danj

ah thanks no I hadn't considered a holden adventura, will check them out cheers. Although if its too thirsty then its probably not a goer.

Thanks, interesting to hear peoples experience. BMW estates never really struck me as ski field cars - I think it will have to be an x3 or non-bmw.

Thanks kiwi. Hard to bring myself to take nice 5 series up a ski field road though... don't mind bouncing the subby along rubbish gravel roads, or even a car designed for it (octavia scout, audi allroad, bmw x3 etc), the thought of treating a 5 series like that makes me cringe though. Do you think they'd stand up to the 'punishment' ok? Wish I could afford / had room for 2 cars lol.

I was very lucky to walk away... well limp/crawl. Was driving through the lewis pass, had come up behind a car just on the chch side of the lewis, they slowed down and waved me past just as the rain started getting pretty heavy. Got a few minutes or so into the lewis and it was really pissing down. I'd driven the road several times in the last month so was pretty comfortable on it. I was too complacent and with the added pressure of having a car behind me went into an S bend corner quicker than I should have, as I took the second part of the corner the back stepped out and i couldn't correct. Put the car over a bank and rolled it... was very very lucky. Lesson learnt the hard (but lucky) way. The car behind me witnessed the accident and so gave me a ride back to Nelson (after getting checked out by the ambulance, also had police/fire etc turn up). Wasn't speeding, but definitely wasn't driving to the conditions. I had a boot loaded with a suitcase, computer and a few other things, I suspect the weight shifting in the boot as I went through the corner didn't help with the rear end stepping out (it was very violent and sudden, almost a feel like the car had been nudged from behind). A very sad day for the BMW and for me, and I still get the occasional nightmare about the accident to this day (a year and a half on...). Also feel bad for all the guys on this forum that took their time to help me out with my car, was a real waste. Sorry guys.

Well after watching an hour long documentary (youtube link was posted on this forum) I now want a bmw again. Anyone know how they go with chains on them (is there enough clearance under the wheel arches?) Think I'll give it a few months and see what comes up, maybe I could even get an x3, although I think I'd have to hang my head in shame for buying an SUV.

Yeah very keen on the 6spd manual, have yet to see one come up on trademe but will keep saving the pennies and wait for the opportunity Does anyone know of any other cars similar to the audi allroad, octavia scout and subaru outbacks? I have yet to find any manufacturers that make anything in that "off-road" station wagon class

The awd's certainly dont drive like a rwd bmw, but that's to be expected. For what they are the subaru wagons have amazing road holding, and for being able to get power to the ground in wet or snowy conditions you can't beat awd. Certainly not a drivers car though. Now looking to replace my legacy with something european and possibly a bit more ground clearance (awd essential). Looking at octavia scouts or audi allroad (put off by horror realibility/maintenance cost stories for the allroad though). Anyone know of anything else worth considering? I thought maybe an x3 but I'm not a fan of the full sized SUV... can't see the point, an x3 wont go anywhere an allroad or octavia scout won't. A real shame bmw dont do a rival to the audi allroad, i'd be all over it.

Just thought I'd give you guys an update on my car ownership experience with the GT since I've almost put 20,000km on it now, might be of interest to anyone looking at purchasing one. Mechanically the car has been great, I've replaced the front control arm bushings and other than that it's just been regular maintenance items such as air filters, cabin filter, fluid changes etc. Worst thing to go 'wrong' so far was the bonnet latch which stopped latching properly... clogged with silt/liquefaction and wasn't operating freely. The car drives very well, it certainly doesn't feel like station wagon, even when loaded up with people/gear it still maintains good composure on the road. The ride is a little harsh on bumpy roads, especially when the car is empty with just the driver it's most noticeable. The upside of the stiff suspension is that the car sits very flat in the corners which makes it a joy to drive around the twisting roads we have in NZ. Road noise isn't too bad, a bit louder than the e34 I had, and more wind noise too. The quality of the interior is vastly inferior to that of the e34 I owned, and other european cars i've been in. For a car that's only 7 years old I would have expected much better. The dashboard is already starting to crack even though the car is always garaged and was often parked in an undercover car park during summer, and when parked in the sun I always put a visor/shield over the dash. The car may have spent some time sitting in the sun while in Japan but even so I expect better from a car, my 1994 e34 had spent at least 5 years living outside (I knew the previous owner) and had no signs of sun damage at all. There is also a rattle coming from the instrument cluster, that started about 5000km after I got the car. Maybe I just got unlucky but I have heard that the interior quality of these cars was a bit suspect. There are a few other minor little annoyances, sometimes the suspension makes a slight squawking/squeaking noise, my mechanic also said this is a common problem, I now can't recall which components were causing it but if I remember I'll repost. The reversing light is an LED light which appears bright to look at but doesn't really seem to light things up all that well, also there is only one (the light on the other side is a fog light... bizzare setup). In summary it's been a good reliable car, that is versatile and suits my needs well (skiing, mountain biking, tramping etc), but the finish quality and ride comfort leaves a lot to be desired. It's certainly no bmw... and as a result I now find myself regularly browsing trademe in search of another wagon to replace it. Very keen on getting a diesel... sure they're not exactly impressive off the mark, but fuel economy, long travelling range off a tank of fuel and good torque for when the car is loaded up with people/gear are big drawcards. Thinking of maybe an Audi A4 wagon, or perhaps the cheaper alternative a VW Passat, Skoda Superb... anyone owned or know much about any of these? I've considered an x3 but I don't really see the point in the whole SUV/crossover vehicle, you pay the price in handling and economy for the extra ride height... but interior / boot space wise they're no bigger than a wagon, and you can't really take it anywhere that a standard station wagon couldnt go anyway, what are your guys thoughts on this? Edit: should have mentioned I'm quite the awd fan now, if nothing else at least I don't have to put chains on at the ski field nearly as often as I would in a 2wd.

Thanks guys, bought an 04 legacy GT, will see how it goes. I get the feeling I'm going to miss the euro's though, so expect to see me selling it and buying an other bmw in the near future Cheers for all the help and advice while I owned my BMW, it made ownership much more enjoyable knowing that there were a lot of knowledgeable people willing to lend a hand. Hopefully I'll rejoin the BMW ownership club soon, when they bring out a 4wd estate! or when I can afford an X1

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.as...557&ed=true Need to be sold as I no longer have my 540i

Thanks RvT, that's valuable information Very tempted by the allroad now, will go and check a few out after christmas.

I had a look at those, they look nice and I'm sure the ride is good in them... but I've heard horrible things about reliability of audi's in general, can anyone offer an insight to this? Glenn maybe?

I was thinking a 325i, 330's seem to be pretty rare. I assumed the equivalent 5 series (for example a 525) would cost more in fuel due to the added weight, especially around town. Maintenance costs... well I figured since the 5 series cost more to purchase new, that all replacement parts would be more expensive, services would cost more due to increased complexity, also more things to break / fail due to all their features, feel free to correct me (I do like the 5 series, but don't see a great need for the extra space just yet). Lets make the budget 14-18 then, I can push a bit higher if it's going to get me something much better...540i is too much of a killer on fuel around town, and I can't justify that much power, most trips will be me and 1 other person. Ok, it is now a requirement that the car is european...Seriously though, I had a look at some commodore and falcon wagons... I just can't do it... so hideous. Ditto for the nissan stagea's, sorry guys. I don't mind paying for maintenence and services, what I don't want to pay for is parts that are failing when they shouldn't. (Basically I want to avoid having to take the car to the dealer other than for regular services, because it's a real f**king hassle, which is why reliability is at the top of my list).

Priorities: Reliability and Comfort (in that order, by reliability I do NOT mean cheap to run, I mean reliable, I am happy to pay for routine maintenance, I just don't want something that's going to require a trip to the local dealer every 3 months). Preferably European Purpose for vehicle: Mixture of high open road km's, commuting between towns / cities with 1~3 people on board with large amounts of luggage (hence the station wagon over sedan), and driving around town doing shopping etc Currently considering: Audi A4, quattro and standard BMW e46 and e39 (my preference is with the e46 unless someone can suggest a good reason why I would choose an e39, other than it's larger capacity, I just see it as costing more money in fuel and maintenance) VW Passat Advice on what would be a good choice is appreciated, especially from people that have driven them and/or have mechanical knowledge about any of them. I'd be interested to know which specific years or models to avoid, engines to avoid etc etc. Any car I buy will go through a pre-purchase inspection at the dealer before I make my decision. Cheers

written off, now in the market for a new car