E30 325i Rag-Top

Wants $13.5k for an E30, puts up 6 photos, one of which is a rusty sun-roof. Way to sell a car! As an M325i it could be worth the 13.5k asking, but needs to be much better presented and marketed to get up to that price I would suggest. Mtech I > Mtech II anyways!

Very odd, I can't seem to find the info in English on any of the various systems, all coming up in German abbreviations. Will keep digging when I get some time!

Is this a UK import? Trying to read the awful, punctuation missing, listing it was an SA import 325is - which is a very different beast to an M325i.

Bloody hell, nearly sprayed coffee all over my phone there, and not just because Ron actually said I was right on something. Just trying to get the NZTA to accept that the i3 is an electric car was hard enough, working out the RUC would cause an overload!

Calypso is colour code 252 on there, doesn't look like a SABI code. At the very bottom is an explanation of the Individual items, where it says LA Neeuwzeeland, rest is in German though. Possibly tourist delivery handling? Will check at work on Monday when I can see it in English.

Looking at the aftermarket add-ons I would suggest it's some in from Japan. US version has "unleaded gasoline only" on the fuel gauge as well. I kinda recognise the wheels, and just don't like them, but then I'm an annoying M3 purist on stuff like that. And the head-unit is also too modern and gaudy for me! Again no biggie and easy to swap out.

I think it is just a token effort by NZTA / govt to promote so called green cars. As soon as there are enough electric cars on the road the money grabbers will be after the electric cars as well. Personally I think the "rare earth" magnets required for the powerful electric motors are going to be much more of an issue in the future - mostly from the fact that 99% of the worlds supply comes from one country - China. Not sure if they "wear out" over time or if they can be recycled? The cyclist bit was very tongue in cheek, but it is a road USER charge, not a road WEARER OUT charge...?

Option code 940 is basically a "flag" in the system that the car needs to have some Individual parts fitted during build.Special colours would have code 490 Special Paint in the colour info section. Although there are SABI colours (still individual, but have their own code - if that makes sense) that have colour codes like X11. What code is listed for your colour?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-843455952.htm Steering wheel is still on the correct side, but no dog-leg box unfortunately. If those Kms can be verified as accurate could make it worthwhile, car looks to be in very good condition. Only thing that puts me off is the "boy ricer" additions - the wheels (don't suit the E30 to me) the steering wheel, extra gauge, etc. no biggie to put back to original, or more period styles but I wonder what else has been played with at the same time? Rose City are one of the better dealers in Palmy, specialise in high-perfomance cars, have been involved in motorsports for years, and get some of the nicer stuff out of Japan.

Whoa, careful there Andy your looking at this with thought and logic. That kind of crazy talk is gonna get you burned at the stake for daring to question the new-age greenie bullshit. The rubbish that those driving Prius' believe, ignoring the big pile of heavy metals under their seat. Many countries, Europe, US, etc offer huge incentives to drive these types of cars, tax breaks, free rego, even cash payments. At least NZ hasn't quite gone that far. I think that not only should electric cars pay RUC but also cyclists - they are using for free something that I have to pay for and that can't be right surely??

Yeah, the acceleration due to the torque of the electric motor is quite impressive, and certainly not what I expected from an "electric vehicle" expecting it to be more like the old electric milk-floats we used to have in the UK. It has certainly surprised a number of people. Full lock is also impressive, with an incredibly tight turning circle. The bits and bobs behind the wheel are beefier than normal due to the additional re-generative braking components, when you get good at it, you can drive without ever having to touch the brake pedal and get much better range. I think they were designed, to deliberately look "different" which may explain some of the styling.

Fully electric vehicles DO have to pay road-user charges, there is currently an "exemption" in place that they don't. As in, the Land Transport Rule legal jargon of an exemption to the regulations. At any given point (that is when it becomes economic) this exemption could be lifted by the government. Just don't ask how many RUCks I have had with NZTA and various government bods about the i3....

I have heard tales of copy steel panels, but never managed to find any for sale so might just be an Internet myth. Used panels come up now and again, but the quality can be a bit variable, especially those that have to be cut off, like the rears. With prices of M3 chassis going up faster than I can save, I am seriously looking into converting my existing race car to M3 spec, as most of the panels are still available from BMW or good quality fibre glass in some areas (appreciate this wouldn't work for you!).

Good idea going with the steel panels, are you using genuine parts or have you managed to find some copies in steel?

Such a cool car, will be far to good to keep for "just" a track day car, but I can fully understand what you are saying about not wanting to be leaned on! Have a look at the Historic Touring Car Class that Gerry Hodges is promoting and getting going, I'd say he'd love to have your car on the grid with them.. and the emphasis is "fun" for them as the cars are very valuable!

Any courier company that sends DG - as long as it's marked as such, and you tell them what it is, they shouldn't have a problem with it. NZ Post have a very large "too hard basket" which lots of things get put into...

Said it before, and I'll say it again - awesome work in this project. Your skills are amazing. Keep posting the updates, and fingers crossed the rest of the build goes smoothly for you.

There are certainly some very "special" drivers out there.Back in the UK, my mates dad managed to have a head-on with a fire engine, you know the great big red things? Even better, it was on the way to a fire so had all the lights and sirens going. We took the piss out of him for years about that one...

I've never had chance to put the 265 next to a 260, but it (the 265) is certainly a big heavy box. Sat much further back in the tunnel than the ZF 5-speed I had in the E30, and certainly weighed a lot more. The rubber donut is much larger, which also means the driveshaft has to go up in flange size. IIRC the ZF is the same as the Getrag 240, so a bit smaller than the the 260, but I would expect the 260 to be smaller/lighter than the 265. Another issue would be the price and getting hold of one. 265/5 is a $2.5k+ gearbox plus a couple hundy for the bell-housing if you can find one before it's snapped up. 260 would be about $4-500 in comparison. The US spec h-pattern 265/6 can be got for about US$300 + shipping which might be a good solution? No idea about the newer boxes sorry, or which will fit.

Good work Josh, glad that is now sorted.We can now move on to the big issues, like the incorrect use of capital letters, and caps lock keys..??

The old fashioned "krooklok" devices that were used to lock either the steering wheel or hand-brake & gearstick were also good for that!

Could this be a new race car Touring??

I think that might be possible for Andy, but while I have a baby face I still pre-date the E21, let alone the E30 cab.

Are you looking for just the 265 gearbox, or do you want a bell- housing as well ?

Not my opinions, just pointing you to the other thread, hopefully there is someone out there who will appreciate it as much as you. My car had a hard top with it from new, I ended up selling it as it became a complete pain to store it and it was never used. When new, and these cars were dailied the hard-top was a great option to have in the winter. Chances are that now they will only be used as second cars, for sunny Sunday afternoon drives (sweeping generalisation there). Has yours got the stand and lifting cradle still? Makes getting it on and off 100 times easier if you're on your own.