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Hmm, I'll speak from experience and say that I had a difficult experience buying a Japanese import when I purchased my Audi A4 1.8T a little over 3 years ago. I am of the opinion that they don't look after their cars very well. It came in to the country desperately needing a service, leaking coolant and oil.. I'm not sure why I bought it in retrospect, I think I was infatuated with the concept of owning it as admittedly it is a very nice car. I luckily bought a warranty along with it and claimed more than my money spent on it in repairs as well as quite a significant amount of my own dosh that wasn't covered by the warranty. I had a fuel pump fail which left me stranded as well as the initial costs of having to get it registered and replace all four tyres, etc. That said, it's been pretty reliable over the last little while once I ironed out everything that I feel may not have happened had the car been looked after a little better. I've recently (on Friday) just bought myself a 2010 BMW 335i which has come in from the UK. It has 63k on the clock and I can already tell it's been looked after a lot better than the Audi had coming in from Japan (even accounting for the difference in age). This one flew through a pre-purchase inpsection at the BMW dealership and was praised as one of the cleanest they'd seen. Considering it was love at first drive, it had all the options I was looking for around at the right price I jumped on it, but even so I was very careful to make sure I picked up a warranty along with it. I'm hoping I don't need it, but 4 years with AutoSure for around $1800 is what I'd call that a good deal, even if not used for anything other than the peace of mine based on my previous experiences. At the end of the day Le Roy, do what makes you happy. A car is never going to NOT be an expensive item to own, especially if you have a taste for Euro cars (the only people who argue that are the ones who haven't driven a decent Euro car).. Just do your homework, have a pre-purchase inspection done and make sure you're happy with it. Expect to have to do a few things yourself and expect to have it in the garage a few times along the way. I've put about 500km on my BMW since Friday over around 12 hours driving time, I consider the inevitable costs of running and repair (and the mods!) a small price to pay for the happiness and freedom it has/will bring me. Also, I agree with elmarco in saying that you should stretch for a 6 cylinder engine if you can. BMW are famous for them and mine is a joy to drive (even more-so with two turbos attached!).

woah big man

Hi everyone, Recently we have been getting a lot of enquiries for interior wrapping. No one seems to like the existing woodgrain, and many have chosen carbon fiber and brushed metal finish. We've tried many tricks and shortcuts, but came to a conclusion that taking parts apart and reassembling is the only way to get a perfect factory like finish. Just wanted to share what we had been up to, and get any sort of opinions/feedbacks. Lose your woodgrain!

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/porsche/911l/auction-697912458.htm http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/porsche/993/auction-697917864.htm Those mad prices.

I think all that fiddling with your stick is starting to affect your eyesight, again you are incorrect. Cut from the BMW US web-site.. So infact the US version is an auto as standard, and not only that the cheeky buggers don't give a rebate if you select the manual like we do here in NZ - even more of a discouragement from buying a manual. Twisting the facts to say it's included. I have no problem with people having a preference for either one, manual or auto, and would normally keep out of the argument, but when things are put forward as facts to back their argument that are wrong I tend to bite. I can't even be bothered getting into the sports suspension argument been done too many times before. Love, peace and harmony

Car started fine, OBC not working, but have driven it straight to HellBm.. Got the work car for a couple of days so at least have transport.. Sort of a slight grrrr sound coming on and off as i was driving, left hand side up by wheel area.. I noticed that when it made this sound car power steering began to lack and would dip in revs (slightly) In Rays trusted hands now, will see what he says and go from there.

Cinnamon leather... Possibly my favourite. Looks great.

Most plans, post and prepaid, have unlimited text messages and with apps like Viber and Whatsup, its a bit of a non issue

That motor pic on the 530 showing it getting a water top-up / check would slightly worry me............ Edit - specially with the 'no comebacks, as is, where is' bit there too, but yea, certainly cheap, & could be well worth a punt, even for wrecking out......

The only way you will know if there are exising problems is via a pre-purchase inspection - regardless of the mileage. As to the E90? I think you get much more for your money in a nice E46. I owned an E46 & now drive an E90 - the E46 was a much better put together car. Some of the electronics in the E90 scare me (electric steering lock, no temp gauge), and the design seems to attract squeaks & rattles. Mine has no space for a spare wheel (designed to use runflat tyres which are a terrible ride by general consensus) and every now and then my radio freezes & needs a power cycle. The E46 had its faults, but felt a lot more solid. Personally, i would go for a 6cyl version (325 / 330) - if youre getting a BMW you may as well get the benefit of the silky smooth straight 6....

