deedub

Was this on trademe a few months back? Love the 318is. Hope it ends up at a good home.

I've found that Scheidmann can be limited for genuine parts. What NZ dealers are good for genuine? Do you mean BMW dealers? FCP experinece for me has been Ok. May be I've just been lucky so far with Aramex.

Should probably learn how to spell losers (loosers?) if they're gonna call people that.

Don't see these come up often (manual). Price seems way too high though. There was a nice Avus blue 540i/6 not long ago with similar ks and way better wheels (with mint interior as well) asking 26k. The seller though... that description alone would make me avoid buying a car from them. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/540/listing/5108609451

Are you thinking of the 19's? Don't think the ones I mentioned were relisted.

... and he mentioned the cruise control isn't working. He's not sure why...

Thanks for all the info @Eagle. Called the seller Friday. Nice guy and transparent about everything. Realised this is more in the project territory than I'd like. Lack of history is a big factor for me. Was ready to move forward but not the right car at the right time for me. Still trying to get time on the weekends to finish off some work on my E30... Another BMW has caught my eye for a daily and has full service history for peace of mind. Beautiful car and with more time to work on it I would definitely get it. Gutted, but I can't take on another project right now. Seller is sorting out brakes and something to do with one of the doors for the WOF (can't remember exactly what now). Hopefully someone here gets it.

Having never owned an E39 540i before (or even an E39 at all)... Did a quick search on timing chain (chain/guides/tensioner) replacement and it sounds pretty full on. What are the main signs that the timing chain needs replacing? Has anyone here done the replacement on a M62 before? (I'm assuming there would be a little more involved with the TU version).

That's on to it. Hadn't thought of splitting wheels to get around the duty charges. I'll keep that in mind for future orders. I've got a genuine set lined up to purchase soon from a forum member who reached out to me after seeing this thread. Was close to getting the reps staggered like yours.

Is this a good deal? K's seem high. Though based on the 2019 thread, it looks like there was a new M62 swapped in at 120k? Are there any advantages to the engine being pre-vanos? What else would you need to look out for with these older models (pre-vanos)? Genuinely interested in this. Finally decided recently that my next car would be a black E34 540i or black E39 540i (and eventually sitting on M Parallels). Had my mind set on another E30 as a daily. But need something more suited to family duties. Not that a V8 is all that practical for driving the kids around or cheap on petrol (but it has the space, looks and sound).

Yea pricey from source. Not much change from 7k after duty etc. Ive got a deal worked out for a genuine set in excellent condition with tyres (through a forum member). Not staggered but Im not fussed on that (staggered does look nice though).

Yea if I go for them then I would want to make an offer and get the price down a bit.

Never really been a fan of the bottlecaps but at 16" they actually look pretty cool. About the same cost of alpina reps delivered as well. Definitely an interesting option. You got me thinking for a minute there. Would def be pretty unique at that size as well and still fit the OEM+ build I'm going for. Though I've had my mind set on alpinas from the start. Prefer genuine but if I went with reps then I'd have some extra coin to set aside for other work. Which is why I was interested in the trade me listing. Does seem pretty steep though for a used set...

I'm considering these. They're genuine and look in good condition. 3.5k. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/car-parts-accessories/wheels-tyres/alloy-wheels/listing/5072098059 What do you reckon of the price? Reasonable? For comparison: - Genuine/New from Alpina would be about 6.5 - 7k delivered - Maxilite reps would be close to 3k delivered (from bimmerworld - didn't look for cheaper places)

Ah right. Confused cause I didn't think BMW were cheap. So figured you must be referring to VTNZ.

Don't get it. Who are the monkeys here? VTNZ? Why? Did you expect them to find an issue?

Poor bugger who got the diesel maestro

This just popped up on reddit. N52/6 speed swap in an E30 chasis (with Volvo Amazon skin). https://www.reddit.com/r/E30/comments/1hafcgi/n52_swap_e30/

Guess the new owner better like driving auto then

If those Ks are genuine and the car has been looked after well then it's in a rare state for a 325i. I would think a replacement M20B25 would come with more Ks than that (that's just a guess though). No idea how much a manual swap is at a shop. But 10k plus sounds a bit high.

Looks pretty tidy. NZ new, low ks and service history.

But what is it exactly that you need to measure?

DM me if you want. I live in Rotorua and have an E30. Keen to see what you've done with the conversion as well.

Yea I used that. No BMW dealer in Rotorua. Figured I could go to BMW blue later if I really wanted to (on the next flush).

There isn't always a BMW dealership handy. Depends on where you live.