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just as the current owner bought it at one point, another buyer will buy it. regardless of history. i dont think it makes a big difference. its just something you would like/need to know about prior to making a deal. anyway glws (if owner is reading) its a lovely car and looks amazing. everyone has different sales tactics. if its working yay. if not, take whats been said on this topic and get from it what you will.

Although i am all for supporting NZ business, they do need to wake up and be competitive, and competitiveness does not just mean on price. I can look through decide what i want and build a pelican order in about half an hour and buy. No NZ BMW parts specialist new or second hand has that facility, so its usually more than a day backwards and forwards, and I feel bad asking for quotes on 20 things etc with no gaurentee they will get the job. I have no idea if Gavin or Paul etc are cheaper or not on the orders over $800, but because my time is not worth the day or more mucking around, they dont even get thier foot in the door. those guys only get the scraps. That is one example of one sub industry, but its all common place in engineering, goods wholesalers, even shipping companies How long can NZ go on as poor little old us.

"For me a car is all about parking" That's has got to be the most backwards description of why to purchase a car, that I ever heard. Excellent. If I dare say so myself

Fair bit of Maintenance work to be carried out shortly, just need to wait for it to be delivered and hopefully dodge customs.. - New OEM clutch and Flywheel - Driveshaft Donut (Guibo) - Driveshaft centre bearing - All new fastners, gaskets and mountings for Exhaust (rusted to Fcuk) - New OEM shifter rod (replace ebay nasty short shifter) - New Z4 M illuminated shift knob - Full shifter assmebly rebuild with new bushings and clips. Got this delivered the other day - New under tray which mounts behind the engine under tray.

How much of a pain is that going to be, waiting for the customs letter for your GST and fees ontop of the order. Some times takes over a week for the letter, then another day or two to process and deliver after paying and its released.

That engine wasn't one of BMW's finest moments. If you like the e90, sell it while you still can and replace with a 6 cylinder version.

And now for a confession because my experience needs to count for something! Keen observers of this thread will have noticed that it took more than a few days to replace my valve cover gasket last week. Well that's because I have to admit I stripped two of the threads in the head for the valve cover bolts. Fab. I've had that cover on and off many times in the last year so I'm quite familiar with it and I always use a quality torque wrench and I always take extraordinary care (moreso after the trouble I had with the tensioner a year or so ago). Damn aluminium heads! I would have had a minor stroke had it not been for the knowledge that a friend had a very similar experience some time ago and, also carefully using a torque wrench, stripped about 6 of theirs (gulp) but survived and recovered. So a quick phone call and a short trip and I had a 6x1mm Helicoil thread repair kit in my hands and a great sense of anxiety in my gut. Whilst it's not a situation I'd wish on anyone it didn't end up being too much drama. Getting everything square when drilling the hole for the tap is the most daunting part because getting that bit wrong can be terminal. Since I did it by eye (no jig and lasers unfortunately) I'm 100% sure it's not all 100% straight (how could it be?) but I was still able to install and torque down the valve cover after fixing the two threads so it can't be far off. If you do this go really slow, take your time, be careful of aluminium going everywhere, clean up well, take your time. At least the Helicoils will be 30%+ stronger than the originals! Small mercies right? My hypothesis of why this happens is: The valve cover bolts have compressible rubber grommets installed from the factory. This rubber compresses with less than 8 Nm force which is the torque spec for those bolts. Therefore the BMW factory design implies that these grommets will compress a little when the bolt is tightened to 8 Nm. If this grommet can't compress all of that surplus torque will be applied to the threads. The bolts are steel, the head is aluminium. My theory is that with age and heat these grommets fatigue to the point where they can't compress as readily. As a result 8 Nm is fully transferred to the threads and overwhelms them. My guesses on how to avoid this: 1. Use new valve cover bolts every time you remove the valve cover ($$$) 2. Replace valve cover bolts every xxx km's so they always 'relatively' fresh ($) 3. Substitute 8 Nm spec with 7 Nm - this worked for me, see below. When I did everything up after the Helicoils I didn't want to strip any more threads! So I tightened everything to 6 Nm and left it for an hour to compress/settle (gasket and grommets) then I went back and tightened everything to 7 Nm. I've left it all there and monitored for the last week and no drama. I also chased all of the bolts with a die to clean those threads and hand wound a tap into each of the "good" sockets in the head to make sure they were also clean (some were not). Suffice to say I'm learning more about "fix-it engineering" than I ever wanted to know! Ready to drill...

