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ALL new cars depreciate quite quickly - the rule of thumb is that you lose between 25-30% as soon as you drive it off the forecourt. Yes there are a very few exceptions to this, Ferraris with long waiting lists, etc. but this applies to the vast majority of cars. Then the depreciation carries on each year.... New cars are never a logical financial decision! So for a 2016 to be sitting around $75k is no big issue, particularly as since that car was bought there has been an LCI and a new model, the Competition, introduced. Both of which would have a negative affect on the value of existing cars. What is it you are looking to get from your M2 ownership, fun from driving a great car, or a long-term financial investment? Unless you want to keep the car in your garage for 30+ years it is unlikely to be the latter i'm afraid. My suggestion would be decide which model you want, do you want to wait a bit longer for the new Competition to drop in price, how much you want to spend and look to see what is the best one you can get for your money. Then enjoy the car and don't think about the costs.

After weeks of postponement caused by work and uni exams, it's finally time to give Jane some well-deserved TLC. After taking inspiration from @Olaf 's excellent documentation of his journey in his E60 - - I have decided to do a similar thing with my E39. Exactly four months ago to the day, I drove out of @str8_6's driveway with my first Bimmer, 136,423kms on the clock, and no regrets since. Over those four months, I have: - Replaced the leaking radiator, expansion tank (which had previously been glued together at some point ?), and the upper coolant hose from the thermostat to the radiator - Fitted a Euro-style license plate surround (couldn't quite justify the $300 for the real deal, maybe one day) - Received two speeding tickets from the same camera (both within the first week of ownership ? ) - cruise control is now used religiously on the motorway - Installed a GROM Bluetooth unit into the stock BMW head unit (with the generous help of @str8_6) - Replaced the wiper blades with a genuine pair from FCP Euro, applied an overdue coat of Rain-X, topped up the washer fluid with genuine BMW concentrate My family has a habit of forming bonds with their cars and keeping them for several decades; a habit which has well and truly passed on to me, hence why Jane has reached 'girlfriend' status. As with all long-term relationships, if you want to keep them, they soon get expensive. Hence, I have a list of future plans for my girl: - In the 6,500kms or so I have done in Jane, I have managed to buckle both drivers side rims . Replacements are needed relatively soon, but I'm unsure of which way I want to go. I love the style 81s that I currently have, so getting a new set of rims isn't really an option. Alternatively, I could either repair the two buckled rims (noting that they aren't severely buckled), or purchase two new style 81s. I'm leaning towards buying two new rims (or maybe just one and using the full-sized spare?), since I'm not totally convinced of the efficacy of rim repairs?? Any advice on this issue would be greatly appreciated. - Following the rim issue, it is time for new tyres. I plan to buy a set of four Pilot Sport 4 tyres to get fitted when I eventually sort out what I'm doing with the rims - The GROM Bluetooth unit has highlighted how pitiful the E39 base audio system is. This certainly isn't a pressing upgrade, but a decent audio system is a must for me in the long-term. Has anyone on here upgraded the speakers in their E39 with success? - Tints. I like the stock look without tints, but we're heading into summer and I'd like to keep the interior looking as sharp as possible. - Suspension. I am at a crossroads when it comes to what to do with my suspension. I have noticed that the driver's side of the car sits noticeably lower than the passenger's. I did some reading online and was met with conflicting theories; some said they were made like that from the factory to balance out the slope of our roads, and others claimed that because of our sloped roads one side will wear quicker than the other. One thing was for certain, I didn't know the answer. After talking to Jon at Auto 38, the driver's side rear spring is quite tired, causing it to sit 30mm lower than the passenger rear. Okay, so that solves one problem: my 17-year-old car with over 140,000kms has tired suspension, I probably could have guessed that. Now, I have a few options, with the cheapest probably being to just replace all four springs with OEM parts. But if I'm going to be keeping Jane for many years, I am considering being slightly more extravagant with my solution. While the ride is superb, the body roll is laughable on a twisty road. Moreover, I could fit another E39 inside the wheel arch gap with the stock set up. I'm thinking a bit of a suspension rehaul. Maybe some H&R springs? But I don't want the ride height to fall dramatically. Looking online, some suggest also fitting new shocks to pair with the springs, such as Bilstein B8s. Again, unsure of the impact this would have on ride comfort? I'm far from making a decision on this issue, and have plenty more research to do, but does anyone have experience with either of these? Ultimately, I'm after something that will improve the handling and reduce the wheel arch gap (but still respectable - no StanceNation here), but also not ruining the supple ride of the E39. Here are a couple of snaps from the BMW Car Club's recent drive to Cape Palliser:

Looks awesome, what class are you gonna track it in, $2k cup? ??

