Eagle

Fair enough. Certainly not extremely rare or expensive its just no one is selling them anymore haha, same the with the E24 M6. E28 M5 is a different story.

FYI M cars were around before the 90's Wouldn't mind a E34 M5, not crazily priced but are heading there, hard to find though. Problem is everyone is holding on to these older looked after cars for good reason (applies to all good models)

Yeah Vanos seals are probably the best $150 ive ever spent on a BMW to date and you'd probably benefit esp with that shorter diff ratio. Lots of things could cause rough cold idle on these - vacuum leaks and followed by the CCV system being the most common.

I agree but you'd think they would given you just bought a new car off them and they are surely still are making profit on the install.

Im certain you still enjoy it much more once you refresh the suspension and get some good rubber on. I did about 10,000km also when i first bought it for a daily driver into the city, it was fine for that as it was all slow placed. Once i changed job and started a long commute with a good twisty section of road near the end, i had to either sell it or refresh the suspension felt like driving a truck. Granted yours probably isn't as bad as my 230,000 old parts at the time but its one of those things you never regret doing.

Wouldn't surprise me but at the same time it also wouldn't surprise me if it was more expensive than ordering some yourself.

Tyrerack have plenty in 20" sizes so must NZ Bridgestone again, always the option import. I can't even find them listed in common size 245/45R17 on NZ Bridgestone website but it maybe incorrect.

So what sizes and price were the RE003? I always found Bridgestone NZ to be a pita in regards to buying certain tyres. So many stores with varying prices you have to ring a wide range to find out the normal price and then they don't carry seem to offer most of the sizes that are available over seas.

I remember Chris Harris writing something on the subject in regards to the P1 but given the design and cost of that car im sure they made it work better than a mechanical device in that case. Still think it comes down to your use. If you want to sideways often then a clutch type LSD is a no brainier. For the average new BMW driver the 'e-lsd' is probably adequate. I think its all the BMW's in the middle that don't have either that are the ones that are really bad. My E39 540i manual was terrible even with 275 S001 tyres, either tyres smoke or power cuts, one of the reason i sold it so fast.

Yep aware of the 'e-lsd's' and they are certainly appear better than a pure open diff but they have their limits for some (which is why im assuming BMW are offering a true mechanical LSD) I think aftermarket diff ie Quaife maybe better depending on what's needed. Not sure how the 'e-lsd' would interact with it though. Would assume the BMW LSD would be designed to match or maybe they re-code modules to suit.

What shocks were used? Does that include delivery of all the parts?

Yep hence the all the "BMW's are expensive to fix" comments you always here. Many of us wouldn't be to afford\justify being able to run any BMW if we had to shop at the dealer.. Sure some of the their pricing is ok but don't they seem to stock much esp for the older models so no reason not to order it yourself which is cheaper and faster. Even then items like coolant which were reasonably priced keep going up and up (at the local dealer here at least) Only ~24 years ago when an motorsport spec BMW came with an LSD std.

To me its more the people who buy these are aren't the people you would associate with having good driving skills.

^ Pretty much how i interpreted the OP. It's not a zero sum game in this case.

NZ isn't is a place associated with under body rust caused by salted roads, even then its unlikely to suffer much as its situated very high and has a the rubber mount and spring pad covering the top and bottom. Im sure they mainly include it for the OCD types\ more sales There is no bottom mount bolts on E39 unless he's meaning the single pinch bolt and nut for the bottom of the strut (3 & 4)

Its not so much the price of the items but the added postage costs on top on that due to weight\size. Sure the bolts and washers are probably fine to add but not essential, get them in NZ easy enough also. Things like those metal coil spring seats are generally pointless for cars in nz unless they have been damaged etc. If you don't care about spending a bit more then its really a non issue. I don't buy anything i don't need to myself.

Definitely get the strut mounts, whilst the rubber is usually passable the bearings are typically rough gone at those k's. New bump stops and rubber boots are probably needed in this case, maybe the lower spring pads if they are deteriorating but the rest of that kit isn't typically needed in my experience

+1 for Fedex. They have never charged me GST on the freight cost also unlike every other mofo.

X to the V(6)

Not necessarily the bulb. It may well be the bulb holder itself not making very good contact with the taillight strip. Rip it out and have a look when you check the bulb.

Yeah do this on most cars i buy, can't stand a dirty wheel. Woman's cars are the worst ive seen, all those oils etc creating that horrible tacky feeling and its usually bad enough you can scrap it with a fingernail. Even continues over to the indicator stalks sometimes.

Yeah don't think I've driven one with known good vanos seals.

Yeah different story in the states, no real shipping costs and cheaper parts. It will need a full suspension and cooling system refresh + all the and known and unknown issues you discover when you buy a older used car. I just don't see value in an overheated neglected diesel.

Real rough and very neglected for the k's. Would have to be dirt cheap as there's nothing even positive about it.

Could be many things. I had a stone lodged in rear rotor once that required taking the whole thing off, they aren't always seen. Did the people you took it to run the car on the hoist to see if they could reproduce it?