KwS

im a whizz with google

good stuff, that interior is much better than full leather IMO. My old E39 was a 523i, and i concur that although a really nice car it was slower than a wet week really. The 3.0 is a beast compared.

its a bit of a shitty thing to do if that was his intention (to make a story up to get them cheaper and then resell them), but IMO until he comes forward he should have the benefit of the doubt; how do we know that he didnt get home to find the tires just wouldnt fit and he needs to go a smaller profile or width? Better he sells them himself then to come back at you to try and get a refund for his mess up, yes?

I miss my old silver Msport E39, such great cars. Is yours leather or the cloth(?) interior? I had to do the valve cover on mine when i got it, was leaking onto the exhaust manifold, made a hell of a stink. Easy to change, access is pretty good. Facelift too, keen for more pictures

Some caps have the numbers moulded into them. Maybe hit it with brake cleaner and see if this one does? Otherwise this might help (i didnt add the arrow, so ignore it unless relevant),

8K GBP = 16K NZD (near enough), so once you factor in compliance, shipping etc..... good point. For 8K GBP though, better options and possibly lower milage? Enough to make it worth it?

Some japanese imports have horrific rust, just look at half the R32 GTRs coming into the country. Sills, and rear guards are like swiss cheese. The difference is in NZ we dont grit with Salt, we grit with, gravel. UK and japan grits with salt. Salt + water = corrosion. For most people importing from overseas is a massive risk, because we dont have friends/family over there that can check it out for us, and have to rely on the seller/agent over there. Thats why people prefer cars already in NZ.

Check warranty status here, https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do by inputting serial number. If it says its under warranty wither return it to Harvey Norman or call Applecare on 00800 7666 7666

i genuinely know little about the size/population of the UK, didnt know if the southern half is highly populated or not. Im not trying to imply anything, i actually want to know more about the topic.

Just grab a used heater control valve from the likes of HellBM. Did that when mine failed, easy swap out and heater is primo now.

These are the links that really helped me to get DIS and INPA running. http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/f99/bmw-inpa-success-e39-e46-onwards-t74608/ http://dis.robmw.altervista.org/dis/index.htm http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1297683-How-to-install-DIS-w-EasyDIS-v44-step-by-step

Rust is serious business. wear and tear can be sorted without too much issue (worn shocks, bushes etc from "nasty" roads), but once rust takes hold its an uphill battle to keep it under control. Even parts imported from Uk cars are riddled with rust. Do a search for "rust" on any BMW forum in the UK and itll be pretty obvious its a serious issue. I understand not all Uk cars will have rust, and the newer the better in terms of rust treatment and time spent on the roads, but an E39 has been on the roads for 14 odd years. How big is "the southern half" of england? are we talking mostly unpopulated or public transport users (hence less imports than from the north)? I totally agree on NZ specs though, NZers are so cheap when buying new and tick the least boxes possible >_<

Hi all, Looking at refitting my missing O2 sensors, but buying new is pretty hard on the wallet. Anyone got a pair of good sensors they would part with? PN 11781747005 and 11781401276

Looks great in that colour, and appears pretty tidy. Certainly wouldnt be scared off by the KM if an inspection went well. Facelift is a big win. Being a member on a couple of BMW UK forums has REALLY put me off ever owning a UK import, almost EVERY car on any Uk forum has rust. It may be worse on the forums than it really is, but hell, not worth the risk IMO.

a quick google gives this table,

Its a nightmare, plain and simple. I still havent got INPA working for the DME (can fully access vanos ECU though, inc running tests), and DIS is slow and average at best (but can read and clear codes. Havent worked out how to run tests yet). I had to specifically buy that old laptop for this car, as none of my other machines had a dedicated serial port and apparently that makes ALL the difference. DIS is set up in a windows 7 virtual machine, and im using a TinyADS cable. Ill put up some links that helped me when i get home tonight, but i feel without a dedicated serial port you might be out of luck.

haha good work! The Lux flakes appear to be a bar of soap that got hit with a cheese grater anyway, so normal soap will do the same (just harder to dilute in water i guess). Took the M3 for a drive for the first time since cleaning the wheel, and damn it feels so much nicer and my hands didnt feel grimey when i got out at the end. Its also just nice to sit there and see the bright M stitching in front of you. Cannot recommend cleaning enough if you have an old leather wheel, so good!

At the end of the day it doesnt really matter what the spec is if thats all it will be used for, just pick the best one you can afford (service history, condition, and major work like cooling system). Dont skimp out now, or you may find if the cheap car hasnt been looked after it lets you down when you really need it.

318i manuals are easier to find in the market too, if that matters.

it is a very different market now, and i was lucky to get what i did for it back then (top end of the market really) but its a real world example. $3500 is about right, maybe even too much, for a rough 323i. I wouldnt own another *23i (owned 3, E36, E46 and E39), just too under powered.

i think i sold mine for about 5K a year ago. 180,000km auto 323i sedan, silver non-sport, cloth. Import, no history (other than the service i did, and diagnostic passing), but was very tidy inside and out, everything worked and it had motorsport wheels.

looks good, would be interesting to see it on the dyno after the clutch replacement. PLEASE paint that coil bracket!

Its just one of them fake wood stick on trims isnt it? Held on with double sided tape?

It does appear it was optioned with motorsport seats, but thats it.

Thats awesome. Theres a couple around Wellington, always wanted to drive one as i can imagine its an amazing amount of fun.