Kees

A very rare outing for my 540i today - moving it from one storage location to another...

LOL the guy asking in the questions how far $50 of fuel will take him in a twin turbo V8 SUV. Not sure he'd be the right buyer for the incredibly reliable S63...

Exactly. What I also find ironic is that Pickapart will not have come close to maximising the parts value of the car. Anything rare/desirable/expensive has to be sold at a low fixed price, and people are so rough with the cars that anything left (particularly on the interior) generally gets ruined. In a weird way everyone loses... While its a shame to see a nice car getting parted out, often it provides the parts to keep 10+ more on the road - yet when a car is at Pickapart there is so much wastage and you have to live nearby to physically go get the bits you need yourself. This was absolutely mint, but I bet it won't be long until it's ruined with people leaving doors open etc.

No they were gone too.

Haha I saw that - what a crazy video. He's an exceptional driver. I've replaced the steering motor before, you don't need a hammer to get it out but it obviously adds to the content. The one he has is not a proper Brabus but rather a normal Forfour that has had the Mitsubishi Brabus engine put in. The Brabus was only available in black or silver and had a bunch of extra interior trim, an exterior body kit and sits way lower. If it was a genuine Brabus I would be a little triggered because I paid almost $2K for a replacement Brabus front lip when mine came off on the motorway...

I went today just to have a look. Engine and gearbox were already removed - and they aren't listed in the sold section. I would say Pickapart is selling those separately - or got the car in a deal whereby they got the car minus the drivetrain. Anything M5 specific is basically already gone. The air boxes are still there along with the alcantara headliner and the seats. Although someone has used the back seat cushion to lie on when removing the diff. Rear brakes were still there and rear axles. Registration was MJF262 - WOF in 2020 cited 63,942km. Sad how that car only lasted 2 years here. WOF on the windscreen was from 2021...

It has been a long time since I've written something thought out and (hopefully) well considered on Bimmersport. It just so happens that the opportunity cost of becoming a "mature adult" (although this is very debatable) is a lack of time and motivation for certain passion projects. Nevertheless, as a brief speed run; I got a university degree, a girlfriend, a real job, a resignation letter to quit said real job, I started a business but most importantly, bought many, many cars along the way. I liken myself to someone like Hoovie's Garage - just without the comforting cushion of a substantial YouTube ad revenue. That's to say a degenerate car enthusiast with a distinct lack of self control when it comes to buying old and obscure European cars. Anyway, the reason I am writing this is I am looking to launch another business (of which the details are under wraps for now...) and I have come to the conclusion that a very strong marketing channel will be digital media about cars - hopefully of the entertaining variety. That's to say YouTube videos and factual/opinion based articles. I hate unnecessary expenditure, so if I can do something myself, generally I give it a try. This situation is no different. Basically, I'd like to try hone in on my writing ability and hopefully use it to produce some interesting stuff for you all to read, with the hope that I can leverage this new found skill to grow an audience and promote my business. Obviously this may sound like a pipe dream, but I thought it's worth a go - and I've decided it all starts here, in this thread, on good old Bimmersport. Why Bimmersport? Well I was hoping you all can provide ideas, thoughts, critiques and hopefully you may also find it interesting too. Now comes the part where I ask if there is anything specific I can write about that may pique your interest? Literally any suggestion would be great. Of course I also have a list of things I personally want to write about, but only time will tell whether these were ramblings I should have kept to myself. If you're interested in a car I have owned let me know. I would post a full list of everything but that's too embarrassing to admit publicly. My current line-up consists of: BMW M Coupe, BMW E34 540i, Volkswagen Passat W8 6-Speed Manual, Porsche Boxster 987 Manual, Porsche Cayenne (957) 3.0 TDI, and 2x Brabus Forfours. I'm not sure when my first article will be posted but I will aim to have it done before the end of the week.

All my saved searches are configured for specific rare cars I'm looking for. For example, I have >3.5L, manual, Volkswagen which will tell me if either of the other 2 remaining manual Passat W8s get listed for sale. I suppose the key is trying to capture the key details of the car in the most generic way possible.

An anonymous post in the E34 NZ page was about this car the other day... "Hey guys just as a warning I would recommend staying far away from the diesel wagon currently for sale on TradeMe: https://www.trademe.co.nz/.../cars/bmw/listing/5313690264... I've seen the car in person. It is not like the seller is advertising at all. He is being very deceitful about large parts of the car. He touts it as tidy and straight while almost every single panel has either missing paint down to primer, or is completely the wrong colour. It seems like it was attacked with brake fluid or paint stripper. It would need a full respray at the minimum. Further he claims the interior is in great condition - this is also untrue. He tries to hide these things with the photos. No photos of the car dry, no photos of the car from the side, or the mismatched white rear bumper. No photos of the boot interior which is definitely not in great condition. I have attached some pictures that show the true state of the car. He is also being deceitful about the legality of the car. He claims the car will be sold with fresh wof upon sale, which might be true depending on when he sells it. But the listing claims the wof expires this month, which is untrue, it expired in August last year. Further in the comments he claims that he "spent money on [the car] and got it legal" - this is untrue as the car still currently does not have a warrant of fitness according to the NZTA. It should be noted too that the car is not certified for the manual conversion, which is required in this case, another thing not disclosed on the listing. The car is notorious for its idle issue that has persisted through its big list of owners of the past couple years. Another thing conveniently left off the listing. I cannot prove it has been fixed in this case, but it is likely that considering all the other big feats he mentions in the listing about the value of the car he would have mentioned this. I have attached a video of the idle issue posted by the seller only 10 days ago. I would seriously avoid the car at all costs. Do not even bother viewing the car in person, it is a waste of time and you will be disappointed. The car is simply too far gone and taking any effort to go see it will be wasted. In the comments someone jokingly asks the seller if he would take 5k. If this was you I would be afraid that the seller would take you up on this offer. The car in its current state is worth nowhere near 5k. I would say avoid going anywhere near this car for more than $1500. I was going to ask the seller why he was being deceitful about the listing. Unfortunately I have been blacklisted from posting more questions on the listing. I simply want people to be aware of the reality of the car."

I was a little jealous after seeing the sale price. Very neat car for the money, especially if you like rare/unique like I do.

Another special Kiwi E34 has gone to this guy in the states. Cool video.

That's awesome, love a flying brick! Bet you surprise a few people at the traffic lights... I imagine the interior is gorgeous. I've been meaning to write a thread on my Volvo I had last year. 2005 S60-R with the all important M66 space ball... heaps of goodies on it too. Was a rowdy beast. Can confirm Volvo seats are in a class of their own.

Small world, I know the new owner! She says it drives awesome.

My mate was reviewing an E39 M5 for his YouTube channel. Perfect opportunity to park my M Coupe next to it for a photo. Unquestionably BMW's best era...

@BreakMyWindow spotted you doing some diagnostic at Albany Pak'nSave. Those Performance brakes give it away. Very cool.