E30 325i Rag-Top

I have got quite a few bits of rear bumper, and a whole one but none of them are perfect I'm afraid.

Just putting "quote" in front of a mangled English sentence doesn't make it clear. Luckily you added another sentence without the double negatives, thanks for the clarification.

Good on ya Bruce, cars are made to be driven, not sit in sheds as an investment. The grin an M3 gives is worth more than the increase in value anyways.

So to clarify, this event is open to Bimmersporters who are not member of the BMW Car Club Alan? It appears to be saying that in your message but I just wanted to check.

Lots of books, magazines, etc. all list the "official" production figures, mainly because those are the ones given out by the PR department and they are easy to double check as all the production information is in once place and is easy to search and filter. The sales information is a lot harder to get a definitive answer on, as a number of cars end up in places they weren't originally intended for, especially for cars like the E30 M3 which were in high demand. Plus some of the records going back to the late 80s are a little sketchy, especially when the corporate rules are being bent a little! A number of cars I have checked out through the VIN and service records have had very "interesting" lives. There are also a lot of rumours and urban myths about what did or didn't happen, and again there is a lot of this with the E30 M3. All of which is much harder to prove or disprove without VINs for actual cars.

Which one of the many...?

Not quite right Bruce, the cars you mention are the "Japanese National Version" cars which have that option code (SA872 iirc) selected. There were also quite a number of cars that went to Japan without that option added, some were US models (h-pattern) some were Euro (dog-leg). The car mentioned in this listing is a Euro model (AK05) sold new in Japan, delving deeper into ETK shows the selection of the Japanese National Version has set the gearbox to the H-pattern. But as Golfboy has written "Fact" on the Internets I will have to contact my colleagues in Munich to change the Product Library as they are clearly wrong.

The other factor would be maintenance, daily drive the M3 and do lots of Kms and it would be quite expensive to keep in that condition (to keep the value going up).

That is the million dollar question, or in this case the $55,000 question. I can't see them getting any cheaper any time soon.... unless there is a GFC in which case there might be a few bargains to be had. Too many "investors" are buying them up, rather than enthusiasts. Prices have really rocketed in the last 12-18months, for the whole E30 M3 market. Lots of poor cars being offered at over the top prices (I'm not saying this is one of them by any means, probably the opposite in this case) to "cash in" on the boom only adding more fuel to the fire. Grr.

Spec is possibly the wrong word here, there are two "models" of M3 (not including, Evos, etc) a Euro Model and a US Model. The numbers in the VIN tell you what model it is, in this case AK05, which is a Euro M3. Then there is the Local Market Code, which in this care is set to Japan, which then determines the speedo figures, handbook language, stickers, etc. that go on the car. So yes there is a Japanese market version (as there is for every major market - UK, Germany, France, etc..), but not a Japanese model would be a better way of putting it.

Can we start talking about cars, and BImmers in particular again now please... Saw a very tidy E30 FL MTech2 White looking "DAPPR" on Ti Rakau this morning anyone here? And another P/FL grey on what may have been LM syle rims on Mt Wellington Hway It is very, very good chocolate milk though, had a taste and want moooooorrrrr!!

There is NO Japanese spec, only Euro and US. Let's not go through this again... Dog-leg box is more sought after by collectors as it is the more "sporty" option, plus the US spec cars have fugly side markers and other bits to meet US dumb-ass laws that the Euros don't. Model code for this car is AK05 = M3 (Eur) so should have the dog-leg box. Was sold new in Japan.

Or as Josh would say.... BOOOOOOSSTT!!!

Try a 335d as an alternative to the 335i, great trade off between performance and economy.

One other thought, who is going to load the container? All these bits turning up will need to be palletised and strapped down or your mates caravan will be mush when it arrives.

^^yeah that type of thing. My first ever lap there (old circuit) on the back straight I had two V8s try to pass me going into the braking zone, one inside one outside. Only one of us made it round the hairpin, the others went into the sand in big circles.

Open Days at Puke can be very interesting, mainly due to the other drivers that turn up (granted it has been a while).

Might get a bit suspicious when the list of household contents reads.. 1) Kitchen Table x 1 2) Dining Chairs x 4 3) Car parts (various) x 1000 But it might be worth a try... as long as we don't advertise it all over the internets.

I used to watch quite a bit of bike racing, as there used to be lots of over-taking and close racing, Barry Sheene flicking the v's behind him, etc. Now MotoGP is gettting too much like F1, only one or two teams are remotely competitive and it turns into a procession very quickly. Only excitement is when someone falls off.. The smaller bikes, MotoGP2 and 3 or whatever they are called now, are more exciting as the bikes and riders are much more even and you end up with 5 or 6 bikes coming round the last corner together. Shame they don't do enduros on bikes though. Bathurst was like tantric sex, hours of build up leading to an awesome climax.

Could be. Jamez is sorting out some set up issues with the new server, might cure this as well.

Any more details? Could be very interested. Where is container leaving UK from (can be a pain gettting diffs, etc shipped even within UK), where is it getting de-vanned in NZ? How are the costs of freight and customs etc. going to be divided up?

Ah, Ok, makes sense. If you are paying someone to do it then yes, can be cheaper to swap in another rack. Just make sure the one you are getting has no leaks, double-check with the seller.

Pretty sure it will fit in place and all bolt up correctly, the only difference might be the number of turns from lock-to-lock for the rack. Would still get you a warrant though. Is it not easier / cheaper to stop the existing rack from leaking?

Moved into more appropriate forum for you. And a free bump back to the top as well.

I've got the first performance / go-faster parts from the US of A to go into the engine now. Can't say too much as it's all Top Secret and I know other 2.0ltr competitors come on Bimmersport sometimes, so just a sneak peak... At LEAST a second a lap right there!