ssbmw

Its a very nice car ; desirable colour (arctic blue?) and great interior. Has the M-technic bodykit too which is rare. He had style 5's on this car a few month ago which he sold. One of the nicer chrome bumper 635's around.

Interesting isn't it- until Clarks closed down 6-7 years ago, they were the yard in Auckland that you went to scope out the likes of special M3, M5, M6's, Alpinas and 8 series (not to mention other Euros). However, nobody is really doing the same type of thing these days...except for Trading Post and they are just down the road....

Het guys, I have a friend who is looking to buy a very nice E30 cabrio - ideally a 325i and with manual gearbox. Does anybody know of a nice example that maybe up for sale? I think his budget is around $8-$10k. If you could come back to me that would be great.

hey guys came in a little late on this one, but if you are referring to the car listed on the link- what type of body-kit is that? Zender? It's not M-tech. How much is your budget? Because I know there are some very nice 635csi's out there which maybe up for sale again. Alot of people in the past have priced themselves out of the market and thus never got any real traction. I once owned the 1989 635csi Highline in burgundy and style 5's that was marketed on t/me a year ago for $20k. (the owner did not have one bite at that price). He maybe keen to part with it for cheaper. It is like new (and has had about $30k spent on it over the last 7-8 years). Irrespective of the fact it has the Highline bumpers (not for everyone), it is arguably one of the best 635csi's around. Like new. There are a couple of beautiful 635csi's circa 86-87' I know of as well that maybe up for sale. The best bargain IMO with a 635csi in recent times was the 1990 140,000k Lachs Silver Highline that came up for sale on trademe 18 months ago. It went for like $14,500. It was a very tidy example. There are only about 5 Highlines in NZ as they were designated for the UK market. I simply love the six. Even though I have a mint 8, the E24 is my first love. I think they are simply beautiful. The 635csi is a little 'boaty' compared to the M635csi or modern cars, but they are still lots of fun. My 2008 Xr6 has a lot more grunt than a 635csi, but you know which car I'd drive every day!

Interesting - does anyone know who ended up buying this car? That has got to be a steal for someone! Brad - yeah I know your car; have seen it at BM Workshop Botany. I saw a 840 in the same colour as your colour a few years ago in Auckland and have never seen it again. It had style 5's like most of the 840's. REgards, SS

Hey Ari, I agree, some cars in white look naff. However, one of my best friends has an E34 M5 nearly identical to this in Auckland (number 69 /524) and his looks fantastic in white (quite possibly because he is fanatical about grooming it too). IMO one of the best colour combinations in this car is the Macao Blau / Cream leather example owned by Bruce Miller. Not that many in NZ seem to have the full leather option- most have the ///M sport cloth inserts.

Man this is bizarre, this car was owned by Jock Styles over 4 or 5 years ago, then it heads to Taupo for a few years, was then sold at Rotorua Autohaus about a year ago, then it comes up for sale in Warkworth only a few month ago. Now at Trading Post Auckland. This and the omni-present ex Singapore Black E34 M5 seem to be going through a few owners very rapidly. One thing I have to say, irrespective of the fact most of these have clocked up inter-galactic mileages, there are quite a few like this car in fantastic condition. Testament to good build quality and owners who seem to have cherished them.

Hey Brad you don't like your t/stars on your 840csi? Would you look to replace your wheels with the M-Parallels for good, or do just want another set of wheels? I'd like a set of M-parallels too. I think being 18's they fill out the arches great on the E31.

To be honest mate, they aren't too bad in manual - they are far more fun than the autos. They don't have the extra grunt nor chuckability or have the tactility with the steering of a M3, but they are OK. You don't feel any bumps, the car is extremely comfortable and smooth and a lot more refined. Additionally, they look great. Apart from a similarity to the E26 M1's nose cone, the E31 looks very unique and still looks modern even if the first one left the production line in 89'. You'd just need to check this thing out to see if it warrants the investment to get it right...

If one had the skills and could source the parts, one probably wouldn't have to spend over $5k though right? Outlay may be around $11-$12k all up, and you have a pretty cool, stealth E31. Maybe a bush-pig when you ever come to sell it, but then again, a fun project and who cares at that type of price? A genuine NZ new 840 in manual with that type of mileage is probably going to still cost high teens or $20k.

