Quote:
Originally Posted by jadeddjay
welcome and congrats
1. sedan=e90, coupe=e92
2. xi=pre-LCI, xdrive=LCI, LCI=lifecycle impulse (mid life crisis facelift within a model
3. yes, n54 for you, n55 came out around 2011 with lci models
4. a lot of parts are exchangeable but be careful and do your research. downpipes are and exhaust are the first thing that comes to mind that arent the same
5. if you can find a dealership you trust, then sure. otherwise you should search for someone who at least specializes in bmws to some extent
6. this one is a good one, look at the vendors section. personally, i have had good experience with ECS, hpautowerks has a great reputation here. ive also gotten stuff from mod bargains. tischer is a good place for oem stuff.
7. the mods that i appreciate most was a nice set of coilovers and light weight forged wheels with good tires. this saved almost 10lbs per corner of rolling mass and improved feel and handling. the car definitely felt faster and looked better afterwards. I also have a uuc ssk, z3m weighted knob, and m3 steering wheel which i love. it may sound silly but whenever i go to a "regular" steering wheel, i constantly notice how shitty it feels compared to what i have. this is just a personal thing, but it is important to me.
another combo would be a tune, intake, and exhaust. there are tons of clips out there that sound vastly different. personally, of the ones that are available today, i like the way AE sounds, but i have rennart exhaust and ar design catless dps and for me, this combo sounds better than anything else i hear online, but again, this is all personal preference. as for tune, i have been with vishnu for a long time, but there hasnt been many new things developed lately for stock turbo and fuel system. that is by no means a sign that the tune isnt good. i am quite happy with it still. these days i mainly hear about cobb and jb4 so you can look through the forums for those two and decide which one.
a lot of this depends on what you would want out of the car. i think some subtle bare minimum that i personally would think to do (and by minimum i dont mean price) is to talk to hpauto and put together a simple drop on coilovers for daily driving/hpde work, good lightweight rims, (over all, the functional stance of a car and fitment of the wheels and tires is the most important in my opinion) cobb tune and ae exhaust, and the m3 steering wheel (and z4m knob if you have manual). this combo isnt cheap but i think it will give you a lot of accessible performance and all around fulfillment that you will constantly notice in your day to day driving experience.
finally any money left over, you should invest in a helmet and some good driving experience, either driving school or hpde or whatever.
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jadeddjay nailed it. I would recommend getting a set of coilovers for your first non-appearance mod. The visual wheel gap on xi/x-drive's isn't pleasant and the handling will drastically improve.
+1 to the golf tee mod...especially since it's free!