E30 325i Rag-Top

Blame it on the trade unions, make a one man job a two man job! And then wonder why the company is in financial strife..

What beer do you drink Chris? Interested in your suspension.

I could be a real pedant and suggest that is because the wagon is an F31, but that would be silly. Very few NZ New 3-Series wagons sold but the wagon is quite popular in the UK so a few imports come in from there, not sure about Japan, usually have to hit that 3 year old mark before they plummet in value and come over here. Will mean they will all be petrol though, the xDrive diesel wagons are a great all round car, especially the x330d!

Thanks for that explanation Donald. There are more than one flavour of Prius, that have different electric drivetrains and ranges. The one worth having wasn't sold in NZ, and the new non-fake one is just about to go on sale IIRC.

Biggest issue is the 335i Active Hybrid does not count as an "electric vehicle" for incentives and bonuses, etc. as it is not a "plug in" type hybrid, it purely generates charge from regenerative braking and using the petrol engine as a generator. Also, pretty poor electric range as only small electric battery pack. Without the benefits of a full electric car, then the price doesn't really stack up, so available pretty cheap in UK and as a result importers are trying to bring them over here to sell and make a profit. When trialling the 535i Active Hybrid, the only thing we were using the electric motor for was the "eBoost" kick of acceleration, LOL.

See the post from TLH above yours. I can't keep trying to explain it in different ways.

Gone already? did look good in the photos.

Quite possibly if the NZ spec was to add all those options, the point I am trying to make is that the level of content in those cars is not linked to the "HD12" aspect, but the options added to get up to the NZ Spec levels. Still a big difference between an M5 and a 535i, even with the M-Sport kit and some fruit added.

HD12 is simply the model code for the vehicle. It is just used to designate various standard equipment for the vehicle, as there can be more than one "320i" model or "535i" model either in production at the same time (for different markets, etc) or within the same series designation. There is absolutely nothing "special" about a car being a "HD12" as opposed to a "HD11" LHD version or any other model code for a 535i. The differences between will be within the options added to the factory standard equipment to bring it up to NZ specification, which can be found on a VIN decoder.

Copied from the TradeMe advert.. Garaged all it's life, grade 5 import in emasculate condition. This vehicle will have to wait a few months until it can be registered due to the importing legislations in place. Complete cock-up on the speclling aside, I always thought it was a case of having to be 20 years old on the arrival date in New Zealand, so as it's here already waiting a few months for the car to get to it's birthday won't help with getting it complied as it's probably only a Euro 2 emissions. Even if those kms are genuine and you could get it complied and registered, I still can't see the value in a poverty pack E46.

I'm surprised you even managed to find that many useable parts after that smash.

Technical Admin types are on the case..

Kms are not an issue if the car has been serviced PROPERLY, not just had some cheap sh*t oil thrown in it when the dashboard says it needs some. Especailly on M cars - thorough servicing is needed for the longevity of the parts - especially the first running-in service (they still have those) done properly and at the correct time!

And therein lies the problem, the locals don't want it where it is, but try moving it to somewhere else and the locals there don't want it "in my backyard" either. It certainly would make sense to combine the Springs and Waikaraka Park into one bigger, better location.

Yeah, in the UK they were called NIMBYs = Not In My Back Yard. Move in then complain about something that's been there for decades before them. Brands Hatch Race Track was a great example, been there since 1930s then some cock moves in and complains about the noise in the garden of his house next door - end result, fewer race meetings, no engine starts before 8.30am racing to be finished before 5pm, etc. Absolute BS, if you move next to a track, expect noise. If you didn't know it was there then you didn't do your due diligence - your fault. Even heard about a case of a woman moving into a new estate on the edge of a country village, then complained about the "noise of the cows" and the fact they would stand in the field at the end of her garden and "look at her" - yup true story. If this is truly about residents complaining about the noise from the springs, then this is very much in this category. It's like me moving into a new house and complaining about the neighbours curtains. IF the council is proposing a new site, and has put through planning permission and zoned the area accordingly to enable the Speedway to move to a more suitable (ie not so residential area) then fair enough, that's progress. But to just close it down and not have an alternative is not a solution.

Sorry, can't help with that one. The electronic records don't go back as far as the E28, and it was well before my time!

Centre locks FTW! You just need the roof racks as well to carry the 10 foot long torque wrench required to tighten the bloody things up correctly, and be either strong or fat enough to exert enough grunt on the end of it!!

More like DIrty Sanchez from the state of those wheels.

Yeah, something like life or work probably got in the way before they had chance.

Agreed, I didn't know the upgrade was (finally) happening! One of the technical clever admins must have done it. I will try and get them to have a look at the settings and see if they can change the colours a bit.

Agreed, but only on the right bum. Seems to be THE thing to wear when doing your groceries in Howick New World.

If you want bogan it's got to be bonnet scoop intake and flames down the sides /done.

I know a few people that would be very interested if it wasn’t all the way down in Wellytown.

Bought myself another E30 M3!! Unofrutnately it's only a 1:24 scale plastic model kit, but at least it is an M3. I can add it to the long list of cars I have in bits at the moment as well! A project for the cold, dark winter nights.

Are they all NZ new though? That figure of 47 does not include any imports that have come in, only those registered as NZ new.