Dude you are right, they are rare in manual. All up 57 were evidently manual in RHD in the 840i /840ci (out of approx. 1,000). Rare car if it was legit. This car sounds like a orphan. But for that price however, who cares!

Hi there, well this Schnitzer example has an economy guage (which you see on the 635csi) and where is the ///M logo on the dials like on the example you have showed? Unlike later ///M cars, and even its sister car from the same era the E28 M5 , the E24 M635csi had very few visible signs internally to display its special status as a ///m car. The only place where you see the ///m was on the dials. Even the gearknob showed only the gear- pattern, no ///m or /// tri-colour. Very subtle stuff. I am certainly this is a ///m six though; I think I recall checking the VIN details, and from memory it is a Euro LHD M635csi so puts out the standard horse-power.Or it maybe a Japanese market m635csi ordered with left hand drive (a highly prevalant practice for the Japs during the 80's - ordering a car in LHD - it apparently provided extra kudos for the owner). I can't remember, but it was the real thing. One thing I like about this example is that it has the ///M technic body-kit - very rare and I believe it modernises the look. It just seems odd about the dials - why would someone replace it with a 635csi one?

IMO - seriously cool - the colour kind revokes the hairdresser image these thing have... sort of gives it a 'urban commando' look. Manual has got to give it some extra resale value by the rarity thing ; on the flipside - the urban commando green is not for everyone...

Hey mate, interesting point. I have been a hard-core E24 enthusiast for the last 23 years and have owned one of the better 635csi's in NZ (a burgundy 1989 Highline) and number 312 /524 - a Polaris silver M635csi that was my pride and joy until I sold it in late 2007. I now own a manual 4.4 840ci E31, but the E24's are still the ones I love.The 635csi's are indeed quite common, as they were one of the most commercially successful coupes for BMW. However, in reality, very few genuine NZ new M6's pop up for sale (as there were only approximately 20 delivered here out of the 524 made RHD). There are now around 30 in the country including the UK and ex-Japan imports. I reckon however, on average only one or 2 NZ new examples pop up for sale every year. Generally speaking, unless they are marketed expensively, they move pretty quickly (around low $30's). These days they are still a niche' car- people like the idea of having one, but there seems to be very few actually buying them unless they are a NZ new car with great history. The ones that seem to linger around on trademe tend to be the imported ones, and that is why there always seems to be one for sale. The Schnitzer car looks great. I saw it when it came from Japan a few years ago and it looked a little rough. It has the rare M-technic body kit and has been lowered. Something very odd though, it doesn't have ///m dials on the dash. Yet it is definitely a M6. I am near certain the 'Scnitzering' is purely cosmetics. Regards.

Absolutely. They are rare too. Only 524 made in RHD. Unlike other later mass produced ///M cars, there is the rarity factor. In NZ too, there are only around 15-16 cars, including the 4 NZ deliveries. 15k is insane for a M5- only 4-5 years ago they were a $30k car. If they had around 100kms on the clock, maybe they would command 20-25k, but try finding one. They are such a practical, everyday car type of car that nearly all of them have 150kms + on the clock. My old E24 m6 had a clutch twice as heavy as a E34 M5. Not much fun driving in heavy traffic in Auckland, where as a E34 M5 is a breeze.

Hi there, I am near 100% certain that this car is an ex- Singaporean E34 M5 that landed here circa 2001 and was marketed at Cherry Lane in Glenfield around that time for around $32k. It popped up for sale again around 2 years ago in Invercargill, then Global Prestige in Parnell, Auckland had it for sale for low 20's and it has now resurfaced for sale in Christchurch. I have driven it - not a bad car actually. When it was for sale in Parnell it was looking very tidy too. Had an after-market exhaust but was pretty much original. There are at least 2 E34 'M5's in NZ that are not genuine cars (520i shells with M5 running gear and engine) but I am certain that if this is the same car that I am thinking of, it is the real deal. Overall, I undertand that these things have pretty solid engines if they have been serviced and maintained. One of my best friends has a 90 E34 M5 with 200,000 kms on the clock and it is very tight and runs like new. Saying that, another friend of mine in Melbourne was tracking his 260,000 km E34 M5 a year ago and blew his engine and had to face a $20k re-build. I think if you treat them well, they are quite reliable. The S38 has a duplex timing chain too unlike its predecessor which was one of the problems with the E28 / E24's M88/3 .

