R90S

I hear a distant bell ringing . . . I recall visiting Steve's operation several times on business around 1996 - 1997 and clearly remember seeing the twisted remains of a Dakar Yellow M3 coupe shell in the yard. I asked Steve about it and he said that he'd imported it from South Africa after it had been involved in a high speed accident over there. He'd stripped the interior and running gear out of it, carefully unstitched the firewall, welded it into a standard E36 coupe shell and transferred the running gear into it. Coincidence? Different car? Faulty memory? Possible grounds for defamation? At the time he was driving an E12 M535i which he told me he'd also bought as a write-off, and reshelled it using an E28 shell. He'd swapped the firewall from the E12 into the E28 as well, and transferred the mechanicals over. He told me all about it as I'd been keen to buy the M535i, but kinda lost interest after he'd told me the history . . .

To be fair, most cars could look "hot" with a general tidy up of the panels and paintwork and the right wheels. The fact is that the subject car is little more than a project as it stands. We can all agree that the subject car has potential, but more often than not the potential is never realized because of a lack of funds or lack of motivation. A quick look through TM will reveal all too many unfinished projects which were beyond their owners due to the scope of work required or the expense involved. I find it easier to get excited about an active project progressively taking shape, even if it's over a longer period of time. Otherwise I'm just looking at a memorial of broken dreams . . .

Other than the colour, ours is otherwise identical. Our car is also NZ new, and also has a MPH speedo. I was once told by someone at BMW that the first shipment of M3 convertibles to come to NZ were UK spec, and I've noticed that each of the few NZ new M3 convertibles which have come up for sale since have had MPH speedos. Interestingly, the 3 litre M3 convertible was a one-year-only model, and there were only about 550 built in RHD. Quite a rare configuration. Ours has done 115,000mi/184,000km and runs very well. If the red car has been looked after, it will still have a lot of life left in it.

Reading this thread, it's easy to get the impression from some posts that all BMW's are cheap to run and Subaru's aren't . . . For a start, you're not comparing apples with apples. The only thing your RS has remotely in common with a 318 is the used $$ value. There's nothing else comparable between them - size, styling, mechanical layout, specifications, performance, driving characteristics etc etc. You're trying to make an emotional decision and then defend it with logic. Fact is, if you want cheap reliable motoring, buy a late model Corolla. Anything else is a calculated risk. I drive an early Legacy GT single turbo wagon as a daily driver while the M3 stays cosily tucked up in the shed, and i grimace every time i fill the fuel tank. I grit my teeth at only getting 30,000km out of a set of Toyo T1R tyres. I block my ears when I hear talk of head gasket failures, big-end failures, lunched turbo's and CV joints. But I get a perverse grin when I pull out to pass, or see a sign warning of a winding road ahead. It's like owning an M3 station wagon in disguise. Logically, using the GT as a daily driver is not clever in some ways, but I works for me because I can carry crap around when necessary, tow crap when necessary, and carry five people when necessary. These features make it easier to justify my choice of transport. So far, my expense has been limited to maintenance items, not expensive things breaking. My suggestion is to figure out what your priorities in a vehicle are, and then arrange a test drive if possible in a few of the vehicle options available to you. I'm picking that your decision will then become much easier to make. Remember, you're the one who's going to be driving the car, and you're the one who needs to be happy with it. My $0.02c

I'm not so sure that it will be worth big bux in the future, mainly because it's a 4-door and partly because the 4-doors weren't raced. Coupes and convertibles will generally rate way above a 4-door value-wise as a general rule, and I suspect that the M3 will follow the same pattern. Just because it's a practical option and already rare doesn't necessarily mean that it will be valuable in $$$ terms. It will no doubt be desirable to a few enthusiasts, but "rare", "desirable" and "valuable" are very different things. As an example, an E3 3.0Si was arguably a better handling car and as quick as the mechanically identical E9 3.0CSi sold at the same time. It's a very rare vehicle these days, but the difference in prices is huge. An E9 will consistently sell for 5 - 10 times the price of an E3. A noticeable exception to the rule of expensive collectible 4-doors would be the Falcon XY Phase 3 GT-HO which was also extremely rare but it was raced (and only available at that time) as a 4-door. $0.02

Yep, an XB12S with factory race kit. It's my wife's bike . . .

