Eagle

What made you buy one?

Id say much of that is due to the RFB type crowd migrating their interest over to the E36, E46 etc. Yeah insurance companies are very 2 faced. Good reminder about market value though, easy way to be out of pocket.

Got a ToolPro one at work and its ok for what we use it for. To me for DIY usage its one of those things worth spending another $200 and having the extra power, accessories, comfort and longevity. My Griots was under $300 and expect to have it for life.

Have the front struts been replaced?

A 'low k' dirty old import on 20 year old parts ( excluding all the expensive parts you need to run the thing). What a bargain.

OE short shifters are always money well spent in my book.

If they are browsing the retirement village forums they have probably found much more than my hints.

He talks a lot of nonsense but it does has M-tech wheel, M-sport suspension, a shorter final drive and sport styled wheels. Certainly not a M-sport by any means but better than a base spec vehicle. Wheels are the only thing of value on it really. Demand for these are so low that i think he'd struggle to sell it 6 or 7k (which is what id value it at)

Yeah odds are it got towed, but i wouldn't say its a niche area given the information and basic principles still apply to many BMW's and other cars. A professional car thief\auto locksmith has to have a wide range of knowledge and tools given its their job to do this sort of thing.

Any one determined could learn how to via the internet with the amount of information available. Its not hard these days with the right software and tools.

You can buy the same ones on aliexpress around $100 too. NZ a bit hit and miss on tools. All the commonly used stuff is usually fairly well priced. All the less common 'specialist' type stuff found in automotive workshops typically have huge margins on them.

Even if it wasn't towed there are numerous other ways. Lucky in the this country most the bros who steal vehicles are too dumb Ive always found if one of the parties doesn't file then it takes weeks to get processed. Its a flawed system but if your car is stolen you going report it within 24hrs which im sure flags it and halts the process or something.

Yeah they look pretty bad. Probably the same as the average E39 touring on the road though.

I would say that applies to most luxo barges. Feature aside, the added weight and dimensions of the 7 are more a negative than a positive over the 5 to me. Unless you are in the back seat or care about passenger leg room etc then you are lugging around extra weight which generally costs you. Body parts are usually less common so harder to source too. Thinner is usually the winner. Im sure the 330D is more popular and may cost more than the 530D in the used market.

Certainly not too bad. A degrease and pressure wash then driving it around would give you a better idea given you don't know how long it's been since it started

USD. You can add them to cart and get a shipping price.

Someone modified it?

https://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/66868-where-does-everybody-buy-parts-from/ I tend to use FCPeuro but lots of other good ones to compare prices with http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/ - If you put your vin into that site it will give you all the correct part numbers. https://www.mdecoder.com/ - Will tell you the car options. What suspension your car is optioned with in this case. Parts depends on the workshop but a lot of the reason they aren't keen is people tend to supply to wrong parts\cheap crap. If you are supplying all the correct OE quality parts then its less likely to be an issue. Maybe a Auckland member can help you install the parts for a small fee given its an easy job? You maybe able to have to look yourself in regarding the shocks - https://vehicleinspection.nzta.govt.nz/virms/in-service-wof-and-cof/tb-general/shock-absorbers

Probably best to order parts the parts your yourself the are required from overseas. You can get the same parts as the dealer would use at much cheaper prices. Any reputable workshop would do the job easy. Interior trim on sides of the boot needs to be removed the access the rear shock mounts. No idea how long that takes on E61 but it should be straight forward job. Brake hose replacement is simple. Replacing just rear shock tends to show up the likely worn front struts resulting in sub optimal handling.

Maybe of interest to someone. Still sealed. Free excl postage

In my experience that's due to more 550's around compared to other V8's

Beeseal. Very good product with many uses.

Yeah that's classic VTNZ. Usually when they say "Check manufactures specs" it means the play very minor and not a safety issue anytime soon. They are all about liability\ass covering and don't care about costing people money. Easy for them to put the onus on someone else to figure it out.

Yeah like all barges they are really a passenger car rather than a drivers one.

Yeah like many cars the market here is small. Im sure the enthusiast grade will slowly increase in value but its a bit hard to know as most are kept and rarely sold.