E30 325i Rag-Top

I think a lot of the 100,000 being the magic number goes back a few years to when Odometers only had five digits, so 99,999 miles or kms then it went "round the clock" often with cars back then it wasn't always clear how many times it had been around the clock!! Personally when buying a car I don't even bother to look at the Odo reading as this can distract you from looking at things that really matter, the condition, how it drives, what does/doesn't work, servicing, etc. As others have said many cars for sale have far from genuine readings anyway, all too easy to change, especially with digital read-outs. Unless there is a FULL history, not just service history, that shows clearly the kms throughout the cars life and they all stack up, I wouldn't trust the Odo to be anywhere near accurate. The other thing is how and where the car has been driven, an ex-UK sales reps BMW would have high miles from lots of motorway driving, which is not too strenuous on the cars mechanicals, a NZ new BMW driven by a retiree (for example) could have low kms but been only ever driven to the local shops and RSA and have much worse engine wear due to lots of cold starts and short journeys. It's just trying to convince the public that want to buy the car you are selling of these things.... not easy!

A nice find, and a wise choice! I especially like the hounds-tooth check on the seats, even if it is a prick of a job to keep it clean and tidy, especially with kids. Looked for a good 325i 'vert for a very long time before bringing mine out from the UK. Had a big row with the vehicle certifier about the brake light (which looks ugly and ruins the whole flow of the body line) as it wasn't fitted on the NZ new vehicles. Any import has to comply to the current regs, while the NZ new only have to comply with the regs at the time, apparently. Couldn't win on that one as I had some other marginal areas (suspension travel and ride height) that i wanted to get through. Set of weaves on there and you will be looking totally mint! Good luck with finding a good set.

Also worth mentioning that it makes one hell of a gorgeous noise when passing! Shame conditions weren't better on Saturday to see this cars full abilities. Look forward to seeing more of it over the season.

"The economy enters the second half of the year with a notable absence of momentum and a high degree of uncertainty." Which to the guy on the street means - 'the economy is in the sh*t and we don't know where it will end' Doesn't matter how you dress it up, it's still a turd sandwich.

After many years experience working in the automotive industry and now dealing with Aussie OEMs, believe me it really does need protecting.If these plants had to compete on an equal footing with the rest of the world there would be a number of closures very, very quickly. The only one that is truly competitive in world terms is the Toyota plant at Altona, backed up by the fact that they can competitively EXPORT Camrys. Its a sad fact, but with global competition and the cost of new vehicle development (AU$1.4bn for the VE Commodore and still about 5-10years behind the rest of the world), local markets will not provide enough volume to support local models, Falcon, Commodore, etc. Ford are trying to keep going by binning the straight six engine (their best local!!) in favour of a V6 from the USofA, and building Global vehicles as well (Focus & its variants) - I hope they succeed. Holden are dependent upon GM engines and parts bin - but are making a good fist of things and even sending some back overseas. All the State and National government money is only a life support system, the money needed to be invested to come up to world standards would be astronomical, and neither Ford or GM can afford any major investment at the moment and any spare cents are going to go to the homeland plants. It's a shame as some brands and names will cease to be, look at the UK, Austin, Healey, MG, Rover, etc. all gone. Plus you lose the cars which are tuned to local conditions, which can make a big difference in terms of comfort and ride, especially on NZ roads!! The world market sets the price of vehicles and local import tariffs only create a false economy, and why should BMWs or any other brand be more expensive just because of an inefficient local industry that needs protection? Its only the consumer that gets penalised. Phew, rant over. Time for a lie down.

You might have seen these before as they are a few years old, but I just found them again on my PC so thought they might be worth a post. This is what happens when you let teenagers drive V8s that don't handle too well. Apparently a 19-year old took the HSV for a test drive from the dealers in Bundoora, Vic. came back way too fast round the corner, hit the gutter, ran up the kerb and took off into the car lot. Landing on the Beemer. The poor little E36 didn't stand much of a chance against the lard-arse HSV Clubsport, especially with the Clubbie at speed and the 3-series sitting still!

Quite a few not sold, but $47,500 for the M3 Convertible looks a good price, think it had a hard top and looked in pretty good nick in the photos, reasonable Kms too. Now makes me only about $45k short of what I need.....

Register on the Turners web-site and you can watch and bid on-line.

Hey, looking for a Front Strut Brace for a 320i E30 if you can post a pic? Cheers.

If I run with the cross of St. George on the car, then I can act as a decoy for you!Only trouble is I don't think I will have the same speed for quite a while, if ever, so more likely to get caught!