If he wanted the market to set the price he should have set a auction with a realistic reserve rather than setting an asking price. If I was in the market I wouldn't bother even inquiring

Don't slag it until you own it is the theory. No need for me to post up SMG beating manual.. Or to go into why. As above comment, can of worms. But certainly don't drag it off your list until you have - tested it on a track. On rural roads. Ramp light drags. - spoken to Ray @ HellBM who owns them and wouldn't be potentially creating the devil of an M3 wagon with an SMG box if it wasn't worth it...

Here we go folks...

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

This makes me want to go down to the garage and hug my m20. EDIT: And also go and tidy that person's workshop.

Anyone interested in a set of these wheels? 18x8 or 18x8.5 cant remember. tyres are 235/40/18? i think..... will confirm... Comes with tyres in okay condition. Wheels itself are curbed from previous owner and not in the greatest condition but still okay. Would come up nice with a refurb. Lets say around $600 ono?

So he is fishing for an idiot? Good luck to him. Have seen it happen a number of times. Idiots are everywhere.

Agree. They will quickly find it costs way too much to chase the money. Customs will not want to do this for free. Delays and fees will cause much grief. Everyone goes on about supporting NZ Companies. Just because a retail store is in NZ doesn't make it a NZ company. The Mrs and I purchase nearly all our wearable items and electronic goods from overseas. We save hundreds per year. To buy the same items in NZ you would be buying them from an Australian Owned retail store. Economies of scale dictate our prices. NZ can never compete with online sales from Europe and the US.

The reason its currently a threshold of $60 of GST / duty is that someone has done a cost benefit exercise and worked out that the cost of collection isn't worth it. This is pretty dire as if you factor in the $30 import fee (ie, it costs them towards $90 to process a package). Since I mostly buy stuff overseas for availability rather than cost reasons, I would be fine paying GST if: it was efficient; and they didn't charge the documentation fee and biosecurity fee. So, would need the Govt to implement an effective and cheap collection system ... eg, I should be able to register a credit card with them and be charged GST on something that comes in, no waiting - all electronic (confirm package and # online). If you don't register, then you go through the current system and get stung the documentation fee, which should be enough to encourage people to comply.

This is where their plan is flawed and why such GST is not collected. A huge logistical nightmare.

Yeah, the laborious task of emailing for quotes on certain items is just archaic, may as well be in 1998 with a dial up modem. I have to do that with sourcing Toyota parts locally from dealers among other things.

How will it level the playing field when local retailers have absurd mark ups while stocking a very poor range of products. Half the reason I buy overseas is due to something not being available here, or it's considerably more expensive here. It's not just 15% that gets slapped on for $401 at the moment, I've also been charged another $50 for ridiculous security and customs fees with GST on those!

The revenue is billions but the question that is never asked is where will the money be spent. If it was like user pays for road tolls for example to build better roads I'd expect some benefit from yet another tax from the importing arena. Or will it all go into the government slush fund for an extra MPs pay rise and air NZ flights for the rest of parliamentarians lives??

Heard a great analogy on the radio the other day. People saying "Oh, was that it?" *Disappointed* is like being clipped by a moving train and saying the same thing!

If it works perfectly for 10+ years and 100xxx km, and then requires some maintainance, is it really a flawed design? How long was the warranty on a brand new e39? BMW is a business and has to make money like any other business, at least they still support their older models unlike most japanese and some other euro brands.

Sure is, have PM'd you.

who exactly should be loosing their job here? Jim Hickey? John Key? POTUS?

Looking good Kyu. What a nice car i had a w210 e55 before the e46. Nice cars. I disagree about the woeful look about the w210. They are beautiful cars. w211 and w210

Toe

Thanks I couldn't remember his forum name haha

hardly "slagging his car off" imo. Mostly kind words about its looks and condition, but quite rightly stating its over priced (and mentioning its slightly dubious history). Its a beautiful car, no doubt.

Hah bugger, yeah, Im not sure if you bother to fix the original or look for alternatives. I dont know Mercedes specifics but it would be nice to adapt an older car to run a newer box, but that wouldnt be easy unless they ran a separate tcu and you could get all the sensor required etc...

