GorGasm

Would have thought the c350e had more range? And sadly yes the 330e doesn't come in a wagon. My 330e gets about 25km range which covers everything where I live so I only need to use fuel when I leave town. When I do leave town it's sipping about 5l/100km and has the performance of a 535i if needed. Suits me at the moment.

That black 535i looks nice, maybe a tad pricey but nice. I was tempted to get a Merc C350e, but was a bit more than I wanted to spend. I can't wait for the G30 5 series to come down in price, as that has a 530e wagon variant, which is the perfect daily driver in my opinion. By my calculations diesel is only worth it if you're driving a tank as the break even is about 10l/100km. If you can get a petrol car that uses less than 10l/100km, especially 91, then you're probably better off.

Also have an F11 535i and it has been great. Similar issues (front control arms, oil leaks, suspension airbags) which can be dealt with relatively cheaply if you can swing a wrench. No major fault just regular maintenance really. Confirm it is big car. Think of it like a 7 series wagon. They do handle pretty good despite the weight. Economy for me has been really good for a 3L turbo and i run on 95. On the Hamilton to South Auckland return trip i get under 7.5l/100KM. Current trip counter is at 11l/100km though as it has been doing a lot of under 5km trips in Hamilton. Basically, open road you will see something around 8l/100km and in the city 9-12l/100km. Wouldn't bother with a diesel, waste of money.

f**kety f**k f**k. Went to fit new brake pads to the 535i and I have ordered the wrong ones. Anyone need these? Suit a F10 550i I believe. https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-brake-pad-set-front-eur1409

Sold the 25 mm spacers that I had on my Maserati. The guy got them and asked if the smaller ones should go on the front or the back. Whaaat? I exclaimed. I've just found out that the spacers I was running for quite some time were 22mm and 25mm not 25mm all round as I had assumed. I can't believe I f**ked that up and it explains why it's handling was all over the place, it probably had a different offset on the same axle or the same offset one side. I lost a lot of sleep trying to figure out what was causing it to handle like a greased weasel.

Agree with a lot of that. Looks like he's averaged 4L/100km on a 2.8 tonne Rangerover which is pretty good. I could get close to 0 in the 330e if I didn't run to Auckland and back once week, that trip chews 5L/100km. There's still plenty of naysayers around insisting that EVs are worse than petrol and other such nonsense, but as a form of transport for the general masses the writing is on the wall as far as I can see. The only exception being hobby/sport/enthusiast cars for occasional use.

Now owning a BMW Hybrid l don't think I will ever buy a pure petrol car again. PHEV or full EV for the win.

Awesome car.

7 Years in Japan, not a mark on it. 1 week in NZ already chipped and scratched. Gah!

Cool, will PM you now.

Mann HU926/5x oil filter. Bought when I had an M5. $5 plus shipping.

Looks like a bit of a deal.

Picked up a 330e today after thinking about getting a Prius PHEV. 2016 with only 18k on the clock, it's almost new! Not an M-sport so it's missing a few options and has black wheels which I don't like, but it is in immaculate condition. $27k plus on road shenanigans. Very well rounded package with plenty power, diesel levels of torque, and manages 4.5l/100km from Otahuhu to Hamilton in peak hour. Electric range seems to be about 25-30kms which is plenty to get me around Hamilton and offset my weekly trip to Auckland. It's also nice to have only BMWs in the garage

Hope you don't have to replace the ABS pump again. That's a $4500 part

Sold! A bit less than I wanted, but gone none the less.

Just widening my net on this. Have had it on Trademe for some time now and I am getting bored. 2009 Maserati Granturismo S 4.7. Big ticket items taken care of (Clutch, variators). Mechanically pretty reliable cars. There's a couple of minor things that the new owner might like to look at, mainly a few bits of sticky interior left, and a couple of switch modules. Looking for offers over $40000, which is pretty much bottom of the market for GranTurismos, and certainly the cheapest 4.7 by a long way. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/maserati/granturismo/listing/4285901138

Not sure if I ever did have to do brakes on that one

I feel ya man.

Yep thermostat is definitely something to check.

Haven't had any majors with our 535i over 5 years. Some oil leaks, dead starter, and worn suspension arms, but that's all normal stuff. It's even relatively frugal. 7.5-12l/100km country/city.

Haha, kids. I got my boy a hot chocolate on the way to daycare the other day. Told him multiple times to hold it carefully. 15 seconds after driving off he has tipped it all over himself. Stripped him down in the daycare car park and put on his spare clothes. Picked him up later and he's managed to get his clothes wet/dirty (which he never does) and had nothing to wear.

Seems fair. I would value a manual 535i more than a Commodore. A manual F10 is a rare thing, I think 20-25k isn't out of the realm of reasonable, but it may need the right buyer to come along.

Hah! I'd take the 2020 Triangles all day every day over 2015 Hankooks! Had the Triangles on my 535i when i bought it and as much as I wanted to hate them, they were actually OK for the job. I reckon it'll grip a lot better on fresh PS5s.

Unlucky! It's a bit of a shame there's cars and drivers on the road not worthy of doing more than 50kph at any time and those capable of 150kph safely.

Cool story man, looks like fun. Good on you. What's the date on those tyres? That could be contributing to the lack of grip.