E30 325i Rag-Top

A day celebrating Irish culture... so that's getting drunk on Guiness and wearing silly hats? Just about sums it all up really.Happy Plastic Paddy's Day

There is no way around the owning the vehicle for 12months condition of bringing in the car as your own personal import which is the only way of avoiding the payment of the tax (which as pointed out above is the GST). However, it is often still cheaper to buy the vehicle, ship it over AND pay the GST than having to pay NZ prices. This is how car dealers that import their cars still make money! A lot will depend on the vechicle itself and the exchange rate, but I would suggest that a 3+ year old E92 M3 would still work out cheaper even with paying the GST, even better if you can own it for a year and avoid the GST part!

Shhhh....

You might want to double check the pressures in the tyres, most tyre shops tend to pump them up far too much. Could explain the light feeling. Scrutineers might also pick you up on the fact there is no sign saying "TOW" and pointing to your eyes, needed on both front and rear. Even a hand written sign will do.Don't worry about the 92hp - i've only got 8 more than that, and still have fun (and touch wood don't come last!!) If you can get the rev limit up then that will guarantee you will have more hp anyways..

What about if it's on a car that has been round the ring ?

Happy Birthday you old fart! Sure you're only 40?? Celebration plans?

Must be a Palmy thing - the wagon's just had a clean as well ! Also had a bit of a play with the bluetooth and managed to get the phone hooked in through that so it works hands-free through the steering wheel controls - pretty simple to set up and works well The blanks for the swirl flaps in the in the inlet manifold finally arrived from the UK, so fitted those last night so there is no risk of a flap breaking and wrecking the engine / turbo and cats. New shiny blanks in inlet manifold: Old dirty flaps and actuator mechanism: And a tip for anyone working on an E46 diesel - don't drop anything under the bonnet, you will never find it again. At least with an E30 it ends up on the floor!!

Amen Brother !

Why was it? Close racing? Competition? No.May as well watch a single car drive around.

The article is putting an interesting "spin" on developments in the NZV8s, I read a while back about the new silhouette platform that is being developed (and is planned to be built by the same shop in Aussie that is making the new V8 Supercars "car of the future"). A set rolling body shell with control mechanicals that can accept a variety of engines (as long as V8 and RWD) and different body panels to give the illusion of different vehicles, but controlled to help close racing. The NZV8s have been falling behind for a number of years, with only limited updates to the control regulations and the cars that are running. The Commodores are still running as VZs as they can't update to the VE bodywork on the existing chassis. So a big update is long overdue. As long as it keeps the racing close, and there is plenty of door handle to door handle racing then I'm all for it. I just hope it won't cause a "split" in the category, it is hard enough to get 30 cars out for the NZV8s, splitting that in two won't be anywhere near as much fun to watch. We shall see...

Well what a surprise - last minute random bid comes in from nowhere, well over the current bid. (who would do that - really??) and then the car is "offered" at that price, even though theorectically the auction has been won by another bidder! No worth anywhere near the $4,500 level it has been "bumped" to, probably parts at best being LHD and no paperwork - despite what the clown selling it suggests.

I work with a lot of transport companies through work, so I can get a few quotes from them. Let me know what area of CHCH you are in and I'll get some numbers for you. Cheers.

How different are they to pre-facelift? I have a pair of genuine BMW ones in pre-facelift with brackets and screws.

The only two tyres I have in that size are the ones on the two front wheels in this set. At this stage I really want to sell the whole lot together, if I don't have any interest I may look at splitting them at a later date. Unfortunately the rest of the tyres in the picture are all 14" or 15" on steel wheels and bottlecaps for an E30, sorry.

I've got a spare set of rims & tyres and need some cash, sticking them on here before enduring the pain of Tardme. Full description: Genuine BMW E46 M-Sport 18" Staggered MV2 Alloys + Bridgestone Potenza RE040 Tyres. - Front 18 x 8 ET47 with 225/40/18 - Rear 18 x 8.5 ET50 with 255/35/18 All tyres have very good tread, both rears 7mm and one front, other front has slight wear on inside but still 4mm+ . Minimal curbing on three wheels, one front slightly worse but all straight and true. 4 x BMW centre caps in reasonable condition and all 4 x M badges present Haven't seen any staggered sets of these for sale, and only a few sets of genuine BMW. They are off a face-lift wagon, but I believe they will fit on a sedan or coupe as well, plus possibly other models. More detailed photos can be e-mailed if requested. OIRO $1100, can deliver to Auckland in next couple of weeks if needed, thanks.

Not a bimmersport car, but has been discussed on here before.

Me too, I have seen what tarts can get up to with power tools - not pretty !

Still a nice looking car Grant. Could be good as a new work ute??

Engines are expected to be of the manufacturers design and production and built to a set of rules, must be V8, etc., but yeah it's going to be sihouette racers, with bolt on panels to differentiate the cars. In all honesty it is NOT that different to what is running in V8 Supercars at the moment, most have common suspension, axles, diffs, gearboxes which is why the racing is so close - which is the whole point of it! Yes, the technology is "dinosaur" stuff, but it is a controlled formula to 1) keep racing close and 2) keep costs down. The second point has kind of lost it's way a bit in recent years, hence the re-vamp to COTF rules. I would rather see two "makes" with 30 cars running close together, than eight or nine makes with certain cars miles ahead of everyone else due to the differences in cars, that's not racing, thats a procession at speed (see Formula 1).

I have got some twin pipe 325i exhaust parts here - not exactly mint, and I've never used it so no idea how good it is, if you are interested at all let me know and I can have a hunt in the garage. I think it is non-cat if that helps?

Have a good one young fella!

Which one? The E28 M535i - that looks like an awesome car!MUST...... NOT..... BUY..... MORE.... BMWs...... aaarrggghhh!

Not necessarily so, the numbers of those who drive without warrant and rego will only increase as there will be the added cost of 3rd party insurance on top of the existing costs of motoring. Costs of recovering money from those drivers will go up, increased insurance levy on those that do pay for the 3rd party. Then the government will tax the compulsory 3rd party insurance as well (another motorist cash cow).Cost of repairs will go up as all repair shops will look to take advantage of more insurance claims, so more money for the insurance companies to recover through increased premiums.

And STILL the British Government won't admit that the education system is failing completely. The intelligence of the Chav is obviously high enough....

Good start, now you just need:- Enter the race meeting - Trailer & Tow Vehicle - you have the required X5 well done! - Fuel (start saving now AVGAS - sorry BP98 is not cheap!) - spare parts for stuff that will cr@p out at the track - cable ties and race tape (can fix anything with these) - E-Z-Up gazebo - must be dark blue to fit in with BMW series paddock, no cheap Chinese versions! - Attractive girlfriend / sister / friend to distract older E30 drivers - Fold-up chairs for visitors to come into your pit and offer advice - Two dozen cold Heinekens - to win friends and inflence people