toddness
12-07-2013, 10:33 PM
So I have this bimmer bug, and have it bad. I also seem to enjoy writing about it.
I bought my current 2002 in 1997. I'll create a project page for her one day. I have had numerous BMW's beginning with the first 2002 I bought in February 1984.
Anyway, after finally believing I was healthy, I made the leap away from the Japanse appliance back to BMW and bought the ZHP. I love this car. Best car ever. But I feel guilty beating on it as a daily driver; the roads in San Francisco suck. The highways and byways can be awesome, but the city and other roads around here can be really heinous.
So the Subaru and Prius still got a lot of the action. Then in late 2011 my daughter turned 15 and the reality she needed to learn to drive soon really dawned on me. The bimmerhead instinct that she must learn to drive a stick, and must learn to appreciate die flusternde Bombe was talking to me.
So the summer of 2012 was the summer of e30 love. We bought the 318is to teach her. It was bought with the intention of having to do maintenance on a simple car. Learn to drive a simple car.I cleaned it up at home the first weekend we had it and that night I had this hole in me. It was already in nice shape. I wanted to feel complete by resolving some issue without giving some mechanic a week of my pay for a half day of work, including paperwork and a coffee break.
Then the next day, we wrecked it. $3500+ damage quote from the local body shop. I could have put it on insurance, but now the juices were totally flowing. I was complete. I had something to do.
I found a clean donor and actually sold the shell to someone before I even went and completed my purchase. I stripped the interior and the parts required to fix the wrecked 318is the first weekend, and got it put back together quite nicely. I shouldn't say I. My wife busted her ovaries helping me.
The power train was sold and removed the following Saturday, more parts were stripped throughout the weekend and the shell was carted away late that Sunday night. Project complete. What am I supposed to do now? It's been two weeks and I again have this hole.
Then a day or so later I see an ad ( I am not looking :shift ) or an e30 convertible for 500.00, and in my best Harold Ramis voice, I'm like hey, I can do this. I just need to find another one with a running motor and dead body for 500.00 with the crazy idea I'd sell a bunch of those parts and end up with an e30 vert and a clean 318is for little more than what I paid for the 318is. I can be patient and clean up the vert while I wait for the donor to appear. I bought it for 300.00 and paid 30.00 to get it towed home.
Then, days or so later, I see an ad for a 318is, 500.00 - beatup body and running. It's got LSD, I need that. It's got a nice interior, thats worth 200.00. The dash is uncracked - there's another 100.00. I'll take it. sold. What, your brother has a twin 318is he'll give away for 300.00 too? I'll take that - these will give me more spares then I'll ever need and the pick n pull will pay me to come pick them up. without wheels.
Man I am long winded....
So i strip down the twins, learn alot (like NEVER buy a car that has any rust), fill my yard with parts, sell a bunch of parts, buy a bunch of tools, and that funky kwik-lift. I am loving it. My wife is cranking on them too. What an awesome woman! We are spending quality time together, right ?!?
Then the donor for the vert shows up on Craigslist. Nice interior, running motor, 5 spd, nice new top, bunch of nice panels. Sold. dismantled, rolled away. more parts in the yard. It's almost Nov 1 now, the winter is coming. I button it all down for the winter, figure i'll tinker as I can, and come May, I'll build the vert.
Then May finally comes and I end up with my colon in my chest. Literally. I am here and can write about it. I am good. Can't lift my shoe to my foot at the time, but I am good. Not a good time to try to work on cars. I start thinking I can downsize and focus on upgrades on the 318is, as I have spare everything now. Clean, polish and replace will be the plan for it.
I sell the vert bits, make a little more money, shell gets pulled away, more money back. Sell the kwik-lift and buy some cherry Ronal LS for the e30. I like this horse trading stuff. I'm thinking this is a total win.
Then the lull comes. The 318is just isn't getting used by my daughter because of other commitments. No time for learning about driving and owning BMW's for her yet. I tinker, but there is nothing I need to do. I can't swap on a cherry suspension, or the Ronal's. I want her to burn this baby out a little before I replace anything. Curb rash on a curb rash is okay, but as a child of mine, you will only hit my wheels once. Once this is the mantra for her, we can polish up the 318is bits right nice. So now, there again is the hole. I am not complete.
