JiB

I keep coming back to this in my TradeMe adventures. Can owners (cough Graham ) tell me what the running costs are like? From Graham's previous posts on his car, some basic parts appear to be horrendously expensive! So is it going to cost lots to keep maintained? I can manage ~$500/10,000km services, or do modern Frenchies demand more than the Germans? Are there weak points that will need specialty parts? Will it handle a couple of track days without exploding/destroying my wallet? (Have had a couple of cars with Brembos now, the pads/discs sure ain't cheap!) Is there any pre-requisite safe-proofing for said trackdays? (My EP3 Civic needed a baffled sump before trackday adventures) How "French" is the reliability? I can't seem to find any documented failures? The fatty RS225, what differentiates it from the Team F1/R26? LSD? Spring kit? It is also a lot of ANCAP stars that should satiate girlfriend/parents safety fixation. It also worries me that there is a lot of traction control/ASC/electro-nanny - can this be turned off for trackdays? Or if it can't be turned off (like our '10 vRS) is it intrusive? The goal would be a comfy car that I won't get bored of/feel the need to sell in a couple of months . The ability to have a hoon on track/backroads is a bonus.

FWIW, Rattle guns are fine as long as the correct torque sticks are used.

Bahaha, I'd need a step ladder for that thing! One of the reasons why a ute suits me is the amount of crap I'd like to throw in the back of cars that seem to fuxxor them (billet, scrap metal, drums, karts). If petrol weren't an issue I'd have a black VU SS ute (secretly a dirty bogan at heart). But it is an issue, so I'm still weighing up the diesel options.. They are very comfortable and I like how the motor drives - unfortunately, the tray is a ~200mm narrower than a Hilux - which would mean taking wheels off a kart as opposed to just rolling them on. Also a little frightened of the petrol costs involved. BA ute is definitely still in the running at the moment, really did like the XR6. Wow, really? My mate's BA XT did 11L/100km's, vs 12-13L/100km's of the 3.6 S. Perhaps it's a different story with utes? I was only basing it on second hand information - I did like the grunt of the xr6's vs the S's (the commodores did drive a lot better though). The tray's with the VU+ were even narrower which doesn't help me

I've missed out on four or five Hilux's in that price range in the last month due to my work schedule. But a dealer has more coming in for me to look at next Wednesday. They're not that rare around that price., maybe it's because I'm only looking for 2WD's as I don't need 4WD at all. Granted the examples I've been looking at are around 200,000km's, but they're don't seem to show any signs of wear/fatigue as opposed to Nissan/Ford/Holden equivalents.

Hi all, been looking for a ute for a while now. I need something that is: - comfy enough to daily - good on gas - hella' reliable - can tow 2 tonne comfortably - airbags - abs - isn't too ugly I've been looking at the following: 05+ Toyota Hilux double cab, 3.0L D4D Fulfills all of the above, except they're really really expensive to buy. I don't think I'd be worried about high k's. They are some nice examples that I keep missing out on around the $15,000 mark. 03+ Holden Rodeo double cab, 3.0L turbo diesel Basically a slightly cheaper, slightly worse Hilux. It's not as comfy, not as good on gas, not as reliable. 04+ Nissan Navara D22, 2.5L turbo diesel Much cheaper to buy, hard to find double airbag models and pretty frigging ugly. I also hear horror stories about the engines failing. 02+ Ford XR6 ute, 4.0L Hella' comfy, pretty robust, safe, looks good (relatively). Horrendous on gas. 01+ Holden S ute, 3.6L or 3.8L Not as comfy as the XR6, prefer the ford's engine, but seems more composed in general. Even more horrendous on gas. Has anyone had experience with any of the above? Any advice?

Thanks David, if you're ever in the St Johns area, I'd be happy to show you around the workshop/cars if you're interested

Hi guys, Would anyone have the following lying around, and would like to donate some to us? Coolant Temp Sensor E30 E34 E36 E24 E28 Blue Connector We use 'em in our F:SAE car which we design and build. (Student run project, raise our own funds, very poor at the moment).

That's cool, I'll let you know if Blackie doesn't take 'em.

Updated first post. Oil still available. Haven't got a PM dude.

Righto, so everything is on hold for various people (bar the civic )

Nope, not splitting. Palazzo was first to pm, so if he's not picking up, next one in line gets it.

Yeah, I think so? Will have a closer look when I'm next home - either way, it's free

Brand new genuine Medium case diff bush, suit e30. $20 Sold Twin flexi joints, to suit twin pipe E30 exhaust (was meant to go on my headers, but never got there) $20 Sold Air and oil filters for a 325i e30. RRP$60, yours for $30 On Hold for Nath Box 'o speakers, assorted 6x9's, various that fit in e30 kickpanels, even some kenwood components with tweeters and crossovers. $40 Sold 6 litres of Penrite HPR15 15w-60, used in all my e30s with great results. $45 On hold for APT. '02 Civic Type R. $14,500 or swap for a Hilux. On hold.

Everything in the picture is free. The big bottle is Penrite LSD fluid, the little white bottle is unopened BMW coolant (genuine). Miscellaneous headunit second picture is also included. Shifter bush, third picture also included. The catch is, you have to take ALL of it.

Phwoah. Now that's what I call fitment! (I guess that doesn't make me balla') Have fun cleaning them

I have had 3 of cars with Classic Cover since I was 21. Just don't be a muppet to them on the phone, and they're very very nice people. Highly recommended! @ OP, maybe next time mask off the hubs and threaded bits in your suspension? I wouldn't like to mount my discs or wheels to painted hubs! My 2c

Phwoah, take me for a blat Graham? Good luck with Targa

Did that on a trip to Hamilton when I had my STi. Pretty epic!

Oh dear, it's possibly the roughest M325i I've ever seen. Didn't even bother getting it on a hoist. Needless to say, I walked away. -Parcel tray butchered! -Rust in rear arches -Rust in boot -Small rust patches in the front bits -Mtech kit not held on properly in spots -Seats are tired, and the knobs don't work -Driver seat ripped -Big leak in passenger footwell -Clutch on the way out -Most of the hoses in the engine bay looked past the use-by date -Rough idle -Pod filter with a rip in it -Exhaust leak -Interior is ripped up -Rugged manual window conversion -Tech1 wheel is pretty much destroyed -Speaker covers, etc butchered -Needs new tyres, all bald on the inside -22 different NZ owners -UK import On the plus side, -Suspension seems pretty good (but crashed quite badly on the front left), aftermarket lowering springs and bilsteins -Electric sunroof works well -Clarion sound bits if that's your thing Std M bits: -Maplight mirror -Shadowlined -Houndstooth interiors -Colour coded bumpers and mirrors -LSD!

These are pretty choice. And super cheap too!

I sold it to SToffs (sp?) on here.

Yeah, have organised an inspection for Tuesday. Will report back.

No...my anti-E30 willpower is weak. I try to convince myself that it's a lousy 80's car with subpar steering, suspension and brakes...but it's not very efffective. Left another message for "Lauren" today...I wish she'd pick up her phone!

I think this one the one outside Bavarian last week. It's an Evo replica - so normal M3 with 2.5L and Recaros. Pretty cool car!

I'm trying - only getting voicemail