Possibly BMW AG influence there. You would think the manual option would but under transmissions though??? but i do not work for BMW so i dont know how they work like Jon does.

ESM918 - This car was a member's (DarkWolf) on here. You should buy on condition not mileage.

apparently this cop has some problems. Saw him park and everything - there were no other cars parked that aren't there in the photo/he had the opportunity to park in one space. At New World Chafers Park too. I can assure you they weren't grocery shopping either.

Have not seen an E39 sedan with self levelling, but they did come with EDC, which basically gives you comfort or sport damper settings. around 12-13l/100km of mixed environment driving for the Sep 98' onwards 540i. Slightly less for the 528i. Problem with the e39's are that they're getting old, and too expensive for some people to keep in good condition which is why they're on sold, and look to be a real bargain. If your heart's set on a 540i go for one that has the best Engine, drive-train and suspension condition, regardless of it being the M62TU model, or if it's a sport or non sport model. Especially if it's going to be towing that much.

I think they look better without the covers!

My E38 and Dad's old E320 Merc had this - was great. But I think it's only E39 wagons that sport the SLS? Or as you say, if it was optioned.

+1 like anything, but especially older european cars the service history is important. you want to know it's had quality regular servicing and by a reputable place. otherwise you are buying the unknown. when things go wrong they can go expensively wrong. also. if you are buying one with a towbar already make sure you get it checked. Gearbox's can get knackered really easily from lack of service / towing over the rating.

Lol I only just read your #scrapegetsgape properly. That's so awful! Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Congrats Ahh the last N54 version before they switched to the N55 engine, the N54 is a lot more tunable for power then the N55 I see you have mod list already sorted - I am still trying to work out if i am switching to a JB4 or Cobb tune from the PTF guys - would be keen to hear about how the JB4 goes with your car

Quick search Vac Motorsports - http://store.vacmotorsports.com/wavetrac----helical-lsd-e39--z8-p2117.aspx - http://store.vacmotorsports.com/quaife---about-quaifes-atb-differential-for-bmw-models-p108.aspx

Cooking in that household must be a breeze with 12 pots lying around. Nice car.

Most people aren't enthusiasts. They don't drive purely for pleasure and enjoy the journey. They want to get to the supermarket.

Wow this got long... To those that responded to the OP cheers. The answer does appear to be buy a nice auto car I like while leaving some money over for Ray to make it all better Manual vs. Auto - everyone is different and it would be kinda boring if that weren't the case. However I like driving my car. If something bad happens it's because I fu$ked up. Seems to me that people buying new cars these days want a 'bus ride' experience - auto, cruise control, auto braking based on car\pedestrian distance ahead, auto steering (Merc tech I saw in a doco somewhere), self parking, GPS and I'm sure things I haven't even considered. Sad really.

There are two arguments going on here. One is an argument over whether manual or auto is better... Well, that depends on the box, on the driver and personal taste but the other main point is why aren't there more manuals... Car manufacturers, including BMW don't make cars for the 3rd, 4th, 5th+ owners. If they clipped the ticket each time the car got re-sold, maybe they would sell more manuals but as many people have said on here the new car market wants autos, so the R&D goes into making better autos. As for the brand... I don't think most car manufacturers will be too worried what fanbois like us think of their brand if we never buy a new car. If diversifiying the model range and utilising the strength of the ///M badge sells more cars and attracts more new car buyers to their brand, they ain't going to care much about us. It just maybe that the head honchos at BMW have a slightly different vision for the brand than a bunch of Exx owners in New Zealand. EDIT: And if you want a secondhand manual car by a cheap auto and get Ray to convert!

Totally agree, that's a nice looking unit.............GLWS...........

Very nice kerry, Those wheels set it off! Good luck with sale

I find it easy to park correctly all the time. Also, take that you stupid bitch, takes all of 5 seconds to correct a parking mistake.

keep tech1 + H&R coz #yoloswag #lowgetsblow #scrapegetsgape can't you just park halfway up the drive all jokes aside, keep it as is