An E46 M3....now that's got to be up there in my dream cars! I'm praying that they get cheaper in the next couple of years so I might be able to afford one, however its got to be manual with the 19 inch wheels like the black one above, amazing car

To be fair I have no knowledge on the worth of these cars. And yes, I can understand the High Ks idea.. I was like that with the M3. It now has 115km (72Miles) and I have started panicking haha!

Will link Sascha through to this post. He will be a bit upset to see 'enthusiasts' slagging his car off. Sure price could be too high, I will pass the wise words of concern on.

Looks very tidy. 60,000kms indeed. I had the chance to drive a 1994 model around for a few days. Powerful machine, but they are hefty barge of a car. Perfect to cruise around in with the top down, especially with that engine sound. Not so much a car to push into corners though. Being yours is a 1992 the only draw back would be that full hydraulic 4 speed auto, they are okay but pretty dim witted things. I've heard the 5 speed electronic 1996 version boxes are a huge improvement, but of course you cant just drop one of those in. Still one of my favorite looking cars of the 90s

325 is pretty quick and the fuel economy around town is well balanced. The 330s are still a bit higher in cost on TradeMe when I was looking recently, they've held their value.

There we have it, if you're a girl and cant handle even a 328i manual in traffic, buy a SMG / DCT.

The seller bought it post divorce and hit on hard times. Obviously didn't manage to recoup his money trying to sell at the price he bought it for (around $15K) so has decided to try and cut his losses and keep the creditors at bay. Feel bad for the guy (also wished he'd offered it to me for $8.5K when I was looking!). A new BMC is around $250 and not that hard to fit. It's likely to have other issues but it's still a very cheap 8er. As I tell most people - whether it's a $10K one and $10K on parts, or a mint one for $20K - expect to pay $20K all up for a decent 850i. That said, if you've got good parts contacts and can do the work yourself, this one is a bargain. http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/46575-my-new-e31-breaks-issue/?hl=vincentfrandsen#entry505568

I think in the example story the undisclosed driving conviction would be enough to decline a claim. But Stevens said one complaint to her office was over a stolen Nissan Primera with undeclared tints and a stereo and whose policyholder had not disclosed a driving conviction. Moral of the story kids, be honest and upfront with everything. If you have modified something on your car, advise your insurance company. I even tell them about the last speeding ticket I had in 2000 something.... If your insurance company then changes the price or advises any policy exemptions or cancellation you have the chance to take your business elsewhere.

I previously had SMG E46 M3, took an E92 manual M3 for a test drive. Purchased DCT M3. Great box, very strong with the wet clutches. In stop start traffic tap the accelerator which engages crawl mode till you apply the brake and come to a full stop. Handy for Auckland's on ramp control systems. The childish part of me really enjoys the throttle blips on down shifts when shirt mode is 4 or 5. Under that they don't occur. Around town in auto mode I have the shift program 2 selected. When feeling spirited in manual (paddle mode) I have program 4 selected. my 2 cents.

Well what a fizzer,I woke up this morning expecting to see carnage: roofs ripped off , trees down all over the place. I'm glad it missed us and we're all OK. But it got me thinking ; what other job/employment is there where you can get so wrong and still keep your job. Its like the story about the little boy who cried wolf too many times, one day nobody is going to listen. and my bitch has a new dog bowl.

We rand to evaluate and adjust the contract. Didn't want a bar of it.

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.

Got my bimmer back today!! after two weeks on bus...hit a new high today when there were a number of homeless people on it yelling at each other. Toy Shop really looked after me, fixed a number of things and got a wheel alignment done for me and sorted my pesky temperamental right headlight. Super super happy and can't recommend John + Welly T.S crew enough! now someone buy it. hahaha

Spent the afternoon doing some more stripping and de looming. Aircon and Heater system proving to be a nightmare to take out. Also ordered some parts for this and the E39s from Pelican. Haha having 3 BMW is costly some times

Love e34s. Dunno if I like that spoiler though

Update : Borrowed the homemade tools and all sorted out the swap over in under 5 minutes. After the ease of that I'd recommend the tool for sure. Can close the thread now Cheers!

Thank you Glenn for the warning last year.. I'm loving the E90 323i Msport

I'll just leave this here...