Olaf

Our needs have changed. I found we'd been doing more round-town shorter trips, so our e46 325i Touring fits me better. We now have an F25 X3 30D ///M (since Sept last year) for my wife to drive, and for us to use on trips. Being a Diesel we'll need to ensure we get those runs to the Wairarapa or Hawkes Bay in, to keep the DPF in good order. The F25 provides plenty of headroom and legroom for our 6'2" son (and our daughter) , so works as a family round-town and trip wagon, and replaces her e46. The F25 Provides easier entry and exit, more visibility, and about the same luggage capacity as the e46. I'm taking the e46 as my runaround (we've had it ten years this month), as I don't need a flash 5er for round-town duties. At least I will when she spends more time behind the wheel! So we'll miss the 333hp, the amazing handling, braking, steering, comfort, and all-round capability of this e60. EDIT: AND THE HEATED STEERING WHEEL!!! The power train is superb. 50:50 weight distribution, dynamic drive and active steering make for a brilliant drive. The F25 is a slower drive on a trip, with a very different style. I may get an F30 X5 30D ///M in future for the extra luggage capacity. Thanks Pete, no regrets buying this car from you, I've loved it. I may regret selling it, but it's the e30 or this - something's gotta go. I still haven't finished the e30, and it's a different kind of fun. Yep, Churton Park - they're close to opening up some more parts.

14 March 2022. 186844kms Today's the fifth anniversary of acquiring the 545i. Yesterday I gave it a thorough wash and dry, and took it up into the hills for some for-sale shots. Remaining tasks: underbonnet detailing, interior clean and detail.

the tipping point will be if it comes with a full tank of gas.

Mandatory visit to Nada Bakery after that for an award-winning pie to settle your stomach!

Discussing purple tag rack - in principle - with certifier last weekend in context of my M42 repower (into factory manual) with 6 cyl discs F&R, he explained that to cert the rack, certifier requirements increase (a higher ticket for the certifier), and a bunch more calculations (I'd expect related to the bump-steer test that @nick496 mentioned earlier). The purple tag rack swap is pretty standard. Spacers (not dodgy ones), e46 inners, e36 outers, Astra/Barina linkage, and sort out the hoses/lines (the greatest variability). It should be possible to supply cert details of previous cars with the same setup. I do like the idea of the line kit from UK, but it's pretty pricey with the freight and exchange rate costs, though very high quality and well made. HTH.

Mine had the large clock where the tacho now is. I don't think any 316i was equipped with a tach (unless it was an option list item). How it was in Aug 2020

I put in a tacho cluster [last year] EDIT: in sept 2020 (!) . Need to install the clock centre console. It's on the list of things to do.

Date: 11 Mar 2022 Distance: 263504 kms 1. Knobbing Gift time. I’ve scored an m-tech gear knob and shift badge, to match the wheel and provide a nicer tactile experience. FWIW, the ///M badge was nearly 20% cheaper so I bought it. Feels great, looks good too. Now for some Elephant Leather Preservative. 2. Driving, errands. Took it for another drive, remembered to run the heater hot, and exercise the heater tap while warm. Counter-intuitive on a hot autumn day, but essential to keep coolant flowing in a car that's had very light use for the last year.

No. It's a somewhat shitty job. Remove glovebox, remove centre console, unbolt brake booster etc. Install a new heater core, you don't want to do that again if a used part fails! I got new OEM M40 radiator from Abel Smith Radiators in Wellington. It's been in 3 years and 4 months, trouble-free. Be sure to get Genuine BMW Coolant and some deionised water. PS - you'll want to check out (and perhaps replace) your thermostat, clear the bleed bolt etc, perhaps new bolts. Disconnected rotted heater may indicate some cooling system neglect.

Date: 10 Mar 2022 Distance: 263501 kms 1. WoF It flew through another WoF, after a drive on Saturday to dust out the cobwebs. Looking forward to having more time to drive it! Minimal kms since last WoF, been focused on home.

it'd have to be one of the nicest 4dr e30's around. damned clean underneath!

05-07 March 2022. 186794kms It had been sitting patiently since November while we took care of more renovation work at home, and resettled into our new kitchen. I had no time for the e60, though did run it up once a month to operating temperature and dry the condensation from the exhaust. Having a little more time together, it was time to get it sorted. Renewing the insurance last week was a reminder I'm nearly at 5 years ownership. 1. Polished Headlamp Lenses The headlamps were looking a little yellowed. Time for a spruce-up. On Saturday afternoon I set up and used the Turtle Wax kit, and was suitably impressed. This kit uses ‘clarifying paste’, a special lube (ooh err matron), and four grades of very very fine wet and dry. Once the wet and dry refinishing is completed, you apply more clarifying paste, and buff off after drying. Finally there's two wipes - a base coat, followed by a sealant coat. It then takes 24 hrs to cure, though the instructions say you can use the car. End result was very good in my opinion. I took my time, playing an 80's funk playlist on Spotify while I worked, and took about two hours all up. Pretty good finish! powered by Funk I left it till Monday morning to have plenty of time to cure. 2. WoF It flew through it's WoF today. Front tyres at 6mm, rears at 5mm. No advisories. Commentary "This is sooooo nice to drive! It's got the same pickup as my 550i, and doesn't have the loud exhaust. Don't let it go cheap, it's a really good one. Find it a good home". Front (Right I think) Front (left I think) Right Rear Left Rear 3. Registration 12 months rego bought and paid for, now current to 31/3/2023. 4. Next steps Give it a thorough valet, clean the interior and use colorlock leather finisher, do the steering wheel, photograph it, advertise it, find it a new home. It's been a brilliant five years, a superb car. I shall miss it.

Dunno about the gasses, good question though. I've seen ship's crews doing fire training, and spoken with them about it. Bringing the fire under control and extinguishing it as fast as is humanly possible is their mission, fire at sea leading to loss of cargo and vessel - and life aboard - is their greatest threat (The Rena excepted). A fire that you can't extinguish must increase risk in factors of ten, surely.

Irrespective of how it started, there are lithium-powered electric &/or hybrid cars on fire on the Felicity Ace. That's a bloody environmental disaster right there. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-22/porsche-car-carrier-fire-drags-on-days-after-crew-abandoned-ship

brilliant!

I've been a regular client of theirs for more than fifteen years. I think Pierberg might be the OE for your N-series? HTH

I like your use of "" around investment. All classic cars are speculation. Some have reasonable odds, but it's still not an asset, nor is it one that produces a return during ownership. Much as I love my e30, I'd not mention it as an asset in any statement of position. It's clearly a liability, soaking up coin for storage and maintenance [edit: and insurance] It's a Hobby - the kind of dirty secret the Govt currently has our bankers running around digging up the dirt on. "what's this $200 worth of lube every six months? Kinky."

Given their performance with Kiwibuild, that'll be conveniently swept away from any media briefings, and the bought-and-paid-for press won't question it.

we seem to manage that very well with LPG, and we used to with CNG as well. We just need to solve the problem. Perhaps the issue is that this govt will have racked up so much debt bankrolling hermitville lockdowns and wrecking the economy, investing a little in a distribution network will be viewed as "too costly". And they laid their bet on electric cars (pssst - do we have a distribution network to support the additional load?!, or the generation capacity?).

Toyota have been making it work very safely thank you for about a decade, with the Mirai on sale since 2014. Many manufacturers were researching (to the prototype stage) hydorgen fuel cells in the 1990's/early 00's. Great to see them heading back that way, far more sensible than bloody lithium batteries! If I could buy and run a Mirai in NZ tomorrow, I would.

That's a Euro Heckblende - a very desireable and costly item. You're essentially saying "if it looked exactly like I expect it to, it'll sell well". Do you manage to put aside your prejudices when buying a house? Or do you say "oh I don't like the colour of the bathroom. It'd sell easier if it was black. No, onto the next one". You really need to see the detail work on this one.

no need to worry mate, you've been chanting that e30's are over-valued for ages now (while the market's moved more than $20k), so set your concience free and list it for $4k. Easy! 😎

Would people actually borrow money to buy 30 year old e30's? Wow. Nearest thing to financing a car I've done - since 1989 - is extending my mortgage a little, and haven't done that for a car for 16 years. Usually pay cash for cars. If I don't have the cash, I can't afford it.

40F/36R - are you driving a Passat wagon? That's a very FWD setup (FWDs usually run higher pressures in front). Try 36F/41R - it's more in-line with the placard you'll find on the door frame. Adjust in 0.5 psi increments up and down (independently) to arrive at your ideal. HTH. PS: Love the photos!

the red mirrors are cool.