bravo

This is how a Northland car should look. Note the missing bits around the front right guard, the "smoked" (or is that poked) headlights and the cool bonnet mod/kit. Not to mention a good helping of mud to prove you live on a gravel road.

Tray out, and no light. (Boat in background) Tune in tomorrow for pics of finished product.

Abracadabra! no light.

The bloody huge hi-light. (It's bigger than it looks - use the bimmersport sticker [large] for scale)

Re Hi-light - as it wasaftermarket to start with, I am hoping it falls under the category of "If it is there it has to work, but if not there at all, no prob" for warrants. If not, then I'll prob go with the LED light just so I don't have to f**k about putting it in and out every six months. Here are some bad pics of the removal (I was trying to do 4 jobs at once including painting a boat, so the pics were hurried jobs) - I will take some good ones of the finished product tomorrow. Back Seat out with tray as it was before dying.

Nothing big - just gonna hit the old Duke in Russell, take the last ferry back to Paihia, finish up there and then crash. My mates in the fire brigade, so hopefully, we can hit the firestation later on and crash there or camp in their backyard. No big concert up here this year, only some overpriced thing with the Feelers and other bands at the Twin Pines.

The Baur - top up. Note that on a baur, the rear windows don't wind down, and the central pillar remains, and a roll bar joins the two central pillars. Esswntially, the rear roof and windscreen is replaced with a fold down canvas and perspex jobbie, which on this car folds almost away entirely unlike the gold car above. The main roof is a canvas over the original roof making a removable panel which is stored in purpose-built racks in the boot for top-down motoring. There are some cool featrues - you can partially raise the front of the main roof without removing it like a massive sunroof, or just remove it and not put the rear down like a targa top. The car doesn't feel like a real convetible, but is still quite fun to take down the beach. I still prefer a hadtop though, or maybe a Z4.

I just pulled out my old faded parcel tray and restored it to a nice dark grey - almost black. It cost me about an hour and a half and $10 for a can of spray dye from repco. I'll post pics, but I forgot to grab the camera so next time. It was pretty easy with the hardest bit pulling the shelf out of the car - (not that hard). I also took the opportunity to punch out the ski hole in preparation for impending sub, and remove the gahstly over-sized high-light (to be replaced maybe with a new LED one, but quite like the look without it. I may change my mind once someone rear ends me! The results were so good, I am now considering doing the intire interior with the exception of the doors which I like being a slightly lighter colour to contrast with the black vinyl trim.

Yeah, my old man has a pre-facelift baur. 323 with manual and an LSD. Agree re: ugly, but his is white and with momo 5-spokes, and with him as a going-grey 50 something, it looks quite cool (mid life crisis thing). He wanted to swap me for my 320i 4-door facelift when I bought it, and I just about fell off my chair laughing - he looked at me and said "what? mines worth more than yours, manual bigger engine etc, and its sooo cool!" - Yeah Dad, right! Have another Tui. I'll just wait till it rusts apart, and then scavenge the gbox and engine off it. I'll post some pics, but dude - don't buy a baur. IMHO spend the dough buying a better sedan or coupe.

Also, note that many insurance companies require you to inform them if you install a radar detector, and your premiums may go up slightly. Usual story, if you have one you're admitting that you are going to speed, so you are a higher risk. Just not telling them doesn't work as if you claim and they find out you had one, they may not have to pay out in some circumstances due to you not following their full disclosure rules. Not trying to rain on the parade at all, just a bit of a friendly heads up for those with detectors and those planning on getting one. Check with your insurance company first.

Dibs. how much, where? Wellington presumably. Off an E30 I presume? i.e. 4x100 stud pattern. Tyres?

Here, here! Xmas Cheer! Same offer goes to any of those up in the Bay who feels like a cold one or six. Just give me a txt on 02163474 in case I am not up to date with my 'net access. On that note, just ran into Gus in the main st in Kerikeri. Make sure you all get into some of those xmas spirits! :drunk:

Hey Gus did you sell this with your car, or are you planning on offering back up for sale?

Doubt it, auction withdrawn by the seller and not relisted.

So these are these the ones you got from OLLIE the other day, or the ones that were on the car?? If they are the ones that were on the car, second dibs after nath.

Go nath, go! They would look sweet. i talked to Gus about possibly purchasing these at the show n shine, but not ready to purchase them yet, so you may as well. I rackon they would definately make the ass end of your car more agressive.

I hope noone was inside at the time

OMG - I am definately going to have to catch up with you next time I am in Dunedin - saw my first M coupe when I was living down there about two years ago, and have lusted after one ever since! Now if only they would make one with the z4 shape! Oh, and Welcome to the site!

Duuude! how'd you manage that? Must've gotten excited and forgot it wasn't a manual and tried to wrench that bastard! Try trademe, there have been quite a few auto boxes going, maybe one of them will sell the shifter separate as most people buying an auto box will be to replace their shafted one in which case they'll have a shifter. Don't see many (any?) pulling out a manual to put an auto in!

Hmmmm, bloody tempting. Keep us posted, I may have to flick mine and upgrade - damn! only just bought the bloody thing too.

At least it was BMW colours. Will have a hunt around, I might have the odd interior bit.

WOFTAM has been around since before computers - it is pronounced woff - tam and stands for Waste Of F**king Time And Money. It is as old as the american favaorite SOAB - Son Of A Bitch.

Cool, what you get for it if you don't mind me asking?

You're dead right about optical zoom juzzie - digital zoom is a total WOFTAM. Bimmerboy, you should be able to pick up something good enough to do what you want for $400-$500, and get something pretty good for $500-$600. I was looking a month or so ago, and found that I could get a really decent camera for around the $600 mark if I shopped around. Or about $700 if you buy from a regular retailer like Noel Leeming or Harvey Norman. The deals are to be had at the online stores, digital camera specialists and parallel importers although all the usual caveats go along with these of course. I am a SLR - look-alike fan, and so was taken by the fuji S5000/s6000 etc range, even though these cameras are much more bulky, they come with heaps of resolution and optical zoom. There are other cameras of a more "standard" style with as many options and same price, but I didn't look at them too much after i had decided what I wanted. Other things to be aware of are battery life, cost of batteries and whether it has its own rechargeable or AA's, the type, cost and size of storage, and whether you have other devices which share the same storage type. Note some cameras also take video and/or sound. I am not much of a photographer, so I am talking more about the technology side of things as I don't know jack about the photo-functions side of things.

Google rocks...