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There would have been a few motorbikes there as well wouldn't there?

Nice car

I have to be honest and say that Tom is right here. My own experience is similar! I have purchased a New E46 M3 in 2005, then a New X5 in 2007, new M5 in 2009, new 535d in 2011 and now a second hand 2012 M5 (through turners auctions), and now a E46 M3 CSL through Turners as well. In that time I have been invited to the F10 M5 launch only. Our local dealer runs a few track days which have been good and I have also gone to driver training (at my cost). In the same time I would get invited and go to at least 2 Audi days each year free of charge. Not surprising we have a RS4 as well now! Porsche has also been proactive and I've had a few and presently own quite a special one. BMW could certainly pick up its game.

Fair comment - but I was young and silly. I have learnt from my mistakes and now my M5 and the Wife's RS4 don't have a tow bar. We have a Land Rover Defender instead..... The wisdom that age brings

I bought a new M3 in 2005. I wanted a towbar and the dealer fitted a normal E46 coupe towbar to it - no problem. I used it to tow a 2.5 tonne boat to and from the petrol station in Taupo and also for launching the boat at the ramp. Not an ideal car for it but I never had any trouble! (Maybe the 2nd owner did though).... I towed a jet ski backwards and forwards over the Napier Taupo Road and also never had any issues. The towbar used was a NZ made Best bars one. A small section of bumper had to be cut out.

That's my old car!! I bought it new in 2009. Did a couple of track days in it - great fun.

It would be about NZD 5K each way to send your car over and back Tom. Do it Tom - it would be the trip of a lifetime

Hi, I'm the lucky new owner of the CSL. As Tom says I will be aiming to make it "perfect" as quickly as possible. I've already ordered a set of Toyo R888 tyres for it last night as the current tyres are the wrong size and most likely not perfectly round after standing still for approx 4 years. Next week will be re-compliance week, followed by a full service and the changing of all fluids etc etc. Then any little things that need to be rectified will be done including removing the aftermarket stereo and a full wheel refurb. Within a few months it will be perfect (I hope). Then it will sit in the shed and be driven every now and then for some fun........ Cheers Matt

Hi, I am looking for an E46 Business single disc CD player in excellent condition. Any assistance in locating an excellent example would be greatly appreciated. I'm happy to pay a fair price for the right one. Many thanks, Matt

A VAT refund is only possible on a VAT Qualifying vehicle. This usually means the car is a demo or has been owned by a VAT registered company (lease cars etc). Essentially a car that has not been in private ownership. The VAT has to be paid to the dealer then claimed from HMRC once exported. If the vehicle is not VAT Qualifying you will not be able to recover it. The age of the vehicle is not relevant.

Added some new slimline plates to the new toy today. I quite like the look, although I want to remove the Euro plate background on the front and get the holes repaired and just stick the front plate directly to the bumper.

A full day of ownership and WOW - what a great toy. It has serious grunt that is so usable. The old V10 M5 had to have its neck wrung out to get serious performance. This new M5 has raw grunt everywhere in the rev range. At one stage I went to pass 3 cars doing about 80km/h. I planted boot and pulled out - the tail "wagged" a bit. Great fun...... Cheers.

Air compressor and gunk.

The car arrived at 6pm today, so after the kids went to bed I went for a brief spin. The on-road performance is amazing. It will get to double the speed limit very very quickly. As its on normal tyres I find it a lot more comfortable than the 535d (on run flats). When I purchased it last week I thought I might throw it on Trade Me and see if I could bank a quick profit and keep the diesel. One half hour drive in the country has sorted that idea out and I think it will be the one to keep. I found out more info on the car today. It was sold mid year through Armstrongs in WGTN. The original ask price was 200k. The first service at about 1000km was at Jeff Grays in WGTN. It has a few options the NZ cars don't have as standard but misses out on the roller blinds, TV and 6 disc DVD player. Overall first impressions are that it is a great and very capable car. It is a thousand times better than the old M5! Will post some pictures at some stage. Matt

Ross Asset Management - suspected Ponzi scheme!!!

Well - finally purchased a F10 M5 yesterday. It's a UK import, done 2,200 Km, black on black with a few options. It was put through Turners auctions in Wellington on Friday as a repo from Mercedes Finance. I think the car was a company car for a certain Asset Management company from Wellington that has just folded and been in the news a great deal. I'm quite excited about getting it home to Napier on Monday. I've still got a new RS4 coming as well in Jan for the wife in black with black optics so the 2 cars should look good side by side. If anyone knows of a buyer for a 2011 F10 535d M Sport then let me know as having 2 F10's is lunacy. Cheers

I've actually done a few laps in that particular car around Taupo earlier this year whilst it was for sale by CCS. Nice car....

Hi, Thanks for the info. The car is the same as this one, but is not this exact car. I've now got plenty of info on it. For those that are interested there were 4 black with orange livery RS's brought in, 2 orange and black livery ones and one silver one. No green. Cheers

That would be great. No rush as the car isn't available till Wednesday at the earliest..

Not quite stock! It has had about 80K spent on it making it go a bit faster. The titanium exhaust alone was apparently 18K......

It's not that one (I currently own the old DKNGHT car). Great exhaust on it. The DKNGHT car is a GT3 with a clubsport pack.'

Any stories to tell - accidents etc??. I understand it had a front axle lifting system installed by Giltrap's as well..

Hi, I know someone who is looking at a 997.1 GT3 RS in black with Orange livery. Apparently it has had one owner since new, done 30km and has been based in Queenstown most of it's life. Also it was originally sold through Giltrap's. Any information regarding the history of the car would be much appreciated. Cheers

Another couple of stories mentioning Beacham Jaguar; http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/news/brief...es-bay/1551811/ http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/news/80-hr...n-year/1331483/

Hi Tom,Have gone for a new B8 RS4 instead. Arrives January and Audi seem to be a lot fairer on their pricing.... Matt