So this summer, I was really thinking I could swap my Subaru for a killer e46 BMW wagon with a stick. Or maybe I wanted that X5 4.8is. You know, that bitching wation stagon, right?
Then I just happened to literally come face to face with the 2006 X3 msport 6MT. M54, 6mT, AWD wagon. Awesome. Love it. Love driving it. It's my wife's. It's great, but again I am not complete.
So the bug still has me. I need a fix. I've had a couple e28's and an e24. All were B's or better. Great families of cars. Though I loved the e28's better. Both e28's I would have kept forever. My roommate killed the first one, so I bought an e24 with the insurance money. I realized I prefered the size and handling of the e28 so I sold the e24 when I found out I had cancer, bought a vanagon and went touring to spend some quality time with my family. I survived the cancer, hated driving the Vanagon, bought the Subaru appliance and eventually picked up a cheap e28 to fill the void. I blew the motor up - found the timing chain in pieces. Though at this point in time, I was still unable to really wrench, which meant I had to send it away. I missed the e28's. But something kept telling me I really wanted an e12. I like the butt of the e12 so much better. I wanted an e12 that performed like an e28 535i, or better.
So 1000 words later, and a little hint earlier this week, I came across my fifth current bmw to add to the corral, but my first, first-five. I think I am halfway through this ramble...
It needs paint, but it's straight, dry though not without a spot of rust here and there. It has reupholstered leather seats, done really well. The headliner doesn't sag, though slightly discolored. All the electrics work. It's got Alpina wheels and fresh rubber. An Alpina steering wheel and knob. I like this car. Then I drive it. Holy smokes. It's got cahones. The owner doesn't know exactly what it is, though does know he has something special his mechanic built and maintains for him. He drives it. A lot. It just turned 300K miles. This month. I committed to buying it after talking to the mechanic. He tells me what it is.
Euro m30b34 ~ 208 HP. 15% more HP than the US e28 535i. Sure there are better and stronger that can be swapped in, but there is something appealing about what is effectively an e12 m535i clone wannabe. For those that don't know, before the e28 M5, there were the m535i's in Europe. No comparison in performance, but a lineage of BMW motorsport nonetheless.
She has bilstein sports on stock springs. The fattest sway bar I have ever seen in front. The rear is nothing like the front but it's there. I swear the front looks almost 50mm. It's probaby 30-35? Nice Alpine deck and speakers with aux/ipod cable. clean carpet, dry sunroof tray.
I liked the car the first time I saw it. When I crawled under and saw the new cat and back exhaust, I was sold if this thing passes smog. I wanted this car. I did a quick test drive, babying it. I don't think I hit 3K RPM. I pulled over and asked him to follow me home to show the wife, where I got the required approval, negotiated a few requirements and we were off toward completing the transaction this week.
I picked up the car and title with a fresh smog cert Thursday. The Euro bumpers he's had in storage for 5 years will be arriving this week or next. I am jazzed as all get out as I drive home Thursday night. One more day of work, then I can really rip into what I have done. Did I do the right thing?
So today. Reckoning day. I double check my purchase. The engine bay is dusty/dirty, nothing greasy, but nothing I want to attack today. The interior is clean for the most part, not detailed, but nothing I need to immediately improve upon.
I take pics of every inch of her. I tear apart the trunk. This is my typical first action with a new purchase and my tried and true regret check. What happens in the trunk tells me the worst I can expect with the rest of the car.
There is some really minor surface rust, likely from the trunk carpet trapping moisture. There maybe 3-5 spots that are no bigger than a dime or a penny that may be of more concern, but for a car of this age and known issues with rust, this looks great. Shock towers are dry. I don't find anything making feel moments of regret. I get done with my inspection cleaning of the trunk, obligatory removal of the rear license plate frame and front license plate. Clean up the tool box and trunk lid cover and begin to put a wrap on it.
So I've driven her probably 30 miles now. I am pretty sure the body, suspension, steering, brakes and interior all meet my expectations, but I am not really sure that what I have yet is 100% what I think it is. I trusted the seller, I trusted the mechanic. At some point you have to have some faith right? I shouldn't have to do my own compression test and block # serial # checks, right? Right?
Well, I did trust them, but I don't trust me. So I look. Phew - there's that 3.5 stamped on the block. Check. Hmm. I check the oil. I don't think I can remember seeing such perfect oil so perfectly on the full line, not a mm below or over, on the line. I like it. I am going to take her for a road test. Open her up a little.
