ssbmw

Cheers mate! Once again great footage. See what you mean reagrding my old m6- it seems to wallow a little.

Hi Greg, Where was this car sold new?? Any chance it may be Singaporean? I am living in Singapore currently and I have seen a few M powered E60 and E63's and more than a few have after-market kits like Hamann, AC S, Breyton, Hartge, etc. Not that common comparatively in NZ. Real stealth looking machine. Bit like the black Dinan E63 645 that cruises around Auckland.

Hi Brent, Your car looked like it was going very well... I know you have a m powered E28- was the red E28 in the videos running a M30 or a M88 or S38?? Seemed like it was competitive...? How was my old M6 "BM M6" in silver going? I noticed on the 2nd video that you eventually passed it. I put brand new suspension on that old girl 6 months before I sold her. I have driven many M powered sharks and when I owned it it was a very quick car. Still got it or did you have it comfortably over this car?? As you may gather, I still have a soft spot for this car....

Wow I see that my old M6 was there - a car I owned for nearly 5 years in Polaris silver / Pacific Blue leather (with the plate BM M6)....for those of you who there, how was she looking? So as a matter of interest, what other M6's were there? Would have been there if I wasn't domiciled in Singapore.. Would have been so much fun....

Sounds like the back rubber has to be replaced? How much each side- $800+ each??? You wouldn't see too many units with these spec's sitting around in an average tyre centre....

Being a 80's guy, was always kind of partial to the 560sec. This car is type of thing you'd see turn up in a Miami Vice episode in the mid 80's. In fact, body-kitted Merc's (mainly AMG) were popular in movies too (like Black Rain). Kind of cool for what they are, but makes them a tad chunky- and this Koenig example is a tad excessive in my books..... Eye-catching though!

We just sold our 2006 3.0 X3 and we could never work out why they got such a bad rap by the press. The performance and ride was extremely good. We loved it- only thing which we didn't like was a weird creaking / rattle that emanated from the door area. Apparently quite common with them. I am sure the new X3 will be a fantastic truck..

I concur with your comments Phil. The owner is an enthusiast and has evidently loved this car (he also owns a restored E24 M6 and recently sold a E9 csi which he is re-storing for a friend of mine who bought the car off him). This is the cheapest facelift I have seen, and it is decently priced (he had $35k on it two weeks ago). Compared to a few cars marketed at $40k + recently, it represents great value. I have a few friends who have been discussing this car over the last few weeks. They too despise the two-tone leather. I could however live with it. My friend Andrew bought the blue M5 you were scoping for awhile (ex-owned by an Auckland lawyer). As you know it was a minter but you should see it now. Absolutely incredible. Big statement to make but in my mind arguably the best M-powered E39 in NZ. He has recently moved to Auckland from Wellington. It is in storage in Auckland. I know you love these cars - if you are interested, I could arrange for you to view this car. Regards

Cheers mate! Great information. edit: no need to quote the previous post

One of my buddies is a member but has been having problems adding posts, so I thought I'd help him. In recent times there have been discussions about the E24. My friend's example here has a 1988 BMW 635csi Highline. It is in utterly beautiful condition. As a few of may you know, prior to the E30 M3's success on the track in the 80's, the 635csi was BMW's track weapon. Icon's like Jim Richards who drove a black JPS 635csi in Australian races ensured this car was a success in the show-rooms as well. My friend AC has owned this car for over 10 years now, and apart from his family, is his pride and joy. The E24 was a commercial success for BMW and was sold from 1976 to 1989. In the final 18 months of production, BMW revised the car visually with revised bumpers and with a luxurious interior completely swathed in premium leather. His Highline is one of the last that were manufactured for the UK market, and is one of approximately 5 in NZ. His car is in the desirable Diamond Schwartz and has cream leather and rides on like-new Style 5's. With so many looking a tad baggy with age, it is a testament to AC to have a 23 year old example like his in stunning condition. adrian_80_X_80.bmp

Brent is right, from what I have gathered, only one 5 speed 3.8- an example in Avus Blue. Changed hands about a year or so ago for give or take around $20k with around 200,000kms of travel. Was living in Wanganui for quite a while. Is currently owned by a Bimmersport guy. The car was depicted in the show-room section once he bought it. I believe it is now being serviced at BM Workshop, grey Lynn. I think the plate was Miiiii, or something like that. Very rare car and in a very desirable colour.

Hi, pretty sure Jock's car was NZ new, and had the throwing stars. As far as I know there are at least three white ones in NZ- Jock's old car, this one, and my friend who has a very nice ex- UK example. All have pretty similar mileage.

I know this car quite well. Around 2000 I spent a bit of time playing Tennis with the son of the original owner of this car. Back then we would admire each other's cars- I had a 635csi Highline and I would drool over this vehicle. He bought it new in Sth Africa and he was very passionate about his M5. When he sold it it had around 120kms and he sold it for $30k around 2002. It was bought by an accountant in Napier who clocked up the mileage pretty quickly to the low 200's. I believe it has had 2 owners since. In my opinion, it is not as 'pretty' without the spoiler on the boot or sans T-stars, but this is how BMW Germany launched this car. It was meant to be the ultimate Q-car, and was meant to surprise you. When I lived in Germany, most of the E34 M5's in my town were de-badged as well ! I think the ones with the throwing -stars and rear boot-spoiler look a lot cooler (a friend of mine has a white example with exactly that, and it is hot). However, they are rare this way with the turbines, etc. The only other example I know of like this in NZ is a Sebring Gray example which I would see in Parnell regularly. Out of the 524 made in RHD, how many I wonder would look like this today? A friend of mine who was in the motor industry in the UK once said that once the t-stars were available, people were canning the Turbines to replace them with the t-stars as they looked better.