Hey there Glenn, This is Ross's friend Sanjay. What a wonderful car! I have a question for you - I notice it has style 5 wheels - do you know whether it arrived like that ex-factory? From what I know, I thought the 850csi's were all delivered with Throwing stars originally seen on the E34 M5. Irrespective, it looks great with the style 5's (I have them on my 840 ci sport). Good luck with the sale. They are define a special part of BMW's history - the 'almost' ///M8. Regards.

Hey there, Thanks for that. Actually I did, and apparently the part is not available ( I asked my mate Ross Lamb who runs Botany BM Workshop in Auckland and he said BMW NZ cannot get the part). I will try Ebay Germany though. Thanks.

Hi there, I have a E31 8 series and was hoping someone maybe able to help me with a problem. The car originally had a BMW GSM car phone. However, that got discarded by the previous owner. I have now managed to track down a phone, but I need a cradle specific to a 8 series (it sits right behind the gear shift). The cradle that fits the E39 and E38 had leather armrests that fit on either side of the phone cradle (different to the E31). I know this is a wild-card as I doubt many arrived in E31's in this country. Any help would be welcomed.

Being a E31 fan and owning a Hell red 98 4.4 840ci sport in manual, I love this car. I think it embodies everything that it is; the super coupe that BMW needed to take on other marques in terms of performance and looks during the 90's whn the 850i did not quite have the performance. Realistically maybe it should be priced at $115k when you compare the prices of some other 'super cars' from its era like Astons, Porsches, and Ferraris. However, it is a BMW and they depreciate so much quicker, and I believe people in this country simply do not understand nor appreciate this car for what it is. It suits a collector who wants to add to their BMW collection. However, how many people do we have like that in NZ prepared to pay premium? In this economic climate I actually think it would be priced in the right zone around the $70 mark. Once cannot make comparisons to the US and UK markets to determine a price for the NZ market. Even though there are less special cars like this in NZ, we have less people and a cheap car market. When a Ferrari 360 goes for auction for at $105k recently it clearly puts things in perspective. I like the car; it is fabulous - I had until a year ago a E24 M6 and a 850csi would have ben the logical progression (but I cannot afford one). I do belive though, that if the owner is keen on that type of cash he needs to somehow look to market this car overseas like Australia or even the UK. Otherwise he may have to wait awhile.

BM Workshop Botany - Owned by Ross Lamb who was the ex Manager at BM Workshop Grey Lynn. Great mechanic and great guy. Has a great team working for him too. Has been working on my cars for nearly 10 years. Very knowledgeable. (09) 271 6636

No, that is actually in-correct. From what I know there is a white 87' in Auckland, a champagne or Bronzit one in the Wairarapa, and 2 dark coloured ones in Christchurch. So there are atleast 5. The white one is a minter. Until recently i had a M6. The first owner of my car owned the champagne M5 at the same time. The white M5 in Auckland was owned by a gentleman who concurrently owned a red M6. This one for sale is actually a minter- it is Sth african but imported via Japan. As a consequence, it has the body-kit, a la E28 m535i. They are such a niche car- go great, but the styling isn't for everybody/

Yeah it is, UK import, number 239. I have a register of the M6's in NZ, and his is perfectly original, bar the side skirts.

I was looking at it when it was advertised privately for $17k in early 2003. It was owned by a North Shore family who sold it to buy a e39 540 motorsport. The water pump went on the 535is as soon as Craig bought it and then I believe the gasket went. I bought my Sth African 535is a month later for $12k (with 185kms). I sold that 6 months later to get my dream car - the M635csi (in my sad-arse world, a beautiful car). I am partial to the E24's and E34's in particualr. One of my best friends has a minter white e34 m5 in white -stunning! I agree with you the e34 has a very proportionate shape. Your car was a stunner when Craig had it too, and he didn't even wash it that much!