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Picked the manual 130i up today. It's pretty neglected. One NZ owner. Typical NZ A-B owner that has done the minimal it's entire life. I do have a ton of receipts for it though. It is the grubbiest BMW I have ever been near. Thick grime on all surfaces that you would touch. I went through about a dozen wet wipes just cleaning the gear knob. Yuck. Clutch is gone but I was able to drive it over the hill without it slipping much. Will decide if I go single mass or dual mass once I decide what I will do with it. Paint is neglected to hell. I did a quick spot check to see how it would react to some cleaner wax and it came up not too bad. So will cut and polish the car. There are dents and some shitty paint from a cheap repair on one of rear quarters. Car has been sunbaked so I will replace a bunch of common trim bits. Standard oil leaks. Needs a new steering wheel badly. But other than that there are no vibrations, suspension is better than my white ones. Engine seems responsive. Good deal for $3K. It's the black one BTW. Good from a far, far from good.

It has been a few years since my last project (E46 M3 Sedan), and while I'd initially purchased my E39 as a reliable daily driver (specifically not to be modified), I needed something to do a bit of a resto-mod on. An N54 is pretty similar to an M54 though, right? 😁 The subject in question is a 2002 E39 530i touring, purchased in 2018 from a fellow Bimmersport member. Since purchase, I've put around 30,000km on the clock, performed a full suspension refresh (all bushes, bearing, shocks, struts, air springs) and manual conversion. Unfortunately the vehicle was purchased with some clearcoat issues, which have only gotten worse. As this vehicle is still a daily driver, I've also picked up a 2003 520i insurance write-off to use for development / mockup - the pictures below will be of this car. For a donor, a 2008 E82 135i insurance write-off was used. Unfortunately, this vehicle was fitted with an automatic transmission, something I'm not interested in for this project so a GS6-53BZ was sourced from the UK and imported. The underlying theme for this project is "if BMW were to have made it" - I'll be trying to keep everything looking as factory as possible, so no aftermarket BOVs or pod filters. 😀 This theme also flows through to the electrical architecture of the vehicle, I'll be keeping the factory E8x modules (thankfully the donor vehicle came with an MSD81) and aiming for full integration with the E39 instrument cluster via a custom CAN translator of my own design. The vehicle will have fully-functional A/C, DSC and cruise control. The translator I've developed has been proven in the manual HellBM 135d. The first step with the mockup car was stripping out everything not needed: Initial test fitting was performed with a spare N52 parts motor with a GS6-53BZ bolted up: With it generally looking good, an N54 parts motor was made available and put in instead, allowing test fitting of turbos, etc. Looking doable on the exhaust side: Going to need to do something about the rear turbo's coolant line: Enough sump clearance: Tons of room on the intake side: Some shims underneath to get it all lined up: Sway bar at full droop, clears ok: Just need to get an engine mount to join A to B and we'll be done in no time 😉 Bolted up a few more parts, still clearing ok: Starting to work on some mockup engine mount arms so that we can remove the shims, these will only be temporary: Looking pretty tight on the exhaust side: Onto some temporary gearbox mounts: With the temporary mounts made I could then start designing some more final mounts. A 3D print of the design for testing fitment: Same again for the gearbox: The exhaust-side mount ended up being rather tricky, requiring many iterations: Final design of the exhaust-side mount: While that was going on, I took a look at fitting the oil cooler - a factory item on E39 540i's built for the Gulf region: For fueling, I'm wanting to use an E82 135i pump in the E39 holder. The fuel lines will be the factory-fitted E39 M5 lines, filter and 5 bar fuel pressure regulator. Unfortunately, the E82 fuel filter sock won't suit in an E39, so a mockup adapter was 3D printed (in PLA, this will be printed properly in carbon fiber reinforced nylon). Another item to tackle is the coolant radiator, condenser, intercooler and power steering radiator pack. Initially I'd planned on using an E60 535i radiator but found the dimensions won't work in an E39. The E82 pack seemed like the best choice, here attached with some temporary mounts (again, will be 3d printed properly in carbon fiber reinforced nylon): 4 Picked up a 540i rear diff and half shafts, it should handle things a little better than the 530i items: Started mocking up a top cover panel for the radiator: The intake-side engine mount arm machined in T6061-T6 arrived: Fits perfectly: With the N54 having the A/C compressor on the opposite side of the motor (compared to M54), we started working on custom A/C hardlines. This one will run from the E39 bulkhead, around the back of the motor to the intake side, and will have a flexible section running under the manifold area to the compressor: I'm also working on some mounting brackets for it: The next items are sorting out the coolant / power steering / oil line situation which is underway currently. Unfortunately, the supplier sent the wrong size hardline which has caused a bit of a delay on this aspect. Another item we're working on is relocating the DSC module to behind the headlight - the E39 units often get baked in the factory location, leading to failure and other weird issues. The DSC module to be used is a DSC8+ module from a facelift E60 rather than the (unreliable, relatively expensive) DSC5.7 factory-fitted in the E39.

