nath 134 Report post Posted October 29, 2012 (edited) I agree with Crockett, in that an imported BMW has that after taste of a fake Rolex.... Obviously not exactly as it is still a BMW, but a good way to describe it. When I was first into buying E30s, it was common to buy from the original owner, who would often be a well known Remuera name, Fletcher or Court or such. It was a neat feeling having that quality history, impossible with a Jap' E30 regardless of the absence of tangible value in such knowledge. But I digress. NZ New has more value either way when comparing apples with apples. Be it monetary, saleable, or personal/ intrinsic value. Edited October 29, 2012 by nath Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westy 614 Report post Posted October 29, 2012 Meh. E30s are so old now it doesn't matter where they came from. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1560 Report post Posted October 29, 2012 (edited) Ignore where the car came from, look at what it is now and the condition it is in. Any history in terms of servicing and work done, that can be authenticated, is a good pointer. But the overall factor has to be the condition of the car, i don't mean shiny paint work.. get underneath it with an inspection lamp, pull up carpets in the boot, etc. Get it up on a hoist an look at bushes, ball joints, etc.. Nail. Head. Hit. Mine's a 1996 528i imported 8 years ago or so from Singapore - it's in far better nick than any of the NZ new ones I looked at for a similar price. Go figure. Where the car originated is not an indicator of its condition. There might be some general trends - e.g. UK import is more likely to have rust, etc because of weather conditions - but to suggest that ALL owners in NZ take better care of their cars or ALL car-owners in Asia are more somehow more callous and uncaring about their cars is a sweeping generalisation. There are good and bad owners all over the world. Some people take care of their cars, some don't. Doesn't matter if you're from Takapuna or Timbuktu. Edited October 29, 2012 by jeffbebe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nath 134 Report post Posted October 29, 2012 The condition is an indicator of it's condition, and if an import and an NZ new car are in the same condition, give me the NZ new one any day. If I think hard about it, it may just be my conditioning. As a kid I was interested in cars, as were my parents (not modifying, just getting the latest model of this or that every now and then) so I paid attention. I had it drilled into me that imports were rubbish. Back in the 90's imports had the stigma of being smokers cars, or having filthy exhausts and strange Japanese writing throughout them. So perhaps just unintended snobbery is what does it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deeveus 81 Report post Posted October 30, 2012 (edited) Nail. Head. Hit. Mine's a 1996 528i imported 8 years ago or so from Singapore - it's in far better nick than any of the NZ new ones I looked at for a similar price. Go figure. You did well, at a guess I'd say there would be 10 or less E39 Kiwi New cars to compare with, but 1.5 billion examples of imports. My 320d is the same, very few NZ New E46 M Sport Diesels and manual. Edited October 30, 2012 by The Diesel Guy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
exige92 0 Report post Posted November 3, 2012 I never really thought about nz new or import. By luck I brought a cheap e39 NZ new. My old e30 was a good car no idea the origin. But rust was easy to fix. the steel is good to work with. The real indication is if your an auto electrician buy ex singapore if your a panel beater buy ex UK if your a mechanic buy ex Japan if your none of the above buy a ex SA if your tight All others and the above If you can afford buy NZ new Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted November 4, 2012 I never really thought about nz new or import. By luck I brought a cheap e39 NZ new. My old e30 was a good car no idea the origin. But rust was easy to fix. the steel is good to work with. The real indication is if your an auto electrician buy ex singapore if your a panel beater buy ex UK if your a mechanic buy ex Japan if your none of the above buy a ex SA if your tight All others and the above If you can afford buy NZ new Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
