New E46 330CI

[KPM3_30]

What an absolute stunner!! Wishing you many miles of smiles :thumbs:

Congrats on an amazing, gorgeous vehicle. Love that you've invested in the car, in the right way to make sure everything is properly sorted.. I would love a 330ci coupe :blowheart:

Looking forward to your plans in future.

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Me not having an old postal code in the UK nor being a resident in Bots, is it at all possible for me to procure a car from UK to SA?

@Allesandro, you can import a car into ZA but the headache/red tape and associated costs mean the car better be worth all the resources to have it imported.

There was a thread that highlighted this.

Edit: Have a read through here. https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=89315&highlight=namibia

 

[LouisB]

Gents for the kind words gents.

The procuring process

I went on Autotrader:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?...Trim=330Ci

used my old postcode - stayed there for some time

and identified a few cars.

Most importantly, I had someone in UK (Who is in the business of sourcing cars) and he did most of the checks and test drives. He charged me of course for all of this. however, he is not as good as some of the guys on Fanatics.

If you want his details I can share with you so you have a chat with him.

He is in the business of purchasing cars for Botswana guys:

The loading process in the UK:

Thank you.

All in all i paid P80k, which is about R100k, including shipping and fees for the gentleman. i must admit that he is quite expensive. This car was about GBP3000 so his fees were quite massive.

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@LouisB I saw this car at the Engen in Swartruggens on Sunday evening around 6pm? Wife and I both commented on what a looker she is. Congrats and keep her in this condition. Truly a stunner.

Me not having an old postal code in the UK nor being a resident in Bots, is it at all possible for me to procure a car from UK to SA?

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It is still possible. I can share a postcode or use the gentleman who assisted me.

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Once again, thanks for all the kind words. I will share some of the work Giz did on the car for appreciation on the attention to detail afforded this car. As mentioned, this was the first step in a series of works i will put on this car.

 

[NBN]

Care to share what you spent on maintenance work?
You said the car costed you roughly R100k...

 

[VinceM]

Thanks Gents


MSLVIN003

i saw your black one over the weekend, nice ride too bud.

I am not letting anyone else touch my cars from now on.

Thanks bud, join the club, he (Gizmo) rectifies work done by other supposedly experts who messes up cars knowing people like me won’t notice immediately.....I left my black coupe with him after collecting my 330ci.

 

[LouisB]

Care to share what you spent on maintenance work?
You said the car costed you roughly R100k...

The car was roughly R60k, the rest were fees charged by the guy who did everything for me (drove from the South Coast - Dorset to Liverpool to inspect the car, delivered to shipping company, registered the car locally etc). However, i feel that his fees were rather high but such was the desperation to get something i wanted.

The 330s I saw in Bots before buying this one were horror shows. Generally there is a lack of care for these cars here i have noticed, and my theory is that they are bought by people who dont care about maintaining them in the first place.

In terms of maintenance costs, i will check with Giz and let you know.

Thank you.

 

[NBN]

Care to share what you spent on maintenance work?
You said the car costed you roughly R100k...

The car was roughly R60k, the rest were fees charged by the guy who did everything for me (drove from the South Coast - Dorset to Liverpool to inspect the car, delivered to shipping company, registered the car locally etc). However, i feel that his fees were rather high but such was the desperation to get something i wanted.

The 330s I saw in Bots before buying this one were horror shows. Generally there is a lack of care for these cars here i have noticed, and my theory is that they are bought by people who dont care about maintaining them in the first place.

In terms of maintenance costs, i will check with Giz and let you know.

Thank you.

That's exactly why I was asking..I'm also looking for a 330 but they are so poorly maintained. From what I have seen/read, gizmo seems to know these cars inside out but it's not cheap. I suppose it's with everything in life, you get what you pay for and some things you can't skimp on and need to do it properly, first time around

 

[Yuben]

Congrats, rare and awesome car:bravo:

 

[LouisB]

Care to share what you spent on maintenance work?
You said the car costed you roughly R100k...

The car was roughly R60k, the rest were fees charged by the guy who did everything for me (drove from the South Coast - Dorset to Liverpool to inspect the car, delivered to shipping company, registered the car locally etc). However, i feel that his fees were rather high but such was the desperation to get something i wanted.

