M3AN

Wow, that is a sharp price, even as you say if there's some work to be done. Indications are that it's been used hard but if you're a home mechanic looking for a manual 130i you probably can't go wrong at that price. Heck, even if you had to spend $3k on it I reckon you're coming out ahead. I don't care for miles these days, on a 10+ year old car it's all about care and maintenance. Edit: that front bumper extension needs to see the inside of a skip. Novel approach but, no.

Hmm, I suppose I could swap the bumper and bonnet for mine, and take the original backbox for resale, then hope to flick it quickly for $6k? Although, unless that coupe bumper has been properly installed with all the bits (and there's a LOT of them), it will be missing heaps behind it. And it's the non-foglight version (not sure how hard they are to retrofit).

INPA will allow you do do that, or BimmerLink (not BimmerCode) but I'm not sure if 'Link works without 'Code, you may nee both. I have INPA and cable you could try, unless you've moved you're just down the road from me IIRC.

That's a bugger Cam, in my mind it now comes down to what you paid for it - do the extra defects mean you just paid over the odds, or do they mean you got ripped off? If it's the former then I'd say you're SOOL, even with the Tribunal, the latter may make a case but then you're tied up with bureaucracy and still might have to fight to get compensation even if you win the case. It's also important to note that you appear to have asked about the "paint" and not the "panels", if that's the case, and the seller is being a dick, then he could probably argue you never asked about the bodywork. Having said that, it doesn't look terrible, eminently recoverable with a bit of time and patience.

FWIW when I cross-checked, landing rotors here from overseas, https://spareto.com/ was over $100 cheaper than FCP although that might not always be the case, especially if you're buying a bunch of stuff.

Yes. 🤣

Old but relevant thread... if you're still using Castrol rather than Penrite then you can currently pick up 5l of 5w-40 for 45% off at Repco, less than $50 is a great deal. I'll be picking up two bottles for the M3. https://www.repco.co.nz/en/oils-fluids/engine-oils-fluids/engine-oil/castrol-edge-5w-40-a3-b4-engine-oil-5l-3421235/p/A1331904

Bummer and GLWS. At least yours is an honest example with an honest description at a sensible price, unlike 99.9% of the 130's on TM. Hopefully someone who wants one recognises that. I've added an auction "question" to this effect, hope that's okay (perhaps I should have asked first lol 😇).

How about the direct approach? "F*ck off, I know who you are and that you're trying to rip me off, don't call again. Thank you."

And the wear on the outside bolster of the passenger seat (and the steering wheel to a lessor extent) concerns me, it seems very "well used". Slightly less miles than mine but the interior looks twice as old. My (unintended) flipping exercise taught me it's not a big money maker, otherwise I might be in for bits too... I wouldn't mind the bumper, don't need the exhaust though.

😲 they removed a BMWP exhaust for that monstrosity? 😢 At least the original comes with the car. Was this the one with the GruppeM intake?

It might help if you described the problems you're having.

Every BMW since the early 90's has a very effective multi-layer factory immobilizer, it's called EWS, I'd be surprised if the insurance company actually asked (once they knew the brand). You can't option it in or out, it's part of the CAS module. The only two practical ways to steal a (somewhat) modern BMW are to acquire an original key, or haul it away. This applies to all German cars, it's been law there for nearly 3 decades.

They're longer so they push the front hubs out, best combined with the camber pin mod which pushes the top of the shock in. Yes, more camber.

If you choose to use Trademe then you're choosing to use their system, Q&A included. This is especially important if you're trying to sell a bucket of rust for top dollar. The seller's arrogance doesn't help their chances of a sale. On a lighter note, how did that even happen? Did they import it already rusting and just didn't clean it properly? It's pretty tough to get a vehicle looking like that in New Zealand, even if you leave it outside.

Wow, that one ^ is tidy! This is making a mockery of my valuations of the 130's! 😂

I like the random e87 picture inserted for no apparent purpose.

