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Stuarts probably thinking , wtf happened to my thread , asked a straight forward question and gets meaning of life So to summarise , get an M3 with SL1200 mk3 turntable retro fit, to be a man you need a left hand knob and then you can do skids. But to learn to drive you need to learn to ride. And Hondas are ghey. Or give Mike Eddie a call at BMW driver training and ask his opinion on DCT for track days. Btw , was that your lotus at the BMW Taupo drivers day a couple of years back.

We got 1/2 a tank of water, so all's not lost.

Devastation on my deck this morning, two chairs tipped over and the dogs food bowl will never be seen again. We will rebuild

Good to see a few Bimmers at the Bayswater Auto Show yesterday. They decided to go ahead despite the TC warnings and it was a good decision. The whole event was done and dusted with nary a spot of rain, just a bit of a breeze. We managed to get six 8ers there - not bad but it's a pity we didn't manage to get some of the more colourful ones around (Neil's Dakar 840 and Wayne's Atlantis 840 spring to mine!). Good to see a few from the Euro Car Club there too. A couple of pics from the day and more here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/97854197@N07/sets/72157650955833509/ Peter Farmiloe's 850csi, 'Stella' leading the charge. Stella was born at Dingolfing exactly 21 years ago yesterday and has barely reached 30,000kms. Fair to say she's mint. I've also heard she may be up for sale soon... Might be time to remortgage the house! The little girl in this pic is completely mesmerised by the beauty and cleanliness of my engine bay. She has good taste. 5, 6, 8... Just missing a 7. Amber's UK rust bucket. Pretty happy with how the Kaiser is looking now... Could almost (but not quite) argue she doesn't need the csi bodykit I've got in the shed. Yes. You can see the standard diffuser that was removed on mine to make way for a tow bar... But I do prefer the csi diffuser...

That is unfortunate.

Yep, don't be fooled. This is a standard white ex-Singapore 850i that the original importer repainted, falsely registered as an 850csi and tried to palm it off as genuine. Fortunately the current owner is not trying to do the same. $27K is about $15K more than it's worth though and about a third of what a genuine csi will fetch now if it's in good nick. Nice car but over-priced.

I own cars of all 4 main systems currently available to the mass market - full three pedal 6 speed manual - SMG2 automated 6 speed - Tiptronic 6 speed auto - 7 speed DSG wet clutch And to be honest each system has its own purpose and does them pretty well. The arguments being thrown up are as valid as saying Blondes are better in bed than Brunettes, but none are better than your sexy little Thai hooker. Drive whatever floats your boat - not one system is perfect, bar the F1 seamless shift dog boxes - I'll have that over any manual any day.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=859583185 Spotted this on trademe. Please someone buy it before I start browsing grab-a-seat deals

Welcome mate, (I am new too!). My first BMW was an e39 528i. Pretty epic, cushy cruiser. Most of the ones out there are still in good nick and the engines are reliable - electronics, cooling were my only areas of grief. Recently I had been looking at getting another one, ended up test driving a motorsport 530i that was $8k. Great to drive, lowish kms. Non-motorsport e39s IMO aren't looking quite as "cool" anymore, and the cost of motorsport ones vs. non demonstrates this. I'd suggest looking at getting an e46, you should be able to find some under $10k these days. They're great looking, amazing to drive, more modern looking - I've had two of them (318ci and 325ci) and found them pretty reliable.

At least it's manual... You know, for the purists that can actually 'drive'.

pah, 540i... get an E34 518i! http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-854409952.htm

Here we go folks...

too much

amazing in this day & age dealers are still trying to pull stuff like this. No doubt kama will have their number

I know a couple of guys in the UK used either a non-caustic sink and plughole unblocker, or a mild solution of drain cleaner. I do wonder where the solution that resulted went to - I can't believe they used it on the windscreen. Could even damage paintwork, perhaps? I wouldn't bother - I'd take it apart and clean it out properly. That way you know it's done.

