NZ BMW

Fair enough, the point I was making is that to me at least; good quality E34 vs good quality E39 I think that E34 has more cachet. Ultimately it's all subjective really. For reasons unknown certain cars and designs become desirable and interesting as they age and others less so.

The E39 is the better car, whereas the E34 is the more desirable from a collectors point of view IMO. Assuming all things are equal in terms of condition etc.

Well... in the end I went with the 4.8 petrol. I picked it up yesterday. It's very nice and being the larger engine most of the options boxes seemed to have been ticked. Look forward to seeing how it goes. At the same time I made sure to get the 4 year Autosure warranty with the most comprehensive cover.

Thanks for all the info, it's always great to hear what others who have been there and done that have to say. I went and looked at a couple today and ended up also testing out a 2007 with the 4.8, it was very impressive in terms of how smooth the power delivery is. Whilst the 3.0 was fine, as someone mentioned above it did seem to have to use everything it had to keep moving... I have some thinking to do. The car had about 70,000kms on it and I believe the comfort seats are some of the best things I've sat in. Those dealer servicing costs do seem high, I would agree with the others... I've usually been able to get away with a service costing circa 5-600 if nothing was wrong and nothing I've seen on these cars would lead me to think that I can't get away with brakes being similar in cost to my old 530i or the previous two Mercedes. I would expect that the additional costs would be; more oil (if 4.8 motor) and tyres, given that they all have 19's on them. As mentioned above, not having a spare on any of them is kinda annoying. Although most punctures tend to be slow leaks and you only notice over time. Guess we will see what the option is to add a space saver. Guess I have to mull all of this over, vs the other option... simply do nothing.

I must be honest, looking at the LCI's I'm struggling to see the premium they command. Granted you get the upgraded iDrive, and the new diesel engine and gearbox but I don't know if that is worth a 10K premium to me. I'm trying to stick to mid 30's as a budget so with that in mind these look reasonable to me: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1140196473 http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1119367526.htm http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1107250575.htm I actually don't even mind the clay-yellow interior of the second one. The point about the spare wheel is a good point - generally if they are the 5-place seating arrangement, do they all come with a spare?

Hi Everyone, For various reasons we're now considering an SUV for the household. I've been out looking and within the price range I have the option of: X5 - E70 - 2008-2009 Range Rover 2006-2007 Mercedes ML 2007-2009ish I've pretty much discounted the Range Rover, on the basis that I can't find anything really in the price range sub 120k's and they only come in V8, whereas, I tend to lean more to six cylinder engines. I'm also very worried about the notorious air suspension issues I keep hearing about. Which brings me to the BMW or the Mercedes. Having driven both, my initial impression was that the ML felt like a larger version of my C Class (funny that) and the BMW, what had the sports pack was very similar to my old E39. One thing I did notice with the X5 was that the ride, at least to me, was very harsh. I can't seem to find much of a buyer's guide online. My main questions are around what to look out for; How reliable is the air suspension for example? Do E70s still suffer from crippling BMW cooling system faults? Does anyone here have an E70? what are they like to live with? Any advice as it relates to the sports model and the standard? I intend to use the vehicle mainly for longer trips outside of the city but it will also get a bit of city driving on the weekends. Thanks for the advice.

Hi Guys, Thought you might like to see my snaps from a quick visit the BMW museum/BMW Welt in Munich. I happened to be near there for work so took the opportunity to go along. It's worth the visit and if you're more organised than I am you can go through the manufacturing facility on a tour. Certainly recommend it for any committed BMW Fan, I wish I took more photos. The visitor centre is split into two areas, the museum (which was actually smaller than I expected) and the BMW Welt, which is a sort of flagship showroom where you can browse, buy and pickup your new BMW, Mini or Roller. The museum is about $15NZ to get into, the Welt is free. Here's a couple of highlights below and the rest of the photos are here: http://s64.photobucket.com/user/natsoi/Mobile%20Uploads/BMW%20Germany/story There were also new 7 Series on display at the airports, this one looks like the air suspension had collapsed... Another highlight of Germany is that when I Uber'd to the airport there was only an Uber Black available. Turned out to be a LWB 7 Series (The previous generation), black with cream interior which proceeded to drive at 180km/h to the airport along the motorway. Was quite a nice experience and an upgrade from our standard Uber back here.

Some 3 Series in Munich, happy to post the rest up if anyone is interested:

Having a hard time working out why this one isn't shifting: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=982804147

Let the insurance companies fight it. They don't want to pay so will put up a fight. For what it's worth a few years ago now I hit a loan car from a body shop, so I was in the position of the other party in your example. The owner of the shop called me to confirm my details and then our two insurance companies worked it out. The guy driving the car didn't have to do anything.

I love the wood, what pattern/variety is that?

Very cool stuff. Quite neat when you think about you can buy an E38 for peanuts and get a car which you can then personalise. When you're finished it does not really feel out of date or old at all. In a lot of ways I think there is more cool factor in an older car which has been superbly maintained and upgraded than a newer, more generic car.

Wouldn't buy this one, smells like a smokers car.

I like the tape repair to the driver's door.

^Yes, was going to say that this car looks like it's been in a nose to tail with the bumpers coming from one that had PDC onto a car that did not.

I'm always amazed the improvements which can be made by a good cleaning and polish. I hope that the kebab stick was at least from a reputable aftermarket manufacturer if not OEM BMW.

Great cars, congrats.

The worst part about the proposed GST changes is not the paying of GST but the part in there which has a fine of up to $30K for using an offshore streaming service like the US Apple TV store or US Netflix... they don't even give you the option of filing a return and paying your tax, just shut down the content. What next?! Banning all offshore goods except those who have import licences, we all know how that movie ends.

The other day I saw him kick a kitten and throw some lolly wrappers on the ground - OMG fight the power! Anyone who has been through any kind of large data migration or IT project will tell you that if that's the only problem..... well they've earned their bonus this year. But we all know the media wouldn't like that either!

Just want to bump this up again. We're moving and I have also uncovered the E39 boot luggage straps I removed from the can and a spare climate control unit (not working but the buttons are flawless) - these are free to a good home if anyone wants them.

Sure thing, perhaps drop me a private message when you're ready i.e. cross referencing the parts to your engine, just in case.

A lot of places in the US have valet parking and I know for a lot of people over there with nice cars it's a constant battle with parking and the types of people who will be driving your car. So probably not a bad idea when it comes to untrustworthy valets who ding up the car if they don't get enough of a tip. We're really lucky living in New Zealand I feel.

Just want to bump this up - I'll take $40 for the PCV as it's just sitting around and is of no use to me. No doubt there will be a bunch of M54's out there with one in need of replacing!

That seems a funny size to be running on a 16 inch E39 wheel. Isn't it 225 50 16 or something, which is much more common? To put it in perspective I picked up Goodyear from Beaurepaires for $660 after discounts and negotiation in 205 55 16 size so you a least have some kind of comparison with a similar-ish tyre. I think a couple of years ago I got 235 45 17 Dunlops in the low $700's for my E39 as well.

Nice buy, looking forward to the project thread. But that interior.....