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After looking at a million options and different replacements for the Merc, we’ve settled on our first M car. Taking into account we wanted a rapid tourer that could do light daily easy driving it seemed a later car with adaptive suspension/ steering etc would best suit. My wife is not that tall and finds any 3 series too low in the seat, she likes to see the end the bonnet and the F series is just to low for her to be happy, interestingly the latest 3 is ok in this regard but really for the spec we want out of price range. Getting another 7 is just two big in F01 range and the F10 is about right considering we are moving from an E class. Next issue was engine, N63 V8 seemed like it would hand grenade at the look of a late oil change. And even if you got a good one, resale would be utter garbage. Wife didn’t want a diesel, couldn’t change that. 535i option, good balance of power,price, poise, however vehicle specs are generally pretty piss poor and not at same 550 level we really want. Probably get bored with it. Looked Audi S6 which are very nice but decided when the right F10 car came along we might get really interested. E class was more of what we had and that is a good car but we’re selling the E550 because it lacks a really driving connection so anything but a E63 was out and they are too similar to the 550 for me. E60 M5 was an option, yes they have problems but so do all M/ performance cars one way or another. Find the right one it would be an awesome car. Ultimately the lack of adaptive suspension, it’s transmission change and overall tech age made the extra cost of the F10 worthwhile to us. Had ‘our’ M5 come up late last week at Auckland BMW, just traded. Promising look of spec, and mileage (80k), looked black in the pics but is metallic Blue (Imperial-Blau brilliant metallic (A89)). On first seeing we where happy to see the colour of the car outside in sunlight. Lovely metallic fleck. Its a one owner NZ New, BMW full service history car. Less then 80k would have been nice but the provenance to me was more important overall. Previous owner had a E39 M5 prior to this and traded up to a new M5, condition is extremely good, clearly looked after. Here’s some pics from the ad, more to come at pickup tomorrow ?. Let the fun begin. Some of the options: soft close doors, electric boot, heated and cooled front seats with full comfort and bolster adjustment, surround view cameras, big arse engine ? with 560 odd horses

Far out, nearly 14 months since the last update! Well not a lot of progress has been made on the car in the last year. My son deteriorated quite quickly from the start of last year, to the point that by June he was a long term admission to Starship. He had his liver transplant on the 24th September (I was the donor), and he was home 9 days later (a record). It’s totally changed our lives. The last few months have been spent recovering (for me) and getting our lives in order. Last week I cleaned the car, did oil and filter change and this last weekend my wife and I did a day trip to Coromandel for my wife’s Granny’s 80th. We took the long way round (via Clevedon and Miranda) and had a great time. Few photos from the trip attached.

Bit of progress. Front strut brace. + 3.3459521 KW Subframe bushes replaced with solid rubber units. This has made such a massive difference. 2 of the old bushes were starting to crack but still had fluid in them. The other 2 had ruptured. Pics of one of the ruptured ones:

http://www.meremeredragway.co.nz/events/325-AEROFLOW-OUTLAW-NITRO-FUNNY-CARS---MEREMERE-COMPETITION-MEETING-4.html and quoted from facewhere so not debating any facts or fiction below TOP FUEL ACCELERATION PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE * One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower (10,000 HP) than the first 5 rows at the Daytona 500. * Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 5.4 - 6.8 litres of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced. * A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to merely drive the dragster's supercharger. * With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle. * At the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F. * Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases. * Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder. * Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow. * If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half. * Dragsters reach over 480 KPH before you have completed reading this sentence. * In order to exceed 480 KPH in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 320 KPH well before half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8 G's. * Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light! * Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under load. * The redline is actually quite high at 9500 RPM. * THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, & for once, NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000 per second. 0 to 160 KPH in .8 seconds (the first 60 feet of the run) 0 to 320 KPH in 2.2 seconds (the first 350 feet of the run) 6 g-forces at the starting line (nothing accelerates faster on land) 6 negative g-forces upon deployment of twin parachutes at 480 KPH An NHRA Top Fuel Dragster accelerates quicker than any other land vehicle on earth . . quicker than a jet fighter plane . . . quicker than the space shuttle. The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.420 seconds for the quarter-mile (2004, Doug Kalitta). The top speed record is 540.12 KPH as measured over the last 66' of the run (2005, Tony Schumacher). Putting this all into perspective: You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged & ready to launch down a quarter-mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line & pass the dragster at an honest 320 KPH. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment. The dragster launches & starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums & within 3 seconds the dragster catches & passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile away from where you just passed him. Think about it - from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 320 KPH & not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot long race!

Thought it was within 15% of reserve?

