Apex

Buys honest low owner M3 EVO with non collectable millage. Spends 100k restoring it. Once completed, takes it out because it hasn't rained for a couple of days, but cant go too far because it might get dirty.. pulls up at the lights and gets dragged off by a Nissan Leaf.. so goes to pub and no one thinks anything of it there either.. questions fiscal decisions. Puts on trade-me for near the price of a decent Porsche that's actually fast and actually impressive. Must be an audience for these though, I say GLWS and I will look out for it on the road.

Nau mai haere mai!

On my watchlist. Seller sounds like a good sort from description... or a used car salesman, cant decide. I have a hankering for a NZ new SE touring though, no tints, no mods, no M badges, grandad spec as possible. I know its out there.

Winner. Best colour and kudos. I would have gone with a grey interior and yellow calipers but I cant afford one and cant expect someone else to build it for me 5 years before I can. I only say that as near every enthusiast car as of late seems to end up on Trade-Me a month later for RRP or higher and I know the M3 Touring will be in demand. Likely to be the one and only M3 Touring so good on you for indulging when you can.

Congratulations. How much are you planning on selling it for when it arrives?

But how do we turn this information into validation and endorsement from banks/wives?

From Netcarshow.com A great app that costs a few $ a month, perfect for people on the spectrum who like cars, they have press releases for all the new stuff and are building a back catalogue. Literally hundreds of photo's on many classics.. like this 1993 Ford Probe.

There is a collectors car page designed for enthusiast type cars that might be a good start. Its called trademe.co.nz I randomly found it using bing and there are some great and unique cars on there. Like this classic one I found last last night: https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/nissan/tiida/listing/4320525203 Other than that you could try Face Book if you are on it, my friend tells me its really good for buying and selling things, she gets dozens of messages everyday asking if the thing she has listed is still available so there must be a high volume of people using the site? GLWS!

Italian alps are underrated driving roads IMHO, clearly even the Swiss are going there to drive. Where else can you bomb an entire pass without seeing a cyclist, or motorist! Lots of goats though. Nice spotting BTW, have only ever seen one in NZ and it was the less desirable Alpina model with the Auto.

Accurate around here. They are like the BA Falcon for people slightly more sophisticated. There is a guy with a white one around the corner who has just done a "burble tune" and he floors it up our road a few time a week, my wife said she was going to leave me for him because she loves seeing a car spin one wheel up a incline in the wet and wishes I would be more like him. I told her I can only dream of being in a position to finance a 20 year old BMW and remap it and I am working really hard to achieve that goad before 2025. Watch this space, its public now so no excuses.

Spotted Jooles old V12850 in Tuakau yesterday, was with a customer so didnt catch up the new owner... did watch him do a 15 point turn to get out of the car park though so I can only assume they haven't installed a reversing camera. Also spotted a few e90 series 335i's BMW's in Tuakau.. so that means they have reached the lowest depreciation point and we should be looking to buy some tidy ones soonish before there are bugger all left?

A few of my favorites'. "First owner" when selling a Japanese import. Guys name is Hemi and he lives in Putaruru. "Service history" going back one year since they purchased it and its wiper blades and a battery. The car is 10 years old. "Always garaged" again, owned 12 year old car for 18 months. "Always used 98". Its a V6 Commodore that will run on 91 no issues and there is no advantage to running 98. "Super economical, gets 500km to a tank". Scientific measurement of fuel economy. "Rare". There are 8 the same colour on Trade-Me alone. "Failed WOF". Claims its just a light bulb but they don't have time to fix it. "Not in a hurry to sell" Drops price the next week and state "MAKE ME AN OFFER" "No test drives without proof of funds". Its a 180kw open diff Lexus with traction control worth $7,500. "Justies". Just f**k off. I'm sure there are more.

I had that a few weeks back, they even put a bid in after me assuming I would keep bidding. I didn't. The "other buyer" won the auction. But wouldn't you know it, that same day the seller contacted me saying the "other buyer" didn't make contact. Was actually to my advantage as I offered him less than what I would have paid and he accepted it knowing well that the item had been relisted for 8 weeks and I was the only real bidder. I have over 5,000 sales on trade-Me and can say out of that 5,000 plus sales I could count on one hand how many "question askers" actually follow through, the conversion is so low I could only recall two in the past 5 years. Real buyers do their own homework, read the descriptions properly and if still in doubt, call me on the phone. Remember than next time your two Export Golds deep and decide to ask if that 2017 AMG E63 you cant afford has had its cambelt done.