I was actually starting to consider a corolla or mazda sp20 and join the basic white girls of auckland ?

Cheaper to buy a motorsport version and get the whole package with all the rest of the bits if you really want to start upgrading things Not a simple task to fit front sway bars on E39, not to mention actually finding a set, then you need new bushings, links. Springs are the same really, if you can't motorsport ones and you want to keep ride quality you may as well just get a replace your rear springs, get new shocks all round with mounts etc and replace any worn control arms etc. After that get some decent rubber on and handling wise it will feel like a new car. Id also recommend doing the Vanos seals if they haven't been done already. Money very well spent for the performance increase

PS: I really like the style 81's too, FWIW. Keep your eyes skimmed for a set, then you have a couple of spares.

Nice one Bozza! You've done well to put so many kms on in a short time, and while studying. She's a beaut car. If you want to go m-sport springs, you'll want to match them with m-sport shocks. A little lower, a little more rate, matched with the right damping characteristics. And then there's the fatter ARBs too. And, as @Young Thrash Driver points out, when you do your shocks, you want to be doing the mounts, bushes, bearings etc. Be prepared to buy a dollop of sachs or lemforder bits too. Meyle okay - as long as they're Meyle HD (IMHO). If you look up your VIN on RealOEM, you'll get the suspension listings and all part numbers. You'll also be able to crib the m-sport suspension part numbers - springs and shocks etc. One possible option to maintain the ride comfort, height, and address a bit of the roll, is to replace your shocks and springs with OEM, and find the ARB's from M-sport and add new bushes to fit. They're probably 1-2mm thicker than stock, and will calm it down without sacrificing your ride. I took this route with my e46; did a full OEM refresh, and found it didn't handle that well (the tyres weren't helping), so (with some excellent advice from @Herbmiester and a drive of his car) I added the staggered rims with wider better rubber, and added the m-sport bars. This gave me the better roll perfprmance, crisper turn-in, and held the line better, without compromising family ride quality. Suggest you drive a recently refreshed Sachs OEM car, and see if you can drive an M-Sport. I'd be leaning toward M-Sport (it was that fancy electronic active anti-roll thing that disuaded me on the 545i) particularly if you're placing the springs, though your informed decision based on your experience will be far more powerful. Although the e60's a different beast, you're welcome to have a crack in mine, if only to suss out what a fully refreshed OEM setup can feel like. Cheers

When I redid the front struts on one of my old E39s I went with Meyle, I also did the shock mounts, bump stops and other associated bits in there as they were all totally shagged too. The springs were fine, I understand it is unusual for the springs to wear out. The Meyle struts were fine as far as function and ride etc but after they were installed the car did sit quite high, so I would advise you to do some homework regarding lowering the car... which means you will need to do the back end too What a shame!

Good work on keeping the 81s I had them on my silver E39 and loved them. Still regret trading in that car.

my 120 d(manual and chipped) average was 6.5 l 100 k,5.5 was easy to get on the open road,and i reckon you would get high 4s if you really tried on the open road if you lived in a flat part of new zealand.mmy fuellyy average was 6.4l 100 k

Just got my wheels back from refurb, cost a pretty penny. They're ment to be black shadow chrome but came out mostly black.

OEM Sport suspension springs and shocks would be the go if you want reasonable ride quality with a a little drop and better handling. Otherwise just get some Bilstein B4 Touring's or OEM Sachs if you going to use standard OEM springs. Mine is pretty much the same spec as yours and is my daily driver, done 280,000. Ive replaced all the shocks(Meyle - very good deal on them at the time), control arms and bushings and it handles much better. Number of things can cause changes to the ride height but you say Auto38 has inspected it and determined it was the spring?

I just got my wheels back from WheelFixIt. Good guys and good work done, but not cheap. Price will depend on what you get done.

Think jane needs some shoes. The silver bbs rx2 or the grey rs-gt

For a trip like that you should consider throwing one of your spare wheels in the boot, even with AA or similar you could wait a couple of hours on some of those roads for them to show up.

