martyyyn

You're right with everything there @Olaf. The Bentley is definitely something to consider in years to come but for now I've made the decision to find the right S85. An uncle of mine once said "you have to own a V12 at least once in your life" and I did that with the 750iL so now I need to do it with the V10. I'm leaning towards the M5 over an M6 mainly because they are more practical. There will still be occasions in the next couple of years to have people in the back and I wouldn't want to leave an M6 in the garage just because I have passengers. I also prefer the styling, I've always loved the E60 from the outside but the E63 would take some getting used to.

@qube Fuel bills don't worry me, it's about having a car to love driving and yes the M3 looks great, but I think I'd prefer a coupe. @dirtydoogle I'm sure the E55 would be decent but I'd like something newer and as @driftit says there has been plenty of opportunity to people who don't maintain them to own them. @m325i I'm not favouring one over the other but an E60 could be considerably cheaper which is something to consider. @Gaz I must be looking in the wrong places. I haven't seen an E60 with bearings and clutch done for anything less than $35k. Definitely not interested in an X5M. I'll keep looking and in the meantime I'll enjoy the 535is which still puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.

Some good suggestions, pretty much what I expected I suppose. E46 M3 - How likely am I to find one which hasn't been trashed and how small are they inside ? My E90 is probably as small as I want to go on the inside and I'd expect an e46 to be smaller being the previous generation. F10 M5 - I'd expect this to be a completely different drive to the 535D but I can't get the E38 feeling out of my head. I'm sure it's sensational and would be something I'd likely keep for a few years. I quite like the 6er's but I would assume they are more of a tourer. The Gran Coupe looks really nice. An M6 could be an alternative to the M5. Arguably less desirable than an M5 so may be cheaper. But how much of a boat are they in the twisties. They just look big. I've never really liked the Benz variants to be honest. Too flashy on the outside, too many buttons on the inside. A Maserati would be interesting but how's the maintenance ? I'm on the Kapiti Coast and don't want to be going to Wellington for everything if I can help it. The 911/996 looks fantastic, even in silver which I didn't think I would go for again. But how does the auto compare to the DCT on an E92 M3 ? Audi's ? The last I heard they were expensive to maintain, is that still the case ? It was a while ago. FPV Falcon....get in the bin. ---- I'm thinking I might go for a E60 M5 until I find the good, manual, E92 M3. The E60's seem to be at a reasonable price right now. If it needs work then I keep it for longer, if not I move it on and the way prices are going I doubt I'd lose much. How can buying an E60 M5 be sensible ?! There's also an Alpina B5, but it's been for sale for a very, very long time.

I think the time has come to buy a new toy. Over the years apart from the family cars (multiple E39's, an E53 and now an F10 535d) I've always had something for myself. They've included an E32 750il, an E38 740i msport, an SA E30 325i with Alpina goodies, an E30 318is and the E34 535is I've now had for 10 years (which is the longest I've owned any car). I even had a red, manual, Focus Zetec which was brilliant around town but not so nice at 100kph. Even the E90 320d msport 6 speed manual my son now drives is exciting for me. The torque is amazing and the msport goodies make all the difference to the car. It's always had to be something I enjoyed driving. It doesn't needed to be quick, or new, big or small, just an enjoyable experience every time I get in it. Now I'm at a point in life where I'm lucky enough to have a sum of money available to buy something I consider properly special. So what do I buy ? First of all I think the E34 is staying. I've had offers over the years but I'm not sure I can do it. It's not quick but I still love driving it. That's not to say I wouldn't sell if the price was right. I won't have the garage space for it if I buy something else so I have to consider selling it. I've wanted an M5 ever since I saw a brand new E28 in a BMW dealership my grandmother worked in when I was a kid. A sleeper saloon that looks normal until you give it a kick. But since Covid the car market has changed a fair bit. E39 M5's (if you can find one) have gone from $20k to $40k+. F10 M5 prices are relatively stable, but the 535d look and feels more like my old E38 than a 5er so I'm not all that sure. Although I expect the M5 to be a completely different car. We all know the potential bearing issues for an E60 M5 or E92 M3 and although the E60's have gone up to $30k the E92's have gone from $25k to $40k+ I don't mind the risk of those engines as long as I buy at a good price and can have it all taken care of. But are the E60's getting a little old now ? I wont use the tech in them and the idea of a V10 is very tempting. Then I start looking at much newer M135's which can be sorted to be seriously quick, but at 6'5 I wonder if I'll tire of the small sizing which led me to sell the E30 318is. It could be a great car, but I'll always be thinking about an M car. I don't need 5 seats and pretty much all of my driving is reasonably long distances on open roads. I go over the Paekok Hill regularly so it needs to be good in the twisties but also able to eat up the miles of open road where I can only cruise. So what would you do with $50k ? Buy older and fix ? Buy new and accept less "feel". Maybe buy something outside of BMW ? I've never had anything else other than Focus's and I don't really fancy an ST. Would you consider an M car as a "daily"? I run my own business from home so it could often stay in the garage for a week or two before being used, so it's hardly a daily. Any thoughts ? Anyone have something for sale ?

I just wanted to update this in case anyone else is thinking of doing the same. We did the following over 15 days with 3 nights at Christchurch, Aoraki, Dunedin and Greymouth. SH1: Picton to Kairoura via Blenheim SH1: to Christchurch SH1-SH79-SH8-SH80 to Aoraki via Burkes Pass and Lake Tekapo SH80-SH8 to Dunedin via Lindus Pass and Cromwell, Alexandra, Milton SH1 to Christchurch via Oamaru and Timaru SH77-SH73 to Gerymouth via Arthur's Pass SH7-SH69-SH6-SH63 to Picton via Reefton, Buller Gorge, Lake Rotoiti, Wairau Valley and Blenheim. Apart from SH1 from Dunedin to Christchurch every other road was a joy. No roadworks, no bad driving, not too many cars at all and all the trucks and campervans pulled over where ever possible. The F10 soaked it all up with no fuss. Highlights were undoubtedly Burkes Pass and Lake Tekapo. Driving around the lake to stay at Aoraki and then driving to the various walks around there made me wish I was in the E34. Across Arthur's Pass was stunning but the last stretch from Greymouth to Picton was by far the best. Buller Gorge was sensational it's just a shame the limit has been reduced to 80kms. (which appears to have annoyed the locals as well). Also had an M5 Competition (with the plate M5C) park next to us in Dunedin which was quite something in the most sensational colour.

Thanks everyone, given us something to think about.

Centre pipes will go to twin 51mm and the back box will have some kind of baffle at each end but empty in the middle whereas my current one appears to be empty.

There have been photos over the years by various people but not by me in a long time.

Before I bought the E34 535is I had an e30 318is. I bought it for $2500, sold it two years later for $7500 and saw it for sale last year for $25000. Around town it was fantastic, one of the best cars I've even owned, but the e34 destroys it on the open road which is all the driving I do now.

The car goes in this week to Manawatu Mufflers. Colin has been great to deal with and was the only guy to actually call me back to say he could get the parts and could do the work. Thanks @treone

Andrew came around and although he couldn't do anything with the door cards (he's given me a couple of names to try) he did take care of the steering wheel and I am very happy with the results. 30 years of grime cleaned away, leather reconditioned, painted where necessary and sealed. It looks and feels fantastic. So I treated the car to a new gear knob and had the air conditioning fixed, which after eight years in Kapiti is a god send. Drew at Auto Air Conditioning was excellent to deal with so can recommend him if anyone needs anything done with their air con.

My understanding is all Kiwi HD12's had the model delete option. I decided to remove the ///M badges from the front and rear and instead used the 535 part from any old e34 badge but added the square "is" part from a US 325is to create what the 535is badge would have looked like. I've seen people use the square 535 but the italic is and it just doesn't look right to me.

Given I've owned it for ten years now, I think it's fair to say it's mine don't you mate

My wife has decided we should have 10-14 days in the South Island in January. I don't care much for sightseeing so for me this will be all about the roads. We'll be taking the F10 rather than the E34 so it's more of a grand tour than a targa. Her list so far includes Kaikoura for the whales, Christchurch to see our daughter, the Canterbury Plains, Aoraki/Mt Cook for the mountains, Twizel for Lords of the Rings, Dunedin for the architecture, Te Anau/Milford/Manapouri for boat trips/dolphins/pengiuns and then back up the West Coast but there are currently no plans on where to go and what to see on that side. She's found a hotel at the North tip of Lake Pukaki but I'm wondering if it's best to do Mount Cook National Park from the other side (Fox Glacier/Franz Jospeh area). Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions, especially on towns to stay ? We'll be in no rush, we both hate the Contiki style of seeing 10 countries in 14 days, but where is it best to spend a couple of days and where to only stay overnight to to break up a longer journey ? Although to be fair no trip is much more than a couple of hours which is easy enough.

@TermiPeteNZ Yes that's them. Just realised it was 16 years ago. They did a great job on my E38 after it was damaged coming over from the UK. @Olaf I'll give Andrew a call and see if he can take a look and let me know what he can do.

Thanks treone I'll give them a shout. Palmy is no drama from Kapiti. I've tried a couple of local places, most have the worst websites you've ever seen, half don't answer the phone and the two who have gave me quotes but have gone cold saying they can't get the parts.

Interested to hear what you would suggest. I've always been under the impression the E34 exhaust was pretty reasonable and you had to go full headers and pipes to get any kind of increase in performance, which even then was minimal.

I sold a set about 10 years ago for $800 but haven't seen any available for a while now. I really like the current set up but I love the look of 18" mpars on an e34.

Great wheels but not what I'm looking for thanks.

I need a new rear box and center pipes. I've been to two places in Kapiti who've both quoted but for whatever reason can't seem to find the parts to do the job. Are there any recommendations for places in Wellington to do this work ? I'm not looking for anything other than a stock replacement really, the car is loud enough as it is. I just want a good job done.

I have the standard issue with E34's where the inner part of the door cards has come away from the door and the leather cover has come off so I'm looking to have it repaired. The rear seat has some loose stitching which will probably need a replacement piece of leather assuming it's shrunk again due to the heat. I used a place in Petone a LONG time ago but cant remember their name, are there any recommendations for leather repair in Wellington ?

Every time I need new tyres on the 535is I consider switching from the current square set of 17" BBS RZ412's to a set of staggered 18" style 37 mpars. So I'm keen to hear if anyone has a set available and what they go for these days.

This. I first went to diesel two years ago replacing an 2l manual Focus Zetec with a manual e90 320d msport. It's done nearly 80k kms and saves us just about $1800 a year. I've owned everything from 316's to 750iL's and it's in my top three cars it's that good to drive. It averages 5.1l and the combination of torque and manual is fantastic over Paekok Hill and the Remutaka's. Then 12 months ago we moved from a 3l petrol X5 to an F10 535d and it's a glorious cruiser. No matter how much I kick it's arse I can't get it any higher than 7.1l. On the open road (which is where we do most of our driving) it's peerless. My wife has never really liked cars, but she said I wouldn't get her out of this one, ever. Servicing on both hasn't been any worse than the petrols we've owned and buying RUC's is no harder than renewing your rego.

I do this drive several times a year and there is nothing you can say to convince me to drive SH1 through Taihape, Waiouru, Turangi, Taupo, etc. It's just truck after truck, campervan after campervan. Get away from it all and do SH1 to Bulls, SH3 to Whanganui, SH4 through National Park to Te Kuiti, SH3 to Otorohanga, SH39 to Ngaruawahia and then rejoin SH1 at Taupiri. I've even done SH23 outside Hamilton and the back roads to Pukekoke which are a brilliant drive but you may not want to do that in a wagon. It's only minutes difference to SH1 all the way and I can only recall once being stuck behind any kind of traffic in the last dozen trips.

I've just gone through the exact same thing last week in the e90 320d. Our son got home five minutes after filling the tank and it was pouring out from under the drivers rear quarter. I don't have the time, skills or tools to sort this one so this is where the fun started. Long story short, I had to try a local mechanic rather than my usual place. They had it for 3 days, charged me for 7 hours (it's a 4 hour job at most) and left me with a broken handbrake. There was actually nothing wrong with the handbrake they just hadn't taken it out of "service mode" and readjusted the cables at the hubs (a ten minute job) but they were convinced the adjusters were seized and it needed more parts and another two hours minimum to fix. Muppets. There are plenty of comments about this in E90 forums around the world. All coming from the vent hose feeding through the rear wheel arch and there being nothing between the hose and the hole so the hose rubs against it and ends up being torn, therefore leaking fuel. Several people in the UK have had success with BMW paying 50% of the repair but good luck with getting that in NZ with a 10+ year old car and multiple owners. Both diesel and petrol share the same tank and hoses but it's mostly diesel drivers who notice it because the dripping petrol tends to evaporate first, but I'd suggest all E90 owners get this checked out.