Leaderboard

I bought the car and didn't take a single picture.

3.62 - a number that should roll off the tongue as it should have rolled off the factory floor. Diff rebuilt by KBM with a 3.62 crownwheel and pinion from an e46 M3, bumped from the stock Evo ratio of 3.23. Diff seals replaced with new, all other diff internals checked and cleaned but otherwise left as the Bavarian engineers deemed appropriate. Flex disc (guibo) also replaced at the same time, mine was well rooted. The CW&P that went in apparently had no usage marks or scars at all and my LSD internals were in "great" condition, nice. First impressions are actually quite subdued, it's not a night and day difference but for sure, it is a difference. I think the thing I'm most satisfied with is that it feels so OEM, it's takes nothing at all away from the 'factory feel' of the car, it really could have rolled off the production line like this. But it's certainly more urgent, everywhere. Every gear (perhaps with the exception of 1st) is totally more usable in the new range, it feels like it should have been like this all along. Even 5th at highway speeds allows you to pull instantly rather than wait a bit then pull. At 120 it sits perfectly on 3k rpm in 6th (which is nice because then both the needles are almost perfectly parallel). BMW clearly learnt from the S50 era and certainly got the ratios right in the S54 edition. Chirps in 1st and the change to 2nd are more easily induced but it doesn't feel wild like an unusually light flywheel does, launching and gear changes are no more difficult than before. But an extra gear change to 100km/h so no new records there, it's bouncing at 95km/h in second now. I've had the CW&P sitting in a box for nearly 2 years now whilst waiting for moons to align and I'm glad they finally have, I'm most satisfied. It feels like 30 more hp and lot more torque, weight-for-weight I'd have no problems betting on this against a standard e46 M3 now. I kept the stock CW&P in case I ever sell the car so it comes with all the matching/factory parts. Just don't ask how much it cost all in! 😂 @sweetm3 - time to arrange a drive me thinks!

I don't think the dealer is the one with his head up his ass !!! He is doing what he wants to do and you all are telling him he is a cnut for wanting to sell a car that way he prefers. If you are upset about that go cry somewhere that you are not annoying reasonable people. And I say this with the greatest possible respect Cheers...

And well done Fiat 131R. Some of the posters to this column need to take a good hard look at their attitudes here for goodness sake. You want your cake and wine served up on a plate, and want to reserve the right to complain with vigor if its not to your taste. I applaud Fiat 131R for his commendable attitude, While some of you were moaning about needing pix, the vendors poor attitude, and wanting your hands held while going to the toilet, a veritable bargain was uplifted by a quiet achiever. Kudos👍

I was just walking our dog, saw Chris’s @Chris (hope I tagged the right person) car. The daily driven M3 CSL.

152,186 kms. Upon returning to Wellington she was due for a WOF. Took her to VTNZ and she passed with a clean sheet. Then, into Auto 38 for new belts and all new pulleys as they were all pretty old anyway. The thermostat housing also had a slow leak, so that too was replaced. Going back in this week for new front wheel bearings. Took it to the Brit and Euro Car Show last weekend. A really cool day with an awesome selection of cars. Will definitely be attending again. [On the way to the show I found myself next to a souped-up classic Mini with a roll cage and violently loud exhaust at a red light. It brought me great joy to put it in my rear view mirror ;)]

