E30 325i Rag-Top

Not often the words "common sense" get mentioned in a post about James and racing!!But, seriously, it is a damn, damn good car and still has heaps of potential. Not going to trouble the $$$$ machines at the very pointy end, but that was not the objective. A reliable (hence stock parts) and low(ish) cost to run in the enduros was the aim.. Can't wait for the first round, will be grouse!!

Bloody flies, never had this many of them and they don't seem to be afraid of humans, keep kamikaze bombing me.. Little feckers!!

Which centre console? I have a few, they have different cut outs for the various swtiches, such as electric windows, auto switch, etc..

And again photos are required on for sale posts....

Correct on the pre-production part, but those vehicles are only used for testing. Demo / display vehicles have different 99x numbers, cars for use with press are 992, display cars are 997.Not necessarily any early build date pre-pros are built all the time, to test new options and features before they are released, not just before a new version is released.

It would have helped if they had a photo of how bad it was under the bonnet..

Make sure you get the right one, pretty sure sedan / coupe / wagon are subtly different.

Because the "xDrive" badges go on the sides... And to leave room for all the TradeMe M badges to be stuck on!

Maybe it was the price of beer I was thinking of then... Lol! Andy, it only has to be a small margin per litre when you sell trillions of litres per year.

Ever seen the chart showing how the price of fuel is broken down according to the costs? About 2/3 was tax and excise collected by various governments IIRC.

Yeah, gets messy across the different ranges as well!! I think it comes from the older models numbers, such as 320i showing it's Series, as in 3 Series in this case, and the model, the 20i all in the one number.So, when the newer X and Z ranges were introduced a different system was used, so you get an X5 30d instead of a 530d, or a Z3 28i instead of a 328i. So the newer system kind of has two numbers, and someone has decided to plonk the M in the middle, before the model.. So yeah, bit weird, you get an M550d (LHD only unfortunately) or an X5 M50d. And I thought the Germans were supposed to be logical...

Yup, there are some amazing pieces of historic racing in little-ol' New Zealand, especially in South Island. I think there are 3 or 4 of the E36 STW plus the BTCC ex-Vic Lee E36 amongst a host of others. Was lucky enough to see a good number of them come up to Manfield for the MG Classic in Novembet, a very good grid of cars.

Roll-on the world-wide diesel glut! Filled up with diesel at 78.9c per litre, bought on the company fuel card so get a further 6c a litre off that price = 72.9c a litre With my RUC also provided, that is cheap motoring!! How can I convert my race car to diesel...??

The problem has got worse, now that there are only 3 engine sizes. 1.5 ltr, 2.0 ltr and 3 ltr. Having only 3 models in each range would be a bit thin. Kw would be a pain, as the models would change so often (with TUD etc.) and I would say even more confusing.

I'll type this slowly so you can follow...40 does NOT mean 3 litre, it means an engine with a power output EQUIVALENT to a 4.0 ltr engine. And as such, it is more powerful than a 35i which is more powerful than a 30i even though they all have the same capacity. Purely and simply it is a way of showing "my one is bigger than yours", yes it is marketing spin and I am so very sorry if trying to explain the system behind it has offended your sensibilities. The last two digits = the engine size has not been the rule since the E28 525e but some people still think it is the case.

NZTA data only has overall colour, in this case blue, which would also show all other shades of blue of which I would take it there were a few. So sorry can't narrow it down to Topaz M3s

Suddenly thought about this thread the other day, when I remembered something that you probably know, but needs saying just in case. The car you put them on needs to have a tyre-pressure monitoring system of some sort to inform you if a tyre loses pressure (as you won't notice otherwise). Driving too long / too fast on a run-flat will result in a big blow out. FWIW, I have had a sudden loss of pressure with both types of tyre. The run flat I noticed a slight sluggishness to the steering, just as the warning came on the dash. The normal tyre I was pointing backwards down the motorway before I had time to blink, how I missed the barrier I'll never know. As a safety feature I find it well worth the slightly harsher ride.

It DOES start with an M, it's an M40i. Part of the M Performance sub-brand, same as the M135i, M235i and M50d. The issue is a bit confused in NZ due to the old M325i designation, which was a local NZ only thing, which people still remember. The last two digits refer to the "equivalent" engine size, so a 2.0 litre with a low level tune = 320i, a two litre with the medium tune is equivalent to a 2.5 litre = 325i and the highest level of tune is equivalent to a 3.0 litre = 330i. In this case the M40i is the 3ltr six cylinder with highest level of tune, same as the 340i and 440i.

Can see why people are struggling with this, it does take a bit to get your head around, but it's not that hard really! FWIW it is primarily driven by the Asian markets where bigger = better.

I did manage to get a replacement seal set a few years back, but yeah, it was only a few $$$s less than the whole slave in the end.

What's he bought now??

Unfortunately Paragon's tank didn't work out, wrong one. So still looking...

3 litre petrol drinks as much as the V8 for normal driving, would suggest would be even worse when towing.

Looking for a fuel tank from a face-lifted E30, with the larger fuel capacity and high-pressure in-tank pump. If it's still in a car, I'm more than willing to help pull it out. Closer to East Auckland the better. Have cash but can also trade E30 parts if needed...

Agree 100% with this, there are so many numpties out there it's unbelievable.Unfortunately holiday season brings them all out of their home cities, and onto the open road.