Olaf

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1230421566.htm "VIN no. WBS AKO 1080 2190706 -- number 424 of 505 built. No-expense-spared ownership of 23 privileged years, completely un-restored and un-molested and in near immaculate condition with a recently refreshed engine and almost all original paint -just a patina of careful use and a couple of carpark blemishes." If I win lotto, I'm buying this.

great progress!

awesome. great to see it moving forward, despite the distractions of a normal life! Looking forward to seeing pics.

blimey, look at all that space! were you outside the M25 there? (I had an e30 Touring in London, though that was 16 years ago now).

"road trip"

hi Hayden, and welcome along. Looks like a good project you have there. Plenty of info here around e36 and e46 compact conversions, in threads and contributors. keep an eye on the meetings room, you'll be very welcome to attend and join the rabble

welcome, Ethan! quite an interesting - and cool - collection you have there.

any updates on Monty, Gareth?

the holy grail is of course an 80's Nakamich car deck. Their cassette decks were beautiful, great mechs, great sound. Rohan if you're going Dire Straits, best to stick to the 70's output!

aye. I'm doing 35kms (~40 mins) each way for work, and there's been around 5k of long trips this year. I think this will work okay to avoid any DPF issues.

man, that speed is almost incomprehensible. WOW.

yeah I'm seriously considering an e60 oil burner. Just got to find one with reasonable mileage that hasn't been knocked around. 535D would be really cool, don't come up as often. Don't think I *really* need the wagon - they seem a lot more spendy, too.

W126 was car of the year, back in the 80's too. Even in Aus-truckin-falia, from memory!

good news! bravo!

getting a good look over by your chosen specialist will make a difference. As a number of wise blokes have said to me, It may be low-mileage though high hours! Looking forward to seeing yours, I do like Monaco Blue. I've pretty much given up on an e90 now, my son has grown 3cm in the last 2 months. there just won't be enough space in the back of an e90 for him within a few months. Disappointing from a purely selfish perspective, I really like the e90 330i power plant.

If you're looking to eliminate a cheap and garish CDP from the 00's or 10's from your mid-late 90's Bimmer (or early 00's), and retore it to something appropriately period - with very good sound quality - there's a very good Blaupunkt on TM at the moment. you can change the display colour to red... and it's a very good cassette deck that also commands a changer. If I had an e36 I'd be in like flynn. $50! It's pretty rare to find quality Blaupunkt or Becker gear from this period in NZ, most people were either too tight, or wooed by the flashy BS of later Alpine and the like. Disclaimer: I know nothing of the vendor or the state of this player. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-stereos/other/auction-1227267329.htm credit: coderadio.info for the image

today I ordered a Jasper jig and 1/4" upcut router bit to match, coz I want to be able to cut nice regular circles in ply and MDF. I was offered Focal ISN 165 components on TM for a shade ender $300 kiwi, tempted as cheaper than polyglas VRS and cheaper than Morels and gets me moving, but then found inconsistent info about 6.5 or 6.75" driver size (from a variety of sources) and didn't know if a 6.75" driver will fit in the doors, nor the tweets. EDIT: The depth is okay (2.25").. couldn't find info on the tweeter size and found its an alloy dome (was never keen on those in domestic hifi). So yes, getting prepared to make rings, it could be I'm going to cut holes in the sheet steel in the front doors. It makes sense really. I already have a good router and sheets of 18mm MDF stock in my basement, and this would appear to get me further ahead in audio than a larger spend on drivers and leaving the doors virginal.

exactly. the true salesman will sell his grandmother when an opportunity presents itself, regardless of like. they just can't resist!

I think you missed a great opportunity to sell him one of yours! Nurture the salesman within. Finding solutions for peoples needs.

^^ gotta be happy with that outcome, Chris! everyone needs a hoist in their life.

Welcome, Calvin. Looks like a reasonable buy. Suggest you use a BMW specialist such Page European or Auto38 (if you're in Wellington City), there are others in the Hutt. Approaching 100k kms, a cooling system service, and a trans service will be wise investments. Enjoy! Oh, and take a look at the Meetings section, we do get together in Wellington from time to time. Come along and meet some other Bimmersport enthusiasts. EDIT: If I had my time again, I'd have bought mech insurance for my e46. A trans rebuild would have been paid for on excess, and even with the cost of the insurance, I'd still be ahead.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm getting the impression the HK system can be troublesome, and is more badge-engineering (a great money-spinner in the option-box department during ordering. If it was great people wouldn't be selling them off. The BavSound stuff was my starting point, though it seems expensive and not a huge improvement (they're charging for bullet-proof integration, rather than super-quality components), from what I've read. I'll take a deep breath, be brave, and do some of my own integrating. ... following in others footsteps, and documenting as I go. cheers!

yes Grant, people have been nodding sagely for decades now, telling me Vinyl's on it's way back. I tilt my head sideways and give them a look; say "for many of us, it's never gone!". I remember talking with one of the guys from Naim Audio - when I first met him, he told me he used to run an LP12 when the Naim CDS-1 was released, and promptly sold all his vinyl as the CDS-1 was the answer. A few years later he was somewhat regretful of that decision! Meanwhile, CD replay has continued to improve... now it seems that the streaming solutions that Naim have released have eclipsed even the CD-555. Anyway, in-car is my focus - I'm thinking Neal's suggested solution of a 4 chan amp using the built-in x-overs to active bi-amp (another very Naim thing), with some Morel drivers is a good idea. I may be able to bring myself to build pods - perhaps it's a two stage thing... install speakers and amps, make the measurements, learn how to get those door panels off.... then come back in a month later with adaptor rings and a sheet metal nibbler. More research...

I've been up waiting for an opportunity to feed reindeer and assure access for santa. I'll take this opportunity to wish all Bimmersporters a very merry christmas, and prosperous and roundel-enhanced new year. Thanks especially to the mods and those who keep this place running; and thanks to the contributors who continue to keep this community interesting and relevant. cheers! Olaf

scratch that, I see Morel make 2 way component car audio speakers with x-overs...