gjm

[BMW Boardroom] "Mercedes did their R-class... It wasn't a huge success, but I'm sure we should do something similar. We need a huge, ugly vehicle that's too big for school mums to drive..."

Following on from Ray's post about the Z3 coupe, here's the suggestions for the forthcoming Z5 coupe.

I don't think they're Fenix... Call and ask? I got a rad for our 500SE from Silverdale - fast delivery, seems to be good quality. It fits, it holds coolant, and the price was pretty good.

It's 10 years old... That's barely 10k a year. Average in the UK is estimated to be 12000 miles a year - nearly 19000km. And the UK has something which can be described as a public transport system. That said, I have no idea what one of these is worth. Tough life, eh?

Such nice cars.

Up to a a $400 value you are normally OK and don't need to pay anything extra to the NZ government. Bear in mind that this is simply a 'not worth our time' figure, so they could charge you anyway. If the value is between $400 and $1000, and this is noticed, your goods are held and you are at the mercy of NZ Post. (Sometimes something slips through with ahigher value - don't count on this!) I bought some parts in, and received a letter from NZ Post saying they'd need paying before delivery could be arranged. They neglected to give me any sort of reference number and it was only by the grace of a very helpful Customs bod in Tauranga that I was able to get things sorted. Still took them 10 days from confirmed payment of duties to get the parts to me. Over $1000 you need a client code which must be arranged in advance of your purchase. This requires completion of customs form NZCS 224, and (iirc) the code must be entered on the customs slip by the shipper. It's an enormous faff about and makes no sense to a private individual; ask about it, and customs simply suggest you use a shipping agent. US shipping is typically expensive. I'm not sure how the NZPost YouShop facility compares. Shipping of larger items from Europe has also increased dramatically in the last year or so - where I had previously paid EUR40-50, it's now EUR100+. And that shipping cost is a factor in whether you pay duty or not. Yes - your duty is calculated on the purchase price + shipping cost + insurance cost. If the seller doesn't discount local taxation (VAT, etc) then that is also included. All hail the system where we pay tax for the benefit of paying tax to a foreign government! (Actually, that's a little unfair - the seller pays that tax, and probably has a mountain of paperwork to get through to remove taxation from an out-of-country sale.) There's a further issue with this. Let's assume you had an XYZ device that broke and required return to manufacturer to repair. You send it back, it's repaired, and the manufacturer ships it back to you. They label the package 'Warranty Repair', and insure it for (say) $1200. You will be charged duties based on $1200+shipping+insurance for the import into New Zealand. This is an important distinction - it is the total value of the import that is used for any calculation, and not how much you may have paid. To avoid this, you will need to provide evidence of having exported something for repair - the shipper's say-so is not sufficient.

They're not all that hard to work on. Ensure the mechanicals are all good and the body isn't falling off, and you're sweet. (And the engine wiring loom...) Never going to be a G-Wagen with it's cross-axle diff locks, but it'd be capable. And it's cheaper than a Scooby Doo.

Bought an E36 318Ti earlier this week. Miss M has pretty much lost interest in driving stick, and it'll be good for her to get behind the wheel of something. She has enjoyed it so far, and has said that she'll probably look at a manual license later. The seller is a forum member... Anything I list here as needing doing is not a slight towards him, but acknowledgement of buying a 20-year old car cheaply. More on that in a maintenance thread.

As an aside to this topic, how good is the X5 offroad? Looking at prices of the older ones, if you're not choosy about the looks and interior upkeep, there are some potential bargains to be had. We had some bad news about our planned house purchase (it's not over, but it's looking much less likely) and the alternative is a piece of land I've had my eye on for a while. We'd need something to hack back and forth to it for a while.

Not my thing. Not at all. Strikes me as a car trying to find a market niche to fit in to. Of course, it may be great to drive. Better looking than the 'old' 5-series GT... Perhaps. But I didn't like that much, either! (Don't get me started in the X6 !) Price in the US: $70k. Price in NZ...? I dread to think, but probably $140k+.

The auto, provided it's working properly, is a good complement to the engine unless you really want the last 1% on a racetrack. (y)

Genuine - upwards of (equivalent) NZ$300k. There's a few very well-built replicas (possibly better than anything ex-factory) available for $100-200k. Add the typical 'NZ tax' and you can see where it goes.

We've just put in an offer on a house so I suspect I can't afford the entry fee at the moment, let alone the development costs. Does look impressive.

The bushes have the alignment marks - it was the housings I was wondering about. I think they all have marks too, regardless of what car they are intended for. I've not pressed and refit bushes for years, either!

Not the image I meant to post! This one: Although the V8 looks a lot tidier!

Looks like it fits... Actually, looks like there's plenty of room!

I was thinking of an E30...

E36 front lower control arm rear bushes - the ones in the 'lollipops'. Does the base model (318i, like ours) have an arrow on the casting to show alignment position for the bushes, in the same way the M3 does? I think it does - I think the lollipop is a common part and it is only the bush which is different.

It's true - there are some truly good folks at both Repco and SCA. In my recent experience, they're the girls. They have encyclopaedic knowledge of parts and specifications, and if they don't know the answer, they do know where to go to find it. They drive some nice cars, too. Certainly wouldn't catch them saying "it's all the same"...

Standing in SCA looking for a fuel filter for a genset and heard staff say to customer "they're all the same, just different brands". He was talking about engine oil.

PM'd. Good home guaranteed.

Our A4 B5 Quattro Avant was an all-round capable car. Not an ultimate driving machine but nice to drive, comfortable, good feel and handling. As manufacturers have made our driving experience 'safer', they've taken away the things that drivers actually enjoy.

Here's a much less usual one:

Do you need a SUV? There's a 2008 530i M Sport Touring on TradeMe with an asking price of just under $11k. Seats lots of people, lots of space, could be a better 'drive' than an older X5? (I've not driven either so that is speculation.)