Olaf

Start: 152,294kms. After prevaricating, considering the market and options, TermiPete's 545i became available. The domino effect of upgrading! I'd thought about X5's, missed out on a 535d Motorsport Touring by 2 days, and thought about 550is. So I bought this. It's my SS Commodore. Just in a sharply tailored german suit, rather than a Drizabone. And it has a roundel where the lion would be. And it's cool. Pete has lavished a bit of attention on this vehicle since acquiring it in Oct 2015. Now its my turn. I've already ordered hardware for shock replacement (bump stops, boots, strut bearings, bolts etc)... now deciding which shocks to get. Sachs standard (OEM) Bilstein: Touring (B4), HD (B6), Sport (B8) Koni Yellows After doing the shocks on three of my last four cars, the last two I've stuck with factory IEM spec Sachs (my Volvo 855-T5 and BMW e46 Touring). I'm not planning on changing the springs on this 545i and don't want to radically transform or make it too hard. It has Standrard suspension, it's on 18" conventional tyres (no need for RFT's here as it has a spare), and has Dynamic Drive option (the active computer controlled anti-roll bars) and having driven a near-identical car without DD, I'm sold on it. Koni Yellows I'm sure would be lovely, but they're a little more pricey. Bilstein: tempted to go HD (B6 Yellow), they're said to be made to work with stock springs but are up to 20% stiffer. I think this would be similar to the addition of KYB Excel+ gas shocks to my old A32 Maxima. Firmed it up and helped it hugely with roadholding and ride. Alternately B4 Tourings are said to be 10% stiffer than stock. Sachs: The OEM shocks are equivalent to 31316766993 (Front left) and 31316766994 (Front right), and 33526766995 rear. They'll no doubt "just work". Would I be crazy to go Bilstein HD B6? And as soon as the shocks are done, it's time for new boots (and panties). Photos soon.

@viskop have you seen this, here's your entire manaual conversion kit for your e36, mate!

when I've needed to ensure steel stays rust-free, my old-school approach has been: - remove any scale - prep with rust kill (neutraliser) - prime with appropriate metal primer - ensure drainage functions as intended (in the case of old japanese & english cars add more drainage - two liberal coats of fishoilene (yes, it's made from fish), brushed in, with time to leech into seams, and bake dry in the sun. Yes it stinks. Yes for a couple of weeks cats will hang around your car. My brother fishoiled a mid-70's 180B that had been flooded. When he sold it in '83, no rust - remarkable for one of the 70's best-known self-recycling cars. My $0.02 for free. PS: have a good think about the design, and why they rust out where they do. Is it the sunroof drains blocking? If so, can you make 'em larger? or is it just the outlets?

yes! hopefully final steps before establishing a solid platform!

I drove some on that 330i that I nearly purchased and thought them average (comparing against RE003 is maybe unfair?); today I drove some on an e60 (245/40R18) and found them good (grippy enough, stiff sidewalls)... on the UK tyre review website, they rate reasonably well. My interpretation is "appreciated bordering on well regarded". http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Bridgestone/Potenza-RE050A.htm HTH

I used to get servicing from a small euro specialist in Wellington, he was excellent and usually had an old euro as a loaner, just requested that you bring it back with more gas than you left with, no charge. I drove a couple of smelly old fiats, and a selespeed Alfa 156 that was mental but fun. always ensured there was at least $25 extra gas (on top of my running around) and thanked him profusely for the loaner car. bonus!

nice. I like it.

anyone running them? how are they? Did you run PS3 or PS2 beforehand? or Bridgestone Potenza RE-003? The hype is that the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres are sh*t hot, and better than the PS3 before them. Still, Bridgestone are out with the RE-004 soon too... at least war this isn't Betamax vs VHS! Your experiences appreciated.

I've decided to go for a five this time on the basis I can't do an X5 the way I think I need to. A bit like (further back down the thread), I decided not to buy an LP12 the first time as I couldn't do it well (all I could do was buy a flogged out dodgy one from an odd character and rebuild it hoping it'd be good, and if it wasn't, I'd be over-capitalising and still no guarantee it'd 'sing')... so, in the same way, at this time an X5 is not out of the question, it's deferred. And may be a reality in a year or two.

now that is an interesting comparison. All broadly the same purpose (Diesel SUVs with vaying degrees of offload capability), and broadly varying fuel efficiency... and indeed, refinement. I think comparing a diesel e60 to a diesel X5 will still reveal around 1.8-2 litres/100 km advantage (lower Cd, lower weight, less drag on drivetrain). But then I'm not 100% on fuel at any rate.

ahhh! at least all is not lost. Wow, shotgun wedding pressures. Go hard, young man! We're all keen to see this project rolling. And scraping sump, I guess.

so you've put the e28/V8/rusty lorider on hold, robbed its body panels and added them - plus airbag lows - into another e28? you going back to the V8 project later?

thanks gents, all excellent input and I feel far more informed. I'm going to defer X5 acquisition until later in this calendar year, or this time next year (end of tax year) so that I can increase my sample size anf budget. I'm going to concentrate on e60/e61 options as a short-to-mid term solution. 545i? 550i? Is Motorsport a must for me? Do I need a touring? and what price/option factor along this continuum makes best sense for me right now? Answers will appear next few days, I'm checking some out today.

come on man, we're on the edge of our seats! how's about some words and pictures to tell us about your journey since last time?

looking sharp, and keenly priced. GLWS. as a matter of interest, which shocks?

sorry forgot to mention this earlier. You weren't expecting such a keen 'the money's burning a hole in my pocket and I've just gotta buy your car' approach to result in a test drive, surely? Ten points for honesty, though!

"say ahhhhhhhh"

Sam, to be fair ownership of an M car is a committment well beyond mere everyday BMWs... if you're concerned about e60 V8 costs don't even drive an M5, really. You need to be able to grin, roll a mouthful of single malt around your mouth, and casually toss over your platinum card when you've read the bill for your brake job. It's not that the rotors are made of unobtanium, but they are another hike up again (being floating rotors), and so it costs a bit more, everywhere. Oil Change, again, not just 7 litres of 5W40 Penrite from Supsacheap, it's Castrol BMW oil for the v10. If it's any consolation my scottish heritage has not allowed me to boldly stride into the ranks of M car owners, though it could happen in future. The Maximas are good long-termers, and *usually* don't cost too much... now you're gaining some of those memorable driving experiences for some of the attendant heartache that comes from having a '10' on your arm. I was just talking to our offspring earlier, and they were recalling some of our earlier family road trips in our old Maxima. HTH

yeah Supercheap and Repco are good for oil, car care, and running your Holden or Falcon. For your Euro, you'll need a specialist supplier. First stop should be the forum's supporters/sponsors. As you're in Dunedin, you should try Milland. http://www.milland.co.nz - and they're right there in Dunedin! Euro Itallian are also said to be very good. I've often used www.fcpeuro.com - started buying parts from them 12 years ago soon after buying my Volvo. Seriously though, give Milland a call. You may find they have what you need at good prices. Hope that helps.

it's the gehberhrenschitver valvugolpen. it's gefingerpokened kaputzezechtenarbened. Assume the position and open your wallet, buddy. /serious mode on Kyu's analysis seems reasonable place to start. What's a set of coils for the N62 worth? Oh, under USD200 for the new Bosch design, seems reasonable. Definitely no vacuum leaks? And your battery is strong and tests well yeah? cheers

Latest test: This morning I drove an '07 X5 4.8l 7 seater, 108kms on the clock. Nice donk. SUBLIME transmission. I was fine with the width of it, easy to place the car in the lane. Drove around typical suburban roads... what distrurbed me was how much it pitches around. Dive on the front under braking is huge. Active steering - excellent. Highway - excellent, though it still pitches around a bit. Easy to drive rapidly. Excellent cruise control. Brakes very good. Orbital sander marks in the chrome trim on the kidney grilles and black silicone sealer where it shouldn'be under the hood, bolstered with generally poorly-groomed appearance led me to beleive this was a sub-par example. 15l/100kms - not so keen on that. A 550i would do a few litres better, I think. John, what's (Mark) BoyT getting out of his 550i with his real-world daily drive these days? Conclusion: need to drive an X5 Diesel with sport suspension before X5 elimination. Status: e61 or e60 is looking most likely, must be Msport, and either 3.0l petrol, 4.8l petrol, or 3l diesel. X5D ///Msport remains a contender.

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thanks, John! F*#k me, that Mercedes V8 was just brilliant. not power. THRUST. It's true, I've never owned a V8 before. Smooooooooth. And almost as good as a good turbo. But ohhhhh, THRUST. 550i next.

so I was out today and looked around at a car yard. salesman convinced me to drive e61 525i MSport LCI. Not enough power. Handling and active steering good. "Elimination". We looked at other options. Their X5 3.0D was too pricey for me. No 530 in Motorsport trim, no 550i's. Wildcard: Mercedes E550 AMG. I drove it. I luuuuuuuuuved the V8, it was exceptional. The brakes were pretty good. What I couldn't get past, despite playing with electronic damping control, was it was floaty, like a boat. I couldn't get past that. But hell, what a car. 60k kms, brand new rotors and pads, Michelin PS3's, clean and tidy. Nope, can't go there. So, I continue on. It's starting to polarise: looking at 530i touring, 550i touring, or X5 3.0D - examining the tipping points between lower mileage and lower c of g, vs SAV and higher miles, higher price. Interesting journey. Sorry if this is boring of frustrating for you guys, I don't buy new cars often.

Well I did have a couple of business suits that were green, back in the 90's. It was latin america, so an olive suit is not outrageous, and the other was a very unusual perry ellis number. However, on finding that uber low-mileage X5 V8 I was confronted with it being green. I don't object to the colour per se,... though I think it would approach sales-proof when time came to quit it.