Kees

Wonder what the reserve will be on the CSI. This one was for sale a few years back. Also the guy in the trademe questions who thinks a CSI is worth 10-12K wins the clown of the month award. Total fool.

Not sure if this has already been posted already but there is a trio of E31s for sale in New Plymouth. All are auctions so will be interesting to see what they sell for. The cars: - 95' 850csi with an ACS kit, RHD. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/other/listing/3325771764?bof=WUxN4CXo - 91' 850i with csi running gear installed, LHD with an ACS kit. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/other/listing/3325817894?bof=WUxN4CXo - 98' 840i Individual in Lila Metallic. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/other/listing/3325799712?bof=WUxN4CXo Quite the collection! All look to be in good condition and are close to one of a kind spec-wise, especially in NZ. Photos taken from the trademe listings.

Apparently it’s sold pending payment. Did you manage to get it?

I wanted that 540iS too. That deal still hurts lol

Yeah I was thinking the same thing 😂

I agree that it will get snapped up quickly. Apart from being auto, probably one of the nicest spec'd ones around in decent original condition. Looks very good!

Just saw this pop up for sale on trademe. Not a fan of the e39 wheels and its auto, but otherwise it looks quite nice. Wonder what it will go for, barely ever see these for sale anymore. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/other/listing/3325329675?bof=NRwtLMve

Your comparison perfectly illustrates why I cannot fathom the e30 market. While people seem to froth over that e30 (I can appreciate the build but it is far from my taste) and e30s in general, I do not understand how someone could justify spending so much more when tidy e34s languish sub 10K (for a manual 535i or a low km auto 540i) and even sub 5K (for a manual 520i or a very tidy auto 525i). A clean 320i Auto for 8K will be snatched up in a couple hours while a clean auto 525i will struggle to find a home at 4K. I definitely think its a case of E34s being undervalued rather than e30s being overvalued though. E34s are the BMW everyone seems to like but no one seems to want. A 70K price difference is just ridiculous considering the 540i probably drives nicer since it was setup with a V8 from the factory and has proper adjustable suspension rather than air suspension.

@Michael. Oh dam there's still quite a few left to go then lol

Yup it is but good spotting! 94 cars on the list so far, I wonder how many are left that aren't on there. Can't be too many now

I've watched the E34 market quite closely especially since I was making an NZ E34 540i registry. Two wof and reg examples that sold in the last few months were: An alpine white car with 400,000km on it, interior was very worn as a result of what I can only guess were dogs climbing over the seats. Exterior was in reasonable condition given the mileage. Was listed for 3K ONO on trademe and sold quite quickly. Saw it on the shore recently. The second was a silver one with around 260,000km (was in the 200s but can't remember exactly). Was originally Diamond black but had been resprayed. Interior was below average and respray was far from a professional job, but much like the other car, it had good bones. It was $1 reserve and sold for $3070. I bought mine for $2.5K in November 2020 with 367,000km with wof and reg, but have spent thousands making it nice again lol. And that's honestly why I do not understand the E34 market, particularly with 540s. Although I've formed a bit of a bond with my car now, if I was going to rewind time I would have spent the extra and got a nicer one for 6-8K because it is expensive to get them back to spec if you are a bit OCD about having a tidy car. The one on trademe for 8K, while it isn't to my taste with the brown interior and gold wheels, the paint looks mint and someone has clearly spent a decent amount on the certified adjustable suspension. Considering what 540s offer (and E34s in general) I really do not understand their low values relative to what they offer compared with the values of E30s. People would jump at a tidy automatic 318i for 8K but there seems to be little interest in that 540 for sale at the moment. The M60 B40 is one of the most reliable V8s BMW ever made, and offer decent power especially for an early 90s car. E34s have that classic classy BMW look that everyone seems to appreciate, regardless of whether they are a car enthusiast or not, and still feel like a modern car to drive. 5 Speed automatic is a very nice gearbox relative to it being 30 years old, and it does suit the cruiser nature of a 540. And since 540s were at the top of the tree, they have enough technology to make them easily daily driveable (if you can afford the fuel lol). Plus 540s are pretty rare, when I was making my registry I found that many had cancelled registrations, or on-hold registrations. Like if you think about it objectively, what other fast, classic V8 European car can you get for 3-8K. They are extremely good value in my eyes and are absolutely under-rated. But anyway, hope you find this helpful.