Thanks Vass, it has been quite a while since I last updated this thread 😊 The car's still going well, no real changes or modifications since the last update.

2008 335i NZ New 130,000 km approx $15900 location Marton , Rangitikei 021651591 For sale is our meticulously maintained 335i Convertible, a New Zealand New Motorsport edition. This vehicle has only covered a low 130,000kms and comes with a VTNZ warrant and registration. This car has undergone extensive mechanical refurbishment and maintenance to ensure it's in top-notch condition. Both of the turbo cores have been overhauled, and the inlets have been walnut media blasted for optimal performance. A new rocker cover has been installed, and the PCV system has been modified, including the runners blanked to prevent typical N54 issues of oiling up inlets. To ensure the best possible performance, we've installed twin catch cans for both high and low sides. The transmission has been thoroughly serviced - the mechatronic unit has been removed, new case and bridge seals have been fitted, and a new pan has been installed. Also performed a full power flush with genuine ZF oil. The engine has been given a thorough inspection, with all Cam ledges removed and checked. Cam ledge seals have been upgraded, from the steel styled, to the superseded PTFE OEM BMW replacements to prevent ledge wear. All 24 valve guide seals have been replaced to ensure piece of mind . During our ownership, we've also fitted new Hankook Tyres and installed a new battery Various coolant pipes, power steer pulley and tensioner Its also worth noting this car has already been modified with Catless downpipes and Coby muffler system. This 335i Convertible is the hardtop type Convertible as opposed to the conventional rag top and it's water tight. I've extensively photographed the repairs done to this vehicle and they are available for the new owner, There is no money owing on this vehicle and a vehicle check has been provided in the Auction. To clarify the previous owner didn't keep the registration current, and the plates lapsed and subsequently has had it re-registered. A factory recall is up-to-date that has been completed by BMW .We are currently using the vehicle over summer and the mileage may increase slightly.

I was once told that buying any second hand car is a lottery regardless of age, kms or if nz new or imported. If you can, view for condition, check any maintenance history and perform due diligence to make an informed decision - trying to somewhat mitigate the risk.

I think the main factor is the climate. Singaporean imports are notorious for electrical issues due to higher humidity and are worth steering clear of in general. UK & Japanese (depending on region of origin) imports can suffer from rust due to salt on the roads etc. Beyond that I wouldn't read much deeper into it. Both NZ-new and ex Japanese/UK cars can be equally as pampered or neglected when it comes to maintenance, all very much subjective and dependent on the particular car and its owner/s. I guess NZ-new cars are more likely to come with comprehensive service histories as most the paperwork generally get lost during the import process, on purpose or otherwise, but heaps of NZ cars come with zero information as well so... I'd steer clear of any overarching generalizations.

Have had some interest in my '332i' project, so will post up the details here on Bimmersport. This car started life as a 2003 330i m-sport sedan in black sapphire metallic and is being built into an 'M3 sedan'. While the car existed as a standard 330i, I replaced the seats and door cards with black leather units, and retrofitted an NBT from an F30: HellBM then removed the M54B30 and replaced it with an S54B32 & 6-speed manual gearbox: The VANOS was then 'bulletproofed' using the full Beisan kit, uprated cam gear bolts & S62 diaphragm springs, and the valves adjusted: I then rebuilt the donor M3 brake calipers; the front caliper pistons weren't in great shape and were replaced: Caliper carriers media blasted & painted: Calipers prepped & painted (Duplicolor gloss black): Next up was preparing the remaining M3 suspension and driveline components. New Bilstein PSS10 coilovers: Donor M3 subframe bushes removed: CMP Auto Engineering solid subframe bushes were chosen for this car, even though it's intended for street use. The reasoning is two-fold; no movement of the subframe against the RACP should help prevent any future cracking, and the bushes are designed to move the subframe closer to the body to account for reinforcement plates & the vehicle being lowered. The M3 LSD was cleaned, drained and the rear cover replaced: And reinstalled back into the subframe: Trailing arms disassembled, wheel bearings, balljoints replaced & Syncro Design Works monoball RTAB installed: Handbrake shoes & new springs installed: For the front, new CSL kingpins and wheel bearings were used: The old rear suspension & fuel tank were removed from the sedan: And the boot floor removed: No turning back now . A brand-new E46 M3 floor pan was purchased and the centre panel extracted: CMP Auto Engineering reinforcement kit installed: The decision was made to go the 'full way': Donor rear arches extracted & prepared: Test-fitting with M3 rear bumper: Tacked on & then welded fully: View from behind: M3 rear muffler brackets installed (pre-arches): The rear suspension & fuel system were then mostly reinstalled: ECS Tuning Monoball RSMs & reinforcement plates installed: And some more parts removed: A genuine M3 bonnet was then fitted. The guards will be created by joining both sedan and M3 guards: And that's it for now - more to come soon