145,500 kms. Finally got around to getting something up on here. In September I bought this little weapon. It's a 1998 E36 328i Coupe in Montreal Blue. Originally a Japan car, but imported and sold by Shelly BMW as an Approved Used Import in 2004. This car clearly has been cherished - it is in fantastic condition. I have been fond of the E36 for as long as I can remember. Mum bought one in Hellrot Red to replace our big and unreliable Mitsubishi Pajero when I was about 5 years old. It was a 1996 318i saloon, automatic, with the standard cloth seats. I think the only optional extras it had were power windows, fog lights, and the digital clock. We had the car about 10 years and did well over 200,000 kms in it. I recall everything falling apart on it: headliner falling down, cloth door cards falling apart, and the clear coat peeling off the front bonnet. But mechanically, it was stupidly reliable. I don't remember it causing her any major issues. My sister, mum, and I took that thing all over the country and it only let us down once (a failed water pump I think). Finally, at about 300,000 kms, it had some major engine issue which wasn't worth fixing. Anyway, that car was my first taste of the BMW world, namely the E36, and I absolutely loved it. I remember cleaning it just about every weekend because mum would let me drive it around to the back of the house where the hose was. Back to the 328i. When it came up for sale I instantly fell in love with it. The m contours looked epic and were a huge upgrade over the stock 16 inch wheels. The test drive only confirmed my love. The straight six sounded mean, especially with the golf tee mod. And the steering felt massively better than the steering box in my 540i. So, I bought it. And I love it. And best of all, it didn't have any clear coat peeling, or headliner sag, or door cards falling apart. Temporary two-car garage... It certainly wouldn't beat the 540i on a drag strip, but that isn't the point. It's a cliche, but the 328i is a far more involved driving experience. While the 540i was comfortable and muscular, the 328i is peppy and engaging.

Taking more pictures doesn't mean he can't still require inspections for bidders, it just helps people, especially those who might need to fly in from another town, decide if it's worth their time and expense to take a look. To me it seems silly saying photos showing the rust would expose him to liability, but not the nice photos showing the exterior? 😄 I think he has his head up his ass.

This needs to be renamed 'Grahams Car Porn thread' haha

Imagine you find a car you want on TradeMe... it shows pictures of everything but the interior. You only want it if it has black leather interior or whatever your favourite colour is. It's on other side of the country. The seller is refusing to show you pictures of the interior or tell you what colour it is unless you fly across the country to see it. How bloody frustrating would that be 😂

Fu*k it, the next car I sell I won’t even add a photo, just a vague description, and see what the market brings “Brand, model and year will be disclosed upon inspection” Special gold card discount for boomers and Trade & Exchange subscribers

You know what I mean KwS. Some buyers have unrealistic expectations what sellers will / should do to achieve a sale. And then snivel like schoolboys after a punch up when it all goes south. If we were selling the car listed, I would state as a condition of sale that only bids from bidders who have inspected the car will be accepted, all others will be deemed vexatious and removed. Soon sort the men from the boys, wheat from the chaff, or whatever.

Yeah that's a bit sh*t. Best thing you could do is leave Auckland. Currently building a house and big shed on a 3500m2 section for less than the cost of a 400m2 section in Auckland. And I'm only an hour on the Bullet train to Wellington.

Nice one! I've really believed in gearbox and diff ratio massaging ever since seeing the Mines R34 GTR absolutely molest Tsukuba with "only" 600hp, there's tangible real world benefits to shifting away from the galactic ratios BMW offered from factory.

He doesn't seem to have a lack of bidders. I suspect he's satisfied with his approach.

"In this case it would be like saying "imagine if you find a car you want on Trademe... it shows pictures of everything but the body and chassis rust. You only want it if it has... ???". What? Heaps of rust? Really good rust? Great condition rust?" Come on, you're just being silly with this statement, it's obvious what I meant. It would be incredibly frustrating to take a look underneath and see immediately that it's too severe for you to want to deal with, when a picture could have shown you that and saved you the travel time + expense. But whatever, I guess some people like making buying and selling stuff harder than it needs to be.

@m325i - I was being cheeky when I said don't ask but your question about cost is valid and I believe in increasing community knowledge. I could share my absolute cost but that's irrelevant in this space, it depends so much on deals, relationships, discussions and timing that it's not a fixed cost. Expect to pay about $2k to get it done properly, assuming no extras.

i think the amount of rust, and the location of it, are pretty critical bits of info. clearly the seller is not an idiot, and there is SO much rust, that he's adopted this particular approach...... personally i hope it sells for stupid money, so i can put my "not roadworthy rare barn find" e24 up for grabs next week the thing is at 11k already????

