Do's and Don'ts for a recent newbie

General E30 related discussions -
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eldarvanyar
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 11:40 am

Ok Zoners, as a very recent newby and only having just got my 320iSE back after selling it to a friend 4 years ago what are the Zone's recommended do's and dont's? I have posted a few styling questions and come a cropper. It seems to me that a lot of the cars look the same especially the Sports with Alpina wheels. There seems to be controversy over the Msport badges what else are the dividing lines?What DOES the Zone stand for? I want to maintain the class and heritage of my E30 not MAX it to VauxFord land :)
What about badges, wheels, lowering, and accessories then?

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Morat
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 11:43 am

Don't push it in the rain until you've had a good go on an airfield :)

As for the rest, its your car - there are no rules. If you want to convert it to FWD and put a nova engine in it, thats your call. You might not get much help doing it tho ;)
E30 Touring 0.35 cD - more slippery than prison soap :)

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dazleeds
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 11:46 am

ignore the snobbery mate
and enjoy the car anyway you see fit

theres always gonna be peeps that dislike certain things but its your car so mod it your way i say

looking at the pic the car looks very nice mate

id drop her 40mm h&r or koni,s with bilstein shocks all round, maybe smoked or clear indicators
as for wheels etc go with what you like
theres far too many cars running round on alpina reps mine included at the moment

but im searching for something different with a nice dish on em
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hammoj28
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 11:56 am

Just do what you feel is best. Its your car. In my opinion your car would look great just dropped 40 with an IS lip on their. Mayhbe some other touches like clear indicators. What size are your wheels? 14's or 15's. If they are 14's then just get a set of 15's maybe.
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eldarvanyar
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 12:05 pm

Thanks Daz, are the H&Rs the ones the same as in the zone shop and which bilsteins would you go for with them?

Morat I think the Nova engine is inspired, do they do a 6 litre V8 or V12 :wink:
eldarvanyar
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 12:07 pm

Thanks Hammo, they are the origional 14" BBS at the moment, I am thinking about some OZ alloys in an other thread.. Can any post what an IS Lip spoiler looks like?
hammoj28
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 12:13 pm

here ya go. Found a silver one. Kinda finishes it off nicely.

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Ziggy
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 12:20 pm

There are loads of alpina reps on here (you don't exactly see em every day in the 'real world'!) because they look good. The problem with them is that they're made of baked bean tins & recycled bog roll, but they do look good. Get real ones instead.

Overall though, do whatya like with your car & don't worry about those who don't like it - you can't please everyone!

p.s: just don't put an m3 badge on it, or you're a ****. lol
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m3ben05
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 12:24 pm

As has been said, there are no real rules, if you like something do it!

My opinion for what its worth -

NO M badges!!!
lowered 40mm on some H&R's
Deep dish wheels with some stretched low pro rubber
IS front spoiler
Black kidney grill & smoked headlights
M3 leather interior
Nice exhaust with streight pipes
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Morat
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 12:32 pm

Personally I like the standard look too much to mess with it, but that wouldn't stop me putting better brakes/suspension and a turbo on it.
Just need a lottery win first ;)
E30 Touring 0.35 cD - more slippery than prison soap :)

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mrLEE30
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:07 pm

as above do what you like, i personally am not a fan of the iS lip so went for tech 2 front and rear but dont like the plastic side pods so didn't put those on. Also got smoked lights with blue angel eyes, been called a Chav for that but do i look bothered.......No. My rear lights are all red that pleases some and not others.

it seems universally lowereing to a certain amount is considered by all zoners ok. changing the rims for something not too outragous is ok. M3 badges are not ok to most. black kidney grill suits some cars and not others, but again all seem to agree not a body coloured kidney. eye brow spoilers i personally dont like but seem to suit some cars (but not that silver one!!) you have a nice base car, the trim is black so lower it first on springs, if you are happy change the shocks too. then look at wheels. maybe clear indicators etc .best advice is do a little at a time. But do what ever you are happy with mate!!

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iDreamBeemer
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:18 pm

What DOES the Zone stand for? I want to maintain the class and heritage of my E30 not MAX it to VauxFord land
I know what you mean it can seem like there is a lot of critism. BUT what I love about the scene is the way people do apply thinking to the mods. The BMW scene (in my experience anyway) is the choice of subtle mods and the attention is in the detail. Do look around there are some fantastic work done. Check out Bootyman's work - an example of extreme mods that look sweet and are not too max power.

