Jon, I'm a mechanical engineering BS/MS student there, currently searching for my second co-op. Loving every minute of it! And John, lol, the '86 735i that caught my eye up there is around two grand...but the fact that the stereo's busted may prevent me from justifying that purchase And due to numerous tryptophan attacks, I haven't yet gotten a closer look, so I'm gonna lift the car tomorrow and hopefully nab some pictures.
I sweated every minute of my ME undergad degree, but that was in the clay tablet days. You shouldn't have a problem finding a co-op, if you're flexible. What area of ME are you interested? BTW - John from VA has a real good point. 735's weren't known for reliability or affordability. Perhaps, some of the CCA gray beards could provide some input. Have a good one.
I'm into the mechanics of materials and thermo schtuff--after taking several courses in each, they seem like very interesting fields. And lest we forget the design and manufacturing side of things. I've got ten interviews to go on for the coming co-op, so it seems promising... And yeah, after doing some research, I've found that the 735i might end up being more trouble than it's worth. And I don't have time for that. So UPDATE: I've gotten a chance to take a quick look under the car, and while there was no active leakage at the time, I'm 98.97% certain (due to some residue) that it's the transmission seals. That, and check out the color of the fluid and its position on the slick new drip pan my dad got me (see attached pix)...
Definitely looks like ATF, which, I now know can be used as gear lube in some BMW manual transmissions. It's never too late to learn something new.
