gjm

M2 Competition, in Pukekohe. Rego M2COMP. Good-looking car.

They have pads (Mintex or Ferodo), but no discs. I'll probably ship them in from Germany. I can get a pair of discs for ~EUR 80, plus EUR 55 shipping. Works out about the same price as from Startech, but better quality. Startech pricing used to be 'keen'... It'd cost a little less to buy in from overseas, but there's a wait to receive parts, so the convenience is a big, and fair draw. Pricing used to work out to overseas price + shipping + ~10%, which is fair enough. Lately some of the numbers seem to be climbing, and held stock is less... Of course, I am looking for parts for older cars and there are fewer of those around, making holding stock less viable. I've stood still, but time marches on!

$110 each for discs which aren't as good. Cheaper than importing them, but I'd prefer the better quality. (And they don't have stock.) They seem to have got quite a bit more expensive lately.

I'm looking into new brake discs for the Mercedes. ATE discs - pair: US $100. Shipping... Cheapest option is $229.

There's been a couple of M30s for sale on here recently - don't know what the situation is with those now. A lot of people have opted for the M5x series. As it's not a stock E30 engine, or even a direct relation to any which were fitted, there may be some work involved, but given the number of conversions done, there will be lots of info available online.

Allports supply Samco kit. Bindons list M20B23 hoses. If you can ship your old hoses (assuming they do need replacing) somewhere like Pro Wholesale could probably match your hoses from their stock.

265/35-19?

Any other thoughts on the paperwork/official side of what might be required? A 2002-bodied E87 (or similar) sounds like a lot of fun, but was just an example of the sort of change I was describing.

"Starts runs and drives. Minor front bumper damage. Slight noise from engine (tapping). Boot catch faulty. THIS VEHICLE IS BEING SOLD REGISTERED" Details suggest it's not stolen/recovered, but that it has 'Suspect mechanical'? As it is being sold registered, my bet would be on a finance repo.

Looks a nice setup and Sinco do good work, but with potentially mismatched turbos and no management I'm struggling to see the value in a $4k purchase. Run at low pressure it'd put a spring in the step of an otherwise good M20, hopefully without too much stress.

We've left the age of 'designed and built by accountants', but are still in a place where most cars are built down to a price, rather than up to a standard. In the case of Mercedes, rot set in around 1995 when the W210 came out. The W202 (the first C-class) was a little better, but not much. Until then, Mercedes were hewn from rock (of various grades ) and engineered to exceed requirements. Even the 'Baby Benz', the 190E, was built the same way as the E- and S-class cars.

I too have offered to help but didn't receive a reply. The owners do get involved when the site goes down, so they're still around somewhere!

With WoF and rego it sounds like it'd be worth $2-2500. Nothing there that can't be sorted, but it takes time, and money (although how much depends on what you can do yourself, of course). Check the odo is working - they often fail on E30s, and can give a false impression if distance covered. Personally, I'd keep the M10, but I know a lot of people would disagree.

? I was thinking that if lack of fuel isn't the issue (fuel pump, fuel filter) maybe too much fuel could be the cause? If the cold start is throwing too much fuel through it might cause starting issues, and (as with a choke on a carb engine) if it's not shutting off, it could flood up?

For suspension, (and this depends on budget) perhaps have a chat with Chris at Suspension Tech (www.stech.co.nz). He'll probably be able to supply new shocks and strut inserts. Performance (or the lack of it) - cold start issues could be a cold start valve issue. Do you have one of these (circled)?

It's not too cheap - there are a lot of massively overpriced E30s on the market. Many hang around for a looong time, but it is true that the good ones are now commanding some quite exciting prices. We considered an E30 for Miss M, but have finally settled on a E46 318i instead. Cheaper, probably more economical, and safer for a young driver. (But she'd still like an E30!)

Ah - lost in translation. This looks to be the German motor industry response to Uber, Lyft and similar, but with automated vehicles. They're investing heavily in this - numbers like 'a billion euros' are being thrown around.

They're competing in the 'prestige' category, while VAG are (typically) in a lower league. Sadly, the insistence that all manufacturers now have to make all vehicles in all niches for all markets means resources are spread very, very thinly. Sharing a platform is the only economic way forward, and it's actually surprising they've not done this earlier.

https://www.sueddeutsche.de/auto/now-daimler-bmw-mobilitaet-1.4341347 You may need to use a translator, but essentially, this is about BMW and Mercedes working together to develop future platforms. There are several subsequent reports referring to the same thing.