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Disappointed, I thought this would be the 540i “Schnitzer” from Rose City Cars that started at $35k(?).

Seen this car many times over the years. Always well kept. Seems way too cheap. 1989 BMW 535i Alpina B10 https://www.trademe.co.nz/4686601122

I didn't realize "luxurious feel of a bygone era" was code for "has cloth seats".

Someone is going to buy that and press it into service and find out why low km cars that have been sitting around for decades arent a good idea. The tires alone have a date code of 5206 on them, which makes them almost 20 years old. That should be illegal to wof/sell.

For $35k, I’d want my silver car to be silver, the gear knob to be put on properly and the model badge on the right side. For starters.

Owned both in manual and auto form and you certainly feel the added weight of the V8, plus steering rack vs box makes a big difference in feel, hard not to notice that. The auto 540i is probably near 200kg heavier than a manual 6 cyl depending on options. 540i is great on the open road when you need passing power but mostly wasted if you doing typical Auckland driving. A M54 in good running condition with working vanos has great torque for a old 3L.

And here she is after 500km and needing her first wash (hopefully this weekend). If the guy driving a white E91 Touring who waved at me on SH1 northbound lane just south of the Newmarket bridge in Auckland on ANZAC day around midday is also member here, hi back! 👋

HPR 5 5W-40 6L jugs - $60 @ Repco https://www.repco.co.nz/oils-fluids/engine-oils-fluids/engine-oil/penrite-hpr-5-5w-40-engine-oil-6l-hpr05006/p/A1220550

Thats rad, I'm betting you've got the label printer and made little bin locations in the garage / under the sink / above those extra pillows in the hall cupboard nobody is sure about etc 🤣

Hmm, couple of different ways you could go with this one……. The E39 chassis is a great platform, if you are prepared to deal with the usual E39 bits and bobs, this is coming from a past 530i touring, + current 540i m/sport owner. You could go the tricked up i6 or the relatively standard v8 option. Loads of performance options for the i6, however to wring more power out of the M62tu can be expensive, but your starting from a higher hp / torque level. I currently have a 1999 540i m/sport that I’m about to do the 6speed 420g conversion on (build post coming soon) + a few intake and software upgrades on. This will be more than enough enjoyment for me as a Sunday cruiser. as far as handling, I don’t think you would notice too much difference between a 530 v 540 on day-to-day driving, unless you like to drive on the raged edge day-to-day. Im too old for that sort of carry on, but the torque from the m62 is pretty intoxicating! As I’m sure the hp from a turbo i6 would be! If your after max power for minimal effort, go the 540👍 current project:

a bit like the replica one i had years back SA built jap import genuine alpina bits added in japan converted to manual here

Another little side project I've been working on is this: As time goes on my collection of spare/new parts continues to increase to the point that it's challenging to keep track in a spreadsheet of what I've purchased/fitted/quantities remaining, etc. I also want to be able to more easily plan out future projects and map that back to parts I have/need to get. To this end I've setup an inventree instance and loaded into it the complete list of part numbers for my specific VIN. Now that I've got this base setup I can go through my parts shelves, load in the quantities etc. and then I have an easy view of what I've got without having to dig through boxes. When I fit parts I can decrease the stock on hand, etc. I can also make use of some of inventree's other features to build BOMs for projects, track what parts I need to order, etc. Is this overkill? absolutely, 100%. But it will make things a bit easier for me, plus it's cool to have a complete list of part numbers for reference.

https://www.wheelsmartrepaircentre.com/ These guys are great. Repaired my F80 wheel a few months back.

I’ve owned my 130i for almost a year and never knew about this thread until someone mentioned it to me in my fb post. I’ve just listed my 2007 130i on trademe. I won’t explain everything again cause it’s in the description of the listing. I will say here that the car is very tidy in my opinion and I’m only selling due to wanting a manual 130i. https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-4682252838.htm

I'd be shocked if the first bill was only 4 figures.

