Mark

Parts are pretty scarce for these now and it's a basic spec model, looks very tidy but IMO not a $5k classic just yet.

^Equates to around 170hp at crank... must be a very strong and well looked after M20 to still be putting out factory quoted figures!

Hawt! ... well worth all the effort I'm sure!

SWEET BABY JESUS IT'S INCREDIBLE!

I'd hit it.

4WD status at moment. Can't wait to see what narrower tyres and a drop will do.

And only two posts before it got racist. CLOSED.

It was coolant actually.

HB fella... have a good one!

I've recently moved back to town from Rotorua. Mind you, I'm from here and came back not only because I got a promotion but also to be near friends and family again. You can live here quite comfortably. However there are quite a few things to think about. - At the moment it's quite difficult to get insurance. (Not impossible as I eventually sorted it, but tougher if you're moving to town from outside the city) - There's not a lot to do. Pretty much 90% of bars, clubs etc are demolished or still closed. Same with movie theatres, pools, parks, restaurants etc. However, suburban pubs are still open and new ones are popping up all the time to cater for all the nervous locals who rely on alcohol to get a good night's sleep. Going out for a dinner on a whim is not advised, you'll be driving around to find an empty table for a good while before you give up and go to the McDonald's drive thru. - Driving is a bit of a cock. However, the traffic is still miles better than Auckland. It takes me 18 minutes to get to work, when it would have used to take me 9. (so not a big deal really). Don't drive a lowered car unless you want to develop back problems. The roads have more humps than Alice the camel. - Water and power is back on in 95% of the city. Find a place to live in the West of the city and you'll be fine. Only problem with that is that everyone else who has been displaced has had the same idea and so rent prices have gone nuts. Budget at least $350 p/w for a decent place in a nice area. - It does still shake. There haven't been any really horrible ones since June 13, but your first 5.0 aftershock will have you shitting yourself. Positives: - If your workmates are a good bunch there's always a house party or poker night to go to. People have taken to buying a box or two and staying at home. (Get Sky if you have no mates) - You get used to "making do". The novelty factor of living in a quake zone has worn off for the locals, but you'll have fun with it for a while. - All the ITM cup Rugby is now played at Rugby Park... which has a good old fashioned embankment and you can get right on the sideline to abuse the ref and the opposing team (f**ken Southland!) - If you want to piss off for the weekend, there's awesome driving roads and lots of great towns to visit that are thriving more than ever before with the influx of Cantabrians escaping the quakes. To sum up: It's pretty sh*t, but not uber-sh*t.

This thread is now an utter waste of space. 90% of the replies to the thread have tried to talk you out of buying the car, if you still want to buy it then go for your life. CLOSED.

Dude, if you can only afford to finance a car through a car dealer, and a car worth less than 10 grand at that, I would NOT be looking at E46's... or even BMW's at all. Wait a while, save some cash then buy a really tidy example. For the amount you want to spend you're only going to end up buying a lemon of a BMW, especially one in the E46 model range. If you don't have your own cash to spend on a BMW in the first place, there's no way you'll be able to afford the repair bills and maintenance. Not trying to be harsh, me and many others on this site have learnt the hard way... but believe me if you keep trying to find an E46 at a dealer for super cheap you're only going end up disheartened, with an empty wallet and a big finance bill to pay.

Very clean E46... all the mods are fantastic! I remember your E36 was also very well presented. In my personal uneducated opinion... the car is worth $18 - 22k privately. Only true way to get market value is a $1 reserve auction. However if you're not that mad, chuck it on Trademe for what you'd like to get for it and slowly lower the value until you start getting bites. In any case, good luck with the sale!

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. With the k's the car has done, you may want to get a BMW mechanic to give it a once over and let you know what maintenance will need doing soon. But there's no point in having the engine rebuilt if there's nothing wrong with it.

$8500 is far too cheap for a decent 330i. Dealer wants rid of it to be selling for that price. Walk away... spend 6 grand more on a car with lower k's and in better condition.

^Yeah, paint is amazing. It's obviously never been left out in the sun as there is minimal fading. When I took it out to take the photos I was wearing a beanie and hoodie, the top was down, The Rock blaring on the stereo, tearing around the neigbourhood in 2nd... must've looked like I just nicked it haha! Lots of fun.

Well, I lasted 8 months living in the the North Island before I got fed up with the warm weather and lack of earthquakes, so I decided to come back to Christchurch. Sold the girlfriend's MX5 before we left and she was sad, so I bought her another one this week. Got a chance to detail it today and take it for a spin.... (I secretly take it for drives cos it's awesome). Old green one... New red one... Got it for a bargain price... really low k's, new roof, always garaged and paint is really tidy for a red one. Still on the hunt for another BMW... have a company car at the moment, so will take my time and wait for the perfect example to turn up. In the meantime I'll take this for a Sunday blat every so often.

Elite Wheels are the most expensive but I hear they do the best work. Mag and Turbo also outsource to an engineering firm... might pay to see if you can get all the lips professionally polished at the same time.

I remember seeing this parked down my street a lot when I was living up in Rotorua. Noticed the bimmersport sticker but didn't realise the extent of the mods... just looked like a stock E36 with aftermarket wheels! Cool build, looking forward to seeing more progress!

Different car

^ fixed that for ya. Cheers... it was a nice car, sold it a while back though so on the lookout for another one in the near future.

Just post them in here fella... you can edit your old post, or post a new reply with the new pictures. Welcome, nice E39.

http://www.elitewheelcompany.co.nz/contact.htm or Mag and Turbo also have a good engineering firm they use.

Yeah, that's a deal breaker. Pretty much impossible to take a badge off.

Saw Simon's old 540iS down Brougham Street over the weekend. A younger fella driving it.