Allanw

The "springs" are known to fail, as crud gets caught in them and wears holes etc. They aren't terribly cheap to replace, but they do last a long time.

Dad's E30 325i has cost him about 8K over the 14 odd years he's owned it. I think that's brilliant! He's a stickler for servcing (starter wouldn't go one time he tried, but worked second time, so he brought a new one because it worried him!) His previous Toyota cost him 1/2 that, but in only 4 years, and the Holden before that... Well, lets just say his next car will probably be another BMW!

At least if it's a singapore import, it's proper Euro spec. Plus it's the Jap ones which seem to have the disintegrating rubbers, seals and insulation padding. I'd worry more about them. NZ new always seems to fare better. From the reviews from UK etc that I read, the E38 is has more issues than the E39, but they may have been model specific issues. E38's seemed to have more gremlins, although I assume most of the componentry is the same anyway. I chose and E39 because of that (plus it was manual!). I think it is ones of those things that is likely to be more related to the actual cars, as opposed to the model in general. If the 740i has been meticulousy maintained, it's probably a reasonably safe bet.

There was a 750iL for sale up here a year or two ago, had 520K on it. Was ex-estate agent. My Bro in law drove it an reckoned you wouldn't know the milage on it without looking - it could have said 180K and you'd believe it. Of course he drives a Terrano, so he might have compared it to that. My Mrs ex-impreza had 320K on it and was in better nick than my E39 with 114K. Only broke down once, when the fuel pump failed - and even then, it only stopped coz I told her to turn it off! People have this hangup about milage, but it's the way it's been looked after that matters.

Yeah? Check this out... ;-)

Look up Wurth in the phone book (based in Hobill Ave manukau). They do bumper dye that panel beaters swear by. (I know a guy who did his shoes with it, lasted 3 years!)

yep, the ZX's we have here at work are wider - quite a lot wider. Nearly has as much space as my '84 VW! The narrow ones feel like you're crammed into a Bambina. There's probably 200mm difference, feels like more though.

From the online user manuals: (which are US based - don't some of their engine have iron blocks or liners or something?) Curb weight (with one person, ready for operation, full tank of fuel, options not included) 2000 e46 328i M52 Sedan manual: 1450Kg 2000 e39 528i M52 Sedan manual: 1585Kg 2001 e46 325i M54 Sedan manual: 1535Kg 2001 e39 525i M54 Sedan manual: 1565Kg I assume they use the same size "person" in the figures. The 2001 figures are interesting!

Yuo probably have a broken wire in the boot loom, where it's inside the gromett from the body to the lid - wire breakages are common-ish.

I just removed the Clutch Delay Valve from my E39. I can't believe the difference it makes! I thought it probably wouldn't be worth the effort, but felt enthused this morning. I have 2 neighbours with hoists at home, but did it in the garage with the factory jack and one axle stand anyway! The car used to to be difficult to reverse out of the garage because when trying to slip the clutch, it would engage more than you wanted, so you'd have to modulate it to keep the engine from stalling, or rev the engine higher like a Nana. The EFI would keep giving the engine a kick to stop it stalling. It sounded stupid! Also, the change from 1st to 2nd was always a bit lurchy and hard to keep smooth. Now, the clutch is perfectly smooth and predictable, it feels better and performs like you'd expect it should have always done. manouvering in tight spots is easy and smooth now, and it doesn't sound like you are continuously almost stalling. It took longer to get the car up and down than it did to remove the valve. There are write ups all over the interweb, but it basically involves (on E39's): Undo clutch hose backet clamp soft hose remove 9mm hard hose nut remove 14mm CDV from slave fit 9mm hard line nut into slave bend hard line slightly to fit bracket back onto stud, tighten. unclamp soft hose open bleeder on slave to let any bubbles out (I got the mrs to pump the pedal twice, to be sure, but NO bubbles anyway) (some models are done differently) If your car has one, I'd HIGHLY recommend removing it! Putting it back in only takes the same effort, but I'd be surprised if anyone ever put one back in! Cheers,

WHAAAAA? This one looks really tidy - has that other one even got a straight panel on it??? the bumpers aren't aligned, both front and rear valances are bent, the right rear 1/4 is ripply, the left side has dent/damage to both rub strips and probably both doors (one for definate), the upholstery is holed, and the dash has LOTS of BIG cracks. Prolly not a bad price though - manual 325i's don't come along every day. Makes this one look like a deal to me - shame it's Auto though :-( Dads got one like the blue one, but looks super tidy (he's had it for 12 or 13 years now). Those late E30's are great - they had all the bugs ironed out - no SI light issues and stuff like that.

Sweet! - no rush though! I got the other "goodies" :-) I suppose I should ask if you can help the OP, since I seem to have hijacked his thread... Oops!

Prolly more beneficial here Those carbon AC filters work great BTW.

Ooops, fixed it!I am Retard...

You can try Paul at MillAnd in Dunedin. We have no official dealer up here either, just "service" agents. www.milland.co.nz He's a knowledgable guy, and can get EVERYthing. both genuine and aftermarket, good stuff too - never had an issue with anything from him. I believe he's ex-dealership anyway.

When you say older, is it first gen EZ30, or is it the EG33 from the SVX? Have you got overheating issues still?

Hehehe... so it's sorted then? The heater hose issue is THE most common mistake people make! Very easy to do That hose is pretty much the ONLY thing that will open the thermostat (until the engine is WAY too hot). Sounds like a cool project! Must sound MEAN! I want to replace the VW gearbox in my Kombi with a subaru one (conversion is about $4K though) and then change the EJ25 to an EZ30. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Damn... I spent ages trying to find a used dwell meter for my VW! I eventually brought a new one! You can get an e21 or Isetta now

WOW - always liked E34 wagons... but I'd still want a few more thrown in for $21K! Very nice condition and super low mileage.... still, 6 speed 540i's have been selling for half that, with "only" double the milage.

Don't have a manual for one of these, but am very familiar with Subaru (I put a subaru 2.5 in my VW van, amongst other things) What are you having problems with? Are you just installing the engine? A lot of people don't realise you can't close off the heater circuit - it HAS to be a loop (with some restriction)

Nice car! I think I saw it on trademe??? Was that where you saw it? I thought it would be a good car "for the Mrs" I love 4 door M3's!

The dealers make quite a good commision on the warranties anyway :-) I don't think the dealer has to sell the car to sell in cover - When I managed a rental fleet, we used to sell cars as well (had a full time yard for ex rentals etc). People would come in just to buy policies - not sure if they can still do it though. It WILL be expensive too. Do BMW deaers offer an option? They do the approved used BMW warranties on the cars they sell don't they?

Truely!

Good Move

Ha! that was mine too! Mine was at least 6 months ago too! (only been buying cars lately!)