[E36 Phantom]

Hey guys and gals!

I've always been a sports car/sports sedan person, but I got married in August and my wife decided she wanted a change of pace for her car. After looking at all kinds of things, we checked out a P38 and were pretty hooked. These are definitely great vehicles. Took quite a while looking around at many Rovers and reading up on them here, and finally settled on one. Flew down to Orange County and drove her back.

It's a 96 4.0SE, black on tan, with an aftermarket Alpine nav system. 103k miles, and on an unknown brand coil conversion (boo! :crybaby2: )

Unfortunately, the seller was less than upfront and had used very outdated pictures and didn't accurately describe the condition, so we do have a little work on our hands, but mechanically she seems pretty sound so I'm happy. Being a sports car person, buying the "baby engined" Rover was tough to do on principle, but oh well.

The biggest issue for me is the clear coat on the roof is pretty oxidized, and the clear on the hood is beginning to oxidize as well. Also, there are all kinds of aftermarket AV equipment installed, most of which isn't really hooked up to anything any more. All the install was clearly done shoddily so I'll be working on removing that when I get a chance. The headliner is sagging like crazy so I'll need to redo it. Lastly, it has some cheap eBay wood trim throughout that's now peeling off. Why people buy that crap is beyond me.....

Anyway, without further ado, pics!!! (my apologies for the size, this forum doesn't allow HTML so I can't resize them easily):

 

[kmagnuss]

Welcome.

How do you feel about your proposed state income tax hike?

 

[E36 Phantom]

LOL random.... Is that like a litmus test or something? Anyway, I despise how the state gov't is handling this little mess we're in. This should have been dealt with years ago so we never got to this point, and they should be cutting more, not taxing more.

 

[rhino_ed]

Welcome
Very nice condition for the year. :thumb: I agree about the ebay "wood" :snooty: . It's almost good to hear you have coils but if you want to convert back to bags there are EAS specialists here to guide the way :dance: . It's a good system once you get to know it. Just make sure you use the search function or "the natives get a little restless" :lol: .
Eric

 

[rogan]

Clear front indicators would be high on my to do list

 

[E36 Phantom]

Rhino, I do want to do a conversion back to the EAS in the future, but that's not something that my budget allows for now. It's my understanding the compressor, wiring, and air lines are all there and just need to be reconnected to bags, so I hope to tackle it not too far down the road. I really like the EAS.
BTW, I'm a "native" on Bimmerfest and a few others and am one of the first to jump on people for not searching......lol.

Rogan, they're definitely something I want to do, along with clear on red tail lights. My BMW is my first priority currently for where money is going towards mods, though, since it's my DD and performance car. Slowly turning her into a decent performer. The Rover is my wife's DD and she's not as "in to" modding for looks, though the amber is killin' us both!

 

[rogan]

Rogan, they're definitely something I want to do, along with clear on red tail lights. My BMW is my first priority currently for where money is going towards mods, though, since it's my DD and performance car. Slowly turning her into a decent performer. The Rover is my wife's DD and she's not as "in to" modding for looks, though the amber is killin' us both!

I know the feeling. Have spent more than enough on my E39. There's a couple of options for clear lights: front only, or there's kits for front and side only, or clear allround. I've gone for front corners only, I don't find the side or rears too offensive. Getting the front and side kit isn't that much more than getting just the front though. Buy them for the wife's Xmas present :lol:

 

[lrscott]

Thats a great looking rover. Btw, your headliner isn't that bad... you should see mine . That is an interesting AV system, and the wood... yeah that has... well you know, written all over it. I have a slight oxidation problem too, so far I have just waxed it with a machine buffer and it seems to be really helping. Anyhow, congrats and enjoy.

 

[medcapequip]

If you had the EAS in your truck when you purchased it I am sure you would be praising the coil system by now!

 

[NorCal RR]

If you had the EAS in your truck when you purchased it I am sure you would be praising the coil system by now!

Are you "sure" about that? Plenty of us still on EAS and like it that way. I think all SUV's should have air suspensions. If you truly use you an SUV as a vehicle for utility use, you need the auto leveling. Or at the very least, some mechanism for leveling headlights like Xenon systems in cars have to avoid lighting the tree tops under load.

 

[Chris X]

I do a good bit of hauling with my Jeep ZJ - it already lights the treetops with 33's and a 3" lift, but to get around that a nice set of "driving lights" comes in handy when you have a trailer on the back. I've used some spring rubbers before in the rear coils if it is a real heavy load to balance things out, but they can be a pain to get in. Auto leveling headlights would be nice though. I've thought about installing some aftermarket bags in the back since I already have onboard air. One of those "when I get to it" projects that always seems to get pushed back by something else breaking.

Welcome to the forum btw, I've only been here a short period and the natives have been pretty cool, lots of knowledge on this board.