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[AUS] 2006 E87 130i - First Bimmer

19K views 126 replies 22 participants last post by  walkie86 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I collected my 130i back in March, this is the story.

[14 March 2016]

I've been driving RENAULTsport Clios for almost 10 years and contemplated upsizing to a 5-door Megane 225 but driving to work one day a blue 130i with tow stickers cruised past and I thought, "That's the car for me".

A few mates have owned 130is in the past, which I've driven plenty of times, so I began to suss out the market and evaluate what few examples were available - manual of course. I drove a silver one that was for sale (great car), came close to buying a mate's mint black 2005 model (but decided I didn't want black) and even made an offer on a blue one with BBS-style rims but was the underbidder.

Then, while waiting to hear back on my offer an immaculate looking Le Mans Blue example with low km and a great spec of options popped up - only problem was it was in Melbourne! I quickly called the owner and asked for more pics, more info - anything to help understand the car, its history and condition.

As it turned out he was an ex-BMW Master Tech (now working on the suit side at a dealership) and was very OCD about his car! We agreed a price, subject to me flying down on Saturday and inspecting. I was confident the car would be as described but when I arrived it was even better! New rear tyres, near-new front brakes, no oil leaks, freshly serviced and detailed - it was immaculate.

We did all the paper work, handed over the cash and my mate and I began the long drive home (via lunch at for a perve and catch up with a few Renault friends), arriving home just after midnight.

The long drive back on the freeway (10 hours) gave me plenty of time to get acquainted with the car in general and I can confirm it's all :love:

Her spec from factory from what I can tell:
- 2006 Le Mans Blue, 6-speed manual
- 86,500 km (after the drive back from Melb)
- i-Drive Professional
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Logic7 hi-fi
- Heated front seats
- Hi-beam assist
- Folding mirrors
- Sunroof
- Bi-xenons

No immediate major modifications planned (except window tint) as I want to get to know her and learn how to drive RWD properly, but possible upgrades in the future include ZHP gearknob, M3 front and rear sway bars, 135 rear muffler and some more intake noise. Maybe some different rims and non-runflats once the tyres wear out too! Oh and a Quaife + 135 brakes would be nice...

One pic from the drive home for now but there will be plenty more to come. My mates and I run a website chronicling our automotive adventures and associated Instagram page, so she'll receive plenty of coverage on there!

by , on Flickr
 
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#105 ·
Thanks lads.

Yes, very lucky to have some of my best mates heavily into cars. We have an FB chat group that is 24/7 car talk... haha they can all steer too and aren't stupid so we've done some pretty epic road trips! Planing the next one already :)

You can follow our adventures here:


A mate from Canberra joined us in his worked Focus RS. Shockingly fast and looks so menacing on the road...

by , on Flickr
 
#107 ·
RoyBoy777 said:
Car looks perfect! Wheels have really grown on me ! May have to look at a set in the new year!
Thanks mate. Really happy with them and very unique. People who know Bimmers appreciate what they are which is good!
 
#108 ·
#113 ·
jonwilli said:
What width and offset at the AC's? I might look out for a set. You can never have too many wheels :)
18x8.5" ET43 (3mm spacer front, 10mm spacer rear)
 
#115 ·
walkie86 said:
jonwilli said:
What width and offset at the AC's? I might look out for a set. You can never have too many wheels :)
18x8.5" ET43 (3mm spacer front, 10mm spacer rear)
I may have found some :). Desperately need a refurb but from the photos the physical wheels look in good condition. My girlfriend is going to kill as I already have a set of Apex and Advans :)
 
#116 ·
Your car looks so good! :) Also, the photos you posted are really good ones.

How rare is a 1 Series / 130i over there in Australia? And I didn't know you had also Megane RS there!
 
#117 ·
supercati said:
Your car looks so good! :) Also, the photos you posted are really good ones.

How rare is a 1 Series / 130i over there in Australia? And I didn't know you had also Megane RS there!
Thanks so much mate! I'm an avid automotive photographer (run a website and an instagram account ).

130is are quite rare - not sure on total numbers but there are usually only 20 or so for sale at one time (auto and manual) in the whole country. Yes, there's a big Renaultsport following here. I drove RS Clios (172, 182, 197, 200) fro 10 years before the Bimmer. I still have a phase 1 172 in the garage :) the Megane is very popular here - we were the second highest selling market for them after France. We sold more here in the UK! Crazy times - people are finally catching onto RS here after years of only diehard enthusiasts buying the brand haha.

My 172. Stock engine but has Quaife LSD, Koni Yellows, Eibach Sportlines and Whiteline rear swaybar.

by , on Flickr
 
#118 ·
#119 ·
walkie86 said:
Thanks so much mate! I'm an avid automotive photographer (run a website and an instagram account ).

130is are quite rare - not sure on total numbers but there are usually only 20 or so for sale at one time (auto and manual) in the whole country. Yes, there's a big Renaultsport following here. I drove RS Clios (172, 182, 197, 200) fro 10 years before the Bimmer. I still have a phase 1 172 in the garage :) the Megane is very popular here - we were the second highest selling market for them after France. We sold more here in the UK! Crazy times - people are finally catching onto RS here after years of only diehard enthusiasts buying the brand haha.

My 172. Stock engine but has Quaife LSD, Koni Yellows, Eibach Sportlines and Whiteline rear swaybar.
I'm going to follow you then, very very very good photos yours :)

And quite interested this thing about Renault Sport there :wink:
 
#122 ·
#126 ·
holland130i said:
oh nooo...they are looking at the wrong car!!!!

:D
hahaha yeh, that's my good mate's AE86. Gets the looks everywhere he goes :D
 
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