The 330s I saw in Bots before buying this one were horror shows. Generally there is a lack of care for these cars here i have noticed, and my theory is that they are bought by people who dont care about maintaining them in the first place.

In terms of maintenance costs, i will check with Giz and let you know.

Thank you.

That's exactly why I was asking..I'm also looking for a 330 but they are so poorly maintained. From what I have seen/read, gizmo seems to know these cars inside out but it's not cheap. I suppose it's with everything in life, you get what you pay for and some things you can't skimp on and need to do it properly, first time around

I totally agree with you that you get what you pay for. That's why I'm investing a lot in this car - the driving and comfort cannot be measured. My approach from now is to do the next bit by bit and that wont be easy having to drive all the way from Bots to Alberton.

True that he doesn't come cheap, but his labour rates are less than what I pay the BMW service dealer here.

Yuben:thumbs:

 

[MoCarCandyBMW]

What a beauty.

Nothing but the best from Gizmo.

I am collecting my 330i from him soon can't wait :smilebounce:

 

[Beemerbro]

That's a really nice car, and seems well looked after. It's mileage is pretty high though so will need some work- I'm sure you're expecting that. But once restored they feel like new.

Just a quick tip to help people buying a car from the UK through a third party. To help your peace of mind on the history of a UK car you can log into the DVLA website to track a car's MOT history. UK cars undergo annual safety checks and most owners usually service their cars prior to the MOT test because poorly serviced cars will most likely fail the emissions part of the test. So an MOT history can tell you a lot about how a car has been cared for over the years because all MOT failures and passes are logged with reasons for failures and advisories for components on their way out.
This car for example shows a very healthy maintenance history which is reassuring.
The site is "Check the MOT history of a vehicle-GOV.UK". Google that and follow the link and enter the UK registration number and you will find the mileage, and service history.
I hear that Gizmo is a great guy, but it will cost nothing to double check the official govt database to verify what he's telling you. After all you're paying a lot of money for the service
Bets wishes :thumbs:

 

[bman]

Those who have had their cars worked on by gizmo know that he doesnt just tell you what is at fault but sends you lots of detailed pictures of the failed parts next to the new parts being installed and of the new parts installed too, I have never met someone as thorough as he is and firmly believe he suffers from OCD because everywhere he has worked the area is super clean. I must have got over 100pics the last time I took my car to him. I call it the "blow by blow" commentary of how f***** my car really is.

 

[Riaad]

Congrats Bud:smilebounce:

That's a fine looking CI that you picked up there...Wish you many happy miles with her:bravo:

Share some interior pics :fencelook: Do you have an Eonon Android headunit?

 

[LouisB]

Congrats Bud:smilebounce:

That's a fine looking CI that you picked up there...Wish you many happy miles with her:bravo:

Share some interior pics :fencelook: Do you have an Eonon Android headunit?

Thanks bud. I dont have many pics of the interior but will get around to it and share some. The headunit is third party and we havent figured out the brand either.

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Just to share the work put in this car:

The car was infested with rust.

Original control arms from 2005


Shocks too

RHS lower wheel liner missing

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LHS lower wheel liner damaged

Front shocks also from 2005

The car needed new gearbox and engine mounts

Cracks in the rubber of the guibo

 

[Tinuva]

Love the pics!

But yeah, UK cars have rust at the bottom, but on the upside, your interior looks amazing.

 

[kilotango]

seeing your pics reminds me of mine which had the original factory shocks too .. its also 330Ci ex UK. that rust is evil, and the struggle we went through when doing the diff bushes was something else. the handbrake cable and trailing arm bolts were all seized.

one thing to keep an eye on mate, look at arches on the front and rear fenders, they rust like hell from the inner side... just a headsup because you'll see bubbling at some stage there with these cars.

 

[LouisB]

seeing your pics reminds me of mine which had the original factory shocks too .. its also 330Ci ex UK. that rust is evil, and the struggle we went through when doing the diff bushes was something else. the handbrake cable and trailing arm bolts were all seized.

one thing to keep an eye on mate, look at arches on the front and rear fenders, they rust like hell from the inner side... just a headsup because you'll see bubbling at some stage there with these cars.

Thanks Kilo, im sure we will keep an eye on this. Giz took the trouble to sort out a lot of this. I will post more pics.

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Cleaning and wire brushing