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bought a turbo for it... and carted it home from sydney with me

Jagen, Before you start posting trademe links to every car you find on trademe, do a bit of google research on what you are looking for. this is "E90 BMW" "N42 engine" "N52 engine" etc. Also you need to identify what is the most important to you in terms of options/spec when looking for a car. Key things to consider are: NZ NEW or import (usually Japan but sometimes Singapore), Motorsport spec/highline spec/standard spec, leather interior or suede fabric, sunroof, iDrive system, LCI (also known as facelift) or not LCI (pre-facelift), petrol or diesel, etc etc. Glenn is your man if you - find a car you like and after driving it you are happy to purchase it, BUT you are not 100% sure about the mechanical condition of the car so you need to get a full proper professional "Pre-purchase inspection" done on it to give you peace of mind that you are buying a good condition car not one with underlying hidden problems. Some basic notes for you: 320i = 4 cylinder - Stay away like the plague 325i = 6 cylinder - Good engine but there are some bad examples so try to find one with some service history and preferably from a good owner. Dont believe the trademe advertisements 100%. Lots of dodgy dealers advertise their cars as "MOTORSPORT SPEC" or similar but are just selling a standard poverty model with dressed up wheels or M badges. If you are unsure, post up a link - we can identify which is the real deal and which is a fake quite easily. Dont worry too much about Kms, focus more on trying to find a NZ New or one that meets all your other options and get a PPI done with Glenn once you are fairly certain that it is the car for you. (I would rather have a car thats done 130,000 kms in excellent serviced condition than a fresh import from japan thats done 20,000kms and pay a $5000 premium) Lastly, although we are here to help you make an informed decision on what to buy, at the end of the day, you cant forget that you are buying a BMW - this comes with sudden and unexpected bills and sometimes expensive repairs. You should and need to be prepared to have some spare cash in your pocket for emergencies so dont think you can buy the most expensive, newest, lowest km BMW and expect trouble free motoring for 5 years. Its just not going to happen. Welcome to the forum lol.

Fitted a 77HP Racechip Ultimate on the 535i today. Brutal increase in power and very quick and smooth through the gears. Couldn't get the bluetooth connect app to work on my Huawei but works great on iPad.

Good luck doing most manual conversions without changing drive shaft or crossmember... This topic is beaten to death. Just do it properly and cert the damn thing.

Went to JC for a wheel alignment and was pleasantly surprised it was on special for $79. Thats cheaper than the last specialist shop i went to that did a lousy job. And I would place more trust in their machines which they claim run tighter specs than what other shops might use. A few things that need fixing were also pointed out to me which was handy. On top of that they washed car and rims which were filthy. And vacuumed the interior! It took a long time and need to book about a week in advance but it was worth it. Dealers can get bad mouthed a lot online but some things you are better off just going to them for. I diy everything I can and was considering having a go at the alignment myself as i thought it was only the left tie rod that was out. In this case it wasnt worth the effort and time and glad i did as it wasnt just the tie rods out according to the print out of the before and after.

Keep up the bmw stereotype.

Pic isn't the best, but I had the 530i wheels resprayed and rust removed from fuel cap area. It was rusting where the two panels meet. It's been pissing me off for years. Good as new now. Sent from my SM-N910U using Tapatalk

I'm sure this is why BMW sold so many 318ti's.

High k's but looks well maintained. I don't think you've priced it badly at all.

Manual conversion doesnt need cert. As taken from LVVTA Threashold tables: Certification is not required so long as: The OE gearbox cross-member has not been heated, cut, or welded; and the OE gearbox cross-member mounting to the OE body or chassis members is unchanged; and no replacement gearbox cross-member is used; and the OE drive-shaft(s) is un-modified; and no substantial modifications have occurred http://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents/suplementary_information/LVVTA_LVV_Cert_Threshold.pdf The engine could get away with saying that its an m52b25 that has had a stroker kit put in and is still making less than 20% more power and get away with it that way.

Pulleys and tensioners a arrived from Pelican Parts today. Will swap them in on the weekend! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I usually steer clear of these sorts of threads as you're always going to get people on both sides of the argument (it's like the Manual/SMG discussion, you can't win) but I do feel I should weigh in here. I used JC when I owned my E46 318i and again now with my E46 M3. With both cars I felt well taken care of - although you do get made to feel extra special with an M car ;-) I am well aware that I'm paying a premium by going to a dealer for service, however having run the numbers it's not as much of a premium as you might think. I've had excellent service. The service manager has always gone the extra mile for me, and I've had alternatives presented to me when repairs have been needed. Yes I could have probably had things done cheaper elsewhere, but in the 10 odd years I've been going to JC I haven't once wished I opted for the cheaper alternative. That's just my opinion/preference. Not everyone will feel the same way. But for me the overall value has always been there. It does come down to what your approach is, maintaining service history, etc. which is why the perceived value will never be the same for everyone. Just wanted to give my perspective though, as dealers can often have a rough time on the forums :-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Finally found time: E9X M3 LSD - 1/2 Shaft install