ssbmw

Hey Em, I may have one, I will check for you, I bought a Blaupunkt awhile back that was from a low km E30. Not sure whether it is a SQR26, but it is a genuine E30 radio and in good condition. Regards, SS

Yo Ant, Noit wasn't me - I was not in the area on Saturday. Mine is a Hell red, de-badged manual 840ci sport with M-tech 850csi body-kit and Style 5's. So it does look like a 850csi as some owners have chosen to go wtih the Style 5's opposed to the Throwing Stars which seem to adorn most 850csi's.

I heard a figure of $22k being thrown around by a friend of mine who is an esteemed owner who is a BMW independent specialist workshop. Don't know if that involves labour but he told me that one of the cars that came in to NZ had some issues regarding this awhile back, and this is what was quoted. However, I don't pretend to be an expert on this matter and am not sure whether this is accurate. I was shocked when I heard this though- that money could buy another very nice car!

Hi, you are probably right, but I am pretty sure that there were only 160 in RHD. A very rare ///M powered car.

Hi Allan, I am pretty sure I have seen this car and from memory I thought it was a 850csi because of the plate, but in reality I am pretty sure it was an early 850i (circa 90' or 91'). The 850csi's in RHD were made from 93-96 and only 160 were made, and dome were designated for NZ. From what I believe, there are now 4 genuine 850csi's in NZ. The silver one that Glenn is selling (93' ex HK), the red for sale on trademe (96' ex Singapore) and two from the UK; a black one that has been here for awhile (94'), and the Daytona Violet example that arrived sometime over the last 2 years.

Yeah has been around awhile ; was originally imported by TWR from Japan. Is a genuine M635csi but not genuine Schnitzer. Body-kit actually M-technic. It is a little expensive for a LHD import. If it was a NZ new car with decent provenance, likely to be around $30k. Irrespective of that, it is a nice colour and is presented alot better than when it arrived from Japan a few years ago.

Yeah, it is Gerry's old car. Someone seems to be taking a hit; this car was up for sale at TMBMW and JCBMW for around $70k when Gerry was selling it. Gerry put the after-market wheels on it and I think he modified the exhaust too.

Hi guys, I have a question. This car was once for sale at Global Prestige in Auckland (circa 2005) and was then in mint condition. I know it has been restored because I saw it at Concourse' d' Elegance looking unbelievable. What was the mileage prior to the restoration (because I recall something like 170 -180km back then - is that right0? Also are these 16" BBS's or 17" BBS - near identical to the Style 5's? Either way, I was astonished with how good this car was at the car show, but I do recall it that it looked sensational prior to the restoration!

Hi mate, I had some Eibach Pro kit springs put on my M635csi that were superb. Anyway, once I bought them, I found that they were actually designated for E28's - I had to source some rear spring plates from a E28 to make it happen. They are superb. However, hard to get. I ordered them through a independent BMW specialist in Melbourne. Cost like $500 NZ landed. Don't know of any second had sets, but these are a revelation - lowers the stance and tightens the set up.

Hi there, this thread was about the LHD drive M6 that was / still is still for sale on t/me, and the LHD ex-Japan car with Schnitzer badges and exhaust which is also advertised. Ox1873 advertised currently is a very special car that has been for sale on and off for around 5 years. A friend of mine in Melbourne was keen to buy it 5 years ago and I inspected it for him. He ended up having financial issues and had to scrap the idea. I was going to buy it myself last Xmas, and would have if I didn't see a 840ci sport for sale the next day (which I bought). This M6 is a very nice car. I have owned 635's and a M6. Ox1873 is one of the best in the country- the only problem is the colour. White is not for everybody, especially adorned with 80's chrome. If it was say Lachs Silver, Zinnober red, or Royal Blue, this car would have been snapped up a few years ago. It is also a tad pricey (but in line with UK prices for a similar car). I am huge E24 fan and if you want some advice on buying one, feel free to ask. I have owned a few BMW's but I have a special bond with the E24. I was in Melbourne a month ago. I caught up with a few BMW club members from Victoria and I had the privilige of driving 2 beautiful E24 M635's around the beautiful Mornington Pensinula area (rural) at illegal speeds. I was in nirvana! Even 25 years later, these twin cam sharks are alot of fun!

