str8_6

1 hour ago, KwS said:

Even an E46 is a better all round car. A nice 330i manual coupe is cheaper than an E30 and so much more car. There is something to be said about the simplicity of the E30, but prices are just to the point of being stupid now and it doesnt make financial sense unless you wanted one for certain reasons (M3, sentimental value etc)

You’d hope the e46 was an improvement on the previous generation. The e46 is considered by most the sweet spot of 3 series and they’re great value. That being said, driving both an e46 (330ci) and e30 (325i) back to back recently, the e30 is just👌... It probably is sentimental and I quite like that it’s not particularly fast by today’s standards however BMW and financial sense. Not sure those two things go together. 

23 hours ago, KwS said:

I’ve always found those Audi’s underwhelming in the flesh. 
Looking forward to this design though..

On 3/18/2021 at 8:12 AM, Autoglym said:

I just looked, man I need to weed my driveway!! Ha Ha

You have obviously found some rare BMW’s that don’t leak oil and kill the weeds! Congratulations 😂

Shoot. Caught up on this thread. I was pre-occupied reading through the 130i thread wishing I could join that club. 

The fact of the matter is, you probably will find out, there really is no secret. I just chose to reach out to the OP. The value of my personal car is absolutely none of your business.

That stuff does work a treat on dull headlights. I also used it (lightly) as a test on some scuffed black plastic door jam kick panels and it worked reasonably well too. 

Private message me if you need an indication of price. Just had mine valued for insurance reasons. 

Best thing I ever did was ditch petrol tow vehicles (X5 v8, Cayenne V8) and get a diesel X5. Self leveling suspension, trailer sway control, outstanding economy. It has no issues keeping up. Generally towing around 2 ton. 

Have private messaged you John. 

Those N55’s are nice, but I’d go with the diesel especially if towing. Just returned from 3k of towing the boat around the South Island and they’re effortless and economical. Having had petrol and diesel SUV’s. Their heft is far more suited to diesel.

Totally normal

Far out. 125k Time to scrap it.

Just ticked over 250k on the x5 diesel and you’d never guess, just completed 2,800 km’s around the South Island and it didn’t miss a beat... well, maybe an exhaust manifold crack part way though the trip, but it was on the original manifold and it still performed effortlessly.

My N54 has noticeable injector noise at idle when you stand outside the car. Was far more noticeable if you parked next to a wall which seemed to amplify it.

Might have to try it. Never found anything that works other than a wash mitt and car wash. Even dragons breath doesn’t really get rid of the brake dust unless you agitate it. In saying that, my wheels never get to the baked on stage so perhaps it’s better for really stubborn baked on dust. 

Have the PS4’s on my M5 and love them. No issues with tram lining. 

Classic Winger Wellington service.  

1. They broke the passenger door mirror and refuse to even acknowledge it was broken by them, despite the scratches down the side of the passenger wing on the paint. Replacement mirror housing required... $$$

2. Did an oil service on my new car and refuse to update the service history in iDrive because “it wasn’t due an oil change so there’s nothing to update”

Thank goodness it will be out of warranty by it’s next scheduled visit. None of my vehicles will ever go back. 

They aren’t all terrible though. Sales team and Parts team who have been there for a long time are great. 

Get a 3.0si N52. The facelift adds nicer tail lights (IMO) and marginally more screwed together interior. They’re brilliant fun.

I bought mine just over 6 years ago as the second owner with just on 40k. Previous owner had bought it new to replace his e46 M3 so ticked most options. I used it mainly as a daily to replace an e36 325i which I owned for roughly 10 years. 

As I’d had the e39 M5 for a while at that point, I wasn’t exactly looking for heaps of power, just something that was quiet, subtle and a little more grown up than the e36.

I didn’t even consider the 335i at that point as I thought (at that time) that turbos were cheating and if you need turbos, just get the M3 right? I was to be proven so wrong.

So instead I tried a couple of n52 cars (330i, 130i, z4) and was bored. Then, a very tidy silver 335i popped up at the local dealer one weekend. I dropped by and took it for a drive. I think I drove 400 meters up the road and immediately realized this was different. It was not boring at all... It also has a distinctively different sound (which imo sounds exotic) compared to the N52’s, great ride, excellent intuitive gearbox, great steering. 

If you’re used to the torque the S62 puts down in almost any gear, you will love the 335i. To me it feels V8 athletic without spending so much time at the pump. 

I liked it so much, and used it so much, I sold my first e39 M5 from it simply never being used... But that’s another story...

Anyway. There are probably many better cars that have now replaced it, but anyone who ever got a turn to drive it always came back asking what the hell is under the bonnet. 

Great car. One of the best of its era. Very very understated/stealth in standard spec. Pretty amazing value these days too. Feels modern even by today’s standards. Great fuel economy too. The longer wheel base means they ride well. IMO the e92 shape is one of the all time great looking BMW coupes.

I owned one up until recently (still in the family) and miss it a lot. Get to drive it from time to time and instantly smile.

There are heaps of great DIY’s out there to remediate the common problems. Mine hasn’t skipped one beat in 50kms of ownership. 

US vehicles have different brake specs so not sure?

Weirdly, the e39 M5 doesn’t have brake ducts from factory. At least not the euro spec cars. Both of mine have not had them. 

1 hour ago, KwS said:

Still are imo, they have aged really well.

Not sure about that price though. Not far off E39 M5 pricing, more than E34 540i manual pricing. Just because it has receipts for 40k doesnt mean thats what its worth. The market will decide in the end.

Cool!

E36 M3’s are $38k now? ?

*pops the e39 M5 in bubble wrap*

The Singapore piece probably worries me less if it was imported earlier in its life - looks to have got here 2011 and has had 100k of NZ mileage added so it’s really up to how the NZ owners have cared for it.  
Generally cars of that caliber in Singapore are looked after.

Owned a standard X5 4.4i pre-facelift. Transmission and suspension parts seem to be the biggest issues, then normal bmw coolant and oil leaks coming in a close second. I had no idea if the chains had been done on mine, but it made no noises and ran well.
 

I still prefer the pre-facelift over the newer V8 despite the timing chain problems. 9k seems okay for the IS model. 
 

Interiors seem to be getting a little tatty now on these but that one looks tidy - just needs a good groom.

On 6/14/2020 at 6:19 PM, adro said:

oooOOOO look a shiny E39

 

Don’t need three V8’s, don’t need three V8’s, don’t need three V8’s. 
 

?
 

Looks awesome!!!

Very mad I’m told.
The coating was applied to a very loved and already very very tidy garage queen who gets very minimal use. 

As I said, IF it lasts 4/5 years, then it’s money well spent. If not, then its cost in comparison to the value of the car is not really a lot. I think one of the rear tires cost me more and I think I know which made me smile more when I saw it for the first time last week.