Hi, I have been lucky enought o own a fair few interesting cars over the past 42 years. In the BMW departement I have owned and enjoyed the following in this sort of order. 1997 740i, 1995 Black M3 coupe (with towbar if its stll around ...first intro to clutch and DMFW home replacement job) E34 525i in baby silver blue, 530i x 2, E46 M3 SMG, E46 325i MS, 750il Silver,2001 740i, 545i, 130i MS, Parents years ago had a 323i coupe in violet and a E34 520i . Currently swing back to Italian cars old Alfas 916 x 2 a Busso V6 and 2.0 Ts spider and two Maseratis which I adore and have done plenty of mile in both with BMW terminology SMG (Duoselect and Cambio Corsa) Looking for a clean M3 M5 M6 that is interesting (probably the V10 but maybe a F10.) Been doing my research around the upkeep and there is plenty of good stuff out there to help. Raining all day yesterday here in Auckland so caught up on M539 Restoration youtube whcih if you havent seen is very infomative. Owned plenty of other cars along the way and a few Ducatis. Looking forward to being part of the BMW community again!

I'm throwing money at the screen but the car isn't appearing in my garage?!

This. And that most BMWs I'm interested in are poorly specd. Or grandad colours. So imports that have been owned by a NZer could be even worse than a fresh import. Total lottery.

Given the same condition and price id always take NZ new over import but that's probably not a likely scenario in used car market. My main issue with imports (usually Japanese and Singapore stuff) is the region specific electronics, body panels, sometimes odd things like Jatco transmissions etc. Less of an idea what sort of life its had\no history. Not really applicable to an M2 but the worst cars ive owned and problematic ones i see on a daily basis are typically low k~100,000km imports, mostly entry level models that have usually been imported way later in life as opposed to a few years. NZ new cars do seem to be generally cosmetically worse eg stone chips and have higher k's, but usually some sort of service history with BMW's and more of an insight of it life.

Only thing with Jap import M2 is the idrive and connected services takes a bit more programming to sort. Make that part of the sale process or get either local company or these Guys to do the usual NZ maps and change country code , FM tuning etc. eg https://bimmer-remote.com/products/region-change-for-bmw-nbt-evo-id5-6?pr_prod_strat=jac&pr_rec_id=f83b476b8&pr_rec_pid=6269099049134&pr_ref_pid=4480593395767&pr_seq=uniform

Not something I'm ever very concerned with when buying a car tbh, I more base the decision off condition. I have had good luck with Japanese imports though, and of the cars I've owned the NZ new ones tend to have been treated the worst to be honest, could just be coincidence.

Welcome back to Bimmer land Marcus! Once you've picked up your new wheels, look to join the Auckland branch of the BMW Car Club...

Test pass with a Rupes yellow DA fine foam and Farcela G3 1+2 compound. Might have to dig a bit further into the clear coat with a Rupes DA blue coarse and commensurate compound.

After a 2 year hiatus due to family things it was a mad 3 month scramble to get the drift e36 back together with the new gen4 6.0, ecu, wiring, gbox, clutch, exhaust etc etc. Had a few teething issues with the new cam/valve springs and cooling system but managed to get it up and running the day we need to head off for two days of drifting 😰 so loaded up and hoped for the best... and we got it, two days full noise and not a single issue, couldn't believe it lol. Now its time to dial in more rear grip (running a 265/35/18) and find a good solution to upgrade the rearend - diff/axles

Finally finished the interior last year Feb. 1st car show was last year's Euro show in Pakuranga last year. 4 weeks after the tune, 357kws 700nm at the engine, 1300kgs, and a beautiful someone ran a stop sign earlier on a Friday morning. 9 month battle with his insurance company. Had the car valuated at $55 000. Got paid out a fair amount, kept the car. Man was it tough!!! 4 year build, and boy was she running. Absolute weapon. Day and Night with the tune. Picked up torque and thrusted you in the seat as the revs climbed!!!!. Truly Power to weight at its finest!!! Anyway, moving forward after an +-8 month depression, aggrevation, isolated and busy az time poor life running Highspek......LsBm2 Build soon.