Mungous

The giant shed that one of my fleet currently hides in has been leased out from under me, and so I now need somewhere to store one of my cars until I get time to work on it.

Anyone know of any weathertight storage in Nelson (where the car currently lurks), Auckland (closer to me so increases the chances of me fixing it up) or Chch (where I often visit friends and family)? Not looking for anything fancy and expensive, just watertight.

Most storage places in Auckland I've found seem to charge about $250-300 per month - that's about the same as an inner city carpark FFS!!

Would anyone here be interested in some 19" Yokohama Ecos ES300s?

245/35R19 x2

235/35R19 x2

Only 5000km or so on them.

Offers?

- Driver training (in no particular order... I'll get there eventually)

There's a perfect low-stress track day coming up at Hampton Downs on January 12 that I'm aiming to attend - a BMW driver trainer is usually on-hand to help out.

Love the colour of your car - I spent ages test driving various M3s (both E36 and E46) before buying my TiAg E46 (2nd best colour after yours, IMHO). Similar KMs, sod-all options and pretty much totally unmolested - just the way I like 'em!

I've just acquired a second set of OEM wheels so I can mount some better rubber for track days...

Any before and after pics to post?

Yeah but it's the fact the numbers can be obtained.

My gold card has this technology, I've never used it though.

If you are really worried about contactless, go here (https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/security_standards/) and try to stay awake.

Banks and card schemes are NOT in the business of rolling out payment systems that are not fully tested, or that have any known security flaws. The media can make up whatever scary nightmare scenario that they think might see fraudulent transactions occur, but I can assure you that the security specialists who work for the likes of Visa and MasterCard get paid a shitload of money to do their job right, and they are considering potential risks which the media will never hear anything about (for obvious reasons).

NFC in phones is currently being trialled in NZ (I've used a couple of Galaxy S3s for it already), and more and more merchants are choosing (or being forced by the card schemes) to update to NFC/contactless PIN pads.

Enough with the scaremongering people - there is far less risk associated with NFC than there is with carrying cash.

Reminder - we are now in the 21st century. Anyone want to go back to swapping potatoes for oats?!

I'm thinking of getting a spare set of wheels for track day use (to save on wearing out the road tyres in only 15 minutes). Probably pop a set of semi-slicks on them.

Options on TardMe:

19" OEM (probably use these as road wheels and use my current OEM 18"s for track) - http://www69.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-part...n-535025398.htm

Or another set of 18" OEM (same as I have) - http://www69.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-part...n-536268877.htm

Thoughts? Anyone have anything cheaper available? Not too worried about cosmetics, obviously.

Is it just me, or does this seem like a very good deal?

(Obviously US dollar conversion, international shipping and GST would bump the price up a fair bit...)

E46 M3 Approved EC-7 Track Package:

Kit includes:

APEX EC-7s, 18x9.5" ET35 front and rear (All finishes available)

APEX 12mm spacers for rear use

Vorshlag E46 M3 camber plates

(some top nut or spring perch configurations may add additional costs)

APEX 75mm stud kit with silver lug nuts - (upgrade to black nuts and/or 90mm kit available)

REGULAR PRICE _______________________________$1914.98

BLACK FRIDAY SAVINGS_________________________$190.00

SHIPPING ______________________________________FREE*

TOTAL_____________________________________$1724.98

What made you choose a M3 over the M5 this time round?

I know I'll be preaching to the choir here, but the M5 has got to be the best all-round car in the world. To qualify that statement, I know it is a bit of a "compromise" car, in that there are other cars that are faster, cars that handle better, some have more space, many are cheaper (to buy and to maintain) and some are better looking. But no other car scores so consistently highly across all those areas. (And I also hear rumours that a Prius uses slightly less gas.)

When overseas, I only had space for one car but needed to be able to transport visiting family and friends. (And who needs a Prius when gas was as cheapity-cheap-cheap as in the Middle East?)

But back in NZ, my parameters changed. The cost of fuel for one thing. Also, I need to carry bulky objects (like bikes and stuff). But having a garage meant I could have more than one car. So for my daily driver, something that is cheaper to buy and run, uses less gas and has space for lots of stuff is needed. So that's where a diesel estate comes in.

I still had a hankering to hit the track and drive for fun, and a diesel estate is not going to tick those boxes. Without having to worry about fuel economy, space and comfort for rear seat passengers (and remembering how awesome the M5 was), the M3 was a bit of a no-brainer...

Yeah, I found out at an early age that modifying cars to make them go fast is a false economy - just buy a fast car to start with!

I joined a while back with a view to getting an M3 of some kind (to satisfy my M cravings after selling the M5 I had while overseas), and finally found one I liked at the right price.

Have done a couple of track days in the M3, and am already worried about the addictive nature of it... But promised the accounts department I wouldn't spend too much on modifying it. That said, a dedicated set of wheels and semi-slicks for track days seems like a good way of not wearing out the Michelins!

Pics of both cars: