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Forgot to post the final outcome. While I was up getting some work done at HellBM I snapped these off.

Completely agree @Eagle - gotta look holistically and not make generalisations. Plenty of uk imports in NZ that came here under 3 years old and are similar or better than NZ new. Some of the Japanese ones do have service history esp now that the newer BMW’s have online service records. I would still tend to be wary of Singapore cars (even though they are normally well specced) and the Aussie stat write offs are possibly ok if you are going to drive them into the ground but selling them on will be difficult / impossible.

Got back from a round trip down south and up the West Coast with the parents last week, clocking up around 2,400km across 6 days. Threw in the old stock rear springs beforehand. Whilst it didn't completely eliminate the rubbing, it isolated it to only the harshest dips in the road when catching them at high speeds, but overall much better and meant I could drive with way less stress and way more confidence. Considering this was the first road trip I've taken the car on with 4 adults and a bootful of luggage on board, I can't really complain about the little rubbing still remaining. This was an outlier of a situation and with 1-2 people on board, I don't think rubbing will be an issue on the stock springs. Some absolutely amazing roads out there and an absolute ideal place to put the car through a proper stress test after the big rebuild. Some small issues aside, the car performed perfectly and effortlessly ate up the km's. Queenstown - Glenorchy is still my favourite bit of road in the country but also enjoyed experiencing the Queenstown - Te Anau and Wanaka - Haast routes for the first time ever. The folks loved their first time in NZ as well, saying it felt like they've been to 5 different countries in the short time here, such was the variety of landscapes behind every new mountain ridge. Good good times.

Annoying. Neglected cars always seem to be the ones that have ongoing problems. Hopefully these are the last of them Yeah E46 msport seats are probably the worse BMW seats ive experienced on longer trips. Worn bolsters dont help but ive never had any issues with other old BMW seats. My Recaro is a joy to sit in and worth every $.

Date: 22 Nov 2023 Distance: 208,921 kms 1. Rack boots & Oil Service Replaced both rack boots with Febi kits (32131096910). A shitty job made easier on a rack, somewhat easier when the Repco balljoint splitter is used. Oil service (because why not, and largely short running since January) with a Mann Oil Filter (11427512300) and Penrite HPR 5 (5W-40 Synthetic). My thanks to @Autoglym for working through the job with me. Thanks also to Jon for the "More(y) Orange than Donald Trump super-sticky grease recommendation. Brilliant stuff. Fig 1: A Nice Rack, yesterday 2. WoF re-check and WoF Secured WoF for the next 12 months. Now it needs a bloody good clean.

Different experiences. There's certainly plenty of ratty, smoky, Japanese imports. I just don't buy them. Off the top of my head I have had at least 4 Japanese imports that are many years old with various mileages but appear to have just rolled off the factory floor. Usually within weeks of them being here in NZ they scratched in multiple places.

Great photos! I agree that Queenstown - Glenorchy road is amazing. What a shake down 😎

Date: 20 Nov 2023 Distance: 208,853 kms 1. WoF She sailed through a WoF with one exception - a torn RH steering rack boot. Fortunately I have rack boots in my parts stash for the e30, ready for when it gets a purple-tag rack. I've picked up a 20 litre pack of Penrite HPR 5 5W40 synthetic, may as well do an oil change while it's in the air, and give it a wash afterwards.