The Official Bring A Trailer (BaT) Thread

[George Hill]

"Omg ITS A WAGON" is not a qualifier on its own.

I think at the end of the day it all comes down to what someone wants. The fact of the matter is you cannot go buy an S54 widebody touring from BMW so if you want one you have to make one and that makes the comparison a stock M3 (or any production car for that matter) a bit silly IMO.

I want to understand from a comparison standpoint where this BaT one cut corners

I don't know this car from anything other than its online presence so I don't know how well the swap was done but it COULD be a good starting point for someone who doesn't want a perfect car but wants the look and then can tweak to their liking down the road. OR maybe someone loves it the way it is, the seller likely did so the reality of someone else is highly possible.

Personally I put more value in proper execution of the mechanicals than most, but I am also scared of body work I can't see. IMO if this or a car like it is something a person is interested in I would want to know:

• Can you trust the body work was done properly and will hold up for years to come or is it going to start cracked, paint peeling, etc
• Can you trust the engine work was done properly
• Is it actually a sorted car or are there odds and ends that need to be fixed to fully sort it
• And in this particular car I would want to know how well the DSC works, being AWD the Bosch ABS doesn't really play nicely with the MSS54 DME. It might be ok for a persons needs but if not, it could be a lot of work to correct.

At the end of the day right now its a running and driving S54 widebody conversion and IMO it would be pretty tough to pay someone to build a duplicate for $40k and it be nice. Could you build a better version of this car for $100k, absolutely but then you have to wait and commission it and it might take years.

Years ago I had a client come in with a widebody converted S54 sedan that he had bought and it was so far from where he wanted it to be that it would have been cheaper for him to sell the car and start over. But the timeline would have been so much longer he stayed the course and fixed the current car and he was happy with the outcome. YMMV good luck with the auction if you bid.

[Slideways]

i am curious what makes this a truly awful build. I get body panels being a bit off in a custom build. I certainly don’t understand why it wasn’t cleaned up. The scratched trim pieces seems odd when you put this much effort into it. I know nothing of Lang Racing or Kassel other than I hear their names all the time from a tuning standpoint.

What are your major red flags here?

If the owner didn't take the extra 10 min to properly glue the F10 shift knob boot to the E46 shift boot frame and make it look clean, I don't want to know what else they cut corners on with the rest of the build, especially when it comes to the body work, anything underneath the car or mechanically. The rear bumper fabrication and alignment to the tailgate is off by quite a bit. It is almost as if someone did these things blindfolded. Also, if you are going through all the work and expense doing the body conversion, get a better replica CSL diffuser. Without factoring in the cool parts like the PSS10s, Karb CSL intake and brace, the base touring conversion is very ok. And if the Lang built engine turns out like the two other engines mentioned on this forum where one had scored cylinder walls and the other had a valve train failure, that would really suck.

I'd rather spend 10 or 20% more and have the guy in Europe build one from scratch. From what I can tell in this build journal, the M3Projekts touring conversion is built to a much higher standard - https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...nd-back/page12

[oceansize]

For me, with respect to the wagon, this isn't something I would buy sight unseen. I'd have to drive it (or at least be driven around in it), get it on a lift, evaluate the paint/body work as best I can, scan for current codes, test every function, etc. I couldn't bring myself to spend this type of money on a youtuber's "maybe" ok job. This will likely end somewhere around $50k to $70k.

[davidinnyc]

I literally just walked in my local dealer and gave them the VIN number and that was that haha

I went yesterday and was super polite, asked if there was any way I could get some direction on the type of service that might have been performed… dude said “if your name is not on the service records I can’t show you anything. You can ask me questions and I can confirm or deny whether I see your question in the service record.” I just wanted to get out of there so I asked about the airbag recall and he said “yup, I see that” and I thanked him for his time and walked out.

[s54brendan]

I went yesterday and was super polite, asked if there was any way I could get some direction on the type of service that might have been performed… dude said “if your name is not on the service records I can’t show you anything. You can ask me questions and I can confirm or deny whether I see your question in the service record.” I just wanted to get out of there so I asked about the airbag recall and he said “yup, I see that” and I thanked him for his time and walked out.

are you in NYC? Sounds accurate to the dealerships in that area. Try going to a dealership in Westchester

[Epsilon]

For me, with respect to the wagon, this isn't something I would buy sight unseen. I'd have to drive it (or at least be driven around in it), get it on a lift, evaluate the paint/body work as best I can, scan for current codes, test every function, etc. I couldn't bring myself to spend this type of money on a youtuber's "maybe" ok job. This will likely end somewhere around $50k to $70k.

The owner of the wagon had camios with the DDE Youtube channel folks and they are about burnouts and shenanigans. Definitely, sight unseen would be a risky move.

[EthanolTurbo]

I think at the end of the day it all comes down to what someone wants. The fact of the matter is you cannot go buy an S54 widebody touring from BMW so if you want one you have to make one and that makes the comparison a stock M3 (or any production car for that matter) a bit silly IMO.



I don't know this car from anything other than its online presence so I don't know how well the swap was done but it COULD be a good starting point for someone who doesn't want a perfect car but wants the look and then can tweak to their liking down the road. OR maybe someone loves it the way it is, the seller likely did so the reality of someone else is highly possible.

Personally I put more value in proper execution of the mechanicals than most, but I am also scared of body work I can't see. IMO if this or a car like it is something a person is interested in I would want to know:

• Can you trust the body work was done properly and will hold up for years to come or is it going to start cracked, paint peeling, etc
• Can you trust the engine work was done properly
• Is it actually a sorted car or are there odds and ends that need to be fixed to fully sort it
• And in this particular car I would want to know how well the DSC works, being AWD the Bosch ABS doesn't really play nicely with the MSS54 DME. It might be ok for a persons needs but if not, it could be a lot of work to correct.

