martyyn

Was a bit odd to start with, my door cards creak like there's no tomorrow !

Nah, more than enough room to stick an X5 in behind the 325

Purely out of curiosity, what would you expect one of these to go for ?

From experience Id say that all Euro cars have incredibly bright rear fog lights. They are for driving in the foggy conditions you get over there, I cant remember having seeing fog in NZ ! I also remember reading in the manual for my 750 that the rears should only be used in extreme conditions because they will dazzle drivers otherwise. In the touring the switch resets itself once you switch them on, so that once you turn off the ignition they dont get left on by accident.

It sounds to me like youve just gotten incredibly lucky recently. None of the prices youve stated are out of the ordinary but that depends on whether were talking about the same thing or not. A full 2.7 would easily set you back 1200, so Id be interested to know what youve picked up for 100. I dont know about cloth seats but a two full sets of leather have sold for 700 and 1200 recently but were talking sports leather with door cards in immaculate condition for that price. If youve just picked up a pair of basic leather then thats probably because they arent really in demand. As for the gearbox, a full 260 in decent nick with all the trimmings needed for the conversion will easily be 650+ Ive picked up the odd bargain from people who have no idea what theyve had, but there are plenty of people who do know what they have and are willing to hold out until someone buys it. Just because the auction hasnt found a buyer doesnt mean it wont eventually.

Someone questioned why you were given a fine. Id say it was the cheapest advertising they could buy. They give you the fine and you have twenty people on here talking about it being bullsh!t. I get fed up with people in NZ driving during the day with their foglights on. Scooby owners are the worst. In the city center is a joke, out on the open road is passable, if your just doing it to be visible Id question why your not using your headlights instead.

[bmw geek hat]That would be Aspen Silver [/bmw geek hat] I might have this the wrong way around but isnt 5% completely back.....which is also illegal ?My sig shows my Aspen 740 with 35% and I personally think its the t!ts.

Im pretty sure that will come with the car Andy

At last the voice of reason.....well said Daryll, Ive been thinking this all along but didnt really know how to put it into words.

Forget that tub of lard, buy my 740 Much less k's and has all the work done on it that should be done when a car reaches this sort of milage.

My original question was how does two new tyres (which are obviously not the correct sizes) and a valet justify a 14k increase in price ? E30-IS Ive spent a long time looking for an e39 touring. I know exactly what they cost in Japan (Ive looked at importing one for 12 months) and I know whats being paid for them by Joe Bloggs aswell as the dealers. Ive seen dozens of cars at twice what it wouldve cost to bring over as long as the dealer doesnt get too greedy they should be making plenty of money. Paul, I know 14k wouldnt go far at Jeff Grey but they must be doing very well indeed to have built the new showroom in the first place. You dont move from the center of town out to the sticks and build something like that on a whim. Daryll, And car salesman wonder why they are so low in the 'trust' polls. I cant believe how many dealers Ive spoken to who claim they are the victims. 34k on a car at 120k vs 14k on a car at 36k....the percentages show the X5 way ahead of the touring. I wonder what the initial profit on the touring was ? JP The dollar might not be helping to buy cars this very minute, but alot of places are selling cars currently that they bought in Japan six or more months ago when the dollar was the other way and prices where much much cheaper. Give it a bit more time and the more expensive cars will start to come in, do you think the cars here now will stay the same price or go up ? When I was looking at a particular X5 I got to know they guy pretty well. He does it on the side of his regular day job, has a Japanese wife (and family) that helps with all the auctions etc and although his cars are some of the cheapest in NZ he still makes at least 30% on what he spends. He only brings over a handful of cars at a time, advertises online only and has most sold before they even get here....now 30% for doing nothing more than sticking it on TM isnt too bad is it ?

So whats a genuine one worth if you guys are all willing to pay 150 for a glass one?

This X5 sold for 36k a couple of weeks ago at auction in Wellington. It needed a new set of rear tyres and a bit of a clean and the bloke at Turners told me the seller was very happy with the price. So where the hell does a 14k markup come from !

Shame, I was just thinking how good they would like against titansilver

Awesome, Hey Andy, what are those wheels youve got on the touring ? Are they 18's ?

Personally I think its a valid question from Simo. His example might have lacked a little diplomacy but its not an easy subject to bring up. Paul, you and I have spoken many times about the aloofness from the regular Wellington BMWCC members (especially towards BS members) and I know Im not the only one who's felt the cold shoulder because I dont have a sparkling three series with a comfortable rug on the rear shelf But ultimately Paul is right, you get out of it what you put in and as Cain says you certainly get your money back if you need to buy parts. I myself havent bothered with the BMWCC for a few years because everywhere I go assumes Im still in and they give me the discount anyway. It hasnt stopped me from attending events either as the ones Ive been to have had more BS members and they have always been a very friendly bunch My advice is to pay your money for the discounts and go to some events to see how you go. Just dont arrive with a screach of brakes, Led Zep blasting out the speakers and half a fag in the corner of your mouth

Mmmmmmmm lovely Dutch women

So you'll take responsibility for having an illegal car AFTER youve killed someone ?And people wonder why NZ has such a huge rate of youngsters killing themselves on the road

Yep, style 37, 18-inch M-Parallels Although since Ive taken them off and given them a good clean Im no longer convinced they are genuine. They have all the stickers and correct shape (some replicas have flat fronts) but no round bmw stamp on the inside [edit] e39 fitment though, so going on the touring

In the thread or my sig Ray ?

BMW + V12 = class

Arent they puuuuuuurrty

If its 400 for a replacement seat cover from the dealers, why dont you save your money and pick up a full leather interior when one comes available. I doubt it would be much more than that.