jjs

"Good value" is probably the better word. It sounds like you paid top dollar for your one

Not sure if it is genuine or not, but a cheap car for someone! http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...n-126542991.htm

You should try ringin a few car stereo places. They would surely have some that a E30 owner didn't want after upgrading their stereo system. Worth bugger all now!

Dealers will charge you and arm and a leg. Best bet is eBay

98 540i 141km - $12,000 98 520i 119km - $9,750 And to think everyone thought I was being ridiculous when I commented in another post that a E39 540i travelled 170 odd kms was worth 10-12

I can't see why... I think its the perception that Audi's represent uber-cool understatement and are the perfect accessory for the innercity apartment dweller. They do make some great cars, especially the RS range. But a standard A3, 4 or 6 is really just a specced up VW. Why buy an A4 when you can get a better spec'd Passat for less? However, following that... why buy a Passat when you can get a better spec'd Skoda Octavia for less? Hmmm... But, as a very wise man once said to me, "Audi's are very nice. However, so is tea and crumpets." EDIT - I seem to be offending people today... No offence is intended for Audi owners

Yeah but that is just a visual inspection of a speedometer (screws etc). There is no way to know with new digital speedometers, all it takes is the right computer and software. Japan doesn't care what the speedometer reading is of an export vehicle, thus they don't check them. If the car blantantly looks like it has been wound back (i.e. 50kms with no leather left on steering wheel or gear selector), customs will impound them. The rules have tightened up of late, but be very wary of cars which were imported 10 years ago or more. I have seen quite a few shagged E30's which have "travelled" only 100 odd kms. As said before, the only true way of verifying a speedometer is to look at LTNZ WOF history, check the spacing between each WOF and compare with the condition of the car.

High kms is fine - as long as the car has been well looked after and is priced well. What is the condition of this 328 and how much are they asking? But remember, high kms (i.e over 150 in most cases) won't allow you to get mechanical breakdown insurance. Also, resale on high km cars is much lower and it could take longer to find a buyer because of the market perceptions about kms out there.

Andy, I had a 98 Primera GXE (NZ) and a 94 Bluebird SES (NZ also). Both SR20's from memory. I need to sign up to view your link, which I can't really be bothered doing. Feel free to copy and paste my post above. Jeremy

My sincerest apologies for insulting any Primera owners. I have owned a Primera and a Bluebird and from my experience with them, I cannot see why people would get enthused. IMHO they are a run of the mill four door mass market car and nothing more. That is my opinion. But, as mentioned in my earlier post "each to their own" , e.g. I was once a member of the Fiat car club, which you may have a similar opinion of! This forum is fantastic, but I enjoy it even more when people have an opinion on something. My post wasn't intended to offend and I didn't think it could, but it has, hence my apology.

I didn't think it would be possible to get enthused about Primera's.... Each to their own I guess!

I thought VAG was the biggest?

But, how can you really be sure the mileage is original? There is no 100% genuine way of working it out with an import

Welcome You would be impressed with the X5 - a quantum leap over the Commodore and Saab!

What sort of kms have you put on her?

Horrid

Im pretty sure the H7's were given to a few hotels in Germany to use on an evaluation basis. Don't think there would be any in NZ

I've thought about this a bit, but not sure if it would work. TradeMe must get hundreds of complaints (mostly petty) about traders everyday. It must be some poor bastards job to sift through them all. But, do you think TradeMe really cares? I note they do pull auctions listing counterfeit items and block traders with really bad feedback, but do you think they can be bothered with complaints about questions that people ask (unless they are offensive or trying to subvert the auction process)?

So I guess we can conclude that - NZ new is attractive, but not worth paying much more for - The condition of the car is more important - Import history becomes less important as the car gets older However, I am very surprised to see the significant amount of people selecting the third option in the second question!

IMHO On a car yard 11-14 Privately 9-12 There are heaps of these for sale, so be picky and don't be afraid to go in low!

Auto / manual? kms?

Will be an M30 B30 I think Don't think this model was sold new in NZ

Much lower kms... The only truly accurate way of determining kms is by looking at LTNZ WOF history Benefits of buying an NZ new BMW Service history (most of the time) Tend to be better looked after (owning a New BMW in NZ is seen as something special, and because of the outlay required people tend to look after them better) No Japanese writing on TV screens / Japanese radio (yes, I know Jochen can overcome most of this) Better spec (e.g. E36 328's in NZ came with leather, as did the majority of E39's, Japs also hate sunroofs) More desirable colour combinations (no horrid blue interiors like the E39 touring that Martyyn was looking at) Better resale - some people only buy NZ new Look like proper Euro spec, e.g space to fit euro plates, proper alloys etc Im sure there are more I can't think of at the mo...

Yeah, not bad. If serviced properly, these cars can do huge kms. I know of a NZ E36 328i/2 5 speed travelled in excess of 400,000kms. Serviced by BMW every 10,000kms and still goes strong.

Looks like one of the quite a few ex-UK 6cyl 530 manuals. Not bad cars. There a quite a few 5's on $1 Reserve at the moment. A couple of E39 540i's too