M3_Power

Points fingers at BMW NZ ... I swear not my fault ... I was simply invited to do a reivew on it AFAIK, it is already on its way down South and to do its tour of duty around the Country as I type ... She came out of the car after the test drive with a simple and to the point comment ... "better and faster than the E92 M3" "The stripes are apparently part of the marketing world wide - I agree a little tacky, but if you compare it to a plain white one without stripes, it sort of makes sense from a marketing perspective.Links to a plain white one overseas: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=552617 Trust me when I say the car looks better in person than the photos. When I first saw it on print, I cringed ... in person, VERY different. Those side cutouts in the bumper are actually functional not just an aesthetic piece (i.e. the air curtains or whatever BMW's calling them) After hearing what I'd get as a trade-in on the E92 M3 I am now less overwhelmed about the car Stripes are suppose to mimic the original 3.0 CSL 24 hour car I believe. Just the M badge apparently, no 1M ... strange if you asked me. It is a very cool car ... and only 15 coming to NZ .. that's it ... 10 this year and 5 more next ... I am told 9 are already spoken for, so only 6 remain and apparently half of those have a "maybe on them already".

Yep Highland Park The photos don't do this car justice to be honest - very boxy and chiseled in person. LOL ... I'll give you her number so you can help? haha

Got to take this for a little drive today ... have been asked to do a full write up review in the next G-Force Magazine Still grinning ear to ear at the moment

LOL .. believe it or not I've received like three emails already today with people telling me about this car!!! Very nice example it seems - but truth be told I only heard about this car three weeks ago (seems to have been well hidden and went unnoticed for all the time it has been in the Country). One thing I will point out though ... aircon doesn't save you 60kg .. more like 17kg ... and it's a bit of a job to put back in. Otherwise well priced in my opinion and definitely the rarer of the two available colours (and probably more desirable to some).

I don't think we see things too differently when it comes to the E9X M3. When it comes to the IS-F however we definitely aren't on the same page and this is despite my completely biased opinion. I actually rate the IS-F quite highly to be honest. [and no I don't own both of those below] As for the N54 and N55, long term reliability is definitely an issue with these motors. The 'dog' comment really wasn't aimed at the performance side of things, but the reliability side. Having said that however, the S65B40 is also a bit of a concern long term wise (as you no doubt know personally). If I must be picky however, there is quite a bit BMW can learn from Lexus when it comes to reliability and a lot Lexus can learn from BMW when it comes to drivability.

Fair opinion, although I don't consider the IS-F to be that far off the M3 to be honest, at Pukekohe they are about a 1sec apart in the hands of a former F1 driver (no bull). I'd happily trade the M3 for an IS-F however if $ was a factor and convenience taken into account (the IS-F is WAY roomier with a much larger boot compared to the E90 body.) I would however NEVER own a 335i or anything with a N54 twin turbo in it - they are dog of an engine with LOADS of issues.

The 2010 models have a locking diff. Have any of you actually driven an IS-F? It's not that bad, pretty good actually, enough to make me want to trade : ) Like I said, factor in the $ value and it's a pretty good alternative to the German equivalent.

sh*t that's ugly .... what a pointless car. M3 GTS > M3 CRT

If the RS6 is out of budget how would the F10 M5 be affordable? Aren't they similarly priced? My vote ... Lexus IS-F (great bang for buck in my opinion) and way less thirsty than the V8 in the M3 (borderline ridiculous to be honest, but not as bad as the Merc C63, now that IS thirsty).

Personally love the new look of the wheels (although would have been better if you could have tracked down a beat up set rather than a set in such nice condition - but like you said, it's your car, you can damn well do whatever you like to it [insert thumbs up pic].)

Cheers Mike!! Many happy owners so far with these (with most of the kits ending up in racecars!!) Grab them before they disappear again!

Had another lot of these made last week - 5 sets available. Be quick : )

Nope definitely heavier - go check BMW's website. It's about 40kg heavier. Not possible - they are all made at the same factory and with the same motor - no 335i came with the Z4 35iS motor with 340hp - the sales person doesn't know what they are talking about. You would expect it to handle like a M3 if not better, the torque and weight savings over the M3 would also mean it'd be pretty similar if not better in terms of performance. It is suppose to be a closer spiritual successor to the E30 M3 than the E92 M3 ever was. Pretty cool car regardless, even though it is still a bit too parts bin special for my liking, but hey it's a cheap way to bring out a 'new' product I suppose for BMW.

Engine from Z4 35iS (not the 35i version) based on N54, but it is a production engine not a M special. Car is actually heavier than standard 135i. Arms, suspension, subframe and diff from the M3 and motor from the Z4 35iS No weight savings, heavier car than the 135i.

They are made in Thailand ... enough said.

And this is unexpected ... back up for sale again!! What the?? No love for the CSL from the new owner? http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-380335206.htm

GONE!!!!!

Need not remind everyone that these don't come up for sale very often at all. Great value for the asking price in my opinion!! Don't hesitate, call the bank manager and get it !! Don't dream, "Just do it" hehe

Photos - Rare opportunity to own such a fabulous piece of German engineering.

Ah true, my bad ... wasn't paying attention when I cut and pasted that info.

As far as I am aware ADR means nothing in NZ. For braided lines to be legal it needs to meet one of the following standards (and have the approval tag on the line itself): http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/rules/li...rakes-2002.html Approved vehicle standards for vacuum brake hoses2.5(4) A vacuum brake hose must comply, as specified in 2.5(6), with a version of an approved vehicle standard in 2.5(5), or with the original equipment specifications of the vehicle manufacturer. 2.5(5) Approved vehicle standards for vacuum brake hoses are: (a) Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE 40 R3L (light duty); ( Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE 40 R3H (heavy duty); © Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE 40 M (heavy duty oil resistant); (d) Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE J1403 (vacuum brake hose); (e) British Standard BSAU 109; (f) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 106, Brake Hoses; (g) Japan Industrial Standard D2607.

Okay, an owner has contacted me and asked me to put the word out. Those GENUINELY INTERESTED ONLY PLEASE - please PM me with your contact deatils and I will pass them onto the owner, who will in turn contact you. 2004 car - Silver Grey, 60K km (couple of mods + extra set of 18inch wheels and tyres) but has all the original gear to return the car back to stock standard. Interested Party over $85K only please. Nicely looked after car - has been used for track days but not competition use. email: Someone buy this before I am tempted myself PLEASE STOP EMAILING ME ABOUT THIS CAR, LOOK AT THE POSTING DATE. THE CAR IS LONG GONE. IN FACT NO LONGER IN NZ!!!!

Are you after photos to check fitment or to understand where they go? The fronts go in between the front shock top mounts and the chassis towers. This is to stop it from tearing if you run solid front mounts or heavier spring rates. The factory top mounts are 2mm thick, so are these. The rears go on top of the chassis turrets where the rear shock mounts. It stops the rear shock from pulling out of the body. Will try and get some fitment photos when I can.

Custom made in stainless steel by a friend of mine. Made to order, 2 day turn around Fronts are 2mm as per factory BMW versions. Made from BMW template Rears are 3mm with greater coverage compared to the factory items (rears will fit E36 also) $150 per set (or $90 for the fronts and $60 for the rears)

Custom made in 2mm stainless steel by a friend of mine. These were a test sample that I used to test fit in my car. I ended up with a 3mm version instead. Great fitment and much greater coverage than the factory Z3 plates.' Nicely polished. $50