Hi there, I have never seen on them E46's before. I am sure it is something to do with the dimensions. They first appeared in the mid 90's and were common on E34 540is's, E31's and E39's (and madly sought after by E24 owners). They maybe still available through BMW, but what I have heard is that they are no longer available in the deep-dish format - commonly seen on back wheels when the tyres are 255 or 265's. I have a couple of friends who own E24 M6's in Australia who wanted these wheels in a staggered format who ended up tracking down these wheels from Europe. There is a German guy who calls himself Wokke on many forums who sells like new refurbished Style 5's. He does a great job- but it will cost you around $3.5k You do see them pop up on trade-me, but very rarely. Best of luck tracking them down - they are my favourite wheel.

Hey there, I am pretty certain that nearly all of the 540is's in NZ arrived with the style 5's. There seem to be different specs according to different countries, but in NZ they seemd common. Onething I can I can recall is that when these wheels arrived on the 540is's and the E31 840 ci's circa 94'- everyone with E24's wanted them because they suited the period of the car but offered modern dimensions. The problem was the price - I once had a Highline 635csi and wanted to up-date to the Style 5's, I was quoted $6k + rubber by TMBMW! I know some owners who had these wheels ended up peddling them off. Is there a chance that could have happened here? Irrespective, i do find it interesting that the front and rear spoiler definitely differs on this car to other Motorsport Spoilers on other 540is's I have seen. Good luck with the purchase. That is incredibly low mileage for one of those, and it looks beautiful.

Hi all, I was wondering whether you could help me with a query - when a E39 is defined as a Highline - what does this entail? With the E24's, the last of the cars were face-lifted from September 87 to March 1989. With the UK cars, not only did they have a revised bumper assembly with less chrome, they also had a leather dash-board, leather door panels and headlining. These were officially classified as a "Highline." I owned a 89' 635csi Highline - fabulous car. However, no-one I have spoken to can explain what a E39 Highline is (and you see them described that way in adverts). Is this an expression that signifies a face-lift? Regards, SS

Hey there Simon, Nice car ! I know of 2 Avus Blue examples of these cars and 2 red ones. I live in Hamilton now and today I saw one of the red ones! I was shocked - I hadn't seen one in ages and it looked fantastic. It had the plate M5r. Funnily enough, one of the Avus blue examples has the plate BluM5. Kind of bizarre - I guess the cars kind of were kind of the pseudo M5's for NZ back then because we didn't get any 3.8 6 speed manuals. All of the 540is's in NZ seem to have had the Style 5 wheels. One of the Avus blue examples regularly gets work done at my friend Ross Lamb's BM Workshop in Botany. It is sadly very tired these days. The interesting thing is that on 3 of them that I have seen, there was no 540i badging, simply a M badge. Techno violet is a fantastic colour. I once saw a 840 in the same colour in Auckland.

Hi there mate, been reading through the threads. I personally think (like many of the other contributors) that if you pay $10-$13k, you are onto a good thing. As you say, a similar mileage, same year, example in auto is possibly a $6k car. From what I know, there are only around 10 540is's in NZ. They certainly have dropped alot over the last 5 years. There was a mint Hell red example for sale with similiar mileage at Beech European for $25k in 2004, and there were a couple of 180 kms examples in Avus blue for sale around the same time in Auckland for around $20k. Saying, they have probably bottomed out. I can't see them at around $5k unless the mileage increases substantially and they are poorly neglected. Bottom line, in that colour combo with the Style 5's, the car sounds appealing. They are a very good looking car. Good luck with it mate. I have driven 2 540is's, and I think they are superb - not much in it comparing it to an E34 M5.

Hey Brent, I see that you are a Total BMW reader too. The guy who owns this car is a kiwi - he lives in the UK and is the biological son of Ray Meadows, ex BMW car club member and ex-owner of the E28 M5 you have mentioned before. Ray is a friend of mine and he owned 2 wonderful ///m pwer cars - a lovely E24 and the E28.

