleaned properly! Please note that it isn't damage you can see, it's water droplets that kept coming back! They really are perfect.

Thanks for looking, comments welcome!

Niiiiiccceee Im totally un-decided what to do just now, been looking at M3's, Evo 8's that kind thing, something newer,nicer and fast standard so i dont have to do anything as im totally off the modding game just now BUT sensible head tells me to buy an average car and save cash

Yours is the prefect colour,and seems a prime example I couldnt hack the SMG box though, alwasy gotta have a clutch lol.Where abouts in Scotland you picking it from?

Exactly how I felt really, I'm a bit of a gadget lover which is what leant be towards the M3, this one has all the optional extras with the exception of the rear blind so loads of bits and bobs to play about with!

These can be had REALLY cheap now if you're willing to look at the ones with higher mileage, I've seen some respectable ones go for £8k, but then there's obviously the risk of something going wrong, but isn't there always?!

I wouldn't make the most of an Evo, and I want RWD, for me the E46 is prettier, I do like Evo's but I just love the styling on this.

Glad you like the colour, seems a bit marmite but some of them are just so lairy and I don't want to be waving my willy around in a "look at me" type fashion. I prefer to blend in with the crowd and let the people who know what they are appreciate them rather than yelling in their face!

I'm picking it up from Falkirk buddy.

Think that was for people tonight though, judging by the weather it looks as though it will be sorted for tomorrow evening.

Here's the forecast:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/6296627

Wind looks completely normal and doesn't look like any snow, which is always a good thing in a new RWD car, especially one with 340-odd BHP!

Thanks guys, bit worried about the journey to Scotland now after hearing about the weather today but I'll have my fingers crossed for the best!

Iddy - Nope, saving it for emergencies during the winter, getting insurance for about £70 a month so just going to do that until Jan/Feb time then I'll be getting rid of it.

Brewin - Nice taste!

I see the nardi money went to good use, does look smart mate.

Haha, yep, also partly at fault for the delay! Had a hectic week arranging everything, flying back up to Scotland just like I did for the Starlet when I got it!

Thanks for all the nice comments guys, nice to see you all appreciate it!

That was fast, you never told me you decided to get one sooner! I'm glad you bought it while the value of them has dropped due to the weather though, I bet you'd have paid a fair bit more in the summer. Absolutely beauty is that, in a stunning colour too.

Thing was I was more picky than I was worried about the money in the end. This one came up as a fully loaded example with everything except the rear blind, it's a 2004 model and has only covered 52k. I was searching and searching and to find one with an interior as mint as that and bodywork to match was very hard. I narrowed it down to 3 in the end, 1 sold straight away, I got these 2 checked out by well known people on the forums one came back as a shitter this one came back as a minter (hopefully!) He couldn't fault anything on it other than stonechips on the bonnet and the usual bubbling on the mirror, but a couple of hundred quid and according to him I'll have a perfect example of an M3.

Nice car, what made you go for the SMG setup?

D

Lots of things really, I spend more time in traffic than anywhere else these days and I have genuinely got bored of using a clutch. I could never settle for full on auto but the freedom to have that or the SMG just felt like a great choice. I'm sick of clunky gearboxes too and I've heard this is one, sometimes it doesn't like to go into 1st and can be jerky through the gears, I just couldn't be bothered with the hassle! I'm a bit of a geeky gadget freak too and this kind of thing always has an appeal to me!

Plus, it looks sexier than the manual!

Nice car. Congrats.

Remember to check the subframe for cracks. Almost all E46 crack the subframe mounting points. Even the M3.

Thanks bud, this has all been checked and given the all clear, appreciate the advice though!

The smg in these is really good actually, if your going for it you can hear it clunk into gear. Lovely cars these, pull like trains, rev like fuck and handle reallly really well!

Very nice mate, would love one one day

The SMG box is awesome, I've sat in one and it felt faster than a manual even with a good driver. I'd definitely have a SMG model, flat shifts no problem!

Good to hear that mate, I don't claim to be a great driver so I don't think I'd really see the gains from the manual that I'd be missing out on!

these M3's are great value for money now. cant get much better all round car for the money.

trust me they can take a lot of abuse.

the grip in the dry make you think you driving a four wheel drive. has one of the best paddle shift from that time as well.

good choice and goodluck with it.

Thanks mate.

I'm sure most of you that have been around for a while will remember my old Glanza, loved it to bits but got a good offer and off it went!

It was then followed up by this Seat Leon Cupra R, which was recently remapped to 265bhp/300ft/lb torque.

After something new, and RWD, I was surprised to realise how much a car I had always dreamt of having had come down in value, so I decided to look around for one that suited my (pretty bloody picky) needs.

The time came this week, and I put a deposit down, going to collect it at the weekend. I honestly can't wait.

Not been on here for quite some time, saw you had an update and it definitely wasn't what I was expecting to see man!

It seems like yesterday you were telling me that the CT9 seemed plenty powerful enough for you!

Looks stunning mate, love the brakes and the bay, and it's looking spankingly clean as always, great job!

No-one's complained one bit about my Cupra R yet, cars that don't make a ridiculous amount of noise and can be driven at any time without pissing off everyone ftw.

Who's your ISP? I've had a lot of issues with various companies including a similar issue. When you changed ISP did you see an initial speed increase?

That bloody V is stalking me these days, it's rare I check a thread on here and I see you mention it, and in the last fortnight I've had two people say they've seen it! It's not even based anywhere near me anymore (Kent I think?)

Reassuring to hear it's still looking clean, I miss that poxy thing.

Looks like a good day was had, I always enjoy the Time Attack/EDC days.

I'd definitely make sweet, sweet love to all three of them.

Horrible, especially since he took his, and his friends life by being over twice the drink drive limit and driving at over 132mph.

Absolute moron and although I was gutted at the time it's just lucky that he didn't kill numerous other people in the process.