Ever since selling my E36 convertible and moving into a more modern BMW, an F30 330i, I’ve found myself missing that classic straight-six BMW character. So, I went searching on Facebook Marketplace and came across this 2004 325Ci.

2004 325Ci

It wasn’t my first choice, but with a tight budget and the usual Marketplace sellers who don’t like to respond, I went for it. It had been in an accident, the interior was falling apart, the water pump was leaking, and there were plenty of oil leaks, classic BMW problems.

Early repairs

The car was only about 30 minutes from home, but it ended up being a 1.5-hour trip thanks to a leaking cooling system that had me stopping constantly to top up water. I figured it wasn’t worth calling a tow truck, maybe not the smartest choice, but somehow it made it home in one piece.

Once I made it home, I got to work. I ordered a handful of critical cooling system parts and knocked them out over the following days:

  • Serpentine belt
  • Metal housing thermostat
  • Water pump (and a metal pulley)
  • Hydraulic tensioner
  • Idler pulley
  • Expansion tank

E46 sitting in the driveway

Drift phase

Not long after getting it running reliably, I picked up a welded diff and tossed it in. The car spent a few weekends going sideways, which was fun, until I realized I actually wanted to take it in the opposite direction: turn it into a clean street car.

So the focus shifted. I started addressing the visual and structural issues that had been bothering me since day one.

The body had damage from a previous accident, and while most of it could be pulled and straightened, it turns out the rear frame is bent. Which is horrible, but i have a plan to deal with this.

Damaged rear end Frame rail damage

Still, I managed to pull some of the damage out enough to realign the trunk and tail light. I picked up what I thought was a color-matched trunk lid - close, but the shade was slightly off. I swapped it anyway along with a replacement passenger-side tail light to clean things up a bit.

rear end re aligned

That brings things up to where it stands now. A bit of a mix between drift scars and restoration ambition. The long-term plan? Keep bringing it back to life, step by step.

What to Expect Here

Each update, whether it’s a simple repair or a major modification — will be documented.

Posts will include:

  • Purpose of the repair/mod
  • Parts & tools used
  • Photos before/during/after
  • Results

Thanks for following along