Hi all! I've been a member for a little over a year, but thought I'd start being a bit more active in the forums. I currently reside in Orange County, California, but grew up in New Mexico. I've been blessed to have a dad who raised me on BMWs. My car through high school was a 1975 Golf BMW 2002, which we still have. My college vehicle was a 1979 528i that we also still have. After graduating I spent a few years with Mazda's as they were reliable, fun, sporty, and fit well with my paycheck. However, the moment I made enough to justify a BMW, I leased a new BMW 328i coupe (Space Grey). I love it. To me, it's still the best representation of what BMW stands for. Sport sedans that make the driver the focus. When I visit home and take the 2002 out for a spin, it amazes me how similar the two cars are, being 35 years apart. I hope this BMW is the first of many for me, as I feel like I wouldn't be able to go back to drive anything else (except for my fiance's Mini ). Anyway, hello to you all, and I hope to make some new friends around here.
Welcome to da' funny farm! I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself... Ohh suuuuuure, rub it in... ...my dad always told me "a car is for transportation, that's it" and seemingly couldn't care less what he rode around in. He never understood why I spend time and money on caring for a car - to him, if it started and got you where you wanted to go, who cares if there's brake dust on the wheels or some dents/scratches in the paint. I don't know where I got my "car-craziness" from but I definitely do NOT share Dad's vision of the automobile. Friends??? FRIENDS?? My God, man, have you gone MAD?? Naww, you will enjoy the conversation and the people almost as much as your ride...
Funny enough, my dad has never been a car crazy pistonhead but he's always had a taste for nice cars. Before I was born there was a parade of Mercedes Benzes (including a gorgeous pagoda 280SL). Through the 70s he switched to American cars for his rough daily commute, which the Ford LTDs did more than sufficiently well. Then in the 80s, after a Cadillac Seville (POS) and a 1984 Audi 5000S (POS #2) he bought his first BMW (1984 733i). He then bought a 944 as a toy. When he was 66 years old he traded the 944 for a 6 speed Porsche 968. Today, at 82, he drives his beloved 1990 750iL a few times a week and the other times he's with my mom in her '08 335i (a 328i would not suffice he told me ). The one event in his life that would qualify as a pistonhead moment came in the early 70s. His friend was picking a Jaguar in Europe so he almost convinced my dad to do the same with a Ferrari Daytona but decided against it at the last minute (DAMN IT!). He still tells me that it would have been around $23K and, even though he could afford it, he thought it was too much money for a car.
Thanks for the warm welcome. I only hope I can contribute to insightful conversation as so many here do. That or bar jokes.
As Foghorn Leghorn would say "That's a joke, son"......(i.e. my weak attempt at humor ) We have a thread in the "Off-Topic" meandering around on bar jokes...check it out and contribute..... @DamienM3 & drummerfc: Sorry guys; you can come down off the ceiling now....
Welcome to the asylum! . . . I see you've already met some of your fellow inmates. . . We seem to be talking about our gearhead parents---or our anti-gearhead parents. Mom was pretty much crazy about cars and driving fast, and her fifth husband drove a '69 Caddy Eldorado convertible, white with red leather interior. . . . Maybe that's why I had to give a good home to the Alpine-White-over-Imola roadster. . . .
My Dad taught me: "The car's not clean if the wheels are dirty," and he would send me back outside. He is an enthusiast for sure, if you take a look at his car history: 1956 MG-A Roadster 1962 Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint coupe 196? BMW 1800 (not Ti) sedan 1974 Datsun 260Z 2+2 19XX Olds Delta 88 'vert, Honda Prelude, Acura Legend 1995 BMW M3 (Stolen) 1996 BMW M3 (Sold to me.) 2000 BMW 528i sedan 2006 BMW M3 Dad uses the 528i to haul their trash cans up the long driveway to the street. The M3 is his DD. Mom's uses a Smart Car to get the mail up-top of that same driveway.