Uhh, i've got some sh*t . . . here's one half of the shed, taken while standing on the front of the 3.0S: There's a couple of lathes in there somewhere, a MIG welder, various other equipment etc. Some racking I got dirt cheap for organising my bike & car parts: The other half of the shed contains more parts, more bikes, and the M3. There's also the usual mower, weed-eater & other groundscare stuff, and some misc memorabilia in one corner. Bellicose is right: the bigger the shed, the more crap - my shed is 9m x 18m, and we still park our daily drivers outside . . .

I have a driver's door which I would consider letting go. Flick me a PM with a contact phone number & I'll ring you if you're interested.

If you're not happy with the three quotes you've obtained, get some more and discard the quotes you're not comfortable with. Your ideal position will be three remaining quotes from three panelbeaters you'd be happy to deal with, regardless of which one ends up doing the work.

It's worse than it appears. I recall that car on TradeMe too, and if I'm not mistaken, it has Lambo doors as well . . . .

Just because someone was born in a donut shop, doesn't make them a policeman . . . . Working in a car yard or a workshop can distort our view of different vehicles. The encounters are often brief and the available examples are not necessarily at their best for various reasons. There are still plenty of Friday cars around . . . . Some vehicles (both cars and motorcycles) require an extended period of exposure with differing roads & conditions to appreciate them fully. I'm not talking about 2 or 3 hours, I'm talking weeks or even months. Without the patience to explore and perservere with cars that initially may not appeal, we eliminate some potential gems from our driveway. There are some excellent variants of the cars on the Top Ten stolen list. They may not suit all of us, but to deride and mock them seems quite ignorant and short-sighted to me.

And of course, all those saying they wouldn't want any of that cars on the list have driven every available variant and drawn their conclusions objectively and dispassionately . . . . so we can conclude that none of the cars on the list are as fast, or as reliable, or as competent handling-wise, or as technologically advanced, or as well-constructed, or as long-lived as a BMW based on those comments? Bullsh!t. I am a car (and motorcycle) enthusiast first and foremost. I have a preference for BMW cars and motorcycles. To read the crap above: implies that he has driven every possible variation of every model listed above. This statement is a credibility cruncher and says more about it's author than the listed vehicles. Firstly I don't believe that he's driven every possible model, and secondly "if" he somehow has, then he either isn't a true car enthusiast or he is so small-minded and short-sighted he is missing out on some spectacular vehicles. A Sylvia with an SR20DET is a formidable vehicle even in standard trim, and not just in a straight line. The beating those engines can take defies belief. Just because some of those listed cars don't have a euro badge doesn't mean they are sub-standard. My last Gen 1 Legacy had covered 382,000km yet had never had the heads off. It was taken out by an idiot who drove through a stop sign three months ago, otherwise I would still be driving it daily. Although I hit the other car front-on at 70kph, all of the doors still opened and closed nomally with no deformation of the cabin, and I walked away with no injuries. The Subaru Legacy has long been regarded as a discounted Audi for good reason, and arguably enjoys a better reliability record. It's possible to be a car enthusiast without being a bigot. BMW make some excellent cars, but they've also marketed some shockers. Take off your blinkers and smell the Castrol . . . . .

I'd love to hear your definition of "sort". My daily driver is at number 4 on the list, so am I included in that definition even though we've never met? Any other prejudices you want to get off your chest at the same time?

You won't get flamed by me. I am frustrated by the obsession with speed that ignores just about everything else. I had a discussion with an officer recently who was ticketing me for 113kph in a 100kph area. I asked him why the ticket was necessary, and he replied, "It's about your safety, sir". I challenged him by pointing out that it would be perfectly acceptable for me to travel at 100kph in a 1950's car with unassisted drum brakes, crossply tyres, no airbags, no ABS, and no crumple zone. When he agreed that it would indeed be legal and wouldn't raise an eyebrow, he choked when I asked why travelling 13kph faster in a vehicle equipped with inertia reel seat belts, 4-wheel disc brakes, Michelin radials, airbags, ABS and a crumple zone would be an issue on a wide road with a good surface and low traffic volumes. He had no answer. I don't envy some of the situations the frontline traffic guys are confronted with, but I find it frustrating that there is no recognition given to road-users who spend a lot of time on the road and are clearly driving responsibly. I've read the latest police objectives and proposals for reducing the road toll further, but they are ignoring the poor driving skills and poorly maintained vehicles plaguing our roads. The Police obsession for reducing the average speeds on the roads are not going to improve the road toll statistics significantly without looking at the other issues. Cars running around on underinflated Chinese tyres, particularly on wet winter roads are a pet hate of mine . . . . . and their owners aren't far behind.

