gofaster

living my dream, all the best with your build, expect some in car at some stage.

an R53 Cooper S?

and some more Skope Classic Beemers that original looking 3.0 CSL is a wee honey

What Pillicks

Here is an N18 manual on Facepage, no sunroof if you can live without that. Otherwise looks good. Located ChCh. Well priced to cover cost of trip. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/946369403407909

If you were looking at an R53 Cooper S, this fits the bill, looks quite well looked after and has the Chrome pack (water bottle reservoir needs changing as prone to failing) I did not like the random response to my question re S/C oil change as no oil should be left to the max (or manufacturer) change date. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/mini/cooper/listing/3940188374?bof=0z41NWF3

Check this link out too https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/2nd-gen-faqs/325329-n18-engine-important-maintenance-items-and-common-issues.html As Kelvin suggests get an N18 if you can, they pop up for around $10k, just gotta make a quicjk decision as they tend to not hang around too long and my own list I built up when looking at R53 Cooper S and then latterly R56 Do all electrics work (switches, gauges)? Check Oil level – water in oil? Check Water, oil in water? Does it use any water? Squeaking suspension Rattle on start (timing chain) Look for oil between bell housing and engine (rear seal) Look for oil between crank pulley and timing cover (Front seal) Rocker cover oil leak, around back by exhaust manifold Rust – lift boot seals and door seals, signs of corrosion + underneath Check carpets are not damp Clutch pedal heavy, sign of worn out Also check hill start or clutch slip when applying brake pedal while accelerating Worn flywheel – rattle around bell housing Clutch depressed and rumble or whine is Clutch release bearing 6 speed Getrag from build date July 2004 has a BKE drivers side sticker on transmission or cast onto the end plate (earlier BKA ones had different ratios) R56 - Timing chain, Fuel Pump,Coking up

Thanks for the info re SubaruT's (not really a contender, it is just different) and the suggestion to keep the N54, but I want something less complicated and newer. A Mk7/8 Fiesta is my favourite at the moment, they handle well out of the box (as my ST150 does), you can add a tune and have bolt on set of semi-slicks for track work, and I dont need to be at the front, a big grin would do it for me. Certainly no autos/DSG, have to be in control of my changes particularly into and out of corners. Cheers, John

This piques my interest more, something a bit different. Will add to Watchlist, thanks Gaz.

I think these would be a hoot, but at each price point the Fiesta ST would step up.

That is a nice looking car, although not so practical as a daily. Wonder why it hasn't sold. no to ragtops but thanks for the offer.

Discounted VWs as they tend to be bland on the track and I am more discreet with my cars so no pops/farts/bangs/jiggles I dont want to have to do more than bolt on the tyres whenever I head to the track.

Strange you should mention Gold Dave, that was another option but you get ripped on pricing compared to the wholesale rate. Anyone recommend a good bullion dealer? Still leaves me with the track problem as dont want to use the ST150, a Mk7 ST180 could be a compromise with some Gold.

Firstly, apologies if I have posted this in the wrong place, but perhaps some fun for a Sunday afternoon. In the near future, I would like to buy a road car, budget up to $35k max. Need to live with it daily, (work only 6km away all city driving) plus occasional track event such as autocross and circuit sprints. Must be manual, in the small to medium size and reliable (is there such a thing?). Budget could extend to allow for an extra set of rims, semi-slicks and tune (circa $3k) or buy over time. My shortlist below, interested in what others would choose given the criteria above. * Ford Fiesta Mk8 ST (or Mk7) * Audi S1 (need to consider clutch upgrade if tuning) * Hyundai i30N Not a fan of the current Mini Was considering a GR Yaris but it's a lot of $s tied up in 1 car and would involve selling my Nissan GTi-R. (I know which one I would prefer in the garage in 5 years time, but both would cater for my grass events) edit: i should note my N54 130i wont be in the garage in the near future, for those thinking why not use that.

It is a common occurrence on most cars these days unfortunately Dave Often I explain that to them, in the usual fashion 🙂

I am running 255/35x18's on the rear of my 130i using 135i rims no problem at all.

speaking of low entry price race cars.... https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/130i/listing/3916085934?bof=18mMKlsm bit rough but if you were going that route...

Is it unusual for a 130i not to have the nav screen on the dash?

thanks, it is just a time thing as it don't want to drive at night without both lights and Aliexpress is certainly not express. Appreciate you getting in touch, cheers, John.

Hi. Do you have one for sale? I am unsure what where to offer, although I can buy one from Aliexpress for $29.33 +GST. Cheers, John

What options are out there for a 135i headlight Ballast. Part no. 63117180050. Anyone wrecking one or have a spare they are willing to part with? Dont really want to wait on Ali-non-express for a cheap one.

Found in my letterbox this morning. Unsure if contents were swiped while in there (cleared daily) or delivered like that. (razor foil from China)

Welcome back. Your Inbox must be full, a few folks have been asking after you over the last while.

Yes, the "I'm not sure sorry..." was a disappointing response to mine and others questions

Hi Gareth, thanks for responding. Ray advised he changes fuel pumps on all his conversions. Behaviour has not really changed since the bigger check code started not long after arriving in ChCh. One thing I did forget to mention was the car came fitted with a Studie AG tune up box which I removed early on when doing the gaskets. Found a broken wire so probably wasn't doing anything so mated the connectors plugged into the box back to their original factory plugs. Surely I didn't get that wrong.