Pleasure Adam. E24's are my favourite BMW and love to help. Yeah I have a 840 Ci sport in Hell red. I would follow Brent's advice regarding the timing chain. I know of a NZ new M6 that blew a chain at 102,000 kms so the old 100,000 miles /160,000kms rule of thumb doesn't always apply. when I bought mine it had 180,000 km and the first thing I did was take it in to Ross at BM Workshop to get the job done. It gives you peace of mind. Regards,

Hi Adam Wouldn't worry about the wheels. I have seen some 86's with those wheels too (if they are indeed the metrics). If they are in fact metrics, BMW found that they were causing some problems (leaking and some corrosion issues around the bolts). Since they are comparatively rare, some prefer these original ones. If you want to make good money- Continental Europe is the place to sell it.

Hi Tony, Whatr colour were the M6's?? One possibly the black and cream leather example and the other possibly green? Those 2 are M6's I know of in Queenstown... Any pics? REgards, SS

By the way, I just noticed your car has the very early bolted metric wheels. They were later replaced around early 85 with a revised wheel without the bolts. As a matter of interest, what year of manufacture is this one? Regards

Hey Adam, congrats on your purchase... Was this car one of the M6's brought in by Tony Ramlose from Japan? Diamond Schwartz?

Hey there Adam, I hope I can help. I am a fan of the M-powered shark and having owned a tidy example, know them very well. In this country, a left hand drive M6 seems to be worth what the buyer is willing to pay. A variety have arrived in NZ over the last 5-6 years, and in varying levels of condition. A few were imported a few years ago through a guy called Tony Ramlose. His were from- Japan and were ex-Germany. Some were sold for as low as $15k. Most of these seem to be used as track -weapons. One of the finest examples is the one in Christchurch - it is also from JApan and is ex Germany and is evidently number 3 out of all M6's ever manufactured, so is a 83.' This car has been marketed for over a year or so now, at what I perceive as a fair price -around the mid 20's and hasn't been sold. The NZ new examples (around 20 or so) have been as sold as low as the 18k mark but in recent years have averaged around the $25-30k mark (with a mint, NZ new 90km example going for around $40k 18 months ago). To be fair, there have been very few NZ-new examples marketed for a little while. They are rare, and rarely parted with. In terms of this example you mention, the LHD examples tend to have a larger market overseas. However, in this country, they don't seem to have the same demand as the LHD muscle cars from the States! Even Ozzies seem to pay comparatively big money for a LHD M6.

Not sure, but you could try Gerry Hodges, head of the BMW CC - he has one, and has a vast knowledge of the E24's. Regards, SS

Hey Gerry, Fair points. I think my final comment was misinterpreted. I was not actually criticising the stand - I was trying to create some competitive juices. I was not referring to the 'best stand we can present.' What I meant was - the best stand there at Ellerslie- i.e better than Porsche, Mustang etc. I think you know me well enough to realise I was not taking a pot-shot at the club. Quite the opposite. Not being critical, just voicing a few thoughts that I heard from friends. I actually like all BMW's, so quite appreciative of the cars on display- including the Z8, which agreed is a unique and special car.. Regards, SS

Hi Phil, Is this the guy, Martin who is the manager at Coombes J? There are some superb back roads around Hamilton, worthy of a good thrashing! To do it in a E30 M3 would be awesome!

Hi Milan, Thanks for that post as it has provided some clarity on what the stand was presenting. I was impressed with the stand's M3's. A very impressive selection. However, I was with a couple of friends who have each owned 10+ BMW's and they said they were under-whelmed by the lack of variety. To be fair, we were also oblivious that the stand was also celebrating the M3's quarter -century. In years gone by, there were interesting E21's, E30's, E24's, E34's E39's E38's, E31's etc that have captivated some serious amounts of people. I suppose externally, this time, the same variety wasn't there. What annoys me is that the Porsche guys dominate with their club stand. Some of the cars presented were not of the GQ (Garage Queen) variety that only come out every few months. In fact there were a few that were very affordable, and clearly had been driven regularly and extensively. I think the BMW stand has heaps of potential to kick some serious butt. Being more affordable than some of the prestige marques, there are heaps of owners out there across NZ, and many of their vehicles have been cherished, worthy of being presented. We (myself included) have got to get more passionate to display our cars, and show the BMW car club of NZ has some serious cars within its membership database, and put pressure on the likes of the Porsche Club Of NZ. We should try and have the best stand there every single year. Regards, SS

Another one I used to like was the Peugeot 405. I the late 80's and and early 90's I was kind of partial to the Mi16. Never been a huge fan of sedans apart from the M5's but this car was kind of cool. Since then 20 years have gone and in recent times I have never really seen a decent one.... As a consequence, despite the fact I once believed they were nice cars, I don't feel that anymore. Most of the ones I see these days are bangers and have affected my perception on these cars...

No, quite aware that the FTO's came out first. Just seems weird that the Maserati designers finished up with a design so similar to a run-of-the mill 90's Japanese car. My wife's was a GPX too, but my 20 year old M6 would kick its butt even if the handling of the FTO was very sharp. Talking of Maser's another enigmatic car was the Maserati Quattoporte iii. A friend of mine recently bought one. A 87 with 26,000 kms on the clock. The exterior is very 80s- a boxy sedan with style influences from cars like the 70's British Leyland or the Aston Martin Lagonda. The interior is palatial with metres of plush leather and wood everywhere. Turn the ignition on though, and it sounds like a Ferrari. Very different.