The difference is CLASS!! If you look at the Saxo/Corsa bunch it is all money, no thinking, if is is noisy/big/plastic/pink then they do it. So much more as well is performance over style (E30s are the dogs already)

//M badges are just trying to say something it is not! Your not going to put an Aston Martin badge on and pretent it is one of 'em are you so why do it with //M/Alpina/Hartge/AC Snitcher[spell] badges
johnono
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:24 pm

dont go lexarse

dont go neon

no m3 unless u are one

wings/kit/splitters/rims/lowering sets/tints/xenons/angel eyes/pipes/turbos/big motor mods/tv´s/super subs/dvd´s/playstations/air ride/ yada yada ya is up to you

actually its ALL up to you fella ;)
Ziggy
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:30 pm

johnono wrote: actually its ALL up to you fella ;)
That's not, strictly speaking, true. An unjustified (a proper rep is different IMO) m3 badge is not allowed, at all, by anyone. It's the law dontya know?
E30 in need of wiring loom smoke since April '11...
johnono
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:36 pm

sorry boss :oops:


ill go back in the garden now and finnish my worms :(





:wink:
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Steviec
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Post Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:41 pm

Just do whatever you want and sod anyone else. If you like it, then go for it, its your car and your money. Simple as that.
Some people will hate what you do and others will like it but who are you doing it for?
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eldarvanyar
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Post Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:10 am

It sounds to me that one thing not to do is rush into anything and try and see what other zoners have done in the flesh or should I say metal :D
I do like the IS Lip spoiler hammoj28 and I think that will go on the list and I will definately sort out the handling first and take it from there,
Thanks for the advice and encouragement I will post some pics when I make progress, now just need to attend some meets in the Greater London Essex area as long as they are not on a sunday due to work.
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m3ben05
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Post Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:13 am

You shouls come up to the ace cafe meets mate - always loads of cars up there to give you ideas.
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Cotty
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Post Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:33 pm

mrLEE30 wrote: eye brow spoilers i personally dont like but seem to suit some cars (but not that silver one!!)
I dont think the silver one looks right as they are colour coded. Compare it to this

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Cotty
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Post Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:35 pm

eldarvanyar wrote: now just need to attend some meets in the Greater London Essex area as long as they are not on a sunday due to work.
The Lakeside McDonalds drive in meet is usually popular and they are on a Saturday
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Cotty
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Post Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:40 pm

iDreamBeemer wrote: //M badges are just trying to say something it is not! Your not going to put an Aston Martin badge on and pretent it is one of 'em are you so why do it with //M/Alpina/Hartge/AC Snitcher[spell] badges
So how much Hartge stuff do I need to have before I can put a Hartge badge on my car, in your eyes.

Im still putting a Hartge badge on mine if I can find one.
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johnono
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Post Thu Aug 17, 2006 11:46 am

if it doesnt come from hartge, alpina, acs, then it just isnt imo

its a rep, and only worth rep money.

same as sports and 325i´s..
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BlackCabrio
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Post Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:23 pm

Looks fantastic. Leave it alone!
iDreamBeemer
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Post Thu Aug 17, 2006 3:48 pm

So how much Hartge stuff do I need to have before I can put a Hartge badge on my car, in your eyes.

Im still putting a Hartge badge on mine if I can find one.
Doesn't matter how much, unless your name is Mr Hartge and your doing a conversion. In my eyes you shouldn't, but its just that - my opinion. I have Alpinas wheels on mine and I'm not going to Badge it up or put Alpina stripes on etc.

Thats all down to personal taste, knock yourself out with as many badges as you like but I am still entitled to my opinion as much as you are for your choices.
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m3ben05
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Post Thu Aug 17, 2006 4:01 pm

I agree with you mate, badges on a car that does not deserve them are wrong - period.

Everyones entitled to do whatever stupid crap they want to their own car tho. Things may look stupid and clearly fake but thats a personal choice.

Cotty, If you want one get one mate, nobody car stop you. Just like nobody can stop you putting a massive pink stripe down the middle of the car :D
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eldarvanyar
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Post Fri Aug 18, 2006 7:57 am

Cotty, the Lakeside meet sounds good to me when's the next one?