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Happy and enjoy to all cheers

SOLD.

Gave the X3 a much needed clean on the inside and out.

Wasn't quite satisfied with the handling so made a few tweaks - TRW msport front struts to match the rear. Z4M front control arm bushings bump up the caster. Re-alignment to check and add more negative camber.

Was pleasantly surprised by the interest in my last post on my recently acquired manual W8 Passat. Thought I might make a small thread detailing things I do to it while I have it for anyone interested. Not sure how long I will end up keeping it. A friend of mine has named the car Franklin as she thinks it looks like it would be called Franklin. I dismissed it at first but then I went through the owner's manual and found the car's original purchasing receipt from Giltrap Volkswagen. To my shock, the first owner's surname was Franklin! So the name Franklin it is! My 540i failed WOF again today because of a leaky shock absorber so I spent today giving the Passat its first clean so that I could get a better understanding of what condition its in. I started off with a decent wash as the front of the car was caked in bugs from my drive up from Wellington over the weekend when I picked the car up. There was heaps of tar and other road grime on the car which indicates it probably hasn't been washed in quite a while. This notion became a bit more obvious later on. I probably spent a solid 2 hours just doing general cleaning of the wheels which had a bunch of baked on brake dust (some of which I'm still yet to get off). It's a bit of a shame but the wheels are quite significantly curbed so I'm not sure what I'll do about that. Probably will have them all refurbished at some point because they are probably worth a decent bit of money as they are factory 2-piece BBS. In the mean time I might just get some curb protectors to stick over the curbing because its quite an eye sore. Drying the car was not a pleasant experience. The paint is crying out for a polish and wax or ceramic coating as it feels really rough and was hard to dry as its not overly hydrophobic. I then discovered that there is trim over some roof gutters where one might mount a roof rack or something like that, and of course they were filled with grime. This is what really started to show me the car hadn't had a decent wash. I then cleaned the gutters around the windscreen which were also filled with grit. My attention then turned to the door jams. After giving the sills a wipe down, I cleaned all the hinges and then lubricated them all to displace any moisture and stop them from squeaking. Attention then went to the boot. I cleaned around the hinges and blasted out debris that was blocking the water channels past the rear lights and around the rear window. I then moved to the door cards. Wiped them down with some Turtle Wax leather cleaner. Surprisingly, the W8 has some really nice materials in it, reminds me alot of my S8, its just all the materials are shaped in a way that is very early 2000s so it does look dated. Door cards cleaned up really nice. Anyway, after cleaning the door cards, dash and centre console, I gave the car a quick vacuum. Following this I polished out some stubborn sun-screen marks with some Meguiar's ultimate compound. Over the weekend I would like to hopefully wax the car and wet-vac the carpets. The car has a strong cigarette smell which is particularly pungent when its been parked overnight with the windows up. I also need to source a couple centre caps for the wheels, find some boot gas struts, and then try sort the boot lock actuator which isn't working so the boot has to be opened with the key. Also want some new tyres because wtf are "Black Lions" lol. Passat isn't really a car to tear up a backroad so some Pirelli Dragon Sports like I have on my 540i will be just fine I reckon. Want to have the headlights polished ASAP too!! Want to have it serviced soon as the coolant is grotty and I have no idea what weight oil is in it. Apparently keeping clean oil in the W8s is extremely important.

Not specifically utes but tailgaters in general - Turn a tight corner at the or near the speed limit without braking and continue. They will always drop their balls, disappear well back and get mad they their pos couldn't do that same. Then its usually speeding just to get back to tailgating you. Always gets a laugh out of me.

Few things I noticed when I viewed it last week. Anyone with questions feel free to PM

Given the frankly optimistic prices of some E30s, this one looks almost reasonably priced. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/listing/3518045341

Took the ‘vert to work for a run, and yup you guessed it.. that made it rain, sorry Aucklanders!

Yeah I know, I'm having my auto one extended, and i had to make a cross member from scratch

Utes are so ubiquitous now it appears all the cocks have left their Audis for something higher riding ("command position") and more tax friendly.

Love it, still can't get over the fact it's manual!

