19k Miles BMW 540I Japanese Import
Discussion
MD707 said:
What auction site are you using to find these cars, they're incredible
You would be able to find them on any of the Japanese auction sites however the one I use is Provide Cars and a chap called Phil Keenaghan who helps with translations and organising logistics. They would want a deposit of circa £750 to enable you to bid on cars otherwise they offer a 2 week trial period to search the auctions to see what comes up.Well, it has been a while since starting this thread and I thought an update is in order.
We have been using the 540 for some trips in the summer months, the most notable of which was up to Leighton Buzzard via the Cotswolds for a weekend to visit some friends. The car handled excellently along the various A and B roads and was a joy to drive. Stopped for some photos along the way of course and when I arrived the car’s twin was waiting on my mate’s drive. He bought my fathers old 525d touring when dad sold it on about a decade ago and it is still going strong now with circa 175k miles on the clock, 100k of which has been with a remap to 200hp. Interesting to see that it sits slightly lower than mine.
After another month had passed the decision was made to move on the 840ci due to lack of use. This is mostly because I don’t really fit in it properly and my children were not very interested in it despite egging me on in the auction when we bought it a year or so ago! Before the photographer came over I took it out for one last spin and couldn't resist a photo of them together for posterity.
With winter closing upon us I decided that it was the right time to change the brakes all round. Having cooked them earlier in the year I had warped one or both of the fronts. These should give a much better result and with less brake dust I hope.
After fitting them (I haven’t done brakes before) I tentatively went for a couple of drives up on the hills nearby to bed them in. The car went into its carcoon for the winter shortly after where it shall remain until the spring. While in there it has a small heater which kicks in below 8 degrees to keep off any potential for freezing damage.
That’s all for this car this year. In other news the 7 series arrived yesterday and earlier in the month I ended up buying another car at the Japanese auctions which I will share probably next summer when it is likely to land in the UK.
Happy New Year to you all.
We have been using the 540 for some trips in the summer months, the most notable of which was up to Leighton Buzzard via the Cotswolds for a weekend to visit some friends. The car handled excellently along the various A and B roads and was a joy to drive. Stopped for some photos along the way of course and when I arrived the car’s twin was waiting on my mate’s drive. He bought my fathers old 525d touring when dad sold it on about a decade ago and it is still going strong now with circa 175k miles on the clock, 100k of which has been with a remap to 200hp. Interesting to see that it sits slightly lower than mine.
After another month had passed the decision was made to move on the 840ci due to lack of use. This is mostly because I don’t really fit in it properly and my children were not very interested in it despite egging me on in the auction when we bought it a year or so ago! Before the photographer came over I took it out for one last spin and couldn't resist a photo of them together for posterity.
With winter closing upon us I decided that it was the right time to change the brakes all round. Having cooked them earlier in the year I had warped one or both of the fronts. These should give a much better result and with less brake dust I hope.
After fitting them (I haven’t done brakes before) I tentatively went for a couple of drives up on the hills nearby to bed them in. The car went into its carcoon for the winter shortly after where it shall remain until the spring. While in there it has a small heater which kicks in below 8 degrees to keep off any potential for freezing damage.
That’s all for this car this year. In other news the 7 series arrived yesterday and earlier in the month I ended up buying another car at the Japanese auctions which I will share probably next summer when it is likely to land in the UK.
Happy New Year to you all.
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