balancerider

@leichtbau those ES run outs are a nice spec, the blue stitching looks great.

Is the spec noticeably worse than the X3 30d/35d? They all have all round parking sensors, almost all LED/Xenon's, most have Pro Nav and quite a few have pano roof. Seems to me there wouldn't be too much else you'd want? They're not cheap though - mostly around the 50k mark, I paid just under 54k for an 18 month old one at end of 2017. The NZ New 330d Xdrives frequently had adaptive lights / 360 deg cam / speed limit info but 110k for a small diesel wagon new was taking the piss a bit. For comparison a base 335d Xdrive MSport in the UK was 42.5k GBP.

Unless you're planning on removing at times I'd probably not spend the extra on the BMW OEM / Westfalia bar (main advantage is that it's removable), but the original BMW wiring harness will play nicely with the vehicle CANBUS system, no guarantee that a generic one will. SD European appear to be dismantling several X5's with towbars and could probably do the install for you. https://www.sdeuropean.co.nz/cars-for-dismantling?make=bmw&series=csv5ba865a99525e&chassis=csv5ba865a9951be

This is going to be great @hunter. You still planning to put on the Euro-style boot lid at some point?

Yeah probably overvalued but there was a 2016 LCI white one with decent spec that went quickly with an asking of low 40's last week. Having had an E91, it's a much more comfortable car than that. All the F3x 335d's are x-drive, the 330d did come as RWD but again UK only for RHD wagon.

Think you won't be able to be too fussy @leichtbau, these are much rarer than the F3x gen (even though all of those are imports) - wish mine had the twin exhaust like previous gen. Space grey is the best colour for these IMO, can't remember seeing an NZ new one without Xenons. Good luck though - the LCI 330d would also be a solid choice as has the N57.

Welcome! It appears your fleet has beaten you here

enter your VIN on http://bimmer.work

Hey @paulo - Coombes Johnston BMW in Hamilton should be able to sell you something suitable. I got the same gooseneck style with removable 1' 7/8" + 50mm ball head from them (mine went on an F31 but I sold my old 50mm head to someone who had an E61 so should be similar dimensions). You'll struggle to find a 1'7/8" head in this Euro style unless you machine it yourself as we're the only country who use that size

GLWS, hope you’re selling to replace with something that has a more BMW-appropriate cylinder count

@Olaf whoever buys it will get a well looked after car. hopefully stays in the Bimmersport family.

@zero VIN decoder says Steel Gray. Never seen a touring in that colour

Here's another. 350k km on an M57, worth trying to get it to the moon and some of the way back. Looks in good nick https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/listing/3223459195

Thanks @aja540i and @Twistee I don't drive a massive amount so the fuel use isn't a major issue but running costs remain somewhat terrifying. I'd like to think the cost to swap would be minimal from my current car so just about checking that borkage isn't imminent, BM Workshop sounds like the go for a PPI in Auckland. I see it lived in the UK for ~7 years so corrosion I guess is a possibility but I get the impression the E6x chassis is quite a bit better rustproofed than the E39/E46. Colour is not my favourite but again I can look past it

With @Twistee's purchase I've been finding myself strangely drawn to the other E61 M5 on TM. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/m5/listing/3207680991?bof=8bxBkGOu Not in as nice condition as his (front bumper is munted) and the fact there's a 13k bill from Auckland City BMW (rod bearings I assume) is mildly disconcerting but it is the coolest Touring you can get... Any other pro's / cons? @aja540i

Who TF puts Hifly's on a 507hp RWD car. Needs shooting...

GLWS. FYI those are actually E9x offset

Where was the car imported from @martyyyn? I had similar issues with Japanese E91 and a Dension MOST unit

Valve stem seals - blue smoke if you hit the loud pedal with cold engine. Would steer clear. Ironically the M-engined V8's (S62 / S63) seem to be more reliable than the cooking versions.

@Palazzo it'd pay for itself in saved fuel after a week or so.

@Jacko I believe we got EU spec cars here, which require headlight washers with Xenons. Alarm lowers your insurance premium in the UK (?mandatory) and I assume our spec is based on theirs. The other thing that the Japan market cars don't have is the VIN sticker on the driver's sill.

@Twistee WFH the only commute a V10 suits.

Are we to assume the M5 is going to be the daily given the STi only has two doors? Looks great anyway

@topnotchrally Low km (70k ish) NZ new E61 M5 Touring. Asking price was 70k. @Twistee has purchased so hopefully some pics and a review to come.

@han16 looks so good with small plate and deblacked. M539 Restorations would approve