E30 325i Rag-Top

Please can you put prices against the items you have listed for sale. Forum rules in the for sale section. Thanks.

There is still a MAF inspection which costs a few $$s, plus port handling fees, etc but no compliance. Shipping is not cheap, even if it is combined with other stuff and sent by sea. Unless it is a hard to find engine, like my S14B20, or expensive like an S54, I would say it would be cheaper to find one in NZ.

I brought a whole engine and gearbox in from Greece, wasn't too difficult. A lot depends on the seller, and how prepared they are to organise the shipping from their end. There is a bit of paperwork to be done, and the customs duty to pay when it arrives.

True, a 3ltr petrol with a slush box would be the ultimate....

There are brand new cars that are arriving from China that have been denied certification due to rust issues as well. Yes, there are lots of rusty cars in the UK, just as there are lots of rusty, poorly maintained cars in NZ. The point is that not ALL UK cars are rusty, which most people seem to think is the case. Nuts and bolts are usually only given a zinc passivate, or chemi-black finish, which doesn't last long in most conditions. Easy enough to replace if you have to take them off for any reason.

"This SUV is a real head turner, it's smooth to drive , handles and has power like a sports car." Um, yeah the 3ltr petrol is not a powerful X5 by any stretch of the imagination. Avoid, go diesel, or if you like the local petrol station staff, go for the V8!

Time for a Bimmersport auction dump if you ask me... crap all over the trademe sale. But then I can be very childish (or so I'm told)!

No, the warranty is transferred with the vehicle, it becomes void after the time period not change of ownership. There are other conditions, such as the vehicle is serviced in line with the BMW recommendations and by an approved BMW Service outlet. Key point to note is that it is only 2 years, and from the date of first registration in the original country. The current 5 year warranty is a local NZ warranty and that is not transferrable to another country.

That's true, it's all driven by Supply v demand. not many E39 M5s in NZ and lots of people that would love to own one. Many more E39 M5s in UK but most people put off running costs (mostly petrol and insurance). Cost of diverting the supply to the demand then comes into play when the differences are big enough.

Plus GBP8k is not far off NZ$24k landed anyways.

I'm not sure where in London you were living to not see gritted roads in 10 years, must have been either lucky or in the area of a council that had run out of money and couldn't afford to grit the roads. All of England gets cold enough for snow and ice and all areas get gritted - including the south. It's not just the gritting of the roads that are the issue, it's also the marine environment and salty sea air. Just look inside a heat pump from a Bach to see what I mean! But you are right, not every car in England is a rust bucket and the issues are greatly exaggerated.

Original post doesn't mention front bumper.. maybe why so 'cheap'?

Yeah, because a Porsche really is a useable four seater, where the M is really only a two-seater, oh wait, what...

Bit of a bumpity bump on this one, still looking. And I KNOW someone out there is replacing the centre section on their M3 as I saw the new one sitting in the parts warehouse waiting to go to the dealers... the old knackered one will suit me for bits and pieces!

No worries Bruce, it does look a bit rough, but it will do for now. Sorry, no spare oil cooler, I had to source mine. The cooler is the same as the 325i E30s so not too hard to find, it's the hoses that are different and hard to find. Has Shuey put a hole in yours whilst doing skids in your car while he was "looking after it" for you??

This was the advert...

From what I have been told the idea of the "spinning propeller" came in quite early in the companies history with some of the advertising they ran at the time, and that has become part of the story of the company, but the very first logo was based on the old company and the flag of Bavaria - the region of Germany that BMW was based in at the time. There is an old logo which even has lines around the outside which makes it look even more like a propeller spinning, just can't find a picture at the moment. BMW logo BMW roundel on a 1939 BMW motorcycle Flag of Bavaria The name-change to Bayerische Motoren Werke compelled management to devise a new logo for the company, therefore the famous BMW trademark is designed and patented at this time. However, they remained true to the imagery of the previous Rapp Motorenwerke emblem (which was designed by Karl's brother, Ottmar Rapp). Thus, both the old and the new logo were built up in the same way: the company name was placed in a black circle, which was once again given a pictorial form by placing a symbol within it. By analogy with this, the blue and white panels of the Bavarian national flag were placed at the center of the BMW logo. Not until the late 1920s was the logo lent a new interpretation as representing a rotating propeller.[5] The BMW Trademark, called a "roundel", was submitted for registration on the rolls of the Imperial Patent Office, and registered there with no. 221388 on 10 Dec 1917.

Invest half, spend half. Don't tell family or friends (too many begging letters). Property Investments to include commercial units, with one kept to run secret race team out of, and apartment at Hampton Downs (with garage). House renovation. Car spending to include X5 diesel tow wagon, E30 M3 race car (preferrably Conrod's but doubt he would ever sell) and full resto/modernisation of the 'vert.

Not sure that counts as an upgrade...

Jeesh, all of a sudden everyone is a critic! The recess in the lip is not a perfect rectangle shape and that is the reason the holes aren't in lovely neat lines... that and the fact that I did them all by hand with a cordless drill, which was a sh!t load of holes to drill without holding in the vice, so some of them wandered off a bit. Dan, I couldn't get the drill off of James, he was having far too much fun with it. The lip was really made from cheese and this is what the mouse in the bucket did to it....

^oh dear

Personally I would go on word-of-mouth or personal feelings after talking to a shop rather than whether they are members of a trade association.

I'd be surprised if that was leather, looks more like a vinyl material to me.

Fingers crossed Andrew, that's the same day I'm aiming for. Might be a few late nights before then..

Nice E30. Lot less to go wrong on an E30, that's for sure! What size were those original white five-spokes and have you still got them?