Mark

Welcome to BS Brook. Good to see you're looking after your first car and doing some nice mods to it too rather than just "slamming it on chromies"

Stretched tyres are common in the drifting scene. Perhaps less traction is needed, and a stretched tyre provides that? I like look of stretched tyres somewhat, however I personally wouldn't run them on a car I owned.

Same car I think Atta... can't believe it lived as a stock auto 325 for so long with all those cosmetic mods! More show than go is not cool in an E30 that nice!

Look up Parkside Media in the phonebook.

Here you go: E46 COMPACT BUYER'S GUIDE The following is a list of items to check when purchasing a BMW E46 compact. Hopefully this will help you avoid some of the common pitfalls associated with E46 compact ownership. ITEMS TO CHECK 1. Your head. That is all.

Looks mint Antony.... will be cool to check it out at the next meet! What's the performance like with the 2.7?

By all means, go check it out... but as others have said; It has been on Trademe for over a year. NB: I paid six for mine and it's in exceptional condition.

Interesting question Yuen. I know when you ring for an insurance quote that they ask if your car is auto or manual. I'm not sure if this affects the premium or not. AFAIK you don't need a cert to swap a car's transmission with another factory transmission so is it really classed as a mod? I'll let the guys who have done swaps chime in here, cos I'm sure they'll know better than me.

When things start going whacky in your instrument cluster it can mean the batteries for the service indicator are buggered.

Tech II: colour code trim and mirrors Non tech II: don't.

Sure am.... booked and ready to hold up all sorts of exotic metal on the back straight!

What's your budget?

Ok... so your car is already facelift. Yeah, Tardme ones won't fit. Ray should have some OEM facelift ones no?

The OEM facelift grilles require you to replace the nose panel too. The ones on Trademe are a weird shape made to fit P/fl cars specifically.

LHD Manual was only for the American market. Read an article in Total BMW about it.

I would've thought this would be the other way round? B25 having more torque and better mid range pull. M42 making its power at high revs.

Cos it's gonna be smashed up!

My brother is shooting a music video and needs a running car. Can be anything, as long as it runs. Doesn't have to be roadworthy. Budget is $300 Car must be in Christchurch city or surrounding areas. Anyone got anything lying around, or know of someone?

Man, looking at that mod list, I'd love to swap it all into my car. Unfortunately cashflow is a problem (do you take Mastercard Jimmy?)

i like turtles

Thanks Riley... will do. Apart from being a car maintenance noob I also don't have any decent tools which doesn't help!

Thanks for the advice guys... all good things to add to the checklist. So, a $100-$150 helmet is OK? I like my brain and want to make sure it stays where it's supposed to.

OK, so I want to take the E30 for a blat round Ruapuna, but have a couple of questions: -Helmet. What kind do I need? Can I use a motorcycle helmet? If I'm to buy a helmet what safety standards does it have to meet? - Brakes. Obviously the main thing needed for a fun day. What pads should I run? Will performance street pads suffice? Or should I get some race grade pads and swap them out on the day? - Other stuff. How else should I prep the car? What should I check/tighten/remove/replace both before the day and after it? Advice greatly appreciated.

My E30 revs at about 2,900 when driving at 100km/h in 5th. Fuel consumption is a concern.... does it run rich? Can you smell fuel distinctly from the exhaust when the car is cold?

Minis are a TERRIBLE car in auto form. In full auto mode the gearbox is awful, constantly changing up and down at weird times. Steptronic is not much better, with really sluggish changes, not something that fits with the whole "go kart" image the new Mini has. They're also very small inside, vision around the car is poor and they're hard to get in and out of, especially in car parks (big heavy doors). The power steering is BMW heavy so if your girlfriend finds your 3 series heavy to drive a Mini may feel similar. Having said all this, I love the Mini Cooper or S in manual once you're on a fast windy road... but around town they're a PITA. An A3 in 1.8 non turbo form may be the go (or Golf GL). The 20V turbos are known to be problematic. Have you thought about a Suzuki Swift? I know it's not a euro but they're fun to drive, and very cheap now too.