CSET

Also really suits the E39 M5 IMO: I delivered the CSL rims this morning to get the new tyres on - fitment hopefully tomorrow morning (all things well & good)! I'm hoping the combination of light silver wheels on dark grey paint is going to look how I imagine - they're a bit lighter than the M5 wheels above. I'm a bit nervous to be honest.

Hi all, Anyone in the market for one of these? I doubt it gets much better than this. Sub-40kms, looks brand new. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=646143589

If you're dead-set keen on an M3, you could also look at an e36 shape? Have a read around the forum, there's heaps of info on them. Awesome cars. I saved for my M3 for a number of years, it was well worth the wait!

They're still coming down in price! I picked mine up from Team MacMillan, so it's not really a good yardstick to use to compare price against a private sale. There's a few on TM for low $20's (on higher k's, granted). Beware though - I've found parts can get quite expensive, so the capital cost is only a small part of the investment...! If you're really stretched to buy one, it may be worth saving until you can afford the maintenance (to save disappointment if something breaks). Otherwise, get a cheap daily runabout - it's worked really well for me this way; I'm not dependant on the M3 for work this way!

OK tyres are now on the way, so watch this space for the new BBS rims! Picked up a set of Nitto Invo's, they've had glowing reviews from guys running these on M3s overseas. Plus that tread pattern....

NIce!!!!! Looks great in light silver. Is that a standard kit? The chin spoiler looks deeper than what I recall on others. I love these so much.

Thank you mate! I'm really happy where it's at now

I hadn't planned to, but it is growing on me for sure! Speedy Signs printed me out another set, so I can remove the ones on there if I'd like. I may remove the VW logos though - they're a bit on the nose. The prize for winning the rally is $$ towards tyres - so I can finally afford some good tyres for the CSL wheels! Will get them fitted up and post some pics when I can. The only chrome left on the car after removing the wheels is the side-fender gills. This would look a little out-of-place with the black/grey theme, so I've ordered some black ones from overseas. I also have a ZCP gear knob and alcantara gaiter turning up shortly - can't wait for these two!

Just out of Stratford mate. Here's a few more:

Haha sure did mate - still buzzing! There were a couple of VW's in the rally, nothing like a little friendly competition.

Hi all! We took part in the inaugural Gumboot Rally the past weekend (www.gumbootrally.com) - and had a blast! Drove some amazing roads down and around Taranaki and the Waikato, including the Forgotten Highway. I highly recommend this event; it went off without a hitch and the organisers did a grand job of planning the route & challenges. There were prizes for the best themed, so I got in touch with Speedy Signs who made up some German crosses & VW decals for MTOY. The Suzuki Swift below came out best-themed - it looked incredible in person. We were the overall winners of the rally in MTOY, lucky number 11! The prizes were amazing; I now have a fair sum to invest in some good tyres for the new wheels! There'll be some more pics to come, but here's some I had on my cell phone:

Can't be too many things imo - pads (wear or stones), check calipers are connected correctly (strange I know, but it's happened to me before), and that nothing is touching the discs under load (I'm thinking the stone shield).

Niiiiice! Great car, years of fun-filled motoring to be had here!

I'll take it mate, I don't suppose you have a shift boot lying around? The M5 G/K I have has a boot attached!

Mmm looks great! Which engine in the X5? How do you rate it compared to the X1 in terms of road-holding?

Boom! Hahaha

Ray to the rescue again!

Have you bought it yet Good luck, looks awesome!

Or from the UK? e34 Touring Taillights

Congrats everyone. I'm coming up 1-yr smoke free on 07 November, not that I'm counting. Thought I'd be right back at it when I picked up a drink, so I gave that up too.

This type of action is all a publicity stunt & in my mind simply showing off wealth. If he was really upset, he would have done more than write a single letter. Like selling his M6 and buying a VW. If I were BMW Iran, I'd be tempted to send him a (single) letter thanking him for the free publicity, and recommending a BMW-approved panelbeater in the area to repair his ultimate driving machine.

"And here we see the mighty e36 in it's natural habitat..."

Wow, great work! Congratulations!

Heh me too, I'd never heard it outside before - sounds quite different in the cabin! Thanks mate. I'll mount them up without spacers to start with, then have a look afterwards if there's room for a little more poke. I am a little nervous as the previous wheels rubbed quite badly under load (with 25 profile tyres too!). Aside from TradeMe, do you know of anywhere I can get good quality spacers? Sounds like it's about standard output, which I'm stoked with - shows the engine is still in great condition.

The rear wheels have arrived, and are looking nice! Now to find some good tyres. I drove down to Tauranga today with some of the NZHondas lads to have a go on the Dyno at CDM. It's a hub dyno (rather than a rolling road), so the wheels came off and they hooked the contraption up. It made 221kw, and a bloody racket. I really didn't know what to expect, having never been to a dyno before and not knowing the standard output of the car at the hubs. Google tells me that 220kw is just under 300hp, which is quite good going when you take into account some drivetrain loss. I have the dyno printout thing I can scan and post up if anyone's interested. Those that were asking about the noise from the new K&N intake, have a look at video 3 M3 Dyno Run 1 (Rear) M3 Dyno Run 2 (Rear) M3 Dyno Run 3 (Intake) I've also registered for the Gumboot Rally in a couple of weeks' time - will post up some photos once the car is stickered up and ready to go. Edit: And a couple more photos from today: