gjm

That would standardise the fleet very nicely! Are these the folk you sold the engine to? I wonder how they know there are "no unknown problems"? Still they say it is a 318TDi with a 2000cc diesel engine!

The R8 may be a better car - I don't know. As I said, I have no experience of it. It does look, on paper and in pictures, to be a good car. I do know the R35, especially after a couple of drives, becomes a mind-bendingly fast car yet remains one that is quite ridiculously easy to drive. And the R35 can actually make quite a practical family car, if that is a consideration. That's something the Porsche can't even begin to consider doing.

The R35 absolutely destroys the 911 in terms of performance, and in the best way - it makes that performance available. The 911 may be marginally more comfortable... For me, between those two cars, there is no contest. And this assumes both cars are in from-the-factory spec; start tuning and the gulf between them just grows and grows. Can't comment on the R8 as I've not ridden in or driven one.

I found this somewhere and was going to post it, too.

We drive motor cars because that's what they were originally called. Motorized horseless carriages. Had they been called engineered horseless carriages, perhaps we would drive engine cars.

But if you fit an outboard motor to a boat, it becomes a motor boat. OK... Let's get pedantic. An engine is something used to bring about a change. This can apply to the device under the bonnet of your car, or an emotive piece of text, or many other things. A motor is a specific case of an engine, where it is something that imparts motion. As such it could be an electric motor, a person, or even an engine.

Length: 30″ Width: 31″ Height: 24″ Weight: 830 lbs Displacement: 960 cubic inches Max Wide Open Throttle RPM: 8,500-9,000 So shiny. So many rotor tips to replace... More info here and at www.12rotor.com

Dunno. It was this one: I didn't see the driver this time, but last time I saw this car was also on SH1, northbound and approaching the Greenlane exit. That time it was a young (<30) coloured gent at the wheel. Jammy git.

It's a stunning-looking car. Just the wrong time for me or I'd be down in the boondocks gettin' me some new wheels.

Brent is in Papakura.

696hp. Apparently it ran 820 with more boost...

Another hurdle on the way to diesel-driving nirvana... Brakes. It'd be good to have some. I knew the rear pads and discs were a little worn, but it'd be more accurate to say there's very little left. So... Time to get it sorted. Thanks to Paul at MillAnd I have two new rear discs, and a full set (front and rear) of new pads with a pad wear sensor for each axle (one per axle on the 'cooking' cars - hotter models like the M3 got a pair of sensors at the front and a single one at the rear) on their way. That's taken care of what I'll do with the several seconds of free time I may have towards the end of next week. Something else will have to wait - I'll do a full system brake fluid flush while I'm at it because I have no idea when it was last done. Still, another job will be ticked off the long list. Incidentally, the rear discs on my car are large than on some other E46s, even other E46 320d models. Brent was able to offer an excellent used set of discs and pads which I had planned to use, but they are simply far too small. The pad fittings look to be slightly different, too... Of course, this is the sort of thing you find out only after you've taken the brakes apart. Not something I'd anticipated. (Note to self - carefully check RealOEM before buying anything, even if I'm sure it's the right part. Still, that was attempt number one, and gave me the opportunity to clean and check the pistons in the rear calipers. At least I've saved myself that job for next time. (Still go the fronts to do, of course.) So another set back on the turbo front, but at least the car should stop after I get that sorted.

This guy almost made me want to buy a Supra. Then I remembered I don't need one... After all, I'm married, and have a BMW diesel.

257 GSR Greenlane is Archibald & Shorter - can't see them trying to fob anyone off with something dodgy. It'd be more grief and do more damage to their franchised dealer reputation than it'd be worth.

Lime green Lambo and a matt black Maserati being chased by a blue Audi S3 on SH1 this morning, just north of Hampton Downs...

Could it be you need both, the single piece gasket against the roof, and the two piece against the sunroof? They are described respectively as the 'top', 'front' and 'rear' gaskets.

Nice description. This also explains why a car which has had the swirl flaps removed can feel a little sluggish (comparatively) off the line.

Can't really imagine what a speed wobble at 275 is like. Managed it at 235 when crossing a white dividing line, but while that 40km/h difference may not sound like much, it is. The leaning over, on one wheel and steering thing takes a bit of getting used to, too.

Too soon for me and too much money. I think this one may have been listed before, too? (Or am I confusing it with another silver-coloured 530D Touring...?)

Please! May I be so bold as to recommend the road to Maraetai...?

It struck me as a four door version of a two door car that had been adapted from a 4 door model... The more things change, the more they stay the same!

It's a bit of an odd one - the 6.5 V8 was more commonly a diesel, built for solidity, reliability and (believe it or not) economy. Certainly no great shakes in power or even torque, but some did better than others - the early 6.2s made as little as 145hp, while 6.5 TurboDiesel V8s made up to 315hp and 530lb ft. I wonder if this really is a 6.5 petrol... Could easily be. 6.6 is about 400ci, and there were 390ci and 396ci V8s around. They tended to be a little more exciting, though.

Progress is slowing due to financial constraints. Fortunately my driving doesn't need to slow - it seems to make little or no difference whether I pootle at 90km/h, or make swifter progress, I get pretty much the same economy. Of course, the amount of time spent stationery or accelerating makes quite a difference. In the meantime, I've been considering what else a higher mileage car could need. Back in the UK, with VAG cars, we used to reckon injectors would need looking at and possibly cleaning, recalibrating or replacing around every 100000 miles or so. Using that reckoning, my 320d should have had this done twice by now, but I've no record of it. This should be done in order to maintain good spray pattern and correct flow. Secondhand injectors, which may need cleaning and/or recalibrating (and may even need coding - I need to check) sell for NZ180 up. EACH. Ffffflippin' 'eck. I bought a brand new set of Bosio nozzles for an Audi - total price was less than £150, or about $300. Ah - there's the difference (perhaps) - injectors vs nozzles. OK... So what nozzles are available? More tricky... Needs a lot more investigation. While VAG diesel engines seem to be almost routinely tuned - over 300bhp from an old 2.5 V6 TDi anyone? - BMW diesel engine tuning involves a decat, bigger turbo and a remap. And that's it. No reference to fuel flow, nozzles or injectors that I have so far been able to find. I need to look harder, obviously. I have a nagging feeling that economy isn't as good as it should be. OK, it's using a lot less fuel than a petrol-engined vehicle, but... And as curiously, there seemed to be smoother running from using some very expensive BP diesel instead of the usual diet fed from the local, much cheaper, Mobil, even when using a cetane booster. I'm sure life is so much simpler for those folk who just have a car, drive it, and take it to the nice man at the garage for servicing and repairs. More expensive, and perhaps boring, but much simpler!