A Little History

Well, this is my first post.  Let's start with a little history.  My addiction was brought on by a friend who had a tendency toward performance vehicles, namely an 89 BMW M3.  Silver and very limited edition for the states (picture to follow).  I was hooked!  It wasn't long before I was driving a 94 325i and feeling very good about the decision.  

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After all, a German luxury sports car with relatively low miles for a relatively low price.  I loved that car.  It was red with cream interior (leatherette) which I thought any many ways is better than the leather interior due to its durability and ability to repel dirt.  It also looks and feels just like leather.  This car had the fold down rear seats and of course, was a manual tranny.  Great first car.  The E36 is a great model and has a very reliable engine that is easy to work on.  

After awhile I decided to save some money and opt for a little older BMW and moved to a 90 525i with manual transmission.  

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A great car with a good balance between power, fuel economy, sporty handling and luxury styling.  There are a few things to look for in the E34 and we can talk about those later.  

After my stent with the E34, I got a bug to have the wind blowing in my hair and so we eyed a 96 328ic in black on the internet.  Unfortunately it was an automatic but my wife thought that was a positive.  I prefer the manual but the auto performance was not disappointing.  I have always disliked black cars and this one was no exception.  From the beginning of the BMW addiction, I always craved a silver steed, but it always fell out of my grasp.  Black is the opposite of silver and my driveway will never be graced with its color again.  Just too hard to keep clean.  

My next move was a 97 328ic, but this time, white with blue top and grey interior.  Nice car and also a manual.  I kept this for a couple of years and I have now vowed to never own another soft top.  Pain in the but to maintain.  

The next move was a 2000 528i  and get this, silver with grey interior.  Very nice and luxurious car with sport suspension.  The only "major" issue with this car (E39) is that it eats rear tires.  I am lucky to get 20K miles out of a set.  The negative camber on this car is very aggressive as tuned in at the factory.  After 3 years of trying to find a solution through different brands of tires and rotating, I have now dialed out as much of the negative camber that I can and will sacrifice the "performance" for now to see if I get better wear.  

A year ago I added to the stable with a 92 525i in silver and a manual tranny.  I am starting to get this process perfected.  I am slowly restoring this car into a sporty daily driver while keeping cost and performance in mind.  There is no reason that an average Joe/Jolette can't own a fine German engineered car (BMW) and afford to drive and maintain it without going in the hole.  I have owned several Bimmers and I have only been stranded one time and I have never had a repair that had to be done before I could drive the car.  I plan to talk about the different experiences I have had with each car and how I managed to repair them while at the same time feeding my family and paying the mortgage.  It can be done and if you are mechanically minded and enjoy working on things, I strongly recommend the journey.