Cause: "Honey, we need a new family car." Consequence: F10 M5 Can I marry your wife too?

Great to hear things a looking up Matt and power to you and your family. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that your sacrifice will pay you all back many times over. Be proud.

Yes, lots, regardless of the model. About the only things the same is the stuff in front of the A pillar, assume the rest is different. The other thing that's important to note is that convertibles are fat, heavy and flexible. BMW should never have put an M3 badge on the back of them. ?

It was brought to us for a PPI so legally I can't share what we found unless the guy who had the PPI wishes to share it himself

Some white paint and some stickers. Easy 30k.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-2511543305.htm

https://www.vehiclerecallsafety.nzta.govt.nz/takata/takataalpha.html

Yeah, thought it was strange that they had "diagnosed/fixed the problem" and hadn't heard from them but as they promised a call later in the day I wasn't too concerned. I've got a lot going on atm so this hasn't been the highest priority. Not paraphrasing, was verbatim from receptionist. I do know that, see above for explanation just got a lot on.

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/old-e36-bmw-3-series-gets-amazing-cyberpunk-makeover-140680.html https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Af-XoAcdZ/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

$15k + 50% to make it work? That sounds like a pass.

I realise you're probably paraphrasing but just... in... case... You may be able to reset timing with special tools but timing won't go out in the first place unless something is broke and if something is broke it needs to be repaired or replaced. You should (read: must) discuss how timing was out in the first place before you drive away.

oooo you are going to love this! congrats!

No, that's "confidentiality". "Privacy" relates specifically to people and personal information. Sorry guys but the distinction is really quite important.

So cool and you wont be wiping those smiles off your faces! congrats!

Privacy also relates to information. You pay for information, then you own it and can do with it whatever you like

Any updates?

Nothing to do with privacy, it's not about a person... but I understand the commercial constraints of (re)sharing the report.

Thanks Jon. I'll see if I can get a leave pass. Hope to see you there.

Our Privacy Commissioner will have a differing view.

Hey @Paul Bradfield I could be interested in a club. My biggest problem is a distinct lack of spare time so may only get to be a fringe member at best, but I'd certainly be keen to meet other BMW enthusiasts.

Yes, I overlooked the "reserve not met" bit...

But seriously, they don't show the price. It's one of those, if you have to ask, you can't afford it scenarios.

Clay bar, cut, polish and ceramic seal completed today by Hayden at http://www.mobilecarspecialists.com/car-detailing.html... 5 hours, I certainly don't have the patience to do that myself! Hayden was both professional and a good bloke, I'd be confident recommending him to other Bimmersporters. He did an excellent job to my inexperienced eyes, the car's really shiny. The oxidation on the roof looks about 90% better but the bonnet really needs a repaint, it arguably looks worse now because the surrounding areas are so black and clean! Lots of minor scratches removed and all the sunscreen-style hand prints are gone as are the rough surfaces (suspected over spray or industrial contaminant). If you take the bonnet out of the equation I'd say the exterior is a solid 7 out of 10, perhaps even an 8. Pretty much every other blemish except for stone ships is fixed. I might consider a repainted bonnet or perhaps @HELLBM or @BM WORLD will have a good condition Black Sapphire hood I can grab in the future (although I'd also need them to dispose of my existing one... lord only knows how one goes about throwing away a bonnet). I'm a terrible photographer but here are some 'after' pics... glass. There's a bunch of before and after pics if you want to play with URL's - just increment the last number from *49 up to *69: https://www.davesanthology.com/public/images/automotive/e87/130i/Exterior/Detail/IMG_4549.JPG And if somebody knows how to auto-generate an index.html with folder content links for an S3 bucket let me know (e.g. a list of all pics in a folder), folder browsing is disabled and I don't want to enable it.

Budget for a waterpump too and possibly battery as doesnt say that they've been done. Soon enough it will be a 10k car like the well maintained ones.

Savagegeese's M5 videos are on the money I felt.

Great vid! Enjoy...

Couldn't help myself.

I was actually going to say that... got as far as editing my post above and then thought... "no Dave, let it be"... It did deserve to be said though...

never been a fan of the e30 sedans but this thing is just awesome. nice photography as always.

Had some goodies for the car turn up in the last couple of weeks, which will be fitted sometime in the near future. Unfortunately car is back at the mechanics after breaking down completely and being undriveable. Currently waiting for quote to fix but mechanic suspects timing chain guides, is tearing the engine down to confirm so new timing chain etc needed. Not a happy chap having barely driven the car since purchase, worked out 10.5 hours of driving and just passed a month of ownership.