bekker

I absolutely love them, but... If I only had $85k to spend on a car I just don't know if I could bring myself to do it. But if I won Lotto - hold me back!

I'm really keen to know how you get on. I don't claim to know much about forced induction on BMW's (or anything else come to think of it) but I figured a turbo B27 would, due to its low redline, setup kinda like a turbo diesel. It's also why I thought a supercharger may be a good option for this motor - boost the low down torque. But turbo diesels work well, why wouldn't this? I'm most interested because I like the idea of increasing power, not massively, without having to tear the engine down and do a HP rebuild. Am I right in thinking (from what was said earlier in the tread) that on a stock engine, you could double the power output (with forced induction)? Why is turbo charging so much more popular than supercharging? From purely an engine bay point of view is supercharging an easier install? That's more than my daily allowance of questions. Cheers

Um, maybe this is a dumb question, but are you sure it's an E23? I thought they were replaced by the E32 in 1986? Is the year wrong, or do you mean E32? Cheers

Powerhaus on Tinakori Rd are also very good, but no complaints about Page Euro either.

That's brilliant. I'm gonna try that. Cheers for posting it.

Can anyone recommend somewhere in Wellington? (Sorry to hijack).

I've looked at it a couple of times and the grill and whats left of the lights makes me think it might be an E34. http://www.3news.co.nz/Fatigue-blamed-for-...65/Default.aspx What the hell happened here? Three people killed, straight head on crash at 40kmh and all wearing seatbelts! They were all asleep but still, only 40 kmh! This is tragic.

Me too!I was even more excited before I realised the T stood for Touring not Turbo!

Well said. There are a few cars on that list the I would like to own, but won't simply because of the image they have developed.The Impreza is a prime example. In WRX form it's great car. Original unmolested examples are already considered classics in the UK and many other parts of the world. Integrale / Cosworth performance for a fraction of the price when launched. Combine that with build quality and reliability. The recipe hasn't really changed, they are still great cars, but the clientèle has. Subaru undoubtedly encouraged that, doesn't mean they are not good cars though. I've seen enough ugly E36's, E46's and C180's to know that it's not just a Jap car thing so you can't claim the moral high ground just because you drive something European.

Although I do like the idea of diesel economy, I still keep coming back to the thought that nice as a lot of these cars are, would anyone say they are a 'better' (not necessarily more logical) or a more attractive prospect than a nice E34 touring? If I could get late(ish) model say, 525i with a couple of airbags, abs etc how would it stack up against, say, a 406 or even a nice GTB or 3.0r Legacy? Does anybody have any experience with the Merc E320?

There are a few Pugs around and I really like the idea of an HDi, but you are the first person I've heard of that has never had any issues! I'd love a Laguna wagon or a C5 as I love the way French cars drive - when they drive (when I was younger my parents had a BX19GT and we absolutely loved it). The French seem to be the makers of the most unreliable cars? Everywhere I look people are complaining about the shoddy build quality. My folks had a 406 turbo in the uk, gave it away (yes literally) in the end and it was nice, when it was drivable. The Toyota Z sounds interesting, although I suspect a little on the small side - are they Corolla based?

Yeah I guess the attraction is that apparently they are more of a drivers car and the driving position is the best I've found in a Jap car of that type. Don't Subaru have a reputation for reliability?

That's a bit small. Even the A4 may be a little small. The Caldina's are rated but they seem expensive next to, say, a Legacy. Seem to pay a lot for the name.Is that the silver E30? I think that belongs to one of the guys from here. It is sooo sweet... but prob a bit small and I want some decent safety features too.

... but maybe keeping it as a project. Anyway I'd love to hear peoples suggestions for wagons. I haven't made a final decision yet and my budget would be under $10k My first choice would be an E34 touring, maybe E36 but I'm a bit iffy about some of the E36 build quality. Merc E320? Are they any good to drive? They seem to do high mileages. I'd consider Japanese, but probably only a Legacy (how do they compare?), maybe an Altezza Gita. I kinda like the Nissan Stagea but not the interior. The Volvo's I've seen and driven seem too complicated and not that well put together but I'd consider a nice 850r. Any ideas or personal experience? Cheers

My experience says a lot in a BMW! They seem a lot more sensitive than other cars I've owned hence the need for someone who really knows what they are doing.

Dave Tunley was going to be my first choice if no ne had any better suggestions. I wonder if this is the kinda thing we should have a section dedicated to? I mean good places to take your BMW for all kinds of work. Could have it split into sections.

Can anyone please recommend a good place to get an alignment done on an E28? Anyone had experience here in Welly? I believe they are supposed to put weights on the seats or something but I've never seen anybody do this. I've had a nightmare in the past with Tony's and alignments so I think I'd like a specialist this time. All help appreciated. Cheers

Well one of the reasons I went with Toyo was because they have a reputation for making good tyres and they are well priced. Admittedly the ones I got were 205/65r15 but they were V rated asymmetrical. I think from memory I paid $600 for 4 inc fitting and balancing. I did my research and found that for that spec tyre nothing else came close and I was looking at $50 to $100 more per tyre in other brands for a similar spec. They were a softish compound (although they were fitted to a heavy front drive Honda Legend) but regular rotating would have increased the life of the fronts significantly. In any case, I've always believed (especially when my family is at stake) that a faster wearing softer compound 'usually' equates to better handling and shorter stopping distances. I know where I put my money.

http://www.toyo.co.nz/tyre_detail.php?T_name=Proxes%20Vimode http://www.toyo.co.nz/tyre_detail.php?T_na...yo%20TEO%20Plus Maybe the tyre guy on the forum might be able to hook you up with these. I bought a set of Toyos from Tony's tyres here in Wgtn a couple of years back. They didn't have them on their books but I told them what I wanted, they contact Toyo NZ and ordered them in for me. They were good tyres and Toyo have a good reputation.

$160 sounds ok. Is that a good price? What size are they?

Did you have any issues with the little hex locating bolt for holding the disc in place on the hub? I went to fit my 750 front rotors today and found that the little bolts I have sit slightly higher than the face of the disc. I ended up fitting the discs minus the bolts but I'd like them there. BMW list a change mid way through 1990. Any ideas? BMW dealer here only has one in stock but I'm not really sure what the difference is and Realoem list just one bolt for just about every BMW. I suspect these are the ones both I and the dealer have. I'd love some help with this. Cheers

Sounds to me like the person selling them is confused about what you want. I think you need the carriers as well (someone correct me if wrong) but these bolt onto the strut assembly by two bolts. The carrier is very easy to remove - use a 17mm socket and pull off. Normally you would get the carrier with the caliper

One other place is the back of the valve cover. Mine was leaking a little there - just re torque the bolts.

Ditto. Possibly even super or turbocharged.

I did a dumb thing and ended up with one good set of E32 rears and one bad set of E34 rears for my E28 upgrade. So, I need some E34 300 x 10 rear discs in good condition. The cost of this upgrade is starting to get away a little so I'd prefer some which don't need to be machined. Very happy to trade! Also prefer Wellington or very cheap freight. Cheers