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Yep hence the all the "BMW's are expensive to fix" comments you always here. Many of us wouldn't be to afford\justify being able to run any BMW if we had to shop at the dealer.. Sure some of the their pricing is ok but don't they seem to stock much esp for the older models so no reason not to order it yourself which is cheaper and faster. Even then items like coolant which were reasonably priced keep going up and up (at the local dealer here at least) Only ~24 years ago when an motorsport spec BMW came with an LSD std.

Because there are people who will throw money at BMW NZ without researching, apparently. I think most of us on this site just import stuff ourselves. I've given up even asking the local dealers for quotes.

Anyone else here into BBQ (and other variants of outdoor cooking) as a hobby? Other than cars, it's one of my passions, along with watches and a bit of gaming.

This was bought new by a mate of mine in 1996 in London. He brought it to NZ with him when it was 18 months old and I bought it from him in 2010. Has 126.000 miles (202kms) on it and runs perfectly. Clutch and shocks were replaced at 160,000kms. I used this as my daily until 2013, then got another car, but couldn't bring myself to sell it.... Last year (March) I got a new warrant and fixed a few bugs, flushed oil and coolant etc for a $900 bill and since then have driven it regularly, hasn't missed a beat. I also replaced the fuel pump and fuel filter at the same time. The air con needs regassing (I was going to get the Repco refill kit) and the stereo (factory Sony with CD changer) has decided it will only play through the left speakers (assume the plug is out in the back of it). I also have a new cabin air filter for it, but don't have the time to get all of the little things attended to. It had some paint touch ups done by a professional painter a few years back, all of the areas he touched are now stuffed. Boot, bonnet and top of drivers door. Hood lining is sagging, not too badly, but will need doing at some point. Has 16" motor sport alloys on it with Super cat tyres on it with plenty of tread. This is the one that was mentioned in a thread last year with a possibly higher horse power ECU, but who knows? There's probably stuff I've missed, but there you go. I want $4,500 for it. For this, it will come with: A perfect condition boot with Msport spoiler A good condition drivers door. An M sport front bumper (purple, but good nick) A replacement hood lining in good condition

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

No, but have you seen how narrow the tyres are? Its a bit concerning that a car that cost north of $70k a few years ago is now uneconomic to repair because of fairly minor damage. I wonder how long it will take the insurers to catch on and bump the premiums accordingly?

I've not driven one of these. I can say not all EVs accelerate "like a Tesla" but even on the Leaf, if you floor on an uphill, you can easily lose contact on the rear tires. This happens a lot to us coming out our road turning onto a busy road with narrow gaps. Even with very good tires, it's hard to keep traction and I could see someone losing control, or not having enough traction/grip to get out of a tight spot if inexperienced. In a straight line it is a wee tiny tiny bit like driving a Tesla, I suppose.

I suggested that pretty much everything small I am touching along the way to whatever I am doing, gets replaced. Like if I am doing brakes, I replace lugs, rotor holding screw, caliper bolts (to the carrier) and guide pins. If it's adding say ~10% to my order, I usually just replace it all, as my car has turned out to have been extremely poorly maintained, and pretty much every single time I change something, I have found quirks from previous owners... I am getting a sense I am going a little bit overboard with this thinking though. EDIT: Note I wouldn't replace lugs during a second repair in the area. Only the first time I went into an area of my car would I do this generally. Thank you for the clarification on #3. I see your point about bolts/washers/etc... I should update my thinking perhaps (at least until I get burned by a previous repair again... ) I might well end up doing that. As is, that kit is well over $400NZD, so it'd get broken up into two orders anyway... How's your experience with Rockauto been? I have honestly never used them. They are very popular in the US, but I feel a weird loyalty to FCP Euro.

Looks about right. There are cheaper options for both if you source yourself and get it fitted elsewhere.

Ahhh man, if i wasnt looking at mazdas... Looks to be nice example. Added to my watchlist hehe ?

Those prices wouldn't surprise me, BMW NZ seems to have some horrific parts pricing compared to the rest of the world. Its been cheaper for me to buy everything for my E36 from overseas, including freight (and GST if pinged), than to buy half of it locally. Its very disappointing.

2003 Renault Clio, first registered in 2005, so showing as a 2005 model (there is another thread on this anomaly in NZ.) Now done 182,000kms and used as the work horse car. Rear hatch has a large opening so can fit surprisingly large items in there. My only car with a towbar and has done sterling service in that respect. on numerous occasions pulled more than its own weight. Excellent to drive, with one of the nicest gearboxes with a quick, precise change and fantastic ratios, 2nd tops out just over 100km/h. Electric power steering that actually does a good job, much better than the Z4 we had until recently Rev limiter at 7250rpm and yet quite torquey, with definite steps in power as the dephaser ( vtec ) does its job. Love the handling, stays very flat but still with a pretty reasonable ride, very poor turning circle though. Reliability, well, in 35,000kms so far it has not put a wheel wrong.

Just had the wheels re-done in Shadow Chrome...

I think the e36 318is in manual is an underrated car, just enough power that you can actually use it all without dying, safe enough for a first car (airbag models) and reliable and cheap enough to keep on the road as a daily driver. Also a great car for someone who wants to learn a bit of DIY. I also really enjoyed my Honda City turbo but i really wouldn't recommend for a first car, complete death trap! and i doubt you can find a decent one anymore. Its been a while since i was looking but the early new minis must have fallen into this price range by now and there are a few manuals around.

ill never forget being in my dads mates V10 TDI toureg many moons ago when it was nearly new. had what i remember to be a 40 series Cruiser based off roader on trailer on the back. lights went green at the Haywards lights (back when there were such) and 5 up in the toureg we dragged off a 4/5/6 Evo (i remember the triangle lights) which at the time was crash hot to a young impressionable teen such as my self. so although they have the wrong badge on the front, they do alright by me.

Consiser the mercedes GL320 cdi or GL500 both can be had for around $20k now. 3.5t rated. The Petrols are better value for money. Jeep Grand Cherokee WK with the Mercedes diesel running gear can be had for as low as $10k. Probably the best value true 4wd on the market. i think the ranger is the most over rated vehicle of this decade.