Eagle

No doubt other little bits and pieces but yeah. In saying that i dont have a clue about E30 prices these days and everything seems expensive to me.

Had a cert too. I'd say it's a 10-12k in this market. If it had a chuck of work done maybe you could ask 15k, but it's likely on tired suspension etc.

Seems like something that would be cheaper on ebay especially shipping costs.

Funnily enough that what my initial thought was but i had to poke fun at the N42 instead. I wouldnt run 98 either but if its anything like my compact then you need 95 min to get performance, may not even be relevant with Auckland traffic though.

Must really hate the N42 eh. I remember having to put 91 in a M54B30 once because no premium, turned it into a B25.

Haha yep. Amazing what EFI can compensate for. Carburetors just sh*t the bed if anything is off. Not sure if he is still in business but Bertz customs in the UK appears to be the best price vs quality ones i ever saw They were about ~1500NZD for memory + shipping. Every NZ new or UK import BMW ive owned looked like this, asian ones werent bad per se but generally never as good (much darker).

Ive got a cloth sport ones in my E36 that isnt as bad as my leather ones but its still not that great. New bolsters may help, most seats have been quashed\foam has failed to some extend. Ive never had an issue with E39 ones, but @hunter redid his alcantara ones and they are noticeably more comfortable and support much better than worn stuff thats around. Yeah need a cert for seats (seat belt anchor point changed iirc). There are bases that use a modified stock\base rail (Brey-Krause) but they are cheap and not sure if they would need to be certed or not. I just take my out for the WOF since its easy in a coupe. Current one me close to 1k seat+base which is fairly cheap considering what @Harper and others have spent. I dont care about passenger one so it made it much cheaper I think the genuine E46 base\rails for Recaro seats are hard to find now, the place in Japan i got them from delisted the drivers ones ordered it. NZKW do their generic E36\E46 one and im sure there are other around. Its a bit of mission finding and figuring out what you want and not usually cheap, but once you find the right seat its like your favourite pair of pants etc.

Done all my rear BMW ones with this - https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/car-parts-accessories/tools-repair-kits/repair-kits/listing/4429644283

There probably is but most shops don't really need them as they would just use generic tools\parts to do the job. I do the majority bushings with the above, wheel bearing press kit, ball joint press kit and various 1\2" sockets.

Sporting the usual dealer standard equipment option - worn shift knob

Should be a WOF fail over a certain age. Crazy how you run a 20 years old spare wheel\tyre but fail on 100 other bs things. My compact was imported 2008 from Japan, 63,000km and who knows how many hours being a ecobox. A simple old style BMW design goes along way imo just like an imported corolla etc. Even came fitted with 2008 Japanese Bridgestones, great if having traction isnt your thing.

Dont think any workshop would rent anything out in the unlikely event they would have it. Dont really need a special tool though. You can make something up via M12 8.8 rod, washers, nuts, steel plate, pipe offcuts etc, or buy something like that you can use for other jobs too - https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/car-parts-accessories/tools-repair-kits/repair-kits/listing/4432809073

Annoying. Neglected cars always seem to be the ones that have ongoing problems. Hopefully these are the last of them Yeah E46 msport seats are probably the worse BMW seats ive experienced on longer trips. Worn bolsters dont help but ive never had any issues with other old BMW seats. My Recaro is a joy to sit in and worth every $.

Most headunits will work fine with correct wiring adapter (plug and play connects factory wiring to new headunit). Most aftermarket units look out of place imo but i used this one years ago in my Mercedes of same vintage, looked and worked fine - https://www.amazon.com/VDO-Continental-TR7412UB-European-Bluetooth/dp/B08D2R48HZ

Is the your wifes handy work on the rims too? haha. Probably a good thing you haven't got a purple tag steering rack in it

With the 90's era stuff at least the asian imports were generally in better cosmetic condition mainly paint and bodywork, cloth interiors are always a mixed bag and why i dont like them. NZ new engines and ancillaries and always felt stronger\less worn to me. Also depends when it was imported too, some big ranges from 3-4 years after build date to near or over a decade.

As useful as you want it to be. Lots of tools run on air. I think the cheap ones generally hold up you change the oil out for something decent and keep them maintained, probably all made in the same bunch of factories. I bought one of these over 10 years ago and was still running fine before sold it and upgraded. It was too small for tools but ok for occasional compressed air blasting and inflated, anything below 50L tank size isnt going to run much for long - https://collingwoodscrosscountry.co.nz/product/dek2024-air-compressor/ Id go for something 2nd hand though as you can get something bigger\more powerful for a lot less money (if you have the room), or just save on similar specs.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/building-renovation/tools/hand-tools/sets-kits/listing/4405203721 Anyone here win that?. I got 2x but id buy that for a $1

Still plenty of tidy E39's around though especially later facelift stuff. E34's are the more durable engines, drivetrains and cost less to maintain and stand more a chance to survive. I see plenty of low k E34 540i's which are probably still rocking mostly original parts. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/325i/listing/4393895444 Interesting to see what this goes for

Id wager the vast majority of cars on the road need new struts\shocks

Once the suspension and steering is refreshed they liven up. Most E34 I've driven certainly felt like boats

Im sure if someone turned up with 30k in the hand he'd take it. If it was such a deal he should of bought and re-sold it. Tis known the market and slowed along with available funds, so to me its more of a realistic sale price than an artificially inflated covid price.

Look them up on here - http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/ Should bolt up but offsets maybe different

@balancerider is correct Not great but ive changed fluid on quite few older models with 'lifetime fluid', all had done over 200,000km. If its shifting good then i think you'd be fine with a service. I dont really keep track of what these are actually selling for so cant help with that . With what's known about it id say its average example in general. so . They tend to be fairly cheap for a reason when they reach that age\mileage, not many people spending money on refreshing and doing preventative repairs on cars like this. You do get a fair bit of car for the money which is the appealing part i suppose. Everyone is different when it comes to acceptable maintenance costs, but if you have to pay someone to work on it then id say a mechanical warranty is needed along with the above.

It did mention they had been replaced, springs im assuming Drivetrain should be one of the more durable bits. Transmission can develop issues but much of that depends if its been serviced and how its been used. Id say the engine ancillaries are the weak link as far as costs. If you google N54 engine problems you will get an idea what can happen. Most of the rest is just normal wear and tear which a pre purchase inspection and service history should reveal.