I start the car and let her warm up for 10 minutes or so. Pumping the throttle a little here and there. Listen to the rumble. It's barking at me now. Let's go!.
I drive slowly through the neighborhood, just trying to ease her into it. It's 5 minutes to the freeway at 30. Enough time to give the tires a little warmup and let her and I get to know each other a little better. I merge onto the freeway, accelerate through second and third up to 68 MPH or so and just cruise for a mile or two. I don't intend to go far. This is my warmup test. I pass the cop shop; there is nobody home. 500 more feet. I can now see about a mile and a half ahead of me to the next exit. Let's hit it a little. I keep adding revs' pushing closer and closer to 80MPH, feathering the throttle to get an idea of how she responds. She's cool so far. Let's take her on to test #2.
I live like 20 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge. I take the freeway for about 10 minutes just cruising with the light traffic at around 65 in a 55. Then I get the first grade. It's about 1/2 mile, but it's steep and a good warmup test; I think anyway. I lightly push her up to 80 again, then let off as I crest the hill, eyes peeled for Johnny. Go another mile or three with the traffic, then begin to approach the Waldo Grade. Three miles of steep freeway grade, some good turns, expansive views of the San Francisco Bay, and my standard place to test my cars.
As I approach the bottom of the grade, I am in fourth, doing like 62. A Subaru starts to pull up near me in the fast lane on my left. My heart starts pounding a little harder. The excitement is increasing. I smoothly downshift into third, the car doesn't lurch, shimmy or whine, just modifies her note a little. I can tell she senses what is next. I hit the grade and gradually put my foot into her. The Subaru is soon a distant memory behind us and I am doing a cool 75 in 3rd at about 4500RPM. Like butter. Everyone is clogging up, fighting for the fast lane at about 2/3 the way up ahead of me, the inside lane is wide open. It always is. Hard bank to right as I hit the century mark and the crest of the grade, and this test is over. Time to coast through the rainbow tunnel, to see the Bay, the GGB and a wonderful after the rain view.
I take her home, pleased as punch. This is going to be fun. I know she needs TLC, and I want to drive her. I feel complete.
1126411265112661126711263
I bought my current 2002 in 1997. I'll create a project page for her one day. I have had numerous BMW's beginning with the first 2002 I bought in February 1984.
Anyway, after finally believing I was healthy, I made the leap away from the Japanse appliance back to BMW and bought the ZHP. I love this car. Best car ever. But I feel guilty beating on it as a daily driver; the roads in San Francisco suck. The highways and byways can be awesome, but the city and other roads around here can be really heinous.
So the Subaru and Prius still got a lot of the action. Then in late 2011 my daughter turned 15 and the reality she needed to learn to drive soon really dawned on me. The bimmerhead instinct that she must learn to drive a stick, and must learn to appreciate die flusternde Bombe was talking to me.
So the summer of 2012 was the summer of e30 love. We bought the 318is to teach her. It was bought with the intention of having to do maintenance on a simple car. Learn to drive a simple car.I cleaned it up at home the first weekend we had it and that night I had this hole in me. It was already in nice shape. I wanted to feel complete by resolving some issue without giving some mechanic a week of my pay for a half day of work, including paperwork and a coffee break.
Then the next day, we wrecked it. $3500+ damage quote from the local body shop. I could have put it on insurance, but now the juices were totally flowing. I was complete. I had something to do.
I found a clean donor and actually sold the shell to someone before I even went and completed my purchase. I stripped the interior and the parts required to fix the wrecked 318is the first weekend, and got it put back together quite nicely. I shouldn't say I. My wife busted her ovaries helping me.
The power train was sold and removed the following Saturday, more parts were stripped throughout the weekend and the shell was carted away late that Sunday night. Project complete. What am I supposed to do now? It's been two weeks and I again have this hole.
Then a day or so later I see an ad ( I am not looking :shift ) or an e30 convertible for 500.00, and in my best Harold Ramis voice, I'm like hey, I can do this. I just need to find another one with a running motor and dead body for 500.00 with the crazy idea I'd sell a bunch of those parts and end up with an e30 vert and a clean 318is for little more than what I paid for the 318is. I can be patient and clean up the vert while I wait for the donor to appear. I bought it for 300.00 and paid 30.00 to get it towed home.
Then, days or so later, I see an ad for a 318is, 500.00 - beatup body and running. It's got LSD, I need that. It's got a nice interior, thats worth 200.00. The dash is uncracked - there's another 100.00. I'll take it. sold. What, your brother has a twin 318is he'll give away for 300.00 too? I'll take that - these will give me more spares then I'll ever need and the pick n pull will pay me to come pick them up. without wheels.
Man I am long winded....
So i strip down the twins, learn alot (like NEVER buy a car that has any rust), fill my yard with parts, sell a bunch of parts, buy a bunch of tools, and that funky kwik-lift. I am loving it. My wife is cranking on them too. What an awesome woman! We are spending quality time together, right ?!?
Then the donor for the vert shows up on Craigslist. Nice interior, running motor, 5 spd, nice new top, bunch of nice panels. Sold. dismantled, rolled away. more parts in the yard. It's almost Nov 1 now, the winter is coming. I button it all down for the winter, figure i'll tinker as I can, and come May, I'll build the vert.
Then May finally comes and I end up with my colon in my chest. Literally. I am here and can write about it. I am good. Can't lift my shoe to my foot at the time, but I am good. Not a good time to try to work on cars. I start thinking I can downsize and focus on upgrades on the 318is, as I have spare everything now. Clean, polish and replace will be the plan for it.
I sell the vert bits, make a little more money, shell gets pulled away, more money back. Sell the kwik-lift and buy some cherry Ronal LS for the e30. I like this horse trading stuff. I'm thinking this is a total win.
Then the lull comes. The 318is just isn't getting used by my daughter because of other commitments. No time for learning about driving and owning BMW's for her yet. I tinker, but there is nothing I need to do. I can't swap on a cherry suspension, or the Ronal's. I want her to burn this baby out a little before I replace anything. Curb rash on a curb rash is okay, but as a child of mine, you will only hit my wheels once. Once this is the mantra for her, we can polish up the 318is bits right nice. So now, there again is the hole. I am not complete.
So this summer, I was really thinking I could swap my Subaru for a killer e46 BMW wagon with a stick. Or maybe I wanted that X5 4.8is. You know, that bitching wation stagon, right?
Then I just happened to literally come face to face with the 2006 X3 msport 6MT. M54, 6mT, AWD wagon. Awesome. Love it. Love driving it. It's my wife's. It's great, but again I am not complete.
So the bug still has me. I need a fix. I've had a couple e28's and an e24. All were B's or better. Great families of cars. Though I loved the e28's better. Both e28's I would have kept forever. My roommate killed the first one, so I bought an e24 with the insurance money. I realized I prefered the size and handling of the e28 so I sold the e24 when I found out I had cancer, bought a vanagon and went touring to spend some quality time with my family. I survived the cancer, hated driving the Vanagon, bought the Subaru appliance and eventually picked up a cheap e28 to fill the void. I blew the motor up - found the timing chain in pieces. Though at this point in time, I was still unable to really wrench, which meant I had to send it away. I missed the e28's. But something kept telling me I really wanted an e12. I like the butt of the e12 so much better. I wanted an e12 that performed like an e28 535i, or better.
So 1000 words later, and a little hint earlier this week, I came across my fifth current bmw to add to the corral, but my first, first-five. I think I am halfway through this ramble...
It needs paint, but it's straight, dry though not without a spot of rust here and there. It has reupholstered leather seats, done really well. The headliner doesn't sag, though slightly discolored. All the electrics work. It's got Alpina wheels and fresh rubber. An Alpina steering wheel and knob. I like this car. Then I drive it. Holy smokes. It's got cahones. The owner doesn't know exactly what it is, though does know he has something special his mechanic built and maintains for him. He drives it. A lot. It just turned 300K miles. This month. I committed to buying it after talking to the mechanic. He tells me what it is.
Euro m30b34 ~ 208 HP. 15% more HP than the US e28 535i. Sure there are better and stronger that can be swapped in, but there is something appealing about what is effectively an e12 m535i clone wannabe. For those that don't know, before the e28 M5, there were the m535i's in Europe. No comparison in performance, but a lineage of BMW motorsport nonetheless.
