Eagle

Everything expect the gearbox (keeping it). Driveshaft is sedan length

Not sure what point you are referring to. He said he wants to keep is car otherwise yes buying something else would to be ideal.

A V8 manual swap could be worth it if you had donor and manual bits already but otherwise would be a huge expense of time and money (ZF's aint cheap anymore but 420g boxes are crazy $). You'd be better off buying a V8 then getting a respray and swapping the interior if you like your colour combo and want a V8. Personally id just stick with the B25 or B30 and manual convert it, much easier and cheaper and will feel like a different car. Ive a chunk of my E39 manual conversion bit left if wanted.

The mid-outer looks like its around 3mm so unless you been driving hard etc what is recent?. As above you need an alignment sheet, no point in proceeding without it.

Haha well at least you wont ever forget the check the bulbs again.

If they are decent cosmetically then they are likely the better deal if you can DIY and prepared to spent some more money. Vast majority of these cars regardless of price are still their original shocks etc etc, so money has to spent either way if you want make the car drive\handle as well as it can.

Personally i don't think prices have gone up for E39's at all (excl M5), if anything they are as cheap as ever for an average one. Most of msport ones ive seen are listed in the 4-8k range with some as low as 2.5k-3k that need extra work.

Factory shafts come with white sicker in a fairly large font with part number on the front shaft section. You could probably see it by loosening and pulling down the front heatshield or maybe mirror, camera bore scope. That's if it hasn't been cut, painted over, removed etc.

I think the M44 engine offers quite decent low rpm performance for it age, needs to be good running order with a working DISA valve though. The auto robs a bit of whp but its geared to counter that. For me they go well enough up to ~100kph but just don't cut it for open road passing etc. Only significant oil leaks ive ever done on a M44 have been valve cover gaskets and oil filter bushing o-rings. They hold up quite well and don't any many areas to leak from when compared to the newer stuff.

I dont where SKF are sourced and manufactured these days but they tend to be the most expensive bearings in general. Ive had FAG bearings from Germany, India, Romania etc but no issues. Im sure where BMW source them from for new vehicles is different to where parts suppliers get them from.

That's what came to mind when i first read the title but it could of been a number of things

Should be easy to pinpoint on the right hoist ramps then with someone listening. Ive got still 2x FAG bearings if that have only done around 60,000km if needed.

You said in your first post can hear it when turning the wheels from stationary position?

Added things to do: Clean ICV, power steering and brake fluid change, camshaft sensor o-rings, fuel filter and belt pulleys Things ill eventually do: Replace most of the wearable parts on the car and fix any cosmetic issues

The arm\ball joints usually last along time but im sure the bushing would of been replaced at some point.

Yeah never fully understood people queuing for this. All i could come up with was they either don't have or earn much money, plus their time isnt worth anything, so spending some hours in a queue is worth it for a change to get some small discounts. How are you not paying GST with Amazon? Using a freight forwarder?

NZ is set and forget. You can fail for headlight adjustment being incorrect, get them aligned with low tyre pressures, go home pump them up, load up the family, chuck on the boat and be on your way. Dont recall the self leveling retro fit being that simple wiring wise. I dont know how good the E39 system is reaction wise if its working correctly, having a load is one thing but going over undulating road it maybe useless.

Probably took some cooking lessons whilst in the said traffic

That's more akin to their condition rather than the tech, no testing so few care. Ever increasing numbers of vehicles on the road is the real issue to me and less so the pieces of sh*t on it.

That's what i thought initially but Getrag 260, random clutch components, lock diff and having to undo who knows what. Probably better off buying a tidy msport and doing a decent 5 speed conversion yourself.

I was going mention the thread title but thought otherwise. I don't want to see Mac vs PC discussions getting banned too

Man that flare must of had some big hours invested into it. Sounds like the mechanical side is going to need a lot of that along with a chunk of your hard earned cash.

So did i but i fail to see how that's anything to do costs which is what's being discussed. PC's have advantages and disadvantages just like Macs, no one here is denying that and you buy what suits your requirements in the end. If anyone wants to label me pcmasterrace for critiquing the costs, that's fine. I'll burn some old ipods i have in my draw to as a sacrifice to the PC gods.

Struts rarely fail internally as they are just a hydraulic ram but the mounts and more so the seals can perishes causing noises and leaking. The 2x Pressure accumulators - round cylinders above or round the struts are what controls the dampening, the internal diaphragm have typically failed on these old cars causing the harsh ride. Last time i looked they were about $350ea if still available in NZ and you can't import them as they are dangerous goods (pressurized chamber) So you either have to buy new parts, delete or loop the hydraulic pump and replace it with non SLS strut\spring setup

Sounds like you think its bs purely on your anecdotal experience. It's a fact Apple will never win as far as costs are concerned, be like arguing a VW Golf is cheaper to keep than a Corolla. I could buy PC hardware from 15 years ago for chump change, have working up to date OS, and it would still be serviceable and upgradable, you going to tell me you can do the same with a 15 year old Mac. Likewise If i bought a top of range Mac and the equivalent PC today its a given that i will likely be able keep the PC in service longer(software and hardware). The Mac will always you cost more as you are re buying more frequently to stay up to date and paying for the brand when you do. That's not even taking into account Apple's repair policies\costs if you are unfortunate to have an issue outside or warranty.