At the end of the day right now its a running and driving S54 widebody conversion and IMO it would be pretty tough to pay someone to build a duplicate for $40k and it be nice. Could you build a better version of this car for $100k, absolutely but then you have to wait and commission it and it might take years.

Years ago I had a client come in with a widebody converted S54 sedan that he had bought and it was so far from where he wanted it to be that it would have been cheaper for him to sell the car and start over. But the timeline would have been so much longer he stayed the course and fixed the current car and he was happy with the outcome. YMMV good luck with the auction if you bid.

Thank you. You said this perfectly.

[EthanolTurbo]

I 100% agree with the underbody, steering wheel, the fact it wasn't properly cleaned up. Wheels don't bother me much, but do agree ZCP's would be much better. The wrap that was on before and the lights, agreed, wasn't a fan. Felt like a sponsor show car. But all of those things can be taken care of quite easily. I'm more concerned about the execution of it all from an engine, transmission, wiring, etc. standpoint. From my perspective, it seemed like this was taken a step further than the other conversions I've seen. I can't speak to Lang Racing though. If they are known for hack jobs, I feel like maybe there would be more people chiming in on that in the BaT listing.

Do you have any links to other builds by chance? I want to understand from a comparison standpoint where this BaT one cut corners. I know there's some guy on IG in Europe who has been converting wagons and it sounds like he does a lot of the work himself. For me, I have a ton of interest in a swapped/converted wagon, but I don't have the time to take on the project, don't really want to pay for a build from the ground up, and would rather just have a turn-key example (for the most part) that can be enjoyed immediately.

I believe this BaT car was listed on consignment a year or so ago for $110K or something wild. Wasn't up long so not sure what the deal was there. Will be interesting to watch for sure.

@noble.craft.usa here in San Diego can build you a turnkey wagon. He does very high quality builds. kaiv (also here in San Diego) builds beautiful OEM quality E39 M5 and E46 M3 wagons as well.

[Nate047]

Isn't this BMW's version of the famous Ferrari combo? No louder than Imola/Imola in my book, which I've seen up close and it works somehow.

I have an E36 M3 in Hell Rot with Sand Beige, pretty Ferrari esque I guess lol. The interior is not as loud visually as Modena (the more yellow/neon one) and is much more rare being a '99 only option. And it's not that terrible all beige like the non M E36s, it's mostly black with beige door card inserts and of course seats.

E46 Cinnamon interior clashes with any red exterior. Imola exterior only works with black or matching Imola interior.

[oceansize]

Well the wagon didn't hit reserve. Bid to $59,250. The market has spoken, not as valuable as the owner thinks it is.

[nextelbuddy]

@noble.craft.usa here in San Diego can build you a turnkey wagon. He does very high quality builds. kaiv (also here in San Diego) builds beautiful OEM quality E39 M5 and E46 M3 wagons as well.

Ahem.....

[EthanolTurbo]

Ahem.....

Post your IG up bro 😅 I didn't know you were in the business of wagon conversions.

[EthanolTurbo]

Well the wagon didn't hit reserve. Bid to $59,250. The market has spoken, not as valuable as the owner thinks it is.

Haha. The owner is delusional as to its value. Even 59k is crackpot pricing for this rice-a-roni build. 🙂

[puma1824]

I 100% agree with the underbody, steering wheel, the fact it wasn't properly cleaned up. Wheels don't bother me much, but do agree ZCP's would be much better. The wrap that was on before and the lights, agreed, wasn't a fan. Felt like a sponsor show car. But all of those things can be taken care of quite easily. I'm more concerned about the execution of it all from an engine, transmission, wiring, etc. standpoint. From my perspective, it seemed like this was taken a step further than the other conversions I've seen. I can't speak to Lang Racing though. If they are known for hack jobs, I feel like maybe there would be more people chiming in on that in the BaT listing.

Do you have any links to other builds by chance? I want to understand from a comparison standpoint where this BaT one cut corners. I know there's some guy on IG in Europe who has been converting wagons and it sounds like he does a lot of the work himself. For me, I have a ton of interest in a swapped/converted wagon, but I don't have the time to take on the project, don't really want to pay for a build from the ground up, and would rather just have a turn-key example (for the most part) that can be enjoyed immediately.

I believe this BaT car was listed on consignment a year or so ago for $110K or something wild. Wasn't up long so not sure what the deal was there. Will be interesting to watch for sure.

Now that the BaT auction has ended, here is my build as a comparison. My conversion was done by the guy in Europe I believe you are referencing. His name is Attila owner/operator of M3Projekts out of Hungary. Note I have not kept up with as many post updates as I would like. I have over 2000 pictures w/videos as well from the builder during the entire build. I did post many more pics, but not all 2000 pics, in my dedicated IG profile for this car.

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/member-build-journals/155763-e46-m3-touring-conversion-to-europe-and-back

https://www.instagram.com/e46m3teurotrip/

[Interlagos]

Well the wagon didn't hit reserve. Bid to $59,250. The market has spoken, not as valuable as the owner thinks it is.

😂 I called this on IG but the wagon builder in Europe ended up deleting my comments and the owner’s snooty replies to me… I said this wouldn’t even hit $60k when they were all calling $120k (lol). Looks like the market agrees this car isn't nearly as well built as the owner wanted everyone to believe.

That video the owner posted on the auction of the underside/backside of the rear fenderwells was absolutely awful looking — seriously shoddy looking work for the price.