Old_Skool_Bmw

Hi Golfboy666.. The 'H' pattern gearbox is original for the US Spec e30M3's. to be hoest you're probably going to have more luck getting a US car than a euro car + shipping involved would put the cost up. Im waiting for the law change before I can put mine on the road here in NZ.. Have you found anyone that has any e30 m3's for sale?? Laurence.

Yikes.. I hope that wasn't an m3 with s50 engine. Would make more sense to spend the $$ on airbox, computer + cams and it's run o much better than this would. I don't mind rota's if they're in jap cars but an e36??? Laurence.

Hi Guys, Have just re-listed the personalised plate. I've lowered the reserve and the buy now price is under $1000. Really need to sell this A.S.A.P. Will consider genuine offers over reserve price. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=104914639 Thanks, Laurence.

I'd have to say Paekakariki Hill Rd... Wicked as winding road over Paekakariki Hill that comes out just North of Porirua/WGTN. Sub 10min runs are fun . Johnsonville - Makara (Ohariu Valley Rd). But if you go over to Makara at 2am in the morning there may be cows in the middle of the road as i found out one night. Laurence.

Hi Golfboy.. If you're after a Euro spec e30 M3 which i think you are then the best place to find one will be in the UK.. Most, if not all Jap imported e30 M3's come from USA. There is no Japan version e30 M3, only cars imported into Japan with either Eurp dog-leg or USA spec 'H' pattern m3's. Is there any particular reason you are after a dog-leg e30 M3? I've got the US 'h' and will probably change to dog-leg only because i'll be changing out the diff and gearbox for some track/street ratio's. You could always do the same if you find a US spec cars are easier to find on EBay etc. Cheepest that you're going to get a semi-decent e30 M3 into NZ is going to be around $16,000-$18,000. A good condition one i'd expect to go for anywhere from $25,000 upwards depending on engine spec + any special extra's . Then you'll need to put aside around $10,000 - $15,000 to account for re-build engine, any mics parts etc. What are your plans once you get yourself one? Laurenc.e

Hi Golfboy666GTI, Are you just refering to e30 m3's that have been imported from Japan?. As far as im aware there was only ever the Euro spec e30 M3 and the US spec M3. There was never a 'Japan spec' version made.\ I have a US Spec M3 which was imported to NZ from Japan. It's fitted with the US spec gearbox if that helps. Laurence.

** Bump ** Only a few hours to go until the auction finishes. If anyone is keen to buy this week i'll sell for $950 buy-now. Starting bid is only $800 guys. Thanks, Laurence.

Guys i think you're thinking of 'Arlington Motors'. They are one of the best places in Wellington and they only do Insurance Work because it's known as being the most expensive shop (labour price/hour $$) in Wgtn. If it's an insurance job then i'd go there. They have a damn good reputation and i think they offer a lifetime warrenty on paint & panel work if i heard right. I had a quote done for my Mercedes 190e when i had some damage to the car but settled privately. I'd use them if you can as they are pretty professional. Laurence.

Hi Fen, i looked into this sort of thing as i have a e30m3 that im hoping to get on the road soon. You have to have proof of an overseas postal address (eg. power bill, rates & on your passport). As long as you have the docs. to proove that you owned the vehicle overseas, you have the bill of lading, import docs etc. then it shouwl all be sweet. All they do is match up the VIN's to make sure the vehicle on paper is the vehicle they are inspecting> Contact LTSA if you want, they are pretty helpfull with this type of stuff. Laurence.

I contacted them over the phone.. They confirm details and they value the plate based on previous sales of similar plates. I guess you can get something in writing too but i haven't had anything sent to me yet. Laurence.

PBOY - yeah it's a wicked plate. Unfortunately I have already purchased a different p.plate a while back to put on my M3 when i get it on the road. This plate was valued at around $1300-$1400 by personalised plates. I'd like to get the reserve price but I have the start price and reserve set at $800. If you bid $800 and no one else makes a bid then the plate is yours! Laurence.

Hi Guys, I've sold my Mercedes and now have the personalised plate up for sale on Trademe. I'm looking for at least the buynow price. I do need to sell the plate A.S.A.P as i have a few bills to pay for the project M3 as the engine is almost finished. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.as...403&ed=true All genuine offers will be considered. Thanks, Laurence.

