elmarco

Say what??? Â I think you will find that there are a large number of components that are common across JDM and exported vehicles to achieve greater manufacturing efficiencies and economies of scale. Â Having worked in the automotive industry supply chain for a number of years, I find it very difficult to believe that anyone in Japan designs based around a different expected life or accepts lesser quality parts in their production. This part is reasonably accurate - at a certain age (I can't remember what the age actually is though), the car is forced to go through an incredibly strict WoF type inspection (body panels off etc kind of thing). Â The problem is that is isn't cost effective to keep them and put them through it for anything that isn't real special or expensive. Â And the economics only get worse if it has been pranged of has any mechanical failures. Â If I remember correctly, the registration costs escalate significantly at a certain age as well (and I believe this also happens in Singapore). Back on topic, I would personally be looking at NZ New vehicles (ie: first registered in NZ, and NZ spec model) as a preference, but the reality is that getting one that has been well looked after and serviced and has the spec you want is probably more important. Â Make sure you get a pre-purchase inspection from a BMW dealer or service centre (like BM Workshop or Botany Motor Worx etc) for whatever you end up liking though.

God I love German engineering!

Has to be the coolest car I have seen for quite a while.

I'm surprised they aren't powerhosing those 2 off the freeway. Â

Hella or any Auto Electrician would be the best place to start.

I'd take it

Awesome - love the Stones! Old Bill Wyman was a rubber faced weirdo even back then... And how cool is Keef?

I could be swayed to believe the theory that tin acts as a catalyst for combustion, but will reserve full judgement until I see full test results from a certified ECE/ADR/SAE/EPA combined cycle fuel consumption test on the same car before and after (not the same model car - the same car). My guess is that this kind of hard evidence that supports their claims is going to be very hard to come by. I'd also be a little concerned about catalytic converters, injectors, oxygen sensors etc... Car companies invest billions in research every year - if these things actually worked they would be standard equipment like seat belts or fuel injection.

Do a skid. Think that one wins mans car of the year..... Badass!

The sound of those Quattro's still makes me quiver with anticipation...

Is it just me or did the price just go up from $850 to $8500? Could have sworn they were $850 when I first saw them....

Seen pics of someone doing that at an equipment show in Asia (China I suspect). He has one hell of a lot of faith in those hydraulic lines! Wonder how many they went through (drivers and machines) before they got it right?

The basic answer is to be seen on the road - although I suspect that most drivers doing this in Auckland city are not actually doing it for that reason... It is actually a legal requirement to improve road safety in some countries (like Finland). Headlights on low beam are fine during the day although they do put extra electrical load on the system. Proper daytime running lamps are better still - they are normally a lower wattage and have a different optical pattern. There are some smarts around manufacturers using the headlamps as daytime running lamps (they run them at lower power to extend bulb life and reduce electrical load via a couple of different methods) but this normally only applies where the driver has no option to turn them off. Using fog lamps in anything except fog is bad, and funnily enough illegal. The photometric requirements are quite different. You can check the vehicle lighting requirements here or here.

Double WTF????? That guy is special - must be all the roids.

Very clever indeed. Just add the theme to 2001 at the end.

Try drinking 12 in a row without getting into a fight.... Could swear NZ lager is worse than coke on teeth - mainly because they get knocked out!

Only the Texas and Arizona state models....

Or an International CXT - 6.6 tonnes of Hummer crushing steel. Big Ole Truck

Not the pads rattling in the calipers is it?

Makes one hell of a departure from the wedding!

Is it just me or does that one look like it has a body in the boot in those side shots?

Yeah, what he said. I'll stick to my Ellsworth thanks. PS: Shouldn't it be called Legsport as opposed to Motorsport??

Try http://forums.nike.com/category.jspa?categoryID=3 Not sure how much NZ content there is.

Yep - summer is the main construction season, among the many other reasons given. You have to maintain your roads and the "use it or lose it" budget mentality ensures a real rush at this time of year....

What the?.....