I do have a bit of hate for the Ute down these ways. Every 2nd vehicle is a Ute here. They are the fastest, best handling and most capable vehicle in the world. We call it Ranger Danger. Because you just know the one sitting 2m off your bumper in a school zone is going to pass you in a dangerous spot using all of their 1500hp and F1esk handling. It's funny because it is the behaviour that BMW drivers usually get blamed for.

Yeah the last engine i would recommend to anyone that wants a cheap reliable bmw is an N4x series! 😂 Horrible things. Nice colour on that one though...

looks very nice but the N42 2L isnt exactly known for its reliability.. older M43 1.9L is much better no?

There was a blue 2004 E46 318i sedan on facebook the other day. It looks really nice in person but needs a battery or something. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/653750595852917/?ref=search&referral_code=marketplace_search&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3Ae6f7c907-36cb-41b8-80f7-536b4fe0b654

I think it's: "What else can you buy for $70k that will explode a gearbox this fast"

Sorry to hear you are having to sell it on but this was/is an amazing car for sure if anyone is looking for a nice comfortable touring. Extra info for any potential buyers, during our ownership we did: Trans fluid service done at BM Workshop, engine mounts (left + right), trans mounts, oil pan gasket, drive belt idler pulley, belt tensioner, serpentine belt, valve cover gasket, valvetronic gasket, cam cover gasket Car market seems to be bone dry at the moment but GLWS!

Yeah, loving it - it looks totally at home in the dash works perfectly and sounds pretty good even with my unknown (stock??) front components and 20 year old 6x9s. Have amp pre-outs if I eventually run out of other things to spend money on too. Shipping and communication has been great too - he actually sent me a free microphone grill / plug that looks cool in the dash (it is a slightly different surface that makes it look a little lighter but not obvious in the flesh) and makes Bluetooth calls easy and clear too.

Few changes to the cars, and I'm planning on using this one a bit more - have only done around 500kms and 2 mild track open days in the past 3 years. Realistically I won't be tracking this car enough to justify the build and give it's on pretty low kms, NZ new and Individual it's not one I want to throw into a wall. As a result I have started converting back to 'street' spec (of sorts). Removed the decals and wing, and swapped in the standard seats (glad the electrics still all work..!). Next up I'll remove the new front splitter (it's very low) and canards leaving just the 1-piece CSL spoiler. It's also rubbing a little at the rear with the spacers on so I'll take em off rather than modify the bodywork or raise up the suspension. Stance on the rear CSL wheels is fine, the front hubs are different for the CSL to the normal M3 so the offset is weird without spacing. Wing mounts are ok on the bootlid but aren't exactly OEM+ spec so I'll likely grab a CSL boot to swap in as an option. I have a spare front bumper and bonnet, so not too worried about those parts (CSL intake noise is outrageous with holes in the bonnet). Cage and rear subframe support structures can stay for now as its homologated and I like it; easy enough to remove in the future if I want to convert fully stock. There's also an odd knock in the rear which is likely a diff mount or similar, so I'll get that sorted next week. I have new OEM kick panels and mats that I'll swap in at some stage too - in fact I have spares of most of the typical wear points for this car that I've saved for a rainy day.

E36 or E46 compact is where I'd be looking given the paltry 3.5k budget. A member here in Palmerston has a manual for sale for 2.7k that might be worth a look. I doubt you'll find much cheaper that's not a basket case.

For a BMW what about a 1.9 Z3? Although thats something that would need to be garage parked. My money is with something Japanese. I think an Accord Euro would be nice and is also quite safe. Higher k 4 cylinder (because fuel economy) ones can be had for 3.5K. Some are nicely spec'd with leather seats, sunroof, alloys etc. Probably the most "Euro" Japanese car you will find in that price range. Otherwise I second the standard; Axela, Fit, Corolla/Balde, Vitz, Demio, Swift etc. Very boring especially if automatic but they won't let you down. I actually saw a 2012 Swift with 60,000km on Facebook Marketplace today, pretty cheap at $3.8K, seller is apparently going overseas. Could be a good buy as its modern and low ks? Although it is borderline too cheap.