gjm

I saw a set of sports seats for sale on the south island - needed some work. $1200 IIRC.

From factory with Sports front seats, M-Sport suspension and 25% LSD.

Well, it's all over bar the official notifications, which will probably be tomorrow. Learn. Move on. Keep eyes on the horizon. Time to find a new place of work. A new role.

And there was me thinking it was 'character'. Perfect and immaculate for year.

Think I'm sorted. I have two pairs of these. Biggest issue is getting the car high enough to get these underneath!

Jon - y'mean last year...? $2k cup. E30s. Not a chance these days.

Meh. Another 320. 6 cylinders... 50% more servicing! (Does look quite sweet.)

Ohhh yes. I had a Lister 7.0 (no superchargers) XJ12C. Arches bulged like a bodybuilder on a diet of pure steroids and protein. I thought that was a monster - heaven knows what this is like!

I lost track of model nomenclature when the 3-series got 3 designations! But yes - I was referring to the F20. 👍

This is - surprisingly to me, perhaps - proving to be a popular option. The facelift look is definitely preferred. Other options have been a Porsche Cayenne 3.2, a Mercedes CLS350... But the 116i is certainly the 'sensible' choice.

I was wondering if it was a Chrome update issue. But if the SSL cert has expired - that would would explain it.

If I was (a lot) closer, I'd say "Please!!!" What a great offer.

Miss M is keen to replace her E46 318i. It's been great (thanks Andy!) but she comes into some money shortly, and would like to spend up to $10k on upgrading. Lots of nice-looking options, but (as the family motor mechanic) I've read the N-series engine horror stories and really, really don't want to repeat those experiences. Performance is not the goal. Reliability is paramount. Automatic gearbox. It must look nice (superficial, but it's not an unreasonable requirement.) Economy is desirable. And, of course, being nice to drive. An E93 sneaks into the budget and is perhaps unsurprisingly a popular idea. Not a wagon. A newer 1-series might be nice, but the old one is described as 'meh'. Lots of E9x 320-type cars around, but the 4-cylinder ones are all N4x, and I've heard similar bad tales about the 6-pot N5x. A facelift 1-series with the N13 (or similar) could be in budget - is there a guide to evaluating chain wear? Or... Other suggestions. I'm keen on the Mercedes W204 and there's some very good-looking, lower mileage examples around in budget.

Rob - that's fabulous. Really pleased to hear it's gone to a good home. Please keep us up to date on your ownership!