Hi Andrew, I called Tony's Tyres today. they checked with Dunlop. Aparentmy the road legal Direzza tarmac tyres aren't avaliable in NZ atm?? maybe they have this wrong? The R888's look prett good at this stage, just need to look at pro's & cons. maybe we could start a new thread re: pro's v/s con's of some of the race series tyres?? Laurence.

Great.. any idea of the price of the tyres? is there any sort of discount going through Bimmersport of the BMW car club? Laurence.

Im curious as to what tarmac tyres are road legal? I'd like to fit some on my 15's to use for road/club day track use. Checked with Tony's Tyre's but they wern't really sure what brands I could use. Any ideas what road-legal tyres i could fit? most likely 205/55/15's Laurence.

I'll be getting the vehicle cert'd when i register it so i'd just look at doing this at the same time. I just checked and 'hubcentric' spacers seems the way to go. the hub ring fits into the wheels and eliminates the lateral movement. I guess it depends how far out i need to bring my wheels as to what i do from here. Laurence.

I'll check the offset on the wheels tonight. Wouldn't there be a problem getting a wof with spacers thou? Can't quite recall how that works. Laurence.

Hi Guys, Just picked up a set of Alpins 17x9 & 17x8.5 rims from my uncle. He had them on his e36 but he didn't like the ride of 17's so i've grabbem them. Im planning to put them on my e30 M3. We test fitted them to my friends e30 m3, as mine is away having engine work done. Probmel was that the rims were too wide (inside) and when we dropped the car down the rear rims were toucking the rear shock tower and did a little damage. Im not too sure hwo to go about getting them sorted. I know they have been fitted to e30 cars before and im guessing some offset problems here. The pic shows them sitting next to the car. I'll try put some better pics up when i get hold of my camera. Any sugestions as to how i can go about fitting them on? Spacers maybe? but i want it done legit as well. Laurence. alpina_s.bmp alpina_s.bmp

Just to let you guys know i've sold the Merc (hopefully). The guy's picking the car up tonight.. Im still selling the P.Plate if anyone is keen. If any Bimmersport members want the plate i'd sell it for $950 cash. reserve on trade me was $1100. Thanks, Laurence.

Good Luck with your sale.. i've seen it around twn a bit, nice looking ride you got there!!.. I'd say e30 325i or m325 if you can get for around $7500. M325 would appreciate but getting harder to find a good one these days. maybe ane36 320? Laurence.

If i wanted to go 'FI' then i probably wouldn't choose an M3 engine to try it on. Sort of would loose the value of having one of these cars if i wanted to re-sell (which i wouldn't). I know a few people that have re-built 'FI' s14 engines, but why take a hi-comp engine and built it into a low-comp turbo'd one? Plus, with the right gear these engines are good for a reliable 300+hp. Laurence.

I think he was getting around 235hp atw at 6800rpm.. but more tuning and a higher red-line shoudl get anther 10-15hp. It was rev-limited at 7k cos new engine and the tuner didn't want it blowing up I'll see if i can source the graph, i have it stored somewhere on my comp. Laurence.

hey Gus, A friend of mine has a fully rebuild 2.5L engine with motec + 290kk cams & airbox. He's making 290hp and it's pretty damn streetable. It's got a pretty nice torque curve too Laurence.

hey bro.. it's a little bit harder if i want to drop a 2.5L crank in. machine work + different sump etc would be needed. I agree.. the higher rmp engine (top hp between 6-8000rmp) would make the engine less reliable. I'm going to get this first stage done, see how it handles and then go from there. Laurence.

I would think that a broker would almost always be a bit more expensive, in the end they are just the middle man for some company in NZ or overseas that will cover your car... Granted, sometimes it is just a lot easier to go with a broker and save yourself the hastle. Best thing to do is: a) Decide what you want to cover, Do you want a basic cover for cheep, or do you want a comprehensive cover that provides a bity more cover eg. what if you have an accident 200km's from home (does your insurance compnay cover you to get home again??, are you covered for repairs by a repairer of YOUR chioce??). come up with an budget for your insurance. Have a ball-pack figure in mind, or talk to peole and see what they have cover for and what they pay. c) RING AROUD. remember the cheepest cover is not always the BEST cover.. Decide what is important for you. You may not always find the best cover on your first call, but if you know what you want and ask the right questions it can be really easy. Laurence.