There's always folk who want things that were never built by their favorite supplier. And although BMW never built any utes or vans, there are sufficient folk with that particular itch who have a surplus of time and money. Hence they go where most sensible people would never bother . . . . As they say, you just can't buy "cool" stuff in a shop. Ya gotta make it yourself . . . . And while the E30 M3 ute is probably a bit excessive, this next offering is almost completely pointless yet equally "cool":

Doesn't look like this E30 M3 ute has been posted before though . . . .

Ya, that would be a very expensive master cylinder . . . . . My car has a blue interior too! It's cloth though, not vinyl. I bought the interior out of a wrecked E3 several years ago. It was black for a change, and unmarked. Unfortunately my storage arrangements at the time were less than ideal, and there have been generations of mice making a home in the stuffing.

OK, so I'm one small step ahead in the Parts Acquisition Dept . . . . I picked up a complete driveable E12 525 with rego on hold for less than some vendors were asking for gearboxes only. I just can't see myself starting any meaningful work on my car before this Xmas. Supercharged eh? These cars are already a somewhat unique sight on the kiwi automotive landscape these days, but that's gonna be out on its own! I've taken the lazy "ya can't beat cubic inches" approach. I've also managed to dodge the rust bullet too - my car is rust-free, and the interior is mint. Even the paint & brightwork is quite acceptable.

Did you get the copy of the magazine article from rxsumo featuring your car? If not, i can send you a pdf. Which M30 engine capacity are you going for? You're probably going to finish yours before me. I've got an M30 3.5l engine sitting on the shed floor, and a 4-speed gearbox waiting to be pulled out of the E12 525 on the lawn. Life keeps getting in the way . . . .

I have one at home which I use for general net-surfing and emails. i've used it for writing documents too, but it's not ideal . . . . I've got fat fingers! My one has an 8.9" screen, and while a bigger unit would be more user-friendly from a typing point of view, it becomes bulkier and less convenient. The net book I bought is an Asus EEE 900HA which runs WinXP and has a 160gig hd. I have a Vodem and have found the Asus to be stable and reliable so far. I've had it for almost six months, and I take it with me frequently because it's convenient. It's handy to have a second computer with a disk drive to network with (or copy CD's from) in order to load programs, since none of the netbooks come with a disk drive. One thing that appealed was that this netbook comes with a matte screen. while most of the netbooks (and several laptops) now have glossy screens. My last laptop had a glossy screen, and it looks cool but it's a royal pain in the @rse for catching reflections. Not vey practical in my experience. Besides, there's nothing to stop ya from connecting a big screen, separate keyboard etc when at home (like a docking station) if preferred. I like my netbook very much!

Have a look at the serial numbers on this page when you get a minute: http://www.cs-zone.com/E9%20CHASSISNUMMERS.htm

Umm, cool story but unfortunately not true . . . . http://www.snopes.com/quotes/mrgorsky.asp

Agreed, the USA spec E36 M3's are lower spec. Kinda like a "decaf" version. This particular CSL though is a verifiable "numbers correct" car, so regardless of the spec variations it has a confirmed pedigree. It's value is in that pedigree and condition. It's unlikely that this particular car would ever be pressed into active track duty at this stage of it's lifecycle either, due to it's value continuing to climb. I'm biased anyway. I've been abnormally fond of this model for decades, but they've either been out of reach price-wise, or totally impractical at the time, or simply rustbuckets. I've since scratched that itch by getting an E3 which is more practical. (Can you see how I've managed to justify the illogical? At least my wife believes me . . . . )

You could call it nice. Which would be a bit like Neil Armstrong saying that his trip to the moon was "OK". . . . I believe that there were only two black CSL's originally built by the factory, and the other one is LHD and currently for sale in the USA for considerably more than this one. Less than 1100 built, only a small number in RHD, huge racing pedigree, doesn't get much better than this. It's a bargain.

Unmarked cars seen lately on HW1 & HW2 just south of Bombay include: metallic silver Honda Accord V6 metallic gold Toyota Camry with bodykit silver Hyundai Sonata V6 dark metallic blue Nissan Maxima