2008 BMW 128i 6MT - 139k miles - Denver, CO - $10,750

Today I'm putting my 2008 BMW 128i (E82) up for sale. This car has a tough to find combination of a 6-speed manual transmission, the N52B30 engine and the OEM Sport package. These are essentially the last of the relatively small cars that BMW equipped with a naturally aspirated inline-6, a manual transmission and hydraulic power steering. 

When I bought this car, it was in need of some serious TLC. Over the past 1.5 year(s) I've easily put in hundreds of hours of labor in the garage, and likely spent more money in parts than I'm asking for the car. The fine folks at FCP Euro have made a small fortune off of me! Build thread listed here: 

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/e82-128i-when-your-projected-track-car-turns-into-your-daily/258441/page1/

I bought it with the intention of turning it into a track car- namely in NASA TT5 with a bit of autocross on the side. I have replaced every maintenance item you can think of, in the name of keeping the car healthy and strong. Although I ran into a problem along the way: after replacing all of the car's wear items, I fell in love with driving it as a street car and didn't have the heart to turn it into a gutted/caged track car. So, I then used it as a daily driver for about a year.

About 6 months ago, I bought a new daily driver. Then about a month ago, I bought an F87 BMW M2 as a weekend fun car. As a result, I've found myself not driving the 128i much. 

Here is a list of all the maintenance I have done to the car over the past 1.5 year(s):

-Bosch (OEM) DMTL pump
-OEM Pierberg water pump
-OEM thermostat
-A mix of Rein (OEM) and Gates radiator hoses- upper, lower, engine to thermostat, thermostat to water pump, water pump to engine
-Bosch (OEM) coil packs & NGK (OEM) spark plugs
-Febi oil filler cap
-BMW/VDO fuel pump (right) & fuel filter/FPR (left)
-Lemforder (OEM) inner/outer tie rods
-Replaced a TPMS module
-New wheel bolts (a few of them at least)
-Full serpentine belt kit
-New jack pucks
-New right rear axle, timken rear wheel bearing & clip
-Cabin air filter
-Bled the brakes with ATE typ 200 brake fluid
-Bled power steering with recommended Pentosin CHF 11s hydraulic fluid (power steering)
-Replaced transmission fluid with Redline MTL
-New front engine splash shield
-Replaced a Bosch (OEM) ABS sensor
-Installed a fully rebuilt OEM steering rack & pinion along with a new BMW steering shaft ($$$)
-IWIS timing chain tensioner
-BMW VANOS solenoids (x2) & bolts
-Replaced the schrader A/C valves
-New OEM BMW driver's side rubber door seal
-Replaced all of the shifter bushings with OE equivalents
-Installed a brand new set of Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus tires (they're practically brand new still)
-Lemforder (OE) front sway bar endlinks
-The car has been aligned
-I only use high quality 5w-40 weight synthetic oils and OEM/Mann filters

This is not counting nuts/bolts, odds & ends here and there.

Here is the list of modification upgrades I've done thus far:

-CSF Racing fully aluminum radiator
-TRW/OEM BMW M3/1M front and rear control arms
-Turner Motorsports intake elbow
-OEM BMW M "tall" shift knob
-OEM BMW 3-stage DISA intake manifold
-When I installed the 3SIM, I also purchased/installed the very expensive brand new OEM BMW DISA valves from FCP Euro (lifetime warranty)
-OEM BMW European BMW airbox (conical style filter vs USDM panel filter) with K&N air filter
-Whiteline rear subframe bushing inserts
-Bilstein B12 cup kit
-Bimmworks tune

The car was dyno'd before and after the OEM BMW 3-stage intake manifold and tune. Stock it put down 194whp & 185wtq. After the 3SIM & tune, it put down 221whp & 217wtq (both on a Dynojet). She's very strong to say the least!

I have a plethora of photos and receipts documenting the entire build as well as the full build thread here on GRM, to anyone that is interested.

About the car:

-She idles smoothly and runs strong!
-A/C blows cold, heat blows hot!
-Everything works as designed, there are no lights on the dash.
-No leaks anywhere and she's never burned a drop of oil.
-Passed emissions with ease.
-When the OEM Sport shocks wore out, I replaced them with the Bilstein B12 setup, which rides pretty much identically to the stock setup- very smooth and easy to live with, but with far better body control/handling. I still have the OEM Sport setup if the next owner wants it.
-The transmission shifts smoothly (no grinds in any gear) and the clutch engages with ease.

Cons:

-This is a 16 year old car with about 139,000 miles on the clock: there are plenty of minor scratches and chips in the paint that you would expect for a car of this age and mileage. There is also normal wear and tear in the interior.
-There's a bit of wind noise on the highway that I'm told is fairly normal for these cars.

Overall, given the age and mileage, I would say the car is in pretty good visual shape and outstanding mechanical shape. I wouldn't hesitate to take it on a cross country road trip tomorrow.

The car has a clean Colorado title, in my name, in hand. The VIN is WBAUP73538VF06501

I'm only selling it because I no longer drive it very often and there's no sense in paying insurance, registration and maintenance on a car that just sits around. I would like the car to go to an owner that will use and enjoy it. 

I'm only asking $10,750 which is likely less than the cost of parts alone that I've put into it.

I'm only here on GRM intermittently, so if you're interested, leave a message in this thread and we'll work on getting in contact. 

Man, I wish I had space. This would fill the hole I've been ignoring since mine got hit

Very interested! Will DM you.

In reply to mccloud35 :

I don't believe this board has a DM feature, per se. I see you just created an account here. Where are you located? 

My god this is a deal. We love the one we bought from Klayman about a year and a half ago, getting ready to do a full suspension refresh on it. These are rare with the 6MT and sport package... I wish we had room for another one. GLWTS!

I like this car - reminds me of a modern version of this.

In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :

In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :

I agree. For a while now, I've thought of the 128i as somewhat of a modern BMW 2002 or maybe an E30. Seemingly the same concept. 

After a bit more contemplation, I'm actually on the fence about selling this car (again). It might not be as cool, as fun or as fast as my M2, but man, it's a cool car and it's still good to drive. I don't think I want to turn it into a hardcore track car, as it's still a nice car to drive on the street, but I'm thinking about another purpose for it... 

I don't blame you for wanting to keep this.  My wife and I both like E30s, but they are getting old at this point.  This is, as you stated, possibly the last of the relatively small, uncomplicated, manual shift BMWs.  It's also something that my wife would consider driving/riding in compared to my MSM set up for autocrossing.  I'd like to find a replacement for my M Coupe, but they bounced off the bottom of the depreciation curve since I sold that in 2006 and are a little rare and pricy now.  So this interests me.

Let me know if you change your mind and decide to sell it. I've following your build for a while. Taborbraian (at) gmail