Hey Mate, I have never owned a E34 M5, but have had a 535is, and love them. One of my close friends has one of the finer E34 M5's around. These are the cars I know of in NZ (if anyone here knows of any others, please inform us): Macao Blue - NZ new ; in Whangarei. Red, cream leather, - ex UK - Auckland Grey with grey leather - ex UK, Auckland Grey with Turbine wheels, no rear spoiler, Whangaparoa - Ex UK? Alpine White, M cloth / leather ex UK -Auckland Alpine White M cloth / leather - NZ new - Auckland Alpine White , turbine wheels, no spoiler, ex Sth Africa- in Hawkes BAy Blue 1992 - NZ new - Wellington - 3.8 but 5 speed??????? Black 1991- black leather ex Singapore - Sth Island REd, m cloth / leather - ex Uk , Sth island I think there are 2 or 3 more, but not sure where there are. Additionally, as pointed out earlier, there are a few cars which have M5 DNA but are not quite the real thing. In terms of the E34 3.6, they seem to be pretty reliable if serviced meticulously. M power suspension can be a expensive affair if you are looking to replace the shocks - hence many owners switch to Eibachs etc. Don't have the same issues with the old m/88's achilles heel - the timing chain as they are duplex. Some owner still replace as a precautionary measure. Overall, pretty solid build and strong engines even with high mileage.

Lachs Silber means something like Salmon Silver - quite a common colour with the M635csi in the 80's. How many E30 M3's are there in NZ? 30-50? What do you guys think?

Hey Brent, Interesting, I am guessing only in Japan or Germany would you get these types of cars. As a matter of interest, what was the NZ price back then to import this car? And what is with that crazy steering wheel? Around 2-3 years ago there was a Alpine White E23 745i at Turners in very good condition and I think it went for like $7k.

Hi Guys, I found out that there was an unusual E24 for sale in Christchurch recently. It was being sold at the CCh Lotus dealership as an automatic E24 M6. Apparently the vehicle was a special factory order for a Japanese client who wanted the Motorsport M88/3 or S38 to power their 635csi, or they chose to invest in up-grading his or her 635csi into a pseudo M6 ( I believe it was the latter). The Alpine White vehicle has the M-technic body-kit, has the proper M635csi front spoiler (different to the 635csi), m-tech suspension, and interestingly has the ///M logo on the dials (even though it was still set up for an automatic transmission with economy guage etc). There are some signs that this is car started its life as a 635csi - for example it has chrome mirrors ; the ///M 635's were given body colour-coded mirrors. Now being a bit of a M635 nut, I want to know more about this car. I understand it has been sold to someone in Wellington. I am intrigued ; back in their day there were some people keen on a ///m powered auto but this conflicted with the whole ethos of ///M cars and BMW Motorsport emphatically refused to produce one. I believe this car may have the project of a wealthy enthusiastic Japanese person who was prepared to spend some money on a unique and special car. I presume that the automatic transmission would have to have been beefed up to accomodate the extra horsepower. I would love to know the Vin numbers to verify what it was originally (presumably a Japanese-market standard 635csi). If anyone has info on this car, it would be great. Regards, SS

There were two 850i's I'd see regularly see in Auckland which were white. One had throwing stars like this one and the other had the bland looking 16" wheels that originally came with the E31's in the early days... The thing is I can't remember the one with throwing stars having a the rear spoiler like this one. Ridiculously cheap these days though huh? I recall a conversation I had many years ago with Guido from BM Workshop about the cost of running one of these as a Daily Driver. He told me running costs would amount to $10k a year. I steered away from the concept. However, if you bought one of these at the right price and you drove it only on the weekend, could be a value proposition.

Hey there Graham, that really is amazing. I have seen your old M5 many times over the years. What a car! I know nearly all of them have pretty big mileage these days, but I still cannot get my head around how cheap they are over here. Australia evidently received about 50+ E34 M5's but they are still often marketed for $30kAUD over there. We had only 4 NZ deliveries (and maybe 8-10 imports) and ours are often marketed for for $12-$16k. Saying that, the E34 M5 and the E36 M3's are extremely cheap in the UK (often 2-3 k pounds). Then again they had 450 RHD E34 M5's and bucket loads of E36 M3's Why are our M5's so cheap here? Decent E24 M6's sell for $20-$30k more

Do it Sammy! They are beautiful cars. I always wanted a E24 since I was a boy and I have now owned 2. As as they are devoid of rust, they are solid cars. The M30 engine is near bullet-proof. The few we see on the roads these days look tired. This is an exception. The colour combo is what appeals to me.