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wantizon
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Newest Noob

Post by wantizon »

Gentlemen,

I'm a car enthusiast, as I'm sure most of you all are, and I'm planning to purchase a car within the next few months and my main objective is to have a manual. Like most here, I've been reading a lot on manual driving tips and stumbled on this great forum and community.

I've drove manual 3-4 years ago. A friend taught me and I was able to drive around, not in heavy traffic or crazy speeds, and I think the most I went up to in terms of gear shifting was 3rd, lol. I didn't master hills, I did get a good feel for the FP on his vehicle when starting up and was able to go 95% of the time without stalling...but I'm definitely not a pro and have a lot to learn.

Anyways, long story short: It's been a while and I'm expecting some embarrassing stalls and miss-shifts which leads to my main question - The car I'm really looking forward to is a used 2001-2003 BMW E46, is this a good choice? Some of my friends advice me to get a bucket and learn on that before starting and possibly ruining a good car...I'd hate to get a used E46 and 'Terrence' it up :shock: :wink:

Sorry for the tl:dr in advance and thanks in advance for your inputs/opinions.
94Corolla5Speed
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by 94Corolla5Speed »

Whoa, you know about Terrence. How long have you been lurking for? :lol:

But anyways, welcome! And seriously, don't worry about ruining a car by learning. Most of us here (including me!) bought our first manual with little to no previous experience. And we have a few BMW members here, hopefully they can chime in on your decision on the E46 (though I hear they're great cars) Enjoy!
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by theholycow »

Welcome!

4th, 5th, and (if equipped) 6th are no different than 3rd...you go faster, you shift into the next gear if you want.

I've never driven that Bimmer but if you want it, go ahead and get it. You probably won't hurt it. I don't think anyone on this site, for as long as I've been reading it, has hurt their car from learning.

Do you have any interest in DIY wrenching? If so, score another point for the BMW, which is almost certainly RWD. I'm pretty sure RWD transmissions (and clutches) are easier to remove and replace. I know mine was within my meager capabilities.
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by Rope-Pusher »

Welcome abroad! Good luck car hunting. I wouldn't worry about having to buy a learner car. I'd just go spend some time in a lonely parking lot and get comfortable with it in a no-pressure situation, then go on some drives when traffic is light and you'll build your confidence and skills to the point that you'll be ready for driving every day.

Hilz wood be good to practice with no traffic around, so you don't feel pressure to perform. In that respect, it's prolly a lot like learning to use a urinal.
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wantizon
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by wantizon »

94Corolla5Speed wrote:Whoa, you know about Terrence. How long have you been lurking for? :lol:

But anyways, welcome! And seriously, don't worry about ruining a car by learning. Most of us here (including me!) bought our first manual with little to no previous experience. And we have a few BMW members here, hopefully they can chime in on your decision on the E46 (though I hear they're great cars) Enjoy!
LOL, I've read a few topics and the Terrence one was funny for sure...although sad because I think most noobs to standard fear that.

Thanks for the welcome and the reassurance.
theholycow wrote:Welcome!

4th, 5th, and (if equipped) 6th are no different than 3rd...you go faster, you shift into the next gear if you want.

I've never driven that Bimmer but if you want it, go ahead and get it. You probably won't hurt it. I don't think anyone on this site, for as long as I've been reading it, has hurt their car from learning.

Do you have any interest in DIY wrenching? If so, score another point for the BMW, which is almost certainly RWD. I'm pretty sure RWD transmissions (and clutches) are easier to remove and replace. I know mine was within my meager capabilities.
That's what I've been reading from various owners. There are a lot of DIY information regarding the E46 series and my brother owns a 330 automatic but he does most of the work himself watching youtube videos and what not and he has no skills prior in terms of cars. My biggest worry is burning the clutch or doing damage to a relatively expensive to fix car.

Thanks for the welcome.
Rope-Pusher wrote:Welcome abroad! Good luck car hunting. I wouldn't worry about having to buy a learner car. I'd just go spend some time in a lonely parking lot and get comfortable with it in a no-pressure situation, then go on some drives when traffic is light and you'll build your confidence and skills to the point that you'll be ready for driving every day.

Hilz wood be good to practice with no traffic around, so you don't feel pressure to perform. In that respect, it's prolly a lot like learning to use a urinal.
Thank you! I've been hunting for 2 months now and still looking LOL...I think my main worry is steep hills because no matter how much research or videos you watch it's a thing you have to experience.
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by FDSpirit »

:lol: . Pulling a Terrance. If you want that car, go for it! Don't wanna drive a car that you regret all the time. In a few months down the road, you'll laugh at those bucking bronco stalls and bad shifts. Don't be a stranger 'round these parts.
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wantizon
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by wantizon »

FDSpirit wrote::lol: . Pulling a Terrance. If you want that car, go for it! Don't wanna drive a car that you regret all the time. In a few months down the road, you'll laugh at those bucking bronco stalls and bad shifts. Don't be a stranger 'round these parts.
haha, yea imagine the thread i'd have to start...'hey guys, i just bought a car and my first launch i dumped the clutch at 5k and my tranny exploded...'

thats my biggest worry, even though i thought a beater car would be a good idea i knew i wouldn't be satisfied driving it. i've been searching for two months now and still no luck though...might need a plan B, maybe a nice si or prelude :)
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by Squint »

Welcome! Go with whatever makes you happy! It'll make you miserable to drive a car that you don't like. For example, I was driving a car for work that I liked, but wasn't crazy about (civic) and then we bought the new Fiesta. Now, it's much more fun to drive everywhere because it's a car that we looked at for a long time and then finally bought.

Basically, if you have working transportation now, don't bother getting a beater before getting what you want (if it's financially possible :lol: ) :D
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by tankinbeans »

Welcome. I have nothing more to add since everybody here has said what I would say.

