Olaf

US shipping doesn't have to be expensive; UPS from FCP Euro is pretty reasonable, though UPS Service in NZ can be dire. and this is where we get to variability of charges. I was raped by UPS recently for a shipment that was NZD 5 over the threshold, total cost under NZD400. They can charge whatever brokerage fees they like. DHL or FedEx are far more reliable and reasonable. I'd not touch NZ Post youshop with a barge pole, their terms of service are shocking - they're written by some paranoid who expects all clients to be scum. If you want a reliable forwarder in the US, MyUS.com are good, and if you search for their Visa Promotion you'll get gold service for two years for free. W00t! Discounted freight, free amalgamation and a month's free storage, not to mention a choice of reliable carriers. HTH

you need www.whatsmyduty.org.nz as soon as the combo of GST and Duty on your import (including freight charge) hits NZD60 you get kablammoed with all manner of fees and raped for over a hundy. EDIT: your brother was lucky not to be incarcerated for class A importation. LSD indeed.

Yep. You're right. Sounds like those made to high standards probably manufactured in china parts are working out really well.

What about a modern 600 or 750... these days more power than the 1100's of 30 years ago (100bhp)

It's interesting that people buy or choose Brembo rotors on the basis they'll be good (seen as a premium brand after the fitment of those coloured callipers to Ducati, Holden HSV etc. for the last 20 years or so...), though they're not an OEM supplier to BMW, and (according to BNT) most Brembo rotors are made in China, so no better than any other vanilla aftermarket equivalent part! @Jacko Is your workshop a specialist independent?

mind you, how bad could it be? http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/mercedesbenz/auction-1341579811.htm

The ML is basically sh*t, though. Not Mercedes most shining moment! If you actually need to be offroading - rather than driving across muddy fields - you'll be wanting a Land Cruiser, a Pajero, Disco, Range Rover, Patrol. Nothing comes cheap - they all have maintenace risk/headaches. Well apart from the Land Cruiser, which instead has high entry price. Oh, the Suzukis are excellent if you're not needing to carry much.

^^ this.

what about the KTM390? That's a cool bike, without going straight to eyeballs-wired R1's or similar. PS - congrats on your licence, Paul!

pretty good outcome! the noisy A/C compressor is a feature of the e46... I had mine replaced along with new receiver drier. Page Euro get a guy in to do their A/C work. Jacking pads are inexpensive. They'll knock out your window regulator in no time. Mine went at this time of the year also, left front, decided it was better replaced than my good lady lowering window and being unable to raise it. Page Euro did a beaut job, easy.

91. It doesn't run as good, but I'm tight. really, totally, scotsman tight. so 91.

I trade in $2.15 in savings for 50litres. The cashiers usually make a fuss - it's as though they don't see that very often. Redeem, pay no money for your 50 litres. Small satisfaction. Best to gas up on the 10c days. BP or Caltex. You only take multiples of $40 (eg you need to spend $40 to be able to accumulate. You can clock up two lots of $40 before you go in to pay. If you've room for another, you can pre-pay at the counter. "Accumulate" or "Redeem". Who doesn't dig on redemption?

because we don't have a vomit emoji. Blahdy hell, that'd be sad if they're selling Gull at Mobil. Is Mobil 98 working well for you, Brent? Do you run that across all three vehicles?

How do you static reset the Active Steering? Keen to know.

given the number of petroleum processing facilities in NZ (bugger-all), if Mobil's 8000 is Ethanol blend in Wellington, I think you'll find it's Ethanol blend in Auckland too. /smugface

driving the e60 M5 changed my view of perfomance cars forever. it is mind-altering just how good it is. how capable. you think you've driven capable cars, and then you drive the M5. The chassis engineering is superb... it's a full-sized car, but... communicative. use the brakes too hard and people will start floating away, such is its impact on the earth's rotational velocity. M cars are a bit more pricey to maintain, and economising is folly. The next owner won't want to take the risk if you've cheaped-out or been too DIY. Or worse, neglectful.

looks like a nice clean example, Michael, and reasonably priced imho. GLWS!

yep, quite possibly the best buy so far this year has been Mr Aphexic's e39 540i ///Msport that had lots of unrequireted love! And it was *less* than half the price of this.

"The car is quite low even for factory height so the bottom edge of the front bumper has been scuffed on the odd curb in its life time." = actually the shocks have had it and it needs a suspension refresh. "The car is dark blue with black leather interior, it has a sunroof which is great on those hot sunny days." = actually the A/C is broken and you totally bake when it's sunny; opening the sunroof is the sauna safety valve. "There are a couple of little scuffs here and there as to be expected for a car of its age but mostly only noticeable in the right light." = that's why I've left it dirty, it's far more average than my asking price would have you believe.

tyre pressures, and alignment first. Mine came on the other morning. It had been sat on an angle for 5 days... sat squarely in a nice, level carpark and it reset fine. The steering had been a little odd. I checked tyre pressures next day and found them pretty low (32PSI), so I need to check them more regularly (I'm running 37/42 PSI in 245/40/18). I'm usually very sensitive to pressures, I wonder if the Dynamic Drive counteracts a bit of tyre wiggle? Strangely, the TPS didn't give me a nudge about pressures. I digress. Keep us posted.

http://www.aa.co.nz/membership/aa-directions/driver/fuel-duel-2/ "Most service stations in New Zealand sell mineral fuel, which is wholly derived from crude oil – or fossil fuel. But Gull has, for the past five years, pioneered the sale of ethanol-blended petrol at its 48 service stations throughout much of the North Island. Gull sells a 98-octane E10 blend at all of its service stations, and a 91 octane E10 blend at 15 locations, predominantly Auckland and Waikato. They also retail an E85 blend in Hamilton. (E10 means 10% of a litre of fuel contains ethanol, a renewable, or ‘bio’fuel.)Further down the North Island, Mobil sells E3 91 octane and E10 98 octane ethanol blends at selected service stations in the greater Wellington region. " I also observed warnings on the pumps at Mobil Gas stations that the fuel contained Ethanol.

those exhaust tips look very cool. It should sell, I don't recall the last time I saw a red one for sale in NZ. Ad reads better (IMHO), well done.

Mobil has ethanol in its 98 (yes it's available in Welly), BP does not. You gets what you pays for. Yes, BP are price gouging. Still, I get a 50 litres "free" every 6 or 7 weeks or so using AA Smartfuel, so it's swings and roundabouts eh?

Yep, there's probably a link there! You might want to totally update your advert so that it's fresh and relevant; what's the point of pictures and a description of a car with seats and brakes that aren't for sale? Your time wasters may be wondering what else isn't for sale. It certainly looks sharp; if I was looking to have my wallet eased for $34k, I'd be looking for a vendor who'd carefully (accurately?) described what was for sale. GLWS.

once the e30 crew grows up & sprout families, there'll be unprecidented demand for 5ers.