E30 325i Rag-Top

Where are you based Phil, happy to let you try my iPhone 4 adaptor if you're local?

GoBabyGo is a chosen charity of BMWNZ, have worked together for a couple of years now.

Hey Vinu, I have got a 325i centre section sitting in my shed, no idea what condition it is in inside but it seems intact from the outside. Yours for cheap if you're interested?

What wheels does it come on for that price, and what does it need to pass a WoF? Rego on hold or needs re-compliance?

Glad to see you're still using the laid back / she'll be right attitude to racing Andy. I'm hoping to get my sh*t together for Taupo in November so can watch your antics from up close, always good for entertainment.

Anything over 20 years old can come in without the need for the low volume special, even if it is LHD. I know of one very nice 320iS in NZ, and I don't mean my replica! Prices on them have shot up in recent years on the back of the huge spike in M3 prices and the fact it has the S14B20 motor in it, they are great cars though especially the 2-door with the MTech II kit. E30 cabs are too common, too many built, the rarity value has a big effect on the price - hence why the wagons are so highly priced. things like Alpinas (real ones) Hartges, Schnitzers will always be in demand and good prices. Of the "factory" models I would say M325i are the stronges bet.

"Turn Indicator rear left failure" - no sh*t Sherlock!

Many of these processes in the vehicle manufacturing industry look to be very wasteful, but when you work out how much it would cost to have a process that re-introduced the parts back into "used parts" stock then it doesn't stack up. Even if the parts are 99.99% brand new and have never been driven / used they cannot be re-introduced to the production line unfortunately. If you are lucky you might get to scounge a few bits for your or a mates car, but quite often everything has to have a hammer put through it to make sure it doesn't get re-used by some devious method.

Clever chap, got his priorities right! If I owned an E30 M3 then I would keep it in the house all the time. Probably in the bedroom tbh.

Please excuse my confusion, when they are shown in a For Sale post!

Is it not an M3 then..? LOL at all the keyboard warriors quoting laws and stuff. All goes back to the ridiculous amount of freedom people have when registering used imports. Write what you want on the bit of paper and the lady will type it into the computer.

Prices needed on the other stuff.

Bathurst pop-up channel on Sky Sports, lots of extended highlights of old races, heaven. just been watching JR in the JPS M3 in '87.

To be fair, not all of the car manufacturers / distributors in NZ have been particularly proactive on this issue, some have made no effort at all to find out which (if any) cars are affected and contact the owners. I think that is why the media have picked up on it.

Snap-in adaptor goes in the arm rest, yes. Might not have been optioned in your car if it's an import. Play back should start as soon as you choose your phone as the music source from the iDrive.

Wide body and flares then...?

Just run them like that, looks baller G!

^^exactly this, if they aren't prepared to pay for decent rubber, then the chances they have done servicing and preventative maintenance are pretty slim.

I vaguely recall one of the car, or possibly consumer, magazines doing a lot of fuel tests a few years back, will see if I can find it with Google. would be interesting if there were a scientific study into the power and economy for the different fuels in the same car (real world test not lab). Especially for older cars without knock sensors, different ECU timing maps, etc. I always seem to do the lawns quicker when I put 98 in the mower, but that could be a placebo effect?

Fuel card for the work cars is Mobil, so have to use them. Used to be BP but Mobil offered a better deal so we swapped. When I want 98 for the race car I tend to go BP though so that's worth remembering.

Most of the Mobils around Mt Wellington / East Auckland only do the 95 and not the 98, I have to go to Green Lane when I need to fill up the M Cars, everything else is happy to run on the 95. But it's not cheap there. I have recently noticed how much the prices vary, same brands, different areas.. the North Shore are getting rorted on what they are paying compared to out East. I think they call it the Gull effect, they dropped their price 10c / litre for 36 hours and everyone else on Ti Rakau followed suit.. diesel at 87.9c / ltr from Mobil plus discount on the fuel card, sweet.

Agreed, that's a keeper. Unless he's selling it to buy an E30 M3!

Give your local BMW dealer a ring, most of the odd-ball sizes are kept in stock in the part warehouse, in the factory optioned brands - Bridgestone, PSS, Contis, etc. Lots of 19" rims as standard on NZ cars nowadays. Not sure about pricing and how competitive they are though, might be worth a shot if you are stuggling to source what you need.

Castrol used to have a global supply agreement with BMW, including the factory first fill which was why Castrol products are referenced. The supply agreement has now changed over to Shell oils, so expect that to be referenced more in the coming years. Try Kayne Barrie for your LSD oil, he will point you in the right direction and can supply the oil you need.

Well, it's obviously not as good as an E30 325i vert... And apart from the fact it's not my cup of tea what do you want to know? I'll see what's in the records..