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Picked up the new sensible car / wifes daily - 2014 F31 320d MSport in Alpinweiss III. I've always thought BMW do the best looking wagons, so stoked to have one in the fleet in a great looking, low maintenance colour. Fresh import 76km and in absolutely fantastic condition - I don't know how the Japanese manage to keep their cars in such amazing shape?! Early days, but really loving the look and the M Sport interior. Powertrain is plenty in the real world, definitely sounds like a diesel at idle but meh - seems pretty damn efficient! 'Modern' cars are bloody nice with all the fruit for sure. Comfort access / electric tailgate etc. Came on new staggered 19" BMW replica wheels of some sort (anyone know what style?) and some cheapo tyres, but the fitment is excellent and it looks good - may upgrade the tyres in due course but they are brand new and already overspent a little on the car. Plans for it so far (most parts en-route) are: Euro Plate Black Kidneys Black Mirror Caps Paint or wrap the M Performance style front splitter black (AKA sacrificial bumper) Floor mats (didn't come with any) Tints(?) wanting the black and white look and seems to have very light factory tints - look dark in the shade but very light in daylight Wireless Carplay Bimmercode to do all the custom options / disclaimer deletes etc Looking forward to doing some road trips in this!

Hi all, I was a long time lurker on this forum back in the early 2010's when I bought my E39 530i, which I still own. Having a couple of kids and a busy job has meant I haven't had as much time for cars as I'd like. The garage since then has been mostly station wagons, a Volvo V50 T5, a god awful Mazda MPV turbo, a diesel B7 Passat and an diesel C6 Audi A6 (which I will most likely part with). I've become a bit of a fan of oil burners and was really in the market for a 535d but they are a bit thin on the ground right now. I have always been a fan of the F06 6 series Gran Coupe, and decided to start my mid life crisis a little early by picking up an LCI one with the same N57 engine as the 535d. Less practical than an F10, but I find them to be more attractive. I quite like the tan interior, and there as no faux woodgrain to be found which I prefer. It looks as though the iDrive has been upgraded to the NBT EVO ID5 system and it has Apple CarPlay which I don't think was standard, though it looks to have NZ maps the iDrive nav is not right, I think it has a dead GPS antenna. The previous owner told me he thought the maps hadn't been updated from the UK as he just used CarPlay, something to troubleshoot anyway. On the whole looks to be in pretty good order otherwise, but the PPI highlighted a couple of wear and tear items which will be getting looked at after the Easter period. Its got a Maxton Design body kit which I am on the fence about, it certainly makes an already low car lower. As it has no front camera it'll only be a matter of time before I wipe the front lip out on a parking bollard! The factory wheels 20" wheels are gone sadly and the previous owner has fitted Vossen CVTs in the same size as the OEM wheels which I don't hate. I would have liked comfort access and the multi-camera surround view, but beggars can't be choosers! It has got a HUD though which after using on a BMW G01 recently I don't think I could go without again. I drove a 1000 kilometres in it from Auckland home to Christchurch in it last week, I was very impressed by the power and also the efficiency, averaging 6.1 litres/100 kms on the trip. I am sure you could go below 6 if you tried to. Anyway, that's me, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Cheers, Tim

Tidied her up for some 'for sale' photos - has been faultless since the big service in October and cleaned up really nice. Will be putting it on TM, should be a good deal for someone wanting to look a bit flash on a budget as we took all the big maintenance hits on it for the next while!

The seats look awesome! How much more travel do you get with the sedan sliders. Is it enough to give you 300mm of access to the rear seat? Am trying to plan options to keep the WOF people happy 🙃

Since I got my Manual W8 Passat, the rooted wheels have really annoyed me. Went to wheel-fix it to see how much it would be to give them a refurb. The polished lips were oxidised and decently curbed, and the painted centres were bubbling. To have the wheels properly sorted they would need to be chemically stripped and painted which would cost around $3K.... Plus I was still on the hunt for new tyres. Came across an NZ New, Auto W8 Passat, with much tidier wheels, wrapped in RE003s, and in the same colour as the manual! So I made the unique decision to buy it just for the wheels. Is actually quite a well kept car with a service book which is completely full. Was dealer serviced until around 2015 and judging by the RE003s (which are now on the manual one), it had been pampered more than most W8s. Got quite a few looks on the drive home. Not sure how many times in human history, two silver W8s have been cruising together! Driving the pair back to back is very interesting. The auto is nice enough on the motorway but feels pretty sluggish around town. Manual transmission really transforms the car in my opinion. Also, driving them both home from Hamilton, the 6-speed manual got 9.1L/100km whereas the 5-speed Auto said it got 10.4L/100km. But anyway, having owned it approximately 24 hours and having swapped the wheels, the auto is up for sale! Would make a great tow car, long distance cruiser or winter beater. Has the rare leather and alcantara Recaro bucket seats which are electric and heated. Also has a factory VW tow bar and probably is one of the tidiest W8s left. Have no use for the car so its now on trademe if anyone wants it. Can do a decent deal for Bimmersporters, although I doubt anyone would want it 🤣 Depending on how long it takes to sell I will probably get bored and start taking more bits off it to swap with the manual one. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/volkswagen/listing/3556110221?bof=6Myl2HdR

Yup, living dangerously! 🤣

Can do if you want. Will try and get around there tomorrow.

The vinyl IS the M performance part. You can purchase OEM at a price or just DIY it. However, they rip fairly easily and I ended up getting my local panelbeaters to spray paint them onto mine.

More fearless buying by @Kees 😂

He lives around the corner from me. They are all rooted. There is also a small BMW wrecker just around from me. Lots of E30's in various states. Owner must be an E30millionaire.

Also paint or wrap the lower sill covers too. Black on white looks tits.

Awesome, completely agree about it being plenty in the real world. Have had my G20 320d for about 2 years now and still haven't felt I needed anymore performance. The torque is just fantastic. Lovely example you have there

You can down load a spreadsheet with the conversion rates from NEDC to WLTP-3P from here https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/CCD-Calculator-2022-v1.02.xlsx&ved=2ahUKEwjulPej25D3AhXmJ0QIHahzDlcQFnoECAUQAQ&sqi=2&usg=AOvVaw2Bv0AiyHzri80GGS75Nihn

In E46 land thats a hammer and punch / screw driver or similar ? Or if feeling strong some dish washing gloves 💪 I may be talking out my ass but i think most pump rings take the same tools

It's definitely firmer than a standard M3, but not uncomfortably so; no excess driveline noise in the cabin or anything of that nature. I've been meaning to update this thread for a while - recent (well, around a year ago now) additions include a CSL airbox (Karbonius). Some photos after a wash a while back: