E46 touring — from daily beater to clean weekend cruiser

My E46 325i Touring transformation. This car was my daily driver for 3 years in its rough state before I decided to restore it properly. BEFORE: - Faded Titansilber paint with clear coat peeling on hood and roof - Rust bubbles on rear arches (typical E46 problem) - Sagging headliner - Cracked dashboard - Worn suspension with clunking noises - Foggy headlights - 245,000 km AFTER: - Paint correction and full respray of hood, roof, and rear arches - Rust repair with proper rust treatment and new metal - New headliner in black Alcantara - Dashboard replaced with a clean used unit - Meyle HD front control arms, new rear trailing arm bushings - Bilstein B4 dampers all around - Headlight restoration and clear coat - M Sport bumpers front and rear - 17-inch Style 68 wheels (OEM M Sport) - Full detail with ceramic coating Total cost: about 3500 EUR over 2 years. The E46 Touring is one of the best looking wagons BMW ever made and they are still affordable. Get one before prices go up — clean examples are already getting harder to find.