Just saw this come up in my Facebook feed, E46 M3 crashed in West Auckland this morning. Hopefully the driver is ok.

Typical NZ post. I ordered new bumper inserts for my E34, they come all the way from Latvia only for NZ Post to deliver the package to the wrong address. Spent 4+ hours on the phone with them, and in the end used my own common sense to figure out what other locations they could have delivered my package to and managed to retrieve it myself. Still haven't heard anything from their end. Completely useless. Would be nice if they compensate me for the package considering how long I've spent on the phone on hold.

I can back up the recommendation on the Turtle Tax Ceramic Black Polish. Had always been a Meguiar's person for car polishers but I gave the Turtle Wax product a try and it worked really well on my 540i. I find Meguiar's polish leaves a lot of polish dust which is really annoying if you are polishing an entire vehicle. I had a particularly nasty scratch on my passenger rear door which the polish has darkened to the point where it is virtually un-noticeable unless it is pointed out. I also coated my car with three layers of the Turtle Wax Ceramic Black hybrid wax. Haven't washed my car since its polish but when I do I will use the black car wash product (although I'm not sure how useful it will be given the car has been fully polished and coated). Before: After:

Saw an Estoril Blue 330ci Clubsport on Spur Road today. Can't be many of those around! Also saw an E46 M3 convertible wearing its hard top on East-Coast Road. Really need to invest in a dash cam so I can capture a photo of these rare beasts out in the wild!

Looks absolutely superb!

Spotted this tasty M-Tech E30 Coupe on the shore today.

Agree

Interesting, I certainly think he will make some money on it, I reckon he can get high 6s for it. Seeing as there aren't many factory manual 330s around I think it would be a shame to rip that one apart as its probably one of the tidier sedans left. Would be a great base for a good glow up with some m-sport bumpers etc. I can imagine comprehensive insurance would be ridiculous on that car, but third party, fire, theft and glass cover probably wouldn't be too bad. The insurance on my 540i is pretty affordable for me, although I wouldn't be surprised if insurance companies have fine-tuned their quote process since I got mine. I remember being able to obtain an instant AMI Young Drivers quote on my 540 as well as some older AMGs (was something I used to do when I was bored), however now if I fill out all the details they want me to call them "for additional information".

There is an old forum post from 2017 for a factory manual E39 540 for sale for $8K (what a bargain). Other than that I don't recall seeing any others even though I spend many, many hours on trademe.

They are definitely worth a pretty penny. I recall there may have been a really tidy factory manual car in black for sale a few months ago and it was listed for $30K. No idea if it sold but it isn't for sale anymore. There is a manual converted one available for around $16K at the moment though.

Yeah there are probably bugger all factory manual E39 540s in NZ, the few that I have seen have seen for sale have been converted to manual or were unfortunately being parted out due to the value of the 420g. I think there are roughly 40-something E39 M5s in NZ so a manual E39 540 is definitely a lot rarer.

Yeah I would say for a couple reasons a manual e39 540 would be rarer than a manual e34 540 in New Zealand. First would be as a result of changes in consumer preferences as a result of automatics becoming far more popular to have in a big car. Second, would be the existence of the E39 M5, as most people who could afford a manual e39 540 back in the day could probably afford an E39 M5 too. Why spec a manual if you want driving fun in a 540 when BMW offers a superior version of it with sportier suspension, bigger and more powerful engine etc. This differs to an E34 as if you wanted a manual V8 you could only get a 540. That low km white E34 540 that is for sale is owned by a member of the E34 Enthusiasts Facebook page. He is only selling as he managed to score an iS, otherwise he would be keeping that one due to its low mileage and overall good condition.

Haha nice, your car looks incredible bro!

Spotted this E46 M3 today at the lights at Northcross on the North Shore. Pretty sure it belongs to a forum member (I think his name is Jed), had distinctive vents on the bonnet, a CSL front bumper, and CSL wheels from memory.