Phil-540i

I think. I want. What you're smoking up north............ "on a real note, the 540 sounds tempting. since you own both, how does the 5 series handle? they are slower then a regular 328i in a straight line and around corners aren't they? Kinda gives me the old guy look and feel. I might take something like that too, sad when 5 series and 7 series cars are going for less then 3 series." I've never had a 3 series - both my sons have been 'blessed' by having that ownership experience though, eldest one being a real sucker for punishment & currently has another 1. Its in bits at the mo. But that's a 3 series thing - which'll be why I brought a 5 series instead........ Plus I didn't want a glove-box that sags............... But yes, a 540 is slower than a 328 in a straight line, & around corners, hell even a well driven 323 would probably make me nervous if it was running the high octance petrol through it........ 3 series hold their value more than 5's & 7's of the same age because they're easier to cut the springs on, tint, & put the bogan rims on....................

Hilarious now..................

Just to be 'queer', I personally reckon this........http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=677498300 is better value, gets relisted sometimes, but hey, I'm biased, & its not the 328 ya reckon ya want from start of the thread............ Edit - I'm not picking up the bit that its not been driven for 3 years - she says its been used as a 2nd car...........???

I think theres a place for Repco & Supercheap etc, but generally on stuff like air / oil filters / pads etc I usually just buy genuine.............I did regret that the other day getting a oil filter for my partner's Mazda 6 - it was 50% dearer than my Cruiser ute one!!!

'Penance', ^^^^^^^^for owing a VW maybe................

You could always give her your diesel, & buy this...............

If its the model you're looking for..................... Just. Buy. It.

Yes, that's 'outstanding' alright - good on the genuine parts guys though - funny how some OE stuff has come well back on price over the last couple of years....

Lols - funny stuff. If I was in your shoes, I would buy it probably. Only reasons I wouldn't buy it myself is cos personally I'm not a fan of 2 doors, & I prefer the size of a 5 series over the 3, with the benefits that brings. Yea, that 330 is ok - similar mileage, still a import, & if you bargin a bit on the red one, nearly twice the price...........for what benefits though in having nearly another 5k tied up in it?? Each to their own & all tho...... If you look at this, http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/47509-isnt-there-someone-always-wanting-one-of-these-fiji-green/ and then compare to the red one, the red one ain't all baaaad, surely, in terms of value for money, etc etc......?? But, sooner or later you'll have to get off da fence, cos what you reckon is gonna happen if some-one slides up to that chick's gateway & offers $57-5800 for her car in the meantime.......

'A little different' sounds interesting already!! K, I'll ask the dumb question - what is she driving then............???

Yes.......^^^^^^^ it would be. Like, I'm gonna take a slow car, & make it slower........... Might as well put the 316 motor in @ same time........ Probably be (slightly) less grief & brain-damage on showing 'her' how to use a manual.............. Tell her its the new years resolution she didn't know she had made or something.......... Or just take some brave pills, park it in the driveway & say "Drive it, or walk - your choice....." She'll come around, honest...........

Yea, I recall some-one very specifically looking for 1 in that colour a while back too - in that discussion I think it was muttered something bout there only being 4?? here in that colour or something.......?? Edit. Actually, as much as I personally don't like 3 series, don't like 4 cylinder cars much (especially 318s!!), & don't like the colour green, that's actually quite a nice car...........!!! NZ new, ex Shelly BMW...........???

Hmmm, I'm probably maybe the wrong person to ask that....as a background, I'm from Southland farming upbringing. Which means if you don't drink 'proper' coffee, own a ute & at least 1 chainsaw, know how to weld, have a proper sized dog, & eat steak, then I'm probably already automatically wondering which team you bat for..... Would I buy that car - no. But with a open-mind, I can also appreciate it for what it currently probably is, going off the ad info & your interaction with the current owner. IMO, at the moment, that car sorta 'sits on the fence' between being 'tweaked & classy', & 'a gay pimp-mobile rice-rocket wannabe' thing. As it is, its fine. But if you're gonna get it, cover it in stickers, wear a cap backwards while driving it (or hair gel!!), lower it further, put neons under it, hang $hit from the rear-view mirror, & put the doof-doof sounds in it like I can hear when the neighbour's sprog blasts past our place at 100k, then yes, that might well be on the way to turning it into something 'gay'.......... As in, maybe a convertible MR 2 or some sorta Fiat might be a better choice car............ On a serious note, rims etc can be changed down the track if you want to anyway - I'd recommend getting the best 'package' of a car as ya can as a good base starting point, & realistically, this one probably ain't too bad. Its good that a chick has had it, its a plus. Girls, (generally) are real particular with getting them maintained, they usually don't thrash the snot outa their car, & because 'they're not a young guy', they haven't got the bonnet up all the time f#cking around with $hit they shouldn't be, or going, 'duh, hows this work??' until it doesn't. Same with they don't cut holes everywhere trying to fit in subs & $hit the size of 44 gallon drums........and they wash them / vacuum them out etc as well. The other thing is, she has owned it for quite a while, & is selling it for genuine reasons............a 2 door vehicle with a kid is about as handy as a motorbike. Remember though a 328 is the 'big-block' version of what ya had - try to hold onto it this time & not park it anywhere silly dude, like in a ditch........

