Apex

Ermergherd. That's very cool, it reminds me of the way the top Citroen's absorb bumps (since the 50's) but in this case its measured with camera's instead of the mechanical hydropneumatic system. The only problem with this tech is the calibration and how smart it actually is and how well it will work in a few years time, have read that a lot of the current systems are a bit stupid, laser guided cruise control and active braking etc, a few systems can be a nervous. Would be keen to see independent reviews, I hear this new S-Class is going to raise the bar, they always do, seeing Mercedes have dropped the Maybach name this will be the new flagship.

X2. Its about the only show I watch on tv... bar Shortland Street, best show on TV, that Harper chic would be a goer I recon.

Something different. http://vimeo.com/67155804

Nice, maybe someone can get you the parts for free or sponsor your service? Try Gavin at Euro Italian, he is a forum sponsor and does a good deal on BMW parts.

Should his insurance not cover any damages? I thought that is how it works with rental companies.

Waste of a good M5, a real shame!

Until you figure the running costs are higher than the repayments. Would be awesome though... E39 M5 Touring would be more awesomer.

Its looks like a great system, one worth optioning if you can afford it! I remember my E60 had the mid noughties spec Xenons, they were great from the drivers seat but they were also embarrassingly bright and annoying to other road users, I would get the high beam flash a bit from other road users and after being followed by a few E60's since I have to say they not a very friendly car to be followed by, not sure if it is model specific but I can actually spot a E60 a mile away.

Its a Touring owner complex, much like M3 owners they think they have something rare where in reality there are thousands of them. Rare is a E34 M5 Touring or the 2004 NZ new E46 330i M-Sport Touring in Manual, there is on that an accountant drives in Papakura, I really want that car.

Says the man with the japanese engine!

Problem I am having is with car "breakers" for second hand parts, they wot deal with Kiwi's. I have had no real issue with tuning companies other than the fact they can be a bit slow in getting back to me, its always a last resort though and I will always try and buy locally first, have just got some new brake pads from Neil Allport motorsport for example and they were cheaper than buying on line. The joying of racing a very rare car in NZ, there is literally no second hand parts and OEM is very expensive. For BMW parts I always found Gavin at Euro-Italian great, anything cosmetic I would try and manufacture locally, a gear selector boot for example could be fabricated at my local upholsterer.

Best BMW under 30k IMHO would be the newest you could afford that fits your size and performance requirements. But honestly, why spend it on a car, I have a contact in South America who you could invest the money with, he will turn that 3k into 120k in less than six months, my investment is due to mature soon and I will be buying the first manual E39 520i I can find. If you want in on it, email me and I will give you his bank account details.

To be honest america is light years ahead of the English in terms of email customer service and general attitude, I have to buy most of my parts from England and it is painful, very painful, if you want anything you need to give them at least 3 weeks. Its a shame the parts I need are not available out of the US or Asia. Also, I have found freight from Australia often costs more than Europe or the US, whats up with that?

Feel your pain mate and can sympathies. Why is it that so many international companies are so crap to deal with. I'm sure 90% of people out side of Australasia think New Zealand is part of Nigeria and we are span bots or scammers. I am lucky if I even get a reply at all to most inquiries, I don't understand it, we are the ones offering our money and have something to loose. There are exceptions. Should we start a list of international companies that are good to deal with? 1) Tirerack 2) 1552 Wheels

What was all that V8 or twin turbo talk Jared, I see whht you were doing there! haha. Lets hope its fixed up and back on the road.

You can buy the Team Dynamic wheels from Autoquip in Penrose, they are not to badly priced either. With the right offset you should be able to fill the guards enough, how wide are you going?

Just putting it out there but I will be ordering a set of 225/40/18 Toyo R888 in the next couple of months if anyone needs to fill a consignment or anything?

The problem you run into is tyre availability and price, from a racers point of view a 17" wheel makes more sense. A 18x9 would get you into a 235/40/18 Semislick, if you run Targa and want Federal's they do not offer them in that size in an optimum compound, I have run the "med" and its not suited on a car 1200 odd KG's, really struggling to get them up to heat. I know Mike Lea was running a 235/40/17 in a soft compound and found it great, was much cheaper also. Any narower than a 9" wheel and you will be on the limit of where you want to mount your average 235 without it being too wide, we have to run a 225 on our 18's and they are 8.25" wide.

So common, sick of seeing them everywhere, they are only second to Toyota Corolla's. Your such a sheep Josh

Have brought a few sets from Tirerack, freight was $330-350. Factor is GST and fitting. For me its works out I save around $250 a tyre fitted on Continentals and I can have the tyres within a week of ordering them. The local distributors don't have tyres for my car in stock and tell me it will be 8 weeks delivery, tirerack can deliver in less than a week. Looking at another two sets this year for both my cars

They don't exactly shoe horn the engine in, its actually the other way around, they build a chassis to the new V8-Supercar formula and then put a Volvo body on top of that. BMW could do it easy enough, cant see why they haven't TBH, they have touring cars in Europe and America and it is a level of motorsport that BMW are actually good at. Would be good for the brand.

True. Insurance company wrote my car off because of a bend stub axle and a rear quarter because new parts were so expensive and nothing was available second hand. I'm guessing they proposed repairer put out a parts request for E34 M5 specific parts to fix it and nothing turned up second hand due to the rarity of the car, brand new genuine parts would have been exuberant so the wrote it off. Anyone resourceful could fix this and have it re-complied for cheap enough, would be worth saving a car like this, its a shame its history has now been marked.

Unless the radiator is damaged ant it have over heated I cant see that costing much at all to fix. Seems weird they have not bothered? My service crew have fixed worse damage than that in under two hours with duct tape and cable ties. Wish I had some spending money.

Be careful, I hear it gave Michael Douglass cancer.

I don't think he was being sarcastic, he actually said amazing power in his add. They were fast back in the day, I have a book from when I was a kid called "the worlds fastest cars" and the 750oil was in it! They do move along quite nicely though. Funny these days that power is coming from 4-Cylinder family cars.