E30 325i Rag-Top

Factory is usually the electric fold-away for NZ vehicles, due to the M3 exhaust rear-box there is no room for that to fit. I understand the plan is to develop a local-fit option that can be fitted around the exhaust, but that would be the removable ball type not swing away. Whether this is feasible and there is enough room, is another question!

@M3_Power you have interest.

I also kind-of think that the black plates look better on older/classic cars, they don’t seem to look right on new cars to me.

I would think that would look really sweet with the new black and silver plates. The white body with black details is always a classic combo I feel.

From my experience, if you are able to swap the parts over yourself and not pay for someone to do it, that is the most economic way of doing it, rather than buying the parts new or used even. Pretty much paid my way through Uni doing that on old MkI and MkII Escorts.

The AliExpress spec M3. You see a few of these in East Auckland. What is it they say “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”?

This looks to be a nice tidy car, with nice options (those sports seats..) in a genuine $1 reserve auction. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/320i/listing/3855932278 Where it ends up price wise should give a nice indication as to the state of the current E30 market (which I think has cooled off considerably over the last few months, like the rest of the car market).

I referred to SA built cars as I have seen issues with the information on those before. However this is a German built car (not Oxford, that wasn’t even a BMW plant in 1988!) so strange of the info has errors.

It could be an error in the VIN decode information, that tends to be with SA built cars though? Do E34 have the build sheet under the rear seats like E30s do?

Is it blue, or is it white..? You decide…

Main one is the body colour, when the VIN from carjam left the factory it was definately black, not blue. Could be the same shell re-painted in the blue. Sunroof is correct to VIN. Car seems to have gained EDC at some point of the switch in the photos is real. I have engine (3.6 was in that VIN from factory), trans and body numbers but can’t check those. When does viewing start for the auction?

Have Webb’s confirmed the VIN on the actual car? IF it’s the one that’s showing on Carjam then there are a few things that don’t line up with the BMW Info (not pulled from a 3rd party VIN decoder!!).

Don’t forget to add the buyers premium on top! You win the auction at $45k add on 15% premium = $51,75k plus the GST on the premium = $52,760 and change!!

Less tips = less resistance = performance exhaust..?

There is some basic info on the NZTA web-site that gives broad colour breakdown of the cars registered in NZ (but only those that are set to public for the reg info). Most of the colourful E9x M3s I see are the two door coupes, I think they were mostly limited edition versions. How set are you on the 4 doors?

I’ve hidden that post as it is more of a general slagging of a company with no context or details. As it was the users first post, very much looks like an axe To grind. If they come back with a more balance post, with details and facts then that’s fine.

Very is the answer. Last time I raced I was weighed at 1085kg, with me around 90kg, making car just under the tonne. That was with fibreglass bonnet, guards and bumpers. Plastic windows, gutted door shells, etc. Have pulled lots of wiring out, cut off lots of studs and brackets, drilled lots of holes in anything non-structural. Will be interesting how light I can get, especially in the front for better balance. As Dan said it’s the four pot S14B20 motor so good weight saving over the M20.

E30 race car, assuming I ever get it finished and back on the track. Aiming to get the car down to the 2ltr class minimum weight limit of 1,040kg including driver. Engine is rated at 190bhp standard which is probably about where it sits currently -lost a few geegees over time v gained a few with mods. More than enough for me!

The car is a 2012, So it has been for 10 years. Welcome to the program. Only 1.5(3cyl) 2.0 (4cyl) and 3.0(cyl) inline engines now. So all then numbers in between, 18i, 25i, 28i, 35i are achieved through under or over tunes - shown as NxxBxxU NxxBxxO on the engine derivative.

The rims and the rusted up rotors tell a pretty good story from the pics that are there.

That’s a pretty high bar for them to get over. Pretty sure it’s a pre-requisite for anyone wanting to set up a courier company. ”I want to set up a courier company” ”Will it be sh*t service?” ”yes, definitely” ”Great, of you go, fill your boots!”

Pffft, $25k, everyone knows classic cars are going up in value each day!

@Andrew as it’s you gtfo 🤣 I’m away over Christmas otherwise I would offer to help. P&S Autocentre are bloody good with E30s they are in East Tamaki but not sure when they are closing for hols.

What’s that E91 335d doing in there…??

Oh my, just off to google the AUD exchange rate and how much it costs to import a car from Aussie!