My people think its actually a Austin Allegro under there............so they think ya should be taking a pic with the cover gone to prove its not.......

Agree ^^^^^ I don't much care so long as it has some half reasonable speed to it............

Well if we're gonna get that sensible and that logical and that truthful bout airbags, then umm, I suppose its only fair to point out that a steering wheel mounted SRS is 'supposed' to impact into the chest area, not the face. On SRS equipped vehicles, its one of the prime reasons steering wheel height, & driver's seating position in terms of seat adjustment is so so critical............ On ya Graham - nice!! Edit: Oh ok, I'll play the 'sensible' game too - in addition to the above bit bout wheel height etc, its actually fairly critical also on a SRS equipped vehicle, that the driver 'steers' the vehicle in the correct manner............as a wee hint, you don't wanna be holding the steering wheel in the 12'o clock position one handed & have the airbag 'go off' - its highly likely it'll kill ya......... Same as passengers resting their feet on LHS of dash - another goooood way to die when an airbag goes offski.........

Slight flaw in NZTA regs being that if you rest your pi$$ bottles in the wrong place, it'll wear the writing off the sticker anyway.............

Ahhh rodgey, I'd heard that too. I'd heard it doesn't even have to be 14yrs old in order to do this little mod.............. As part of what my cousin's aunties sister's youngest daughter's boyfriend's mate down the road heard while he was at the pub 2 Friday nights ago in Tuatapere, apparently the only thing needed in addition to what you're saying there Seamus is anywhere there was a airbag, there MUST be a sticker in its place clearly stipulating that the airbag has been removed....... In my defence though, that might just be a Tuatapere regulation, which is highly likely to be different to what the boys reckon with their farm utes out at Tokanui....... Not that we wanna stray off topic or anything, but maybe consider this as a 'legal scenario........' If I'm, say, a dog botherer for example....(farmer), I can now rock into a dealer from 1/1/14, buy a new ute, get it certed for airbags being removed, then spend over 1100 days using it hard off-road on a station or whatever, overloading it as ya do, bouncing off fence posts etc etc before it legally needs another inspection for roadworthiness (wof)......... Awesome ae............

On ya Dave, cheers for that..............

Ok then, heres a link.............for all the mass debate on it that's wanted, in whats highly likely a more correct spot rather than some-ones project thread....... http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/47499-airbag-thread-wahoo/

I think if you snooze on the red one, some-one else will grab it.....................

Started as a result of what's been happening (IMO, unfairly...) elsewhere in a project thread, lets have a proper healthy / unhealthy debate here on airbags then........facts / fiction/ friction, & anything else welcome - bring it on!! So anyway, here we go.............some common & not so common stuff....... - I'm thinking of bypassing the passenger seat sensor so I can get a wof, whatyareckon..........?? - Are my 20 yr old airbags still gonna work ok in a crash?? - What degree of impact might set my airbags offffffffffffffff?? - Will they work if I leave the road & roll my car......???? - Is my 20 yr old airbag system weight dependant?? (As a general guide, the correct answer is ummm, 'No') - Can I remove the airbags from my vehicle?? If I can, how do I do this.........?? - My 22stone Ethiopian brother from another mother sits in my car - will my airbags protect him too?? - Aww I dunno - does my SRS system activate via crush points or rate of deceleration, I dunno ....??? - My car has got driver SRS - how do I fit a 'sports' steering wheel.......?? - So, crossing pins 12 & 18 sets it off - nooooooo way............??? - Dude, my airbags - they been folded left to right or right to left when assembled - whatchathinks?? - For any-one that's taken some 'Clive Matthew-Wilson' pills - can I retrofit airbags to my non-SRS vehicle.....?? (Apparently that plonker did.....) - I'm looking at buying a E39, been slammed & blinged & got the gangster rims - no dash lights are on, how do I know if the airbag system has been f#cked with?? - Opps, forgot the logical 1 - how do I repack my airbag after its gone off.........?? Ah rodgey, spare ones aisle 5, SuperCheap Auto??? I'll edit & keep adding...........but hey, lets knock ourselves out here ae...........

Well, its nice colour, is 2 door, has the 'good motor' in it, & probably from pics, looks tidy enough for what it is. And its already been tweaked a bit in terms of suspension & tints etc. IMO its probably around 1k overpriced, but ya could certainly do a lot worse than that one. Its been a chick's car, which also generally lessens the likely hood that its already been reamed senseless by some-one, that umm, drives like you do.........

I think you're on the right track personally, & like you say, it'll save grief & brain damage at wof time, & also if you're having any roadside debates on it. Generally, from my experiances in past, doesn't cost anything more to get 1 or 5 mods certed, & it also helps keep things all above board with insurance company....... On your 20's, so long as rolling diameter is similar to biggest size stock fitment, the only real thing you could get pinged for IMO is the increase in track width....... Its weird in some ways, as technically my ute probably requires cert for its wheels / tyres, yet it gets VTNZ wofs no problem, & is definitely a safer vehicle to drive in ALL circumstances that the rubbish Toyota had on it straight from factory........ My insurance company knows all my vehicles get 'tweaked', so they just accept that & charge accordingly........

Personally, I think the point has been made, & the owner seems to have a realistic understanding on where he wants to go in the future with his air-bags in this vehicle......and I think he's spelled that out very clearly............ Edit - I'd love to see pics with the new rims.............