I was following one last night through TAURANGA of all places, even had the plate EBROWN

https://www.carjam.co.nz/car/?plate=ebrown

Tried to get a photo of it, but it was dark, and i was eating Pad Thai  while driving haha

Have been meaning to post a log but didnt get around to it till now. 

I’ve always loved the XJ look and styling, I think for a large car, it is large! It holds its style really well, plenty of dispute on the rear end and lights, but I really like the individuality this car brings over pretty much anything else in this class. I also feel it has aged well now a few years on. 

The supercharged version would have been adorable however, some, sanity prevails and this is nearly the 5.0 V8. 380 odd horses. Most of my daily work is motorway so an easy cruise on the V8 is no issue. Petrol consumption should be considerably better then the V10 (for sale) or V12 E38 which will now be a more special alternative drive. Aluminium body is quite light for its size which will help both fuel and handling.

Long wheel base over short, well I think cohesively the shape works well in LWB and I feel you can see it was originally designed this way so why not, no major disadvantages to it other then the extra 125mm in length. Good parking sensors and camera, definitely necessity.

The sound is glorious! More AMG muscle throb then BMWs more muted reving V8s that I have heard, yet sublimely quiet on motorway duty.

Interior is also unique and beautifully crafted, even 7 years on, no rattles or squeaks apparant, although only 50k on this import example, ex Singapore incidentally so likely more equivalent to 100k NZ new with the round town driving it would have been in service for.

Infotainment is a bit more mid 2000s then super current but you get, Nav, Bluetooth and streaming, iPod connectivity and USB, plus dual viewing capability so your passenger can watch a DVD while you have Nav on, probably pointless but cool nonetheless. 

Seats and adjustments and sublime also, better then the S8 and the F01s I have driven before getting this.Plus heated and cooled seats front and rear, Adaptive cruise control and it’s a very pleasant place to be.

So a great start, 2 year warranty to cover any concerns but overall these have a pretty good rep and are a much cheaper warranty then a 7 series or S class.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/CategoryAttributeSearchResults.aspx?search=1&cid=268&sidebar=1&rsqid=ee1578bf132c4c53a049edca505c73b6-002&sidebarSearch_keypresses=0&sidebarSearch_suggested=0&14=Mercedes-Benz&15=&21=&1=&minPrice=&maxPrice=&13=0&13=0&24=0&24=0&309=0&309=0&54=cosworth&searchRegion=100

It drives far better than I expected it would, has a very extensive service history and came from a fussy owner with great presentation - unlike most of the alternatives I looked at... taking it over the Rimutakas tomorrow so interested to see how it goes.

And if anyone in/near Wellington has a set of Mondeo 18inch alloys give me a shout!

When I was back in high school (only a couple years ago) all my friends had the most mundane cars: old and tired Honda Civics, Suzuki Swifts, Nissan Marchs and the like, and nine times out of ten auto. Now that my sister has her licence and is approaching the need for her first car, I thought this would be an interesting discussion to be had. She's not a massive petrolhead, but my love for cars has rubbed off onto her to the extent that she cares somewhat about what she drives. 

But I don't want to make this thread about her, so what are your best cars that are:

• Under $5k
• Fun-ish
• Manual
• Relatively reliable and cheap to run
• At least marginally more exciting than a March
• Not limited to Bimmers/Euro cars

What cool cars have you guys owned, wanted to own or plan on owning? 

Cheers for any recommendations

I looked at a few E65s and after throwing up in my mouth consistently, I decided I needed to look elsewhere. E60 550, been there. Options on large sedans with autos and pace with style are quite limited and this baby ticks all the boxes.

It's a NZ New, 1 owner with full Audi service history, 140ks.

love the look and the options boxes are well ticked.

V10 5.2l 450hp, B&O upgrade audio, keyless entry. All the full A8 options.

Drove back from Auckland, got 11.6l/100ks which was better then I thought. Included some spirited Action from the V10, sounds quiet glorious through the hills.

will keep a running record of maintenance and ownership here

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=1717665359&tm=email&et=202&mt=A0E8D214-C433-4C48-9F58-6BD4673E9C54&rewritten=true

The V6 2.5L wide body version with in need of a few repairs. (Cue Alfa jokes)

Been working on the red italian polishing and reconstructing the pieces that was taken apart.

In need of a new cambelt and some minor repairs here and there. Other wise 'should' be okay to drive.

Running some Momocorse wheels, seem to suit the car particula

Few pics of the new car below...

It offers 4 Wheel steering, active hydraulic suspension (replaced with coils, yet I shall endeavor to restore it to the hydro sus) GPS, touch screen a/c and audio controls, reversing camera, all the bells and whistles, quite easily one of the most feature packed cars of the 90s, 23 years on it still works (some simple repairs made in recent years)

Plan is to restore it to a condition it deserves performance wise and cosmetically.

In no particular order

4-2-1 headers, full dual exhaust of some variation.

5 Speed manual conversion

Larger 4 pot front brakes

Facelift side skirts

Stand alone ECU + retune

17 or 18" BBS' classic / mesh style.

Anyhow here's a few pictures pre cleaning. I only got it on Sunday! (cheers for the lift Earon, aka DSCOFF)

Needs a pixel fix at some stage for $40.00

Might fit Koni rear shocks also just for completeness.

We have a pair of VW Tourans, the "other" one for the Mrs....

...and this one for me! about 2 years in the making:

It's a 7 seat VW Touran, with a Golf R32 3.2 VR6 6 speed manual 4Motion 4WD drive train

I have to make a special "THANK YOU" to Andrew, aja540i - without him, I'd never have finished this, or at least spent sh*t loads more money! He did some serious engineering work, carried parts up and down the country, got special jobs done I couldn't sort out my slef and really made the whole thing possible! Thanks Andrew

Red / Orange 1976 GLS is my Daily Driver (shares with the 540i)

White one is the Fun car 90bHP at the wheels with Twin Dellorto's & cam, cage and stuff, visits Racetracks too

Barely classes as Euro but I'm clinging to it & the worlds most Badge engineered car

Joker

Bought it a 235-R project engine - that's the one with a nitrided crank, better valves  2.3 litres and a bigger hair dryer  and a few other things. Running on the stock  DME it should do 140kW and 280 Nm - same as a stock M52b28 except  max torque is at 2,200 RPM.

With the R DME it will crank out 170kW and 370Nm  but then it might need a new gearbox every month or so? 

Just bought this yesterday - think it complements my '98 E36 cab nicely...

@Olaf wanted to see pictures so here you are!

Anyway here's my Simca 1501. One of 25 station wagon models sold in New Zealand, and one of, I think, only 2 left.

I dailyd it for a long time after my Corolla got stolen. It had bad fuel economy, it drove like a boat, the steering was bad, and much more, but I liked it. Good vibes.

I guess most of you won't care about this but feel kind of bad for just posting only in the wanted section and want to participate a bit more in the forum.

This weekend was around trying to bring the switchs closer to the driver in the hope I can reach them whilst using a harness.

V50

Might buy a touring next and this showed up on the 'other vehicles you might like'...

http://jalopnik.com/the-alfa-romeo-giulia-is-the-perfect-unreliable-italian-1796883384