jonesrp

Cheers Chris, could I ask about the engine work bearing in mind that Jeff Gray ChCh gave it a clean bill of health when you bought it ? That`s a big bill for preventative maintenance or did the chain guides and Vanos suddenly go on it ??

Regards,

Ray 

I don`t get it Dave...while you were gone `Someone thought they`d have a try..?`

I used Captain Transporter to get my e39 from Auckland, They charged extra for a North Shore pickup, then turned up unannounced, despite their website advising notice.

Luckily the old owner was home but because of the lack of notice had not been able to charge the battery.The car was towed onto the transporter, the old owner rang me to advise the battery issue so I rang the Captain to divert the car to my ChCh mechanic instead of my place. I asked for 24 hrs notice so I could alert the mechanic, however they turned up unannounced again after 5 days on the road.The mechanic`s apprentice sent them away,and I eventually located the car at NZ Express in ChCh who wanted another $90 to redeliver the car.Eventually the car got delivered. I have to say that the lady at Captain Transporter was very nice, but I couldn`t believe the lack of contact from them. They`re obviously a broker and don`t always know where their cars are at any stage. I should have used a full service Transport Company.

Porsche 968 has a 3 litre 4 cylinder, at the time the largest capacity 4 cylinder ever made...didn`t know Bmw did one ??

I`ve googled this engine and there are some Eastern European vids on You Tube about it. But nothing else. Whatever the engjne is, why is it currently sitting under the bonnet of this particular e39, and why hasn`t the lister raved on about it..?

I just checked out You Tube for a very young J. Clarkson review of this, I dunno about the price though, wouldn`t an e39 M5 with cash in the bank be a bit wiser ??

Nooh.??.......I mean no...ok ??? Aargh...LPG ???

A short shifter obviously.................

Check out Old Colonel Cars UK...(And no, I don`t know how to post a link, but the average 2 fingered typist will get there...) Kind of dispels the myth that the UK is full of old rustbuckets.

It also depends on how you value the driving experience..the 550 would be a hoot obviously. Nice to be able to own one...`just because...` However if you`re only driving it around town all week...I dunno. Nothing wrong with your other vehicles by the way.

Disclaimer: I have the hots for a Porsche 928 ...DON`T OWN ONE THOUGH.

There`s some debate online about E30 m3 RHD conversions, most of it slightly negative. One thing I read was that the engine slants away from the driver in LHD configuration, which means the driver can balance the weight distribution upfront. Could this mean that a fat bugger in a RHD E30 m3 could tip the car over at high speed ??

Could be an effective bargaining tool with the trade me vehicle , maybe the aforementioned fat bugger could lowball the car for say, $172500 ??

So...could someone enlighten me with regard to the 'Racing Dynamics` stuff under the bonnet.I know they did alloy wheels,

God yes...1800 cc and an auto as well.. I`m surprised there`s any tar seal left on any Dunedin roads.

You`re right though...very tidy.

The Japanese market took Euro spec LHD ...whether you`d want one is another story I guess. There`s been a 3.0 litre on Trade Me for ages.

Yep...gotta watch those heater fans. Can really destroy the whole car experience...

That`s why I use a mechanic to fix up `stuff` on my e39.....

Everyone`s engine bay looks like that in ChCh...trust me.There`s some sort of rebuild underway...

I just had mine polished at Novus..$190 plus gst. They look great, surely that`s cheaper than replacing ...?

Great post Lionel...sums it all up really...

Whoops...selling to fund a wheel chair van for his son.....ahem...good on him.

Nah...the advertiser. And the previous owner was...um...65. It`s just not right.

Mate...you`re 47.....come on..

There was an establishment in ChCh years ago that had couches in that colour...but they weren`t leather. I don`t know how I know this.

Me too...I hear countries with arabs in them are fantastic places to visit..

Obviously no one would like to see Clarkson in any more strife. But the producer took himself off to Hospital afterwards to get the damage fixed up, and would have had to explain to the people in white coats what happened. This is apparently why Clarkson `reported himself` to his employers afterwards. And why it`s blown up...