HOW I CHOSE THIS CAR:
My last car was reaching 100,000 miles and to get the most money out of it, it was time to sell. I always wanted a BMW 330Ci, but I needed a used car to fit my budget and Bimmers' resale values are a bit too high for my wallet. I wanted something that met the following criteria:
- Short car easy enough to parallel park
- Sedan for easy access by passengers (family car)
- Close to 200 hp
- Superior gas mileage
- Around 50,000 miles used
- Under $20,000
- Black
This narrowed the list down to two cars:
1) Audi A4 1.8L (non quatro)
2) Mercedes c230 Kompressor Sports Sedan
I chose the latter b/c the interior of the Audi was too sporty for me. Not much content. A bit boring. By choosing the c230 Kompressor, I missed out on the huge horse power potential from ECU tuning available for the Audi. Should I have gotten the Audi? Naw, I love the c230 Kompressor SS. Now let's begin the journey of modding!
TABLE OF CONTENTS 01 -Why I bought the car 02 -More photos in a parking lot 03 -More photos comparing lighting conditions 04 -My favorite photos in another parking lot. 05 -Interior shots 06 -Photoshop editing 07 -K&N Air filter installation 08 -Carbon fiber wrapped stock rear trunk spoiler 09 -Carbon fiber front lip 10 -CL Grill
11 -Yellow fog lights 12 -Front rotors and pads installation 13 -How the car looked before I bought it 14 -Flat hood emblem from ebay 15 -Valve stem covers from ebay16 -Rear roof spoiler installation 17-Thank you page for members 18 -License plate and reverse light bulb replacement 19 -Rear rotor and brake pad installation
20 -Downtown Photoshoot 21 -Bulb replacement 22 -TEIN S-tech lowering springs 23 -Police/airplane lights 24 -Speed Innovations ECU flash 25 -Downtown Photoshoot 2 26 -Tire fix 27 -Chrome Key 28 -My old car 29 -Smoked Side markers 30 -Quad exhaust 31 -CF rear diffuser 32 -Koni Yellow shocks/struts 33 -OEM style trunk spoiler 34 -OEM C32 rims
I've posted DIY photos and instructions for most of the mods on the following pages. Check it out and feel free to ask questions. I'll do my best to help you out. All photos were taken with a Casio Exilim. Nothing fancy - just a compact camera that's easy on the wallet and fits in my shirt pocket. Most of the recent photos were edited with Photoshop CS2. Occassionally I use a mini $8 tripod.
