Leaderboard

^Brings back memories. An E30 Touring is more a novelty that eventually wears off.

TBH, the touring is a let down if you want the full E30 driving experience, I am not sure why but I never really gelled with the dynamics, it was nice and neutral leaning towards understeer but mostly just felt slow and heavy and sloppy vs the coupes playfull nature, you would not think they are the same model. Also, they are also bugger all more practical than a regular hatch back because of the way the boot opens and how the cargo area is lined. They do look great though and get a lot of attention and admiration, and for some people that is all that maters. I still would rate the one I had as garnering the most look backs after parking from me, or close too it.

I ordered a cheap endoscope off Aliexpress for all of $7 US, the USBc type with a phone app. Only used it just once so far but worked surprisingly well for how ridiculously cheap it was. A great little gadget to have on hand. I'm a sucker for a good deal off Aliexpress in general. Not the highest quality stuff obviously but great for small items you'll only use occasionally. Some other notable ones are a fuel pump lock ring tool, hose pliers, little brushes, pry & pick tools, specialty pliers etc, all for around $10/each or less. Oftentimes see the same stuff rebranded and sold for 3x the price locally. Think I paid $200 for mine around 4-5 years ago. Lifetime replacement though. I've only broken a 3/8 one so far, and that was probably my own stupidity, trying to break loose a bolt that was too big and done up too tight for it. Yeah a bit of a clunky one that. Still has its uses though. Was doing the valve cover yesterday, came in very handy and got into places an impact driver wouldn't have. I got a mate an AEG one as a thanks for helping out with some welding just recently, feels more robust and is more compact with a different battery orientation. Pricy though, both skins and batteries are roughly twice the price of Ryobi. Have had 3 x 4Ah & 1 x 9Ah batteries for around 3 years without issues. Your mileage obviously varies though. I've also got a little collection of custom speciality tools going. Thin 18mm spanner for doing up front sway bar links Short handle 32mm spanner for doing up the front VANOS solenoid without bashing in the radiator Deep wall 32mm socket for the rear subframe mounting studs Starter mounting bracket to test run the engine without the gearbox attached

I have a set, have had everything on them from a Classic Mini to my E63 650i. I paid about 2.5K for them about 6 years ago. They are very handy, especially for things you need a car level for, like trans servicing or tyre rotations. A+ will keep using them.

That is a shame. You got it for a bargain, the guy I sold it to messaged me like a month later saying it had blown a head gasket or something and that was the last I heard of it. I think he was looking for the sales department for information on a warranty. In the condition you had it I would think people would ask 45+k for it these days based on current madness and broad appeal, it was more interesting to the casual enthusiast than the coupe. I still have people to this day mention how much they admired it. Glad I scratched that itch when I did, I feel they are an icon and seeing a somewhat original looking one takes many people back to a golden era or perhaps the dream of one, a time when a BMW was a real statement and a genuinely premium car and exclusive to the hard workers.

Its the best colour on a non M3 E30. I loved it. That was after a few coats of quality carnauba wax, you have to admit that a silver is good when it can get reflections like that, keeping in mind that was a average camera from like 20 years ago. Man I wish I hadn't opened the "My BMW's" folder on my PC.

I'm a sucker for an E30. I'm a sucker for a touring I'm a sucker for a black Bimmer. Ticks all my boxes. Barbara could do with an older sibling. It's not even priced that badly. I'm still a good number of years off from being able to justify owning one though. I just hope that something like this (or this exact one) becomes available again when I get there.

These probably are powdercoated, unfortunately putting clear powder coat over a very smooth surface, like machined aluminium, is a really bad idea! The powder has terrible adhesion to the smooth surface and is slightly porous so eventually water gets through and the aluminium oxidizes, which causes the powder to lift, letting more water in, and so on...

Sand all the clear coat back off and re spray. Lucky it only has a few spokes.

A hoist. I wouldn't trade it for anything now.

Some sort of half decent inspection camera can come in handy (followed by the magnetic pick up tool). Many hours have been spent finding and retrieving nuts, bolts, no. 10s

Very cool indeed, I suspect thats priced to sell, but who knows. Saw it a couple of years ago when I sold him the roof racks that came on mine.

Ohhhh lord, this is dreams! https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/listing/4406638080?bof=K62wTdXG

Might not be pro grade of course but most of my arsenal I've bought from Supercheap, almost exclusively when something's on sale. A big toolkit suitcase when it was 50% off has been getting me 90% of the way there for the past 3-4 years now. Most things Toolpro are lifetime replacement warranty. Had a 3/4 ratchet fail on me, walked into the store and came away with a brand new one 3 minutes later, didn't even ask for a receipt or anything. Latest addition is a set of ratchet spanners when they were on sale for sub-$100 a few months ago. They always have a few days around Christmas/Boxing Day where it's 50% off storewide so always worth a punt. Then I have an assortment of random spanners, deep wall & impact sockets, 3/4 & 1/2 extensions & swivel attachments that I've sourced whenever the situation required it. Good to plan ahead and have everything on hand when you need it of course but then you might be spending hundreds of extra monies on kit you never end up using. Power tool wise I've also jumped into the Ryobi universe, found it to be the best bang for the buck with a very extensive selection of tools available. The electric ratchet has been handy to have in many a situation. The impact wrench paired with a 9Ah battery handles most things thrown at it. I've taken off an M54 crank bolt without issues. Only thing it couldn't handle so far was the 46mm front hub nut. Had to borrow the services of my mate's AEG impact - that thing is an absolute brute (1550Nm tightening torque!), and costs accordingly. Otherwise, I've found Ryobi great for hobbyist use. Probably not tradie standard but if you take reasonable care if the tools and not throw them around needlessly then they'll last. Haven't had anything fail on me so far (knock on wood) and also have a whole lawn care suite so get plenty of use out of the battery collection I've got going.

Followed this today through Pt Chev to St Lukes, looks and sounds fantastic, well done!