That would be frustrating. But I'm not sure that your analogy works... In this case it would be like saying "imagine if you find a car you want on Trademe... it shows pictures of everything but the body and chassis rust." You only want it if it has... ???". What? Heaps of rust? Really good rust? Great condition rust? The seller was clear here - it has roadworthy concerns, it has serious rust, you need to inspect in person, you can't drive it away... I'm not sure if s/he could have waved a bigger flag.

I must say I am kinda sorry to see it go. I was part of the car in a way.

Some of you will be happy to see that I have started fixing the paint on the fender. Thought to start sand it down to get it ready for painting but by the time I had feathered it out a lot of it was going right down to the metal. The sun was going down so I didn't get to finish, quickly had to musk up the car and primer the parts I started. I am happy however with how the section I started looks, I snapped a few shots while the primer was still glossy and you can see it's actually pretty flat, you can't see any of the old paint impressions anywhere so I'd say it's a great start. I'm going to be finishing off the rest of it along with preparing the door and roof over the next few days, with the goal of painting it on Friday if the weather is good.

151,500 kms. After over 5,000 kms and a couple months, the car was due for a wash. To thank it for all its hard work, I spent a few days detailing it. Pretty happy with how it came out, considering I'm a novice detailer and used just my hands. Before: After: For this I used mostly Autoglym products: shampoo, clay bar, polish, ceramic coating. And plenty of elbow grease and man hours. A Karcher carpet cleaner for the carpets, and some leather cleaner and conditioner on the seats and steering wheel. At the same time I refreshed the cabin and air filters, and boot struts. I had no idea changing a cabin filter could be so difficult. For anyone who hasn't done one of these on an E36, the cabin filter lives under the steering wheel, and requires breaking in two locations just to fit it in place. The instructions I followed said this was a 15 minute job - I lost count once it got to an hour.

146,139 kms. When I got the car it was due for an oil change. I got Auto 38 to give it a good going over: oil and filter change coolant change (genuine BMW) brake fluid power steering fluid fix an issue with the aftermarket alarm (turned out to be just a blown fuse) Little did the E36 know, that after doing less than 3000kms over the past year, it would be doing nearly double that over the next couple months. My girlfriend and I went to Hawke's Bay to work over summer. Over the summer, we did two trips to Auckland, a trip back to Wellington, a trip to Whanganui, and plenty of cruising around Hawke's Bay. During those trips, the car did not use a drop of oil, nor did it even stutter. The only issues it developed was a noisy AC pulley and a slightly noisy RF wheel bearing. It was a great opportunity to get to know the car, and I feel I know it really well now. A few images... One of our first stops: Te Mata Peak Made it to Auckland One of Hawke's Bay's many beaches Waiting patiently outside the Art Deco Cafe in Napier (highly recommend) Doing some off-roading out to the Shine Falls waterfall The car handled everything we threw at it without breaking a sweat. Not bad for a 22 year old car I bought only a few weeks before.

Best buy it back.. might be a steal

Pffffttttt.... youngsters 🙄 Just be thankful you didn't have to check a horses teeth before you bought your new ride Cheers...

A friend in need is a friend indeed, a friend with weed is better... Said dealer is even offering a hoist for inspection. People who don't want to inspect, don't have to bid and shouldn't.

About 30 % throttle... ABSOLUTELY CRAZY. !!!no traction. Love it!!! Not m0re than say 35 %throttle...40 max and she spins loose as...all windows closed... No screeching of tyres....just sizzle..no even dancing...just spin....MENTAL.!! 2nd test drive...and..spinning... WHat a feeling guys, finally a car that feels Insane to drive. ...well..shes still stock. So Pleased!! 20210217_174501.mp4

I bought a plastic one from Aus, Mr Body Kit, it’s really good quality and didn’t cost that much. Way better than other second hand options I looked at!

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101097794907

I loved 2020.