I'm looking for some 14" bottle caps for an E30 if you've got any? Cheers.

Ian Rush beat a player and not dive?? Are you sure? You might have a different view from the Kop than that poxy away terrace there used to be at Anfield.Agree with the sentiment, I tape and watch a lot of the Premiership stuff, not because I follow a Premier team, but because I miss the football so much, and I hardly recognise half the players, let alone be able to pronounce their names. Looking forward to Stoke, West Brom & Hull in the Premier next year, should mix it up a bit.

The most widely believed, but unfortunately incorrect version. Possibly intended to be the most offensive?Passengers on prison ships did not have uniforms, let alone uniforms with P.o.M.E. initialled on them. The use of the term Pom was widespread and docuemented before the first use of convicts as labour to develop the growing country. Wikipedia and other sources quote the term to come from Pomegranate, the fruit, because after a couple of days that was the colour of the new immigrants faces from the sun! Also a link to rhyming slang, Pom = Tom, Tom = Tommy, Tommy = Tommy Grant, Tommy Grant = Immigrant, a bit long winded but often how phrases develop over time. As I said I don't mind it, been called much worse in 'My own'country! Even looking to get 'Jon The Pom' on the side of the race car.

Born in Chatham, Kent. Lived in Medway Towns for 35 years, then moved to NZ three and a half years ago. Loving it here so far, and no plans to go back to UK for a long, long time. I am still a Pom, and won't ever lose the accent. Try really hard not to come across as a 'Little Englander' and quite enjoy being called a Pom. Daughter thinks she's a Kiwi, even though she lived in England for the first 2 and a half years, son is a Kiwi, but sounds like a Pom at the moment, will all change when he reaches kindy.

Analyical approach for me as well: Daily driver E39 M5 Wife & kid's shopping trolley Audi RS6 - either model Track Car - E46 M3 well prepped, but still road legal Tow Car - Range Rover Sport V8 Supecharged Classic - Ferrari 250GT California Spider SWB Only took me four days to make those decisions, all I need now is Powerball on Saturday

I brought my E30 325i Convertible over from the UK, as it's worth bugger all over there, insurance kills classic performance car prices until they become ultra-rare and collectable. Personally speaking it was quite straight forward, just a few minor parts changes, brake discs, hi-level brake light, etc to get compliance.The key is getting one over the 20 year old mark so pre '88, as these vehicles are exempt from most of the latest regulations, impact, braking, etc. Have a look on the LTNZ web-site there is a lot of good info on there which outlines all the processes.

Clunk... penny drops, I think we worked together on some TRD stuff quite recently.Small world, but I wouldn't like to paint it! How's the new job going? Just out of curiosity which ERP system? Is that as as consultant or eventual user?

Could be, why do you ask?

Factory Manager for a medium sized company making plastic mouldings for the low volume car industry. No dedicated company car, but can pick from the firms fleet of near WoF-failures if I need a vehicle for the week-end or evening. Also get to 'borrow' vehicles that we are working on from dealers or manufacturers which can provide some enjoyment....still trying to get a BMW project though. Company car from my previous job was a BA MkII Falcon - what a barge!

Hey, how much drop is there on the springs? Standard shocks or uprated? How much you looking for? Cheers.

Ta.

I'm interested, have you got a phone number or e-mail to contact them? Cheers.

It really depends what you are after, if it's a daily run-about then you will likely get a few issues crop up with use. For a sunny sundays only type of drive then with the right TLC could be good for many years to come. The car is local to me in Palmy so I may go and have a look over it and ask a few questions to check it out a bit more.

Cheers! I have been going through TradeMe for weeks, for some reason when I do a search for a 320i from 1980 to 1994 this car does not come up, weird? Think I will have to give the guy a call. Having costed out all the bits and pieces, you are about right on the cost side, it depends how much gets swallowed up in the little bits and pieces and how far you want to go with the car, plus the general condition of the donor car. Was interested in the one in CHCH but getting up to NI would be costly for me. Shame it's in Auckland, a bit of a trek for me, any a bit closer to Palmy?? (Only joking!)

I'm looking for a car to run in next year's E30 series. Would consider a car that is already converted to the race specifications and already to go, or a car suitable for conversion to race specs. I know there is a completed 320 racer in Auckland for $30k but this is a bit beyond my budget, and to be honest, racing skills at the moment. Would prefer a 320i 2-door but will look at anything suitable at the right price.