I've found that I'm much more likely to stall than to launch my car into the stratosphere (I'm still new too) at mega-high RPM. Sometimes I launch at 2500 and roach the tires, but most of the time I think I'm a little too kind and don't gas it up right.
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by RITmusic2k »

I'm one of the local e46 owners here; if you have a particular car in mind and it has an autotrader/dealer link, do not hesitate to post it so we can have a look-see.

Regarding BMWs of this vintage, the car you end up with will most likely have a clutch-delay valve (CDV). It's a one-way restrictor that allows you to press the clutch pedal as quickly as you can to disengage the engine, but it will only engage at a moderate, "safe" speed no matter how quickly you release the clutch pedal. This reduces the chance of damaging the hell out of your transmission, but it also interferes with your ability to sense where the clutch is in its travel. It probably won't make it any harder for you to learn how to drive moderately as you would on the street, but it will wreak havoc with your ability to drive the car at the limit, were you to take it to an autocross, for example.

CDVs are ridiculously easy to remove, however, so don't let its presence turn you off. You'll still be able to learn to drive it just fine, and you'll be doing it in a very comfortable, capable, enjoyable ride.
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by Shadow »

Keep in mind that BMW is generally a bit more expensive than the average car when it comes to repair bills. Even if you're capable of doing the work yourself, the parts aren't exactly inexpensive. Same can be said of just about any German car.

That said, you probably won't do any damage to a car by learning on it. You might put a bit more wear on the clutch than a more experienced driver, but in the grand scheme of things, that shouldn't be a big deal and it certainly shouldn't sway you away from buying an E46 if that's your car of choice.

I learned on a brand new Mustang GT back in 1987. After I got the hang of normal driving, I started racing the car on the street (I know, not a good idea) and on the track. Anyway, that car endured tons of abuse and never needed anything replaced in the 3+ years I owned it. The car was still in excellent mechanical condition when I traded it in on a new car, despite the abuse it endured. 8)
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by AHTOXA »

Welcome!

Yeah, don't get a bucket. Buckets are not very comfy to sit in. They tend to cut off circulation down below. ;)

Get the E46 and learn on that. I've done most of my learning on a new car as well.
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wantizon
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by wantizon »

RITmusic2k wrote:I'm one of the local e46 owners here; if you have a particular car in mind and it has an autotrader/dealer link, do not hesitate to post it so we can have a look-see.

Regarding BMWs of this vintage, the car you end up with will most likely have a clutch-delay valve (CDV). It's a one-way restrictor that allows you to press the clutch pedal as quickly as you can to disengage the engine, but it will only engage at a moderate, "safe" speed no matter how quickly you release the clutch pedal. This reduces the chance of damaging the hell out of your transmission, but it also interferes with your ability to sense where the clutch is in its travel. It probably won't make it any harder for you to learn how to drive moderately as you would on the street, but it will wreak havoc with your ability to drive the car at the limit, were you to take it to an autocross, for example.

CDVs are ridiculously easy to remove, however, so don't let its presence turn you off. You'll still be able to learn to drive it just fine, and you'll be doing it in a very comfortable, capable, enjoyable ride.
Good info, I'll need to do more research on that. I didn't not know that, thanks!

As for the E46, here is what I have in mind (Glad you asked :)):
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.js ... f=national

I did not do a carfax yet (still searching for my baby), I still have time before making my final decision. I would prefer the 330xi (awd, northeast us gets snowy) or a 330i (at least for the 4 doors) but every day I search for local listings this one seems like the best deal in terms of cost/mileage compared to the rest...

Thanks for all the advice and support guys :D
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by RITmusic2k »

Wow, that's ridiculously low mileage for an '01. At 80,000 you'll want to start thinking about a cooling system overhaul; the water pump impeller and coolant expansion tank are both made from a plastic that doesn't hold up for more than 100,000mi... after which they'll crack / shatter and potentially cause a catastrophic engine failure due to complete loss of coolant of complete blockage of coolant flow.

Not to be too doom-and-gloomy, though; my car has 86,000mi on it and I'm not even thinking about doing this 'til next year. Anyway, once you get the carfax and it looks good, give this car some serious consideration. It looks like it's very nicely optioned and you can probably get used to two doors if you try hard enough ;)
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Re: Newest Noob

Post by wantizon »

RITmusic2k wrote:Wow, that's ridiculously low mileage for an '01. At 80,000 you'll want to start thinking about a cooling system overhaul; the water pump impeller and coolant expansion tank are both made from a plastic that doesn't hold up for more than 100,000mi... after which they'll crack / shatter and potentially cause a catastrophic engine failure due to complete loss of coolant of complete blockage of coolant flow.

Not to be too doom-and-gloomy, though; my car has 86,000mi on it and I'm not even thinking about doing this 'til next year. Anyway, once you get the carfax and it looks good, give this car some serious consideration. It looks like it's very nicely optioned and you can probably get used to two doors if you try hard enough ;)
Yeah, the mileage was what got me but what got me the most was the price! All the E46s go for more than 10k with more than 100k miles on them. This would be an alarm on normal cases but the dealer is a big dealer and other E46s be it convertibles or sedans are also cheaper than the average internet price.

In terms of the coolant system I heard that this models design was terrible and along with the window motors are a common thing that needs repair...I'm willing to handle all of that...I hope :doubt:

I do love your ZHP 330i...235 hp > 225 hp. How much did you get it for if you don't mind me asking? I'd kill to find a clean 330i. Also is there any differences in performance from the E46's from year to year? Not including the ZHP, I know that's firmer suspension, lowered, bigger rims and 10 more ponies just the difference between a 2001 330i and a 2004 330i? Thanks
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