Olaf

here's one I took earlier.... Nikon D3s, AF Nikkor 300mm f2.8+1.4 teleconverter, 1/1000 @ f5.6, ISO640. Copyrighted.

I bought my e60 545i for 45c in the dollar compared to a Commodore SS. I was fully paid up dollar-for-dollar in the maintenance stakes within a two to two-and-a-half years, though with a *much* (much!) better car! From my perspective - as I don't shy away from quality maintenance - the higher depreciation of the euro has always paid off.

FOMO, perhaps? 😁 Missing out on the lifestyle, the driving experience, instead living with the humdrum experience of operating an appliance?

mosdef. I went with factory spec off-the-shelf BMW part. Dunlops. I've not owned runflats before, and after years with Goodyears, switched to Bridgestones about ten years ago. The Dunlops have taken a bit of getting used to, I'm now very happy with them. Given no provision for a spare or a jack in the F25, I view non-RFT as unworkable. PS: the other option was the Pirelli P-Zero on BMW parts system. I understand they're very good, though wear quite handily on NZ's sh!t roads. My Scottish genes - along with advice from the dealer that he preferred the Dunlops on his X3s - dictated the Dunlops 😁

outstanding mate!! well done. And congrats on getting to road-legal with your conversion, a big job.

Wow, @Kodachrome did you print that yourself? Where'd you get the files? And how's the M54 conversion coming along?

then they take your advice seriously and get you into a hearing that you're then essentially obliged to attend, as no-shows don't fare well. I prefer the Keep It Simple, Stupid approach, and don't rely on not having your bluff called. Your mileage may vary, you may have a higher threshold for stupid. Me, I learned you can't argue with stupid, so why bother.

Happy (surprised) to note that this varies. I drove one with 138k kms (F25 30D) and the rear shock were stuffed. Bought another F25 30D Msport, at 146k kms and all the shocks (non msport) are very good, and they're original. I think they'll be good for another 20k kms. My car was Msport though optioned with standard suspension. SI dealers felt msport suspension too harsh for NZ roads; this car is firm enough!

As long as you swear you're not a fat-cat capitalist trying to gain advantage of the system designed to provide a tax break to poor socialists scraping by on 1000km top-ups of their RUCs. If you're found to be "gaming the system" by the monitoring cabal Department of Approved Utes, they'll come after you for the savings you originally banked and bill you for the difference. Surely this insane system will cost more to implement and monitor/police than it will claw back for the govt coffers? https://www.newsroom.co.nz/government-relying-on-diesel-honesty I bought 15k RUCs for my little oil-burner soon after buying it. I think I've done a little over 5k kms in that time - diesel has gone from under $1.60/litre to over $2.30/litre in these ~6 months so the gubbermit has already increased their tax take from me dieseling my way around our fair land. I'm doing fewer kms than I had reasonably expected to, as we're still mired in Covid-land panic. Anyone rational will buy (anything they use regularly) in bulk to acheive a reasonable saving, given available funding and consideration of the opportunity cost. However this Transport Minister and his apparatchiks want to actively discourage responsible behaviour by vehicle operators, and reduce transactional efficiency (the operator's time and the licensing authority's) by forcing more frequent and smaller purchases of vehicle licensing. Let's not forget the LTNZ have recently proposed increasing charges for these very services. If I take advantage of the reduction in RUC price and buy another 10k kms now to cover the year's running, I risk a slap on the wrist if they perceive I had an ulterior motive and was not buying fairly and squarely. Is this New Zealand we're talking out, or am I in fact driving a Lada and drinking Vodka in a large northern hemisphere country in the 1980's? Scene: Interrogation Centre, Wellington, 2022. Olaf is getting a grilling about his RUC purchase. "why did you buy those RUCs?" "Because I expected to use them, did not want to risk running out. You put them on sale, I bought. Is that illegal?" "yes! you had plenty when you bought, you clearly didn't need more. Off to the gulag with you, fool! You cannot game our system." "I manage efficiently one transaction per year and not worrying about RUCs improves my productivity, provides more time for me to bill more and pay more tax! The project I bought the RUCs for was canned." "This is rubbish, we will change your behaviours through our clever controls. And while we're at it, that's not an approved ute. You are a BMW-driving capitalist! You really should drive Chinese - they're more proletarian, mate." "errr, your govt car is a BMW. Unless it's an Audi e-Tron. How did you sneak those in to the fleet?". "Room 101 for you!. And we're fining you $300 tax difference" "You've cost the country $7000 in lost productivity while you investigated this". /rant

Buyers Remorse can take many forms. This buyer should have bought a car they could afford to run, from a dealer, with a warranty. They're attempting to transfer their responsibility for a risky purchase decision to you, as the vendor. We're all here with a gambling addiction, running old BMWs, trying to improve our odds. Whether it's the Blackjack or Roulette table, occasionally a new player joins the game, tries their luck. They respond according to their risk appetite. Buying any 16 (or even 3-5) year old Euro is risky. We do our best to manage that risk down by getting expert inspections done by a specialist, buying a car that's clearly been well looked after. Be clear and concise. One discussion is all it should take. The more you talk with this person, the more you fuel their hopes that you will meet whatever irrational expectation they have of you. You met your obligations, misrepresented nothing, had the car serviced and provided reports and evidence or thorough maintenance. You're not a car expert. The buyer had ample opportunity to gain their own inspection. You have no control over use of the vehicle following the sale, and your obligation ceased at title transfer. Sorry to hear it hasn't met your expectations [insert appropriate pronoun] Purchaser, I enjoyed the car. Goodbye.