The questions section becomes a comment's section on Trade-Me when it comes to "special" interest cars. Has anyone asked about the cambelt yet? I swear that's the "Dad is a bit of a car expert" weapon of choice. Has anyone actually ever purchased a car on trade-me after asking that question? The best thing about running a classified on there meant no one could ask questions, not sure if its still the same.

When you know what you have you best keep that thing covered from prying eyes. Bet he just got sick of classic car collectors making offers on his rare one of 2 million made E30's and covered it up. I cover my projects as so I am not tempted to actually work on them let alone look at them. One day I'm going to uncover them and pretend its a barn find in my own garage.

I lowered my car and now it rides like sh*t also. Following thread for fix. My mechanic told me the best solution is to un-lower the car so it rides as good as it did before, but I'm convinced throwing more parts at it will fix it.

Good buying and just in time for spring. Love a good story too, you must have looked like the type of enthusiast that the car deserved, sometimes people don't care about the money they just want the car to go to a good home and to be appreciated. Paint looks good, red is easy to deal with if clear coat isn't pealing, may not even have a clear coat?. I don't think id hit it hard with a polisher, especially if its not clear coated, maybe just start with a good wash and clay bar if it needs it and then some good sealer/wax. Its not hard to get red shiny abd scratches and swirl's don't really show up. Maybe focus on the wheels and trims if they need it. An Old member used to swear by Bee's wax for BMW plastics.

I guess its been 10 years since I sold my M325i and like house prices, they have gone up 500% in asking price, regardless of condition or history. E30's were great as a cheap fun car but WTF are people smoking to pay this much money for them?? Kind of wish I kept mine in storage now, not because id sell it but because I could in no way conceivably justify spending the price people think they are worth now? Who is buying them? Wealthy hipster kids and boomers I expect?

Receiving beer for fathers day enabling me to have a beer every night after work this week. Spring temperatures. No need for a jacket walking to work today. Sun up earlier meaning waking to light and birds. General vibe at this time of the year.

I overtook on the side of the motorway the other weekend. By the time I exited SH1 at the next off ramp I could no longer see one car behind me. Rumor has it, people are people still stuck behind the two cars doing 95kph in the 110 zone. On a side note, the side of SH1 is no rougher nore bumpier than SH1. Recommended as second passing lane A++.

Mine, TBH, the E30 is the only one that was special. I really liked looking at it in the garage, Lachssilber Metallic on a E30 is a nice thing. So the look of a classic BMW.

The main issue I have with the E46 (and most BMW's) is the very stiff throttle pedal. This could atribute to the lag you experienced. They have softened off the pedals in later models, its an improvement in my humble opinion. The E46 is a lovely car though, well balanced and with the six cylinder they sound glorious. The interior is also very pretty. Best of luck with the research.

Having a decent seat and harness will help immensely when going fast. I daily drove my Targa car with a full cage and race seats for a couple of years, was not so bad.. I would retain a simple lap/slash belt if you can though, nothing more annoying than getting all harnessed in and forgetting something and having to un-do it then buckle it all back up.. even leaving your sunglasses on the dash requires an unstrap of the harness to reach them, it can be annoying. Best of luck. There are plenty of good authority card inspectors out there and if you enter a couple of club-sport events a year and have the log book stamped you won't need to have the car inspected yearly. My first port of call would be joining a car club, from there find out about events and local inspectors etc. Can recommend Pukekohe car club, they are quite active and have some great events. Getting a Clubsport licence is easy also. Oh, one down side is that only people with motorsport licences can drive your car, so you can't have your mates drive it, or the missus etc... I got my girlfriend to get a National Rally licence, told her she could have a drive of my car.. Then she realised that my fixed race seat meant she can't reach the pedals. Win win.

What event would you be entering that "require" a race seat and harnesses? I have done a few club-sport events that only require a fire extinguisher, including Targa tour, track sprints and road sprints.. can't think of any that require a race seat.

Hey girls. I think we are in a golden age of performance cars. Lets just be happy we can buy a Ford Hatch back with a manual transmission and a setting called drift mode! And BMW make cars like the M2. Lots of manual options if you want an all out performance car. Also. Have a look at whats available in Australia, some great bargains on manual cars there.