Michael.

Jesus Christ, that's horrendous! Insurance or not, I feel for the owner. Those are a great iconic Toyota. I just can't get over what sort of scum does this sort of thing. What did that stunt achieve exactly??

Should the body moldings be white with the car? They usually look better in black.... I'd say there are better buys out there than that one... looks like a hard life up to those KMs telling by the condition of some interior surfaces in the close up pictures. Engine cam covers look rather deteriorated too, what is up with that anyway, its it a sign of higher mileage, excessive heat or was it just bad paint from the factory? Of course it also depends how it drives compared to other asking similar money. I've always bought cars on condition rather than the mileage, my E36 had the highest out of the ones I test drove in 2009, yet I felt it was the best to drive and in the most well kept condition.

Word.

Those wheel guards are, interesting.

Quirky. I like it.

Ha yeah, the editing is over worked too, yes it may be creative and 'cool' but it's often too much, I want to SEE the car not catch a distorted glimpse. Another reason why its refreshing to watch the earlier TG series were the editing was more too the point & simple, Like Chris Harris' car reviews....

Being honest I thought it was a woeful episode, over scripted with boring segments. Can't say I am surprised though... TG UK hasn't been the same for years - it used to be fresh and fun, the hosts had passion but now the whole thing seems like it's made to a generic standard to get the job done for a generic audience that just wants something other than the soap-opera on the other channel. I miss all the interesting stuff they did so well, cheap car challenges, used buy guides, proper car reviews, practical challenges, all that stuff was great in the 2003-2009 era, but it's somehow lost it since then. I get the impression the widespread success of the show has been it's own downfall.

HA

I guess one of the main things you would want to confirm is if its got the rear reinforcement plates above the rear subframe.

Depends what you want to spend really, or if you have the skills/time to perform the work. The head gasket / cooling system repair will be the cheapest, but you should do both banks rather than just the one that has failed. (Put aside at least $500 to do this, but I'd go further and replace other parts related as you take it apart) On the other hand, if you like the car and intend to keep it for some time, and are not that happy with the performance, I'd suggest like you mentioned a M62B44 non vanos swap, find a good used engine and gearbox, give it a general overhaul / clean up while its out of the car. I'd imagine there would be a level of electrical work to get it working right, but hey an extra 900cc would be worth it!

Gahh, that's frustrating Greg. Is the selector set in the right position inside the box? Sounds like its not getting enough travel to select those gears...? On another note, I'll just leave this test telemetry clip here.... It's a few days old, performance is since improved. Youtube Clip

That was great. Thanks for sharing.

Looks like I am finally done programming the gearbox, smooth yet crisp shifts at low speeds with light throttle and quick, snappy shifts at higher speeds/rpm. Torque converter lock up control is also functional in 4-5th for cruising speeds. The engines stalling issue is now fixed too!

Lol, $250... I got quoted $395 + gst at Strongs Honda for a used air box on some non vtec Honda a while back. Insanity...

Is that coolant tank original to the E30? Looks like an E36 M3 one.

Welcome, that looks like a great car I'll say! Theres been a good wave of decent original E30s lately.

Idle control valve is kaput. Sigh, I had a spare I sold not too long ago either, FML..

Cheers James. The audi valves are part of the mufflers, similar to those used on the 328i or 330i exhaust rear mufflers, accept slightly bigger, (2.25") I once looked for such parts but it's like they don't exist off the shelf! In the end I cut one from a spare muffler I had to use for the middle balancer - only problem is the exhaust pulses are too strong for the vacuum pressure to keep it closed so I'd have to bolt the actuator arm in a closed position for it to seal, the rear valves are fine though. The original BMW brakes were soured from Milland Parts in Dunedin, $310 or where abouts each, but they are original and look a damn site better than the solid steel vented disks other stores offer, I'd come so far with the car so it made no sense to cut corners with those parts, same with the LCA's they were over 300 each too - pricey but still way cheaper than importing these heavy parts from USA etc - it was going to cost 100s more I did that!

That looks immaculate! Good purchase mate.

Update on original post

Very nice purchase! Looks genuine too? I actually find the stock A/C front fan on full is sufficient to cool my setup, but the main fan is a hydraulic one that runs off the engine.

What would normal RRP be on that car in a similar condition?

Looks pretty good, a few easy things to change for personal preference though. Would be interesting to see the mounting system and exhaust manifolds... 196rkw is damn good, a new engine management system really opens these lexus V8s up. I'd estimate mines only pushing out 150rwkw with the stock management.

Is it not better to take them somewhere to get repaired professionally? I've always been on the look out for good door cars but with E36s being out of production for 13 years now, its hard to find any in good condition from a wrecked car. Its only a mater of time before too much heat breaks down the eco glue they used, or the material itself shrinks, stretching off.

Haha I think this everyday Greg. I like to experiment thoiugh, making progress with the automatic today however, got 2nd gear working! The setup owes me $250 for the box, $1450 for the controller and $850 for the quickshift valve body, so it owes me half of a manual conversion. To do the manual conversion, everytime I've worked it out its $5000-6000. So its easier said than done! It will be on the cards if I have no luck with this automatic route long term, it will just be a mater of saving. Edit: I also made a better stationary rev clip for those that didn't like my pussy rev style of the previous one! Youtube Video