When you use a 1 megapixel camera from 1999... https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/130i/listing/3378856141

I didn't realise how few vehicles used that specific gearbox, I wonder if any of the variants (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_S6-37_transmission) are a direct fit? Regardless, I don't believe that a manual box is worth a 60%-80% premium over an equivalent slushbox... there's no way importers are paying that type of premium for a manual, they're just having a laugh when they land them here. Wheels are a matter of taste I suppose, I don't like those at all so wouldn't pay a premium for them. I've always thought the best bet on wheels is a throwaway set of 17's so you can eventually get the wheels (and probably tyres) you want. We all know that comparing prices internationally is a fallacy, people in the UK are starting to cotton on to Japanese imports and that will eventually start to suppress prices from their currently silly heights over there. Don't get me wrong, that's a tidy example but I don't even think an LCI is worth that, a PFL is worth less. 10-12k any day IMHO. But hey, if somebody asked me what I thought a manual e36 328i was worth I'd probably say "10k max if it's mint" and we know that doesn't seem to be the case any more... I think people are paying silly money for cars these days and it defies logic. I don't think my M3 is worth anything near what people are prepared to pay for them... which is why I'm wondering if I should just cash in, I could probably get for it today close to what I paid for it 20 years ago... crazy.

Agreed, it looks smart... but $15k? I'm not so sure. How much would a manual conversion cost for one of these? Surely not anywhere near $7k? Considering you can pick up a very nice auto for $8k, a manual priced at much more than $12k makes no sense to me.

BMW won't retrofit it for you, in fact they're likely to simply give you a blank look if you ask. I retrofitted cruise on my E87 and it's not too difficult (same procedure as Z4/E89), what part are you looking to outsource? Do you already have the replacement stalks? If not, that's your first task and it needs to match exactly your existing stalks but add the cruise stalk, any variance (at all) will cause you headaches. Apparently any E8x, E9x, E89 setup will work, as long as it's exactly the same as your existing one (plus the additional cruise stalk obviously), the slip rings in the hub of the stalk assembly vary widely and are not cross-compatible.

Hmm, there's a lot to unpack there, most of it not true I'm afraid. But we can skip the unpacking because it's my understanding that BMW themselves stipulate 10w60 for the S85 and if that's the case, that's what you should use unless you have non-typical requirements. The one exception to that is actually the cold viscosity because, at least north of Taupo, we have a very moderate climate so you could arguably go to a 25w60 if a good one were available, which is precisely the opposite of your recommendation. Rules of thumb for modern 4-stroke engine oils: Always use a high quality fully synthetic oil Base the number before the w on your climate, but never lower than the manufacture's recommendation Base the number after the w on how you use the car, but never lower than the manufacture's recommendation The smaller the gap between the hot and cold viscosities the better (less oil pressure variance) Of course it gets very nuanced beyond these basic rules but most people need not worry about that.

FWIW I got mine from eBay... https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=for+bmw+e36+reclining+seat+gear

Assuming we talking all six cylinder setups, the hot climate version of the cooling system is vastly superior to the standard setup, the M3 setup is only an incremental upgrade to the hot climate setup. All Japanese imports came 'hot climate', all NZ new (to the best of my knowledge), except the M3, came with standard cooling. Unfortunately there are a lot of unique parts for the hot climate edition: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BG22-EUR-09-1996-E36-BMW-328i&diagId=17_0960 https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BG22-EUR-09-1996-E36-BMW-328i&diagId=11_6077 https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BG22-EUR-09-1996-E36-BMW-328i&diagId=11_6080 And even more to go to the M3 version. So if you can find a pre-prepped conversion kit that would be easiest.

New for $290 at Continental Cars BMW: https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/car-parts-accessories/bmw/accessories/listing/3370432615 I'm not sure what they normally retail for but I suspect it's more than $290. No association but I believe everything they've sold so far has gone to a Bimmersport member, including me and they're legit.