Not cheap - realistic

Interesting, didn't see that as an option on there when searching by part number. Oh well. I've ordered a Hella unit, will see how it goes. Not too fussed with replacement as I've figured out a way to get to it from underneath without having to take the intake out so not that much of a hassle. Before ordering it I called up BM Parts to see what they stock locally, got offered the same Hella unit for $420+GST. From Spareto it's €76+30 shipping so all up $480 vs $190. Bonkers how we're getting shafted over here left & right

Hey team so i have purchased an E12 1st gen 5 series, I'm looking at dropping my s85 into it. I would like to also bring the whole front and rear suspension up to modern standards. So calling out all the suspension guru's out there, if you had the option to make any setup work with the car which one would be the best? Example I was thinking of grafting the whole rear end and front from a e46 into the car. But after a bit of research the e9x series could be a better option, my engineer friend has said the e39 setups are pretty good too. So looking at getting some advice or opinions on which setups would be the best fit for the car. Thanks Richard

Tidy set - couple of scratches from retarded tyre shop guys getting RFT’s off…. otherwise very tidy. Ferric grey finish never seen another set in NZ $1400 - can drop to depot for buyer!

Mine lives on the centre line unless I give it some jandal and it swings a few mm to the hot side, my thermostat and alternator voltage regulator have both been done and I am running the BMW shell oil. Usually only takes about 10 minutes to get to temp, and I have never seen it dip below the centre line while running.

I did another symptom hunt on Google and found a thread on the M5Board with very similar issues. The same things were experienced by a few people, turned out to be either the radiator fan, the alternator / voltage reg, or the DME as the main culprits. There is no doubt that all BMW can bus setups and modules throw fantastic red herrings, how many times has my SMG apparently been on the verge of dying and red cogged - when the reality is the battery voltage is just lower than ideal on cold start. Currently this is all covered under warranty, so I can't really reach out to Promo without complicating things just yet. Thanks for the details though.

Oh my! Can't say I had, although not for lack of TM trawling sitting at home with a fractured pelvis... My spacers arrived yesterday, so as soon as I'm slightly more mobile I'll list the E90 for sale (with brand new brakes, natch).

@Neil McCauley assume you’ve seen this? All ready to tow with factory electric towbar https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/335d/listing/4690130959

Check / Replace the wiring and connector going to the fuel pump on the cradle. I just had my walbro255 fail on me after barely 2000kms because the wiring in one connector terminal was loose. It must have been messing with the pump flicking it on/off while driving and eventually killed it. I replaced it with a deatschwerks 200. They're both two aftermarket options that will last and fit easily replacing factory pump and come with a a new connector pigtail.

17inch OZ Futura 17x8 et32 17x9 et32 5x120 Fully rebuilt and purchased from Europe couple years ago. New lips bolts etc Very good fitment for 3 series (and probably others). Bang on for stock body e30, e36, e46 etc $5500 Located Dunedin. Happy to ship at buyers cost

Yeah it looks like a poor reproduction, or just a "close enough" match. The actual retrim itself looks decent though. I'm curious if he's had the entire car resprayed, or close door and if the door jams are still silver / engine bay too. Hard to tell without any photos, looks like the tailgate inner is silver still. Also wonder who his mechanic is with this nonsense "My mechanic says it’s a newer engine than what the mileage suggests, and in his opinion about 150-200k) and must have got swapped out prior to me owning it."

Its a very nice car, no doubt, but the reupholstery on the 318i Touring makes me very hapy I stumped for all original BMW fabric for my retrim - looks like spotlight or corolla fabric.

Ohh it would be! Priorities are elsewhere right now though, trying to upsize to a lifestyle block and plan is to have kids in the next year or two so wouldn't have the time, space or money to take that on just yet. Maybe one day...

There could well be! Haven’t given it a good check over, but will let you know if the good one doesn’t need it

Fair point, there was a few years gap between ownership of the 6cyl and v8, so a little difficult to make a comparison. As mentioned, the v8 would be my pick if the bulk of your driving is open road stuff and/or if it’s a “Sunday driver” car. This is what I use mine as and I think it suits the application well. Stick with the 6cyl if it’s a daily driver IMO.

2 white tourings in one day 👀 Pricing on the 318 might be a tad optimistic. Both look juicy tho. 1989 325i Touring 1988 318i Touring

Got the Simple Green and then the Aerospace 303 out to clean up the plastics I'll not see for another 180xxx km. Back on the ground for a couple of days before my airfreight arrives 👀

If there's a market for it then all power to them I guess. Personally, I find it hard to "support local" knowing that there was zero value added to the original product by the entity taking your money when you can get the exact thing from elsewhere for 1/3 of the price. I'd rather support businesses that, you know, do something.

Fair enough, if have to pay someone to install it probably makes more sense. I always inspect them and replace the brushes etc if needed. Remanufactured\rebuilt is such a broad term that you dont really know what you are truly getting for your money, same with alternators.

$20k, damn, almost had a flutter last minute with the E30 resto fund 😬

What BDS is doing is interesting, 300bhp, faceballs reel thing - https://www.facebook.com/reel/1417224932251571

CDV delete and new trans fluid today, easy job aside from rounding off the stupid plastic bleed screw a little..grrr What a difference !! Clutch action is just 100 times better, shifts butter smooth, what were BMW thinking with this. Interesting that my car was owned by an enthusiast without deleting it, crazy

100% this, just trying to re-iterate the myths about imports to make his car look better. Imports got a bad name when the less scrupulous dealers used to wind them back to get more $$s and then they had issues. Not a problem with a recent M car that would have all the servicing data in the iDrive. There are not a huge number of recent imports of newish cars, due to exhange rates and increased transport costs, so not massive numbers around now as there might have been in the past. Just look out for the Aussie imports that were hail damaged, other than that treat each car on its own condition and specs.

buy a silk scarf for your wife or girlfriend, buy this, get away for a long weekend with the top down. go for it!

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.

So the end result of this is that the car now has a new correctly installed OE Pilkington screen courtesy of CCBMW after S+S had put 2 new aftermarket screens in, awful whistling above 50kph with both. I swear the inside vehicle SPL is about 10dB less with the OE screen. Very happy

This nice Daytona Violet?? 323ci at Westfield Newmarket today

So yesterday I dropped round to @Cement's house to pick up the CD stacker he kindly offered me. @Michael. was there as well, so was great to meet them both and talk BMWs and see their amazing cars 😍 And today is the final day of my summer holiday before I head back to work. This morning before it got too hot I finally got around to doing the work on the rear seat. First up I removed the black leather seats and bolsters, and then I was able to install the rear seat sound mat that arrived a couple of months ago. It fits really well and was no problem to install, at less than half the weight of the rubber/butyl one and not likely to disintegrate like the original I'm very happy with this: You can see there are a couple of cut outs that aren't needed on the M3, presumably they are for the E46 compact or similar, but aside from that it all fits in very nicely. I was then able to install the G7AT interior (which I've been cleaning and drying over the last week) from @M3_Power and now finally have an (almost) matching interior. I took the covers off the headrests and put them through the washing machine (gentle cycle, no spin) and wet vac'd the bolsters, seat bench and backs. The bolsters needed new clips at the tops, as they seem to ALL break. I ordered new ones in one of my orders last year, so had these on the shelf ready to go. Originals were black, these new ones are white, maybe they're also stronger 🤣 Then it was just a case of putting everything in, and soon it was all done! (apologies for the terrible photos and dusty car, am rebuilding a retaining wall at the moment and the clay dust gets into everything). I also got to take the car for a drive today. With the work I've done on the drivers door, and the cloth rear upholstery, a good 90% of the rattles and such that were present in the car seem to be gone! I thought there were going to be a bunch still to hunt down, but appears I have one in the dash by the drivers door, and aside from that any other noises were pretty infrequent! Now I just need to give the car a good wash!

E36 M3 3.0 euro. Coupé - Atlantis blue. E39 535i limo. - orient blue

Fractured pelvis. So that's golf and snowboarding done before the season began. Stable fractures so no surgery, but I was teased fairly aggressively by the ED nurses about being under 40 and suffering an "old lady injury." Priority parking for the next 6 months though!

Some dodgy sh*t going on with that 318i Touring. Listing claims 347k km's on the clock. The same car was being sold in '21 at 469k km. A quick carjam shows it hit that mileage in 2019 when the odo broke since it's stayed the same since. Must have passed half a million by now. I'd be wearing that as a badge of honour instead of half-arsedly trying to conceal it.

Thanks Brru, it was tough man.

Things were going well. Until they weren't. My kingdom for 2mm.

This is a dangermouse car!