Not that economical IMO. I could not better 6.2l/100km in mine. A gentle run at 100 on flat road, say Hamilton to Auckland or Wellington to Hawkes Bay was usually 6.2l/100km It was replaced with a 2012 Corolla 1.8 manual which under the same style of driving will return 5.8l/100km. If I nurse the Corolla and sit in behind the usual open road day dreaming muppets and not worry about passing I can get down to 5.6. Around town they are the same (8ish l/100km) I was set on a newer E87 120d but I read the N47s have timing chain issues. So I thought bugger it, the Corollas aren't badly priced and over ten years it will likely only need a few sets of tyres and a couple of batteries. I would not be confident saying the same about a BMW. I have enough cars and bikes that need attention, I don't want the daily city car to be a long term project or head ache as well. Not trying to recommend a Corolla BTW but the old E46 320d just made no sense with its relatively high fuel consumption and the RUC rort. I think if I were to do it again with the BMW, I'd go for an E46 330i or E87 130iM spec. They seem relatively bullet proof and the extra 1 or 2 litre/100km in consumption over a four cylinder would be worth it as far as smiles go.

To mark hitting 143,000kms, I had Jon at Auto 38 do the Inspection 2 Service this week This consisted of: Oil + filter change Diff oil change Brake fluid change Power steering fluid change 6 new spark plugs Idler pulleys x2 New wiper relay to fix an occasional stopping of the wipers Rear brake hoses Inspection of all other pulleys, belts and hoses

I don’t find the 335i that much of a guzzler, but then it’s all relative. I use it daily and it’s so much nicer than a little shoe box. The trick is to think of the 335i as a frugal daily compared to daily driving the M5 ?... at least that’s what I keep telling myself.

Daily driver? Suzuki Swift should be at the top of your list. Very cheap to run and reliable. I had a pink one (2005 suzuki swift), I could do a hand brake turn in front of the cops and they would be looking confused as to where's the Honda that pull the handbrake! Got plenty of attention from all the gay guys. I happily befriended them, only to discreetly sly into their cute female friends.

T allanson Interesting how about 7.7 per 100k. The trip read 698k and still showed 46 left when I put gas in it tonight. E46/5 speed manual compact with m54b25 a 6 pot. Does a 90k round trip a day of that a third is town running.

If you are already familiar with BMW's in general (which I believe you are) then just look for the tidiest example of any model you can find whether it is a 318i or a 330i/ci (probably a bit hard to find a nice one for 4k). My pick would be a facelift sedan 320i which has the M54B22 2.2L 6 cylinder engine if you could find one which has a good balance of power, reliability and good fuel economy. Alternatively, go for something like the 318ti that I picked up for sub 1500 and spend a few hundred on it to tidy up and you got yourself a solid daily that is cheap to run and to fix

Drove some more tonight, and so far i can tell that before the work on the weekend the trans was still average when cold but much better warm. Now the trans is about as good as it was when warm, cold, and pretty bloody good warm now. Manual mode is snappy, with minimal lag between changes, and no lurching. D mode is smooth as butter and doest flare between gears anymore. A+ result, highly recommend.

Quick update, it was the LPFP. The previous owner fitted an AEM pump to the factory mount, but the pump had slipped in its mount (despite zip ties) so was blocking the inlet of the pump, and the hose connected to the venturi in the bottom of the bucket had come off. Reverted to a bodged together standard pump and everything is back to normal, if not better than before. No codes and pressure is bang on in the logs (about 80-90psi vs 30psi under load). I have a replacement unmodified stock pump to drop in when i get time as i dont like relying on zip ties. I also dropped the trans pan, and valve body and replaced the bridge and tube seals. Not a hard job, just messy and time consuming. Trans seems to shift a lot better now, but should get even better as the reset adaptations learn the new fluid/seals. 7.5l of fluid went in, so should be the majority of the fluid changed (and did the 4l drain and fill 300km ago).

I bought the part from BMW for $80 and put it on my self after looking at a how to on youtube. it only took me 10 minutes do my self. Make sure you look at someones video that actually knows what they are doing - put both ends in first then pull the adhesive cover off once you have the trim piece in place This guy had it right , start watching from 3.30

lbo99, have you had a look at any of the E46 M3's that have popped up for sale? This one seems nice: https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1833187514

H & R sports + Koni adjustables + e90 top hats + double padded (5mm) the rear springs.