NZ is quite hard to predict as its quite narrow and where it is things change quickly. But doctors f**k up all the time, at least they get to bury their mistakes. If I make a f**k up, I have to fix it - free of charge.

in my mind a dsg smg etc are not an "automatic".One of the main thing i dislike most about the tradional auto is you dont have a direct mechanical link between your foot and the rear wheels.That is not the case with a dsg smg etc...Drive a few M3 of all persuasions and make your choice.The gearbox desnt make the driver its the thought processes involved.Many many people dont "drive" The gearbox of choice for most people reflects that.If i lived in the city of sails i would probably CHOOSE an auto but it would be a dsg etc rather than a TC type one.

mmmm, tempting except it's in Dunedin and the colour could be better

Don't forget an insurance company will typically low-ball you on a total loss payout, but you do not have to accept it. A formal letter detailing exactly why your claim should be upheld for a higher value than that offered will most often see a counter offer being made, along with a statement like 'our engineers say...' It's is almost certain you will know more about your car than they do.

Damn, I wouldn't mind that! Too bad all my car funds have dried up and the 540 ate it's chain guides.... I can always drive it around for anyone who wants to fly down Spend ya travel funds, a manual E30 6cyl is better than travelling right?

Haha, wait, like this? Oh my..

Replied... Not genuine unfortunately, so just an over-priced 850i. Yep, Carlos' 840 is in great nick. Has the two tone black/blue interior which doesn't really float my boat but certainly stands out.

In this thread:

$27K. Nope. Looks okay for an 8 though. Not so barge like.

i also have a skyline, so well versed in the art of skids.... but i'd trade the lack of traction for launch control any day. Makes traffic light drags way more exciting.

You have been driving a Honda for too long. Everyone needs skids.

2 Days, 2 different cars Ive always wanted have shown up. Someone buy this before I spend my travel fund!

Our feijoas have fallen... And they're not EVEN RIPE!!!

Sure its not just in the dishwasher or something? I think some leaves fell off a tree at our house. I can't confirm if this was caused by Pam or they just fell off on their own.

Time to lock thread and throw away the key? Once again the "manual is superior to everything else" brigade has ruined a thread.

Took the old girl out for a spin last night, as you do in potential cyclone weather. Complete awe of the design and capabilities of this vehicle. Headed over the harbour bridge; didn't even feel the wind as we headed over it. I find the Schnitzer has a bit of fun when it finds contact with Hydroplanes, the M3 just acted like it was plain stretch of road. No mean grunts as you hit them. Unfortunately had to test the ABS system due to complete idiot with no license crossing my path and almost wiping out bus + Taxi + Me. Can confirm it works. All in all good late night cyclone drive. Rust bucket held up well hahahaha

Spent all of Saturday doing the ignition switches and push start button, which btw adds 15kw at the wheels which worked quite well actually with 2 On/Off switches, 5pin relay and the engine push start. Took some figuring out, but started up fine..... ...until I went to move the car and then nudda. The gauge lights lit up as though in Acc or Ign1 position, but wouldn't turn over as it did before. So spent a few minutes triple checking connections and still the same problem. Then it hit me, EWS!!! and that bastard chip in the key. So what I landed up doing is building a diode looking thingy using the spare keys chip. Had to melt a fuse holder a little to get it to hold the chip nice and tight, then connected it to the Acc On/Off switch using the existing two wires from the key reader and BOOM, started up again. Seems to have done the trick. Tested about 10 times. Will get some pics up of that wiring when I put the dash back together after roll cage.

Insurance policies are a contract aren't they? The application form makes the basis for that agreement, and question on it usually says something like "is the car modified?". Answering the question wrongly could be said to be making the contract null and void couldn't it? The argument comes down to whether the mods in question actually contributed to the claim (make it more likely to be stolen or crashed) I suppose.

No you don't .... I can wind the speedos back and change all the info needed with the eproms onboard (even the Motorola chips). You just need the right tools and know how. I've actually been tempted to do a write up on it - not to teach people on how to clock their cars, but more to what to look out for if it has been clocked

Ron, your trolling is sensational.

The most common Oil leaks from: Oil filler cap Rocker cover Brake vacuum pump Oil filter remote housing Vanos solenoid seals Camshaft position sensor seals Sump gasket Over pressurization of crankcase due to blocked / collapsed breather hoses and PCV valve Water leaks: Radiator Expansion tank Radiator cap Water pump Thermostat housing All coolant & heater hoses and associated plastic fittings Rear cylinder head coolant plate