She has bilstein sports on stock springs. The fattest sway bar I have ever seen in front. The rear is nothing like the front but it's there. I swear the front looks almost 50mm. It's probaby 30-35? Nice Alpine deck and speakers with aux/ipod cable. clean carpet, dry sunroof tray.
I liked the car the first time I saw it. When I crawled under and saw the new cat and back exhaust, I was sold if this thing passes smog. I wanted this car. I did a quick test drive, babying it. I don't think I hit 3K RPM. I pulled over and asked him to follow me home to show the wife, where I got the required approval, negotiated a few requirements and we were off toward completing the transaction this week.
I picked up the car and title with a fresh smog cert Thursday. The Euro bumpers he's had in storage for 5 years will be arriving this week or next. I am jazzed as all get out as I drive home Thursday night. One more day of work, then I can really rip into what I have done. Did I do the right thing?
So today. Reckoning day. I double check my purchase. The engine bay is dusty/dirty, nothing greasy, but nothing I want to attack today. The interior is clean for the most part, not detailed, but nothing I need to immediately improve upon.
I take pics of every inch of her. I tear apart the trunk. This is my typical first action with a new purchase and my tried and true regret check. What happens in the trunk tells me the worst I can expect with the rest of the car.
There is some really minor surface rust, likely from the trunk carpet trapping moisture. There maybe 3-5 spots that are no bigger than a dime or a penny that may be of more concern, but for a car of this age and known issues with rust, this looks great. Shock towers are dry. I don't find anything making feel moments of regret. I get done with my inspection cleaning of the trunk, obligatory removal of the rear license plate frame and front license plate. Clean up the tool box and trunk lid cover and begin to put a wrap on it.
So I've driven her probably 30 miles now. I am pretty sure the body, suspension, steering, brakes and interior all meet my expectations, but I am not really sure that what I have yet is 100% what I think it is. I trusted the seller, I trusted the mechanic. At some point you have to have some faith right? I shouldn't have to do my own compression test and block # serial # checks, right? Right?
Well, I did trust them, but I don't trust me. So I look. Phew - there's that 3.5 stamped on the block. Check. Hmm. I check the oil. I don't think I can remember seeing such perfect oil so perfectly on the full line, not a mm below or over, on the line. I like it. I am going to take her for a road test. Open her up a little.
I start the car and let her warm up for 10 minutes or so. Pumping the throttle a little here and there. Listen to the rumble. It's barking at me now. Let's go!.
I drive slowly through the neighborhood, just trying to ease her into it. It's 5 minutes to the freeway at 30. Enough time to give the tires a little warmup and let her and I get to know each other a little better. I merge onto the freeway, accelerate through second and third up to 68 MPH or so and just cruise for a mile or two. I don't intend to go far. This is my warmup test. I pass the cop shop; there is nobody home. 500 more feet. I can now see about a mile and a half ahead of me to the next exit. Let's hit it a little. I keep adding revs' pushing closer and closer to 80MPH, feathering the throttle to get an idea of how she responds. She's cool so far. Let's take her on to test #2.
I live like 20 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge. I take the freeway for about 10 minutes just cruising with the light traffic at around 65 in a 55. Then I get the first grade. It's about 1/2 mile, but it's steep and a good warmup test; I think anyway. I lightly push her up to 80 again, then let off as I crest the hill, eyes peeled for Johnny. Go another mile or three with the traffic, then begin to approach the Waldo Grade. Three miles of steep freeway grade, some good turns, expansive views of the San Francisco Bay, and my standard place to test my cars.
As I approach the bottom of the grade, I am in fourth, doing like 62. A Subaru starts to pull up near me in the fast lane on my left. My heart starts pounding a little harder. The excitement is increasing. I smoothly downshift into third, the car doesn't lurch, shimmy or whine, just modifies her note a little. I can tell she senses what is next. I hit the grade and gradually put my foot into her. The Subaru is soon a distant memory behind us and I am doing a cool 75 in 3rd at about 4500RPM. Like butter. Everyone is clogging up, fighting for the fast lane at about 2/3 the way up ahead of me, the inside lane is wide open. It always is. Hard bank to right as I hit the century mark and the crest of the grade, and this test is over. Time to coast through the rainbow tunnel, to see the Bay, the GGB and a wonderful after the rain view.
I take her home, pleased as punch. This is going to be fun. I know she needs TLC, and I want to drive her. I feel complete.
1126411265112661126711263