You have time to waste? Why invite someone to waste your time.

Same here. Expired cert (accessing from Mobile).

Make me an (e30 market) offer, you too can be timely. It's the next big thing in e30 accessorising - rarer than a cluster with a tacho...

at least they were observing speed restriction for the space-saver. 9/10 don't (as observed on Wellington and Auckland motorways. FFS they have a bloody great sticker on them too! Nope, your space-saver weilding Prius driver doesn't get to the finals, just a typical Hawkes Bay right lane driver. Give them a blast of boost and swiftly whisk past on the inside.

Honda Fit/Jazz. I rest my case.

got some tech in your back pocket? take us back to London Aug/Sept 2001, and I could sell you my '89 Alpinweiss 325i Touring (manual). Double my sell price still leaves you with change from GBP5000, sound good?

sure thing @skidz, happy to shoot some sales pics with the current wheels if you'd like.

lots of Brit-based fora are in that space now; it's a reflection of the country. Brexit is the backdrop, they're in turmoil. I dig your car Mr First Timer, it's well-cool. Welcome to Bimmersport!

the wheels are a very clever marketing ploy. like selling a house, you leave something for the next owner to make their own - like that slightly off colour in the bathroom. it makes them want to buy so they can put their mark on it. The wheels are exactly that, though meanwhile they keep it rolling and are more worthwhile than either metrics (oh god I can't afford those tyres, that puts me off) or fourteens (oh god!). Clever stuff eh? PS - they'll sell in a flash to Commodore owners. Easy money.

This is a gorgeous example, been well cared-for for many years. You rarely see them like this any more. It presents very, very well, pictures not doing it justice. If you're hoping to buy an e24, this is the one; next year they'll all be $5-10k more.

Suggest you restore the black with the shoe cream I mentioned above (it’s a nice mid-sheen but not parade gloss shiny on my RM’s), or a Waproo black… then a couple of hours later a light rub-over with Beeswax dressing will give you a somewhat duller/matt finish. HTH…. And protect the leather from inclement weather 😄

"Parade Gloss" is better grade of black than standard Nugget. They don't seem to do much of it these days. I'm using Dasco shoe cream on my black leather boots and shoes, best I've used. Apply with a soft cloth to cleaned and dusted leather, work in. When dry, buff off with a quality horse-hair bristle brush. Do it regularly, feeds the leather. Waproo polishes are usually of good quality, buy them from quality specialist shoe repairers. For my Blundstones I just feed em with Beeswax dressing. "Jay-El Besswax Dressing" (I think it's by Waproo) is solid. I'm currently using Footcom NZ Beeswax Polish (beeswax and avocado oil), and it's the best I've used. Like car-care, using quality products regularly gives you a longer life and better finish. PS: Travel Tip. When travelling I take a small mini-grip bag with a small piece of mesh cloth in it with plenty of beeswax dressing on it. It's light, takes up little space, allows you to smarten up your boots quickly to look presentable.

Date: 25 Mar 2022 Distance: n/a 1. Nice Rack! Along with @autoglym and @jonmechaniker, we executed as planned, like an episode of the A-Team (only without BA). A late-model e46 LCI 318i ///msport was prepped for surgery, and together we made light work of a rack-ectomy in-situ. I got it back to the lock-up, steam-cleaned it (thanks Dan!), dried it, gloved the ends of the hoses, and stowed it. Now another key part to my upgrade plans is secured, providing a future source of "nice rack!" comments. We left the e46 inners in place, and I already have new e36 rack-ends, and new boots. My sincere thanks to @Autoglym and @Jon Mechaniker. We had a fun time in the rain in unfavourable conditions. It's a reminder that an important part of these cars is the camaraderie, spending time together shooting the sh*t, taking the piss, and thinking through challenges together. 2. Next steps Now back to research on the right way to connect it (steering shaft), and secure spacers, and a little more research on the pipes/hoses. @Southerner's approach to the steering universal is the one that's made the most sense to me. I need to find an appropriate Astra steering shaft, and get the e46 shaft end. Also consulting the LVVTA manual (with thanks to Jon). And then on to a driveshaft specialist. To close, what's a @Olaf project update without images?! Fig 1. Nice Rack, this afternoon. Fig 2. I fear this is in fact a Magenta rack. My car is turning Goth! Fig 3. Flipside.

yes, we love the way they drive, but compared with a Corolla the BMW will need a whole lot more stuff replacing, like LCAs and bushings, cooling system parts, etc etc... they're really an